Laptop for a sudent

[JeffreyLloyd]

I am starting college this fall and want to fork over the money for a good lap top... any suggestions?

 

[Unimatrix]

Edit

 

[Jet Black]

desktops are cheaper and more versatile. college will have computers if you want to use them, and if you want to shift data, get a CDRW.

 

[AggieBrad]

if you want a great laptop, go will the Dell Dimensions line.

 

[Stryper]

i suggest gettin the laptop from a bestbuy store.. i know these stores are around my area, not sure about other places. i get them there because they have extended warranty plans and trust me, laptops nowadays break so easily. a little drop to the floor will make the monitor come lose. my hp laptops power plug on the laptop itself became loose and pushed to the back. i returned it to best buy and they gave me a brand new laptop. plus the prices at these large computer retail stores are a lot better then dell. dell is only popular for the ones that are intrigued by the commercials. and the customer support guys are nice. thats it. i would suggest getting a dell if you dont know much about computers. otherwise get it from a store WITH an extended warranty

 

[jko]

If you want a quality laptop, do not buy one from a store. Buy one from either Dell or AlienWare.

 

[Stryper]

i disagree with you jko. but will u please elaborate on why you should buy one from dell or alienware. remember to keep in mind that they are more expensive then the store.

 

[WesleyJohn]

I'd like to weigh in...

1) Desktops: Yes, they are more versatile for upgrades, using multiple expansion slots, playing games, etc. However, if you're not interested in multimedia and gaming...I'd get a laptop in a heartbeat! The portability and small amount of space is precious to me. I currently have both a desktp and a laptop, and almost never use the desktop. I may never purchase another desktop in my lifetime (unless I decide to start doing graphic or music intensive stuff).

2) Dell/Gateway vs. Best Buy/Circuit City. Store bought computers are cheaper. I'm also of the opinion that they are cheaper made. I am not a fan of HP or Compaq (which is what you might find in a Best Buy) because I think that the software doesn't always integrate well with the hardware. One poster indicated that he was able to purchase an extended warranty through Best Buy...you can purchase an extended warranty through Dell as well. He also indicated that he had had problems with his breaking (monitor, power plug)...and while he was pleased that the store was happy to replace the computer...I don't think either of those problems should have happened in the first place...I've had my dell for about 2&1/2 years now, and have no problems similar to what he has reported.

3) How to buy a computer. Unless you have very specific needs (multimedia, music, movies, etc), I usually advise people to a) determine how much money they can spend, and b) get the best computer they can afford for their money. Remember that your computer will be 'obsolete' within a couple of years...and so I suggest getting the best your money can afford so it won't need to be replaced simply in order to run new software.

4) Software: As a student, you should be eligible for an academic discount on software. You should get Microsoft Office (Not Microsoft Works) with your computer. You might want to consider comparing the cost of Office if purchased with the computer, or purchased separately with your academic discount.

Hope this helps some...feel free to PM me...

WJ

 

[jko]

i disagree with you jko. but will u please elaborate on why you should buy one from dell or alienware. remember to keep in mind that they are more expensive then the store.

If you got a laptop from Bestbuy then you would either get a Sony, HP or Compaq. Their quality is ****. They load a bunch of their bloatware software that most people do not need or use.

Dell installs only the software that you can use (Windows, Office etc) not custom "Dell" made software.

Alienware uses name brands and use high quality parts. They are made for gamers who need high end systems. Anyone who has used and worked with laptops in the professional field will know that a Compaq laptop is not that great.

 

[Stryper]

NOOOO i wrote a long thing and there was an error and i lost all the text. oh well. MAYBE ITS MY HEWLETT PACKARDS FAULT??!?!?! hehe jk.

anyway my power adapter thingy broke because i dropped my laptop on it with the power cord in. it should have broke.

JKO's comments:
"Alienware uses name brands and use high quality parts. They are made for gamers who need high end systems."
thats nice if he was going to a gaming convention but he is going to college.

"Anyone who has used and worked with laptops in the professional field will know that a Compaq laptop is not that great."
thats nice because compaqs are known for their bargain prices.


and lets see what we got out of this convo so far:

dell/alienware:
no useless software

store bought:
you get more for your money

and let me add something to the pros of the store bought. when something goes wrong with something, I personally like to talk to a human being in person and not over a phone or email. but thats just me.

 

[JeffreyLloyd]

Thanks for all the advice guys. Those alien lap tops look cool.

 

[jko]

NOOOO i wrote a long thing and there was an error and i lost all the text. oh well. MAYBE ITS MY HEWLETT PACKARDS FAULT??!?!?! hehe jk.

anyway my power adapter thingy broke because i dropped my laptop on it with the power cord in. it should have broke.

JKO's comments:
"Alienware uses name brands and use high quality parts. They are made for gamers who need high end systems."
thats nice if he was going to a gaming convention but he is going to college.

"Anyone who has used and worked with laptops in the professional field will know that a Compaq laptop is not that great."
thats nice because compaqs are known for their bargain prices.


and lets see what we got out of this convo so far:

dell/alienware:
no useless software

store bought:
you get more for your money

and let me add something to the pros of the store bought. when something goes wrong with something, I personally like to talk to a human being in person and not over a phone or email. but thats just me.

I'm not going to argue. I can get a lot of people to agree with me that work in the IT field. I don't care what you or anyone else goes for, I was giving another answer. And if something goes wrong with my laptop, I fix it, I don't need anyone else to.

Remember, you get what you pay for. Less $ usually means less quality.

 

[Stryper]

"Remember, you get what you pay for. Less $ usually means less quality"



if i was on any other forums i would argue iwth you but i stated my points here. and i now know how ignorant u are

 

[KristiXP]

Stryper, seriously. I think you need to lay off the bashing comments. Everyone that posted is here to help out Jeffrey Lloyd not have a debate about which product is better. You help others more by stating what you think is best not hijacking their thread into a debate....

 

[Stryper]

he disagreed with me so it is a debate. sorry thats how i am.

 

[johnnymapson]

I have a computer business that lately entails setting up peoples computers, desktop and laptop. I do not work for dell but when I recommend a laptop, dell is what I recommend. I have sold quite a few of them and the only computers that I ever need to "work" on are the computers that people bought from "Best Buy" or other type stores. But if ALL you are going to do is word processing and internet and email, ANY new laptop will do a fine job of that. What I run into more is 2 years from now and you want to upgrade your laptop, dell usually is easier to work with. I recommend the latitude line. I have a p266 latitude, it's old but it's been upgraded a lot and runs word proccessing and internet like a dream. Over all of these I would recommend a Mac, I just don't have the bucks to get one. I think that is a whole different discussion