Laptop for College? Advice?

ThatGermanDude · #1 05-11-2008, 08:57 AM

so, i'm getting a laptop for college. right now i'm looking at a refurbished dell xps m1530 with 3 gigs of ram/ 250 gig hd/ intel core duo t5500? 1.83 gh/ and vista

any opinions about this?
any other options in the same price range? ($800 max)

fdeck · #2 05-11-2008, 09:58 AM

My opinion: Other than gaming or audio processing, I don't know what you need a lot of computing power for. You can get a cheap Dell notebook with WinXP for 400 bucks.

Two things to think about are weight and battery life.

iamlowsound · #3 05-11-2008, 11:00 AM

For a collage student that isn't doing anything computer intensive, the most important thing in battery life. Macbooks have the best battery life on the market. You also want to make sure that you will buy something that will last you the whole way through. There is no point in buying a $800 laptop if you are just going to end up buying another $800 laptop half way through collage. Would have been smarter to just spend the $1600 from the start.

If you will be using the school's network, make sure that you have good security. You should also back up all your notes every few weeks or so. A friend of mine had her laptop crash just before exams started this spring, good thing her dad is an IT guy or she wouldn't have had any notes left. BACK IT UP. It only takes a few minutes.

For laptops I highly recommend macbooks, yes they are out of your price range, but they have the longest battery life on the market, they are super secure right out of the box, they are extremely durable (I have dropped mine down the steps while running and it was fine) and they are simple to use. Dells have a bad reputation for cheap parts and mouse pads that break rendering the mouse useless. If you are set on a Windows machine, I would recommend going with a Toshiba.

lowsound

Basshole · #4 05-11-2008, 11:20 AM

Macbook triple booting OS/X, Windows and Ubuntu Linux.

Compatible with anything the world can throw at you.

iamlowsound · #5 05-11-2008, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Basshole

Macbook triple booting OS/X, Windows and Ubuntu Linux.

Compatible with anything the world can throw at you.

I can only think of one thing that OSX can't run that windows can, and that is autocad. OSX is compatible with just about everything, people always think that 10% of programs run on it, but the reality is that about 99% of programs run on it.

lowsound

Marcury · #6 05-11-2008, 11:30 AM

Macbook. BootCamp allows you to run Windows on the same machine. So you get the best of both worlds (if there's a Windows' best).

tplyons · #7 05-11-2008, 11:52 AM

I have to agree. The Macbook, despite it's $1100 price tag, is possibly the best laptop out there for the money. Mine's taking a beating, and still working flawlessly a year later. I'm about to add Vista to it as well, making it just a bit more useful.

fdeck · #8 05-11-2008, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iamlowsound

I can only think of one thing that OSX can't run that windows can, and that is autocad. OSX is compatible with just about everything, people always think that 10% of programs run on it, but the reality is that about 99% of programs run on it.

lowsound

Outside of engineering, this is true. If the OP is an engineering student, then Windows is pretty much obligatory, though it could certainly be Windows running on a Mac.

Sonic_Death · #9 05-11-2008, 12:08 PM

Not that I am saying Macbooks aren't a good choice, but I am curious about the whole "best battery life" thing.

I know of some Windows laptops that get upwards of 6 hours of battery life, how much do Macbooks get these days?

Also, I am a pretty big fan of Dell. They are definitely within your price range, and you can often find nice coupons so you could feasibly get a $1200 computer for $800 or so.

Dell Inspirons are nice, I would check some of the older models out, and get XP on it.

iamlowsound · #10 05-11-2008, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sonic_Death

Not that I am saying Macbooks aren't a good choice, but I am curious about the whole "best battery life" thing.

I know of some Windows laptops that get upwards of 6 hours of battery life, how much do Macbooks get these days?

Also, I am a pretty big fan of Dell. They are definitely within your price range, and you can often find nice coupons so you could feasibly get a $1200 computer for $800 or so.

Dell Inspirons are nice, I would check some of the older models out, and get XP on it.

I have squeezed out 8 hours out of my macbook before.

lowsound

**MAJOR METAL** · #11 05-11-2008, 12:21 PM

Time for \MM/ to get a lap top for grad school as well.

iamlowsound · #12 05-11-2008, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MAJOR METAL

Time for \MM/ to get a lap top for grad school as well.

I don't know anyone that makes a green one, sorry.

lowsound

jiant. · #13 05-11-2008, 12:25 PM

+1 on Macbooks. I just bought one about a month ago, and I absolutely love it. You won't be disappointed. If you call Mac Authority (macauthority.com), you can get pretty good deals on refurbs that they don't have listed on their site, they're authorized by Apple and I've had several friends buy notebooks from them with no problems or complaints what so ever. In any event, make sure you get something that you personally like, since you'll be spending all your money and time on it.

**MAJOR METAL** · #14 05-11-2008, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iamlowsound

I don't know anyone that makes a green one, sorry.

lowsound

Bob Clayton · #15 05-11-2008, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MAJOR METAL

Time for \MM/ to get a lap top for grad school as well.

(Click Here)

i_got_a_mohawk · #16 05-11-2008, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iamlowsound

I can only think of one thing that OSX can't run that windows can, and that is autocad. OSX is compatible with just about everything, people always think that 10% of programs run on it, but the reality is that about 99% of programs run on it.

lowsound

We have had problems at our uni where people have prepared presentations on mac's (using the mac version of power point), and when loaded over to PC (XP) it doesnt work properly. But thats the only issue I could think of off hand. (other than the price tag).

To the OP, remember, you are a student, that means student discounts on most computer stuff

(from Dell, Apple etc)

Also, your institute might have a special deal going with some companies where if you order through the institute you get it cheaper than the regular student price

Visirale · #17 05-11-2008, 01:15 PM

Depends on your major. If you're looking at business or finance, go PC. Most major universities with Business departments worth their weight in anything require pc.

Fine arts? Absolutely mac.

Anything else? You decide.

jonathan_matos5 · #18 05-11-2008, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Clayton

(Click Here)

granny smith?

tplyons · #19 05-11-2008, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Visirale

Depends on your major. If you're looking at business or finance, go PC. Most major universities with Business departments worth their weight in anything require pc.

Fine arts? Absolutely mac.

Anything else? You decide.

Half the business department at my school runs Macs, dual boot. Don't dismiss the Mac because you think it only runs Mac OS. I use Mac OS 10.5 for most things, but when hardcore business work comes due, I switch over to Windows.

I've squeezed 8 hours out of my Macbook running only Word. The more you run, the more your computer uses your battery. Running more will kill your battery. Biggest killer: wireless internet, so turn it off and turn your sound off and darken the backlight. You'll save your battery that way.

fdeck · #20 05-11-2008, 01:28 PM

Battery life definitely has a lot to do with how you use the computer, and the computer's ability to shut down things it is not using. That makes it hard to pin down an exact number for battery life. The OS can affect this, as it is the OS that manages the power management features of the computer.