I am certain you are correct that often the spread between the machines is not too great. However, you mentioned -1 generation with slower CPU. I cannot imagine what type of applications a student could possibly run on a desk/lap top that would even come close to challenging the speeds of these machines. I have one application that is about as deep as you can get. On a much earlier CPU it ran iterations nearly all night. The same app on the past three computers does it in a matter of minutes. Monte Carlo Simulation is not a light-weight app. Are you possibly thinking of the RAM. That is where you need some headroom. To a certain extent, the more the better (correct kind also). Luck - Steve