Money College: Laptop bargains for less than $500

So many little things add up when starting college: from tuition to all the bells, whistles and mandatory add ons that eventually drain every last penny in your name before you even set foot in a classroom. And for most schools, including mine, it's policy that students own a laptop.

My school offered a "deal" through Dell and I ended up spending about $1,500 for the now non-existent Dell Latitude D620. It lasted me until this past summer, when it was viciously attacked by a virus. During its life, it ran well and didn't have many problems.