Laptop Rental for Students: Which Model to Get for University and Exam Season

Why more and more students rent instead of buying

We see it in our store every autumn and every exam season. A student comes in needing a laptop, and once we sit down and do the maths, it turns out they don’t actually need a brand-new machine for the couple of months they’ll really be working on it. University lasts years, but not every semester is equally demanding. Some are packed with projects, others are just lectures and the occasional paper.

Buying a laptop is a big one-off expense, especially when parents are already covering tuition, accommodation and transport. Laptop rental for students solves that short-term need without tying up money in a device that will be outdated in two or three years anyway. Plus, if the model turns out to be too weak or overkill for what you’re doing, it’s easy to swap for another one. That’s the main thing students underestimate: you don’t have to nail the perfect machine straight away — you can start with what you need right now.

The other group is first-year students who don’t yet know what their course will demand. Instead of buying something blind, they rent a laptop for university for the first semester, see how things go, and then make a decision at their own pace.

How much RAM and what kind of processor you need for university

Let’s clear this up first, because we get this question all the time. For what most students actually do every day — writing papers, reading PDFs, online lectures over Teams or Zoom, a few browser tabs, basic Office — you don’t need a monster. You need a machine that doesn’t choke when you open ten tabs and Word at the same time.

Our recommendation for that kind of work:

• RAM: 8 GB is the lower limit for comfortable everyday use today. If the budget allows, 16 GB is more comfortable and will stay sufficient for longer.
• Processor: any newer-generation Intel i5 or Ryzen 5 is more than enough. Even an i3 gets the job done if it’s just text and lectures.
• Storage: an SSD is a must — don’t even consider a machine with an old mechanical hard drive. The difference in boot time and how fast programs open is huge.
• Screen and battery: if you carry your laptop around campus and libraries a lot, make sure the battery lasts a decent while and the weight isn’t a problem.

Machines like these are usually listed with us as student laptops and business machines. If you want something quieter and better built for everyday work, also check the business laptop category — those are mostly corporate machines that are solidly built and reliable.

Special cases: architecture, design, programming — when you need a more powerful machine

Here the story changes. If you’re studying architecture, design, or certain programmes at FON, Mechanical or Electrical Engineering where you work with heavy software, a weak laptop will just drive you crazy.

Specifically, when to think about a more powerful machine:

• Architecture and 3D: AutoCAD, ArchiCAD, Revit, SketchUp, rendering — this calls for a stronger GPU, more RAM (16 GB and up) and a powerful processor.
• Graphic design and video: Photoshop and Illustrator run fine on a stronger business machine, but Premiere, After Effects and serious video work demand a dedicated GPU and plenty of RAM.
• Programming: for web development and most courses, a good business laptop with 16 GB is enough. But if you’re running virtual machines, Docker, mobile emulators or training models — you need to step up.

For those needs, look at the more powerful configurations. With us that falls under workstations, and for graphics and anything that needs a strong graphics card, gaming laptops often fit the bill too, since their dedicated GPUs handle rendering and heavier projects very well. The best approach is to tell us exactly which software you use so we can suggest a specific model that runs it — there’s no point paying rent on a stronger machine than you actually need.

Renting just for exam season or a thesis defence — the short-term option

This is a situation we deal with often. A student’s laptop breaks down right before midterms, or they need a decent machine for just a few weeks until they submit and defend their thesis. There’s no logic in buying a new laptop for those few weeks.

Renting a laptop for exam season makes the most sense here. You take a machine that’s enough for writing, preparing your presentation and the defence, use it for as long as you need, and return it. For the defence itself and presenting in front of the committee, a good student or business model is usually perfectly sufficient — what matters is that it runs reliably, doesn’t freeze, and lets you connect a projector or external screen.

Since pricing works per day and per period, a short term doesn’t have to cost much. The longer the period, the lower the daily rate — so if you know you’ll need it for the whole exam season, tell us in advance and we’ll give you a better deal.

What if your laptop breaks down mid-exams — a replacement while yours is being repaired

This is why we, coming from the repair business ourselves, got into rentals in the first place. Breakdowns always happen at the worst possible moment, and in the middle of exam season every day without a laptop hurts. If your machine dies right when you need it most, you don’t have to stop studying.

You rent a replacement laptop while yours is in for repair, keep working as normal, and when yours comes back — you return ours. That way you don’t lose days before an exam over something you couldn’t control. Just let us know what you work on so we can give you a machine that fits — nothing too weak or unnecessarily powerful.

FAQ: minimum period, deposit for students, pickup near campus

What’s the minimum rental period?
It depends on the model and the situation. The best way is to send us an enquiry and we’ll tell you exactly for the machine you’re interested in — and what makes sense if you only need it for a few days versus the whole exam season.

How big is the deposit for students?
The deposit depends on the value of the machine you’re taking. Send an enquiry for a specific model and we’ll tell you the terms upfront, no surprises. It’s refunded when you return the laptop in good condition.

Can I pick up the laptop near my faculty?
We have three locations in Belgrade, so there’s usually one close by. When you send us an enquiry, we’ll agree on whichever spot is easiest for you to pick up and return the machine.

Browse laptops suitable for university and send an enquiry

If you need a machine for university, exam season, or just a replacement while yours is being repaired, the fastest way is to browse the selection and tell us what you need. In our range of rental laptops you’ll find machines for every level — from plain essay writing to more powerful configurations for design and programming.

Open the model you’re interested in, check the rental prices by period, and send a rental enquiry directly from the product page. If it’s quicker for you, message us on WhatsApp or Viber or simply give us a call — tell us what you study and which software you use, and we’ll suggest the right machine and give you the exact price and terms.