So I'm heading off to College in the fall (still deciding between a few schools) but I wanted to scrape together some information on laptops as I plan to buy one for school.
I have a PS2, and never ever play computer games. My computer tasks consist of: lots of music, AIM, internet, microsoft word, powertabs (a guitar program), and then any programs I will be required to use at college. I will often have an online browser, AIM, Itunes, and Word open at once, so I need something that can run several programs smoothly.
That being said, computer speed is still a peak priority. I want a computer that will be fast, but I don't need a souped up ultimate game machine.
What should I look at that would cover all of my interests, and maximize value?
honestly although I wouldn't but it from a store, I would go to the store and try some of the keyboards. I think your best bet is to go as small as your hands are comfortable with. Alot of smaller laptops have retardedly small keyboards and there is no way a grown man can type on it. That is the one thing that I would look for. Other than that, wait for them to go on sale and then pounce.
BGbootha wrote:honestly although I wouldn't but it from a store, I would go to the store and try some of the keyboards. I think your best bet is to go as small as your hands are comfortable with. Alot of smaller laptops have retardedly small keyboards and there is no way a grown man can type on it. That is the one thing that I would look for. Other than that, wait for them to go on sale and then pounce.
Yeah good call, we use apple laptops at school...I cannot type on those things. It's ridiculous. You gotta be between 4-10 years old to even think about typing.
Now where would you suggest buying it from if not a store?
I've bought 3 computers from the HP website. You can pick and choose and get exactly what you want, and play around with the price.
Before you go out and get one, you should find out what your college requires first. I know even different departments within the same school sometimes want different things.
I got mine and my brothers from Dell.com, they give discounts to teachers so thats why I went with them. Plus thier customer service has been wonderful (my 'p' button fell off, I had a free new keyboard within 2 days, and they shipped all of the tools needed to fix it).
But you can find much better deals online, then you can from a retail store like Best Buy or what not.
Brands dont really matter much anymore; Dell, HP, Gateway... I think they're all the same now and I'm an IT guy. Personally I'd go with Dell because I think they're a little cheaper than the others but watch out for add-ons. Since you don't want a small keyboard, go with a larger laptop. The smaller ones are usually more expensive and less powerful anyway. I think HP does make widescreen laptops with full keyboards and number pads, which is pretty nice. Depends on how mobile you'll be though since those are a bit cumbersome. If you're just moving around a room or building mostly, a big laptop is no big deal... but if you're lugging it all over campus every day, it would make more of a difference.
Get plenty of RAM and a big, fast HDD and you should be fine with speed.
EDIT: New Egg is a great way to go for finding excellent deals on laptops. Like I said, brands don't matter much and so long as you're not too concerned with warranties and support (most colleges offer this service free anyway) a generic laptop would do just fine. I think they sell a lot of Asus, Acer and Lenovo laptops at great prices, and even some higher end Toshiba's and Sony's for good deals.
If you're a battery, you're either working or you're dead....
bceagles04 wrote:Thanks for all the quick responses. Another concern is battery life. I don't wanna be constantly looking for power outlets so I can recharge...
My dell without the upgrade to the 9cell battery (I have a 6 cell) can give me about 3 solid hours off the plug. I know my brother went out and bought a seconday battery for like $100, and he carries that with him. You can also upgrade to the 9 cell and that should give you closer to 4.5 hours or so I would guess.
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by bceagles04 » Wed Apr 18, 2007 1:20 pm 
