Six back-to-school laptops for under $500

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While many high-school and college students now tote around smaller gadgets like smartphones, e-readers and tablets, a laptop computer still makes the grade for its physical keyboard, big screen and ample storage.

But here's something you won't hear from the sales clerk at your local big box store: You don't need a top-of-the-line computer to get schoolwork done.

Oh sure, those who take video editing, animation or video game design might need the extra horsepower, but the majority of the tasks a student needs a computer for ? web browsing, messaging, word processing and social networking ? can be handled by virtually any Internet-connected machine.

If you're shopping around for a new laptop to start the year off right, consider one of these following half-dozen picks for budget-conscious students.

Sony's 15.5" VAIO E Series laptop (model # SVE1511RFXB; $399.99)

Toshiba's satin black 15.6-inch Satellite laptop (model # C855; $399.99)

Dell Inspiron 15R ($499.99)

For $449 you can pick up a 17.3-inch HP Pavilion laptop (model # G7-1340DX)

Asus X401A-RPK4 laptop ($329.99)

15.6-inch, 5.3-pound Lenovo IdeaPad V570 ($479.99)

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