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The best computers for students

11 laptops, desktops and convertibles -- and that's not even counting our favorite gaming machines.

What would a back-to-school guide be without a healthy dose of computer recs? Other than a small dorm TV, perhaps, it's the single most expensive investment you're likely to make as you begin college -- and if you're graduating or pursuing an advanced degree, it's possible you've been waiting patiently for a reason to upgrade.

As you can imagine, our guide includes a slew of laptops and convertibles (eight, to be exact), along with a detachable (that would be the new Surface Pro) and a pair of desktops, in case you're content to work just in the dorm. And that's not counting the three gaming notebooks we recommend in our shopping guide for PC gamers! With starting prices ranging from $469 to $1,550, and screen sizes running the gamut from 12 inches to 27, we found something for just about every use case.