id="article-body" class="row" section="article-body"> School's out, making this one of the best times of the year to shop for a new laptop. This foundational academic tool is likely to be one of a student's most significant investments, aside from tuition, room and board. And that makes it well worth spending the time to seek out the best deal possible.   

When Prime Day kicks off on July 15, we'll be keeping our collective eyes peeled for Amazon's best discounts on laptops, convertibles and Chromebooks. Of course, even without a special deal, you can now get an entry-level laptop for $200 to $400. But we think it's worthwhile to spend at least a few hundred more to get a machine that will last longer and perform better. This list, which represents our top choices for college, university and even high school students, is based on our own hands-on use and benchmark testing. 

Most of these laptops cost around $500 or more. If you're looking for something less expensive -- or if you