Consumer Reports finds the best laptops for students

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- School requirements, price and size are the most important factors when considering laptop purchases for students, according to Consumer Reports.

Before purchasing a laptop for school, experts recommend checking with the school to see if they have specific requirements for brands or capabilities.

Most colleges allow Windows or Apple; however, some schools may use applications that only run on one or the other.

"On college campuses you're going to see a lot of Mac laptops. Except when you go to an engineering building, in which case, you'll see a lot of Window's laptops," Rich Fisco with Consumer Reports said.

Experts say price is also a very important aspect to consider.

"Mac laptops tend to be expensive. You're probably going to pay $1,000 or more for anything they have to offer, but in our survey they are the most reliable... Windows laptops offer a much wider range of pricing. You can pay as little as a couple hundred, or you can pay as much as a Mac or even more," Fisco said.

Consumer Reports says 13-inch laptops are a good compromise between screen size and weight for students on the go. The MacBook Pro for $1,300, Dell XPS 13 Non-Touch for $1,000 and Acer 14-inch for $700 are all good options, according to Consumer Reports.

"The small, thin and lights are great. They're cool. They're easy to carry, but if you're pulling an all-nighter writing that term paper, you're going to be looking for a larger screen than what those little guys afford you," Fisco explained.