Best College Laptop

sprtphntc7a

13 years ago

Hi All,

Need to get laptop for college bound "freshman"....

any and all suggestions would be great....

would like to stay around $6-700 if possible, will go higher if need be....

TIA

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Comments (7)

zep516
13 years ago
Hi sprtphntc,

I'm just going to supply a link for you. It contains a wealth of information and even some that you might have not even considered asking.

Here is a link that might be useful: should-i-buy-for-college
jean001a
13 years ago
Check with the school before you buy. Some places have general requirements, others require that the computer must be purchased through the school because of the necessary software.
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Checking with the school or the major department (to see if there is a specific reason for or against a particular choice) is a good idea. My own family's experiences, which includes a total of 6 undergrad and grad program starts, was that 1) Not surprisingly, all schools and programs could accommodate and provide tech support for both Mac and Windows machines. All 6 could provide software either for free or with heavy discounts and left the choice of flavor up to the student with no specific recommendation, and 2) While all schools offered "special pricing" for purchases from the school/student store, none required it. None of the school "deals" we encountered were ever particularly competitive, I was always able to get more value for money from normal sources. I wouldn't be surprised if there were some photo/graphics or art programs that may be Mac only. You'll learn if one of those special situations applies by asking.
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Thanks for all the input. I did try hooking a monitor to the laptop to eliminate the possibility that it was just the screen or the cable that connects--it showed nothing. I agree that the repair may not be cost effective--but wanted to try everything I could before purchasing another PC. Also just tried Zep16's advise to keep hitting the F8 key, but just as he suspected--the menu never appeared. Although laptops are difficult to troubleshoot because replacement parts aren't readily available. We do have 2 of these laptops exactly alike and I wondered if it would be advisable to switch out the hard drives, etc... to see if I could pin point the problem. Since my knowledge is limited, I wasn't sure if taking the hard drive from the working machine was a good idea. Thanks again--All input appreciated.
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The term "build your own" can apply to almost any brand of computer if you go to the web site of the manufacturer and select the components that you want. Then you can order it directly from the manufacturer's store or go to a big box store and match the specs as closely as possible and probably get a much better price. As for avoiding HP because of their corporate actions, I do not think that will be a problem. HP computers will be around whether the same company continues to produce them or the computer division is sold to someone else. Don't forget, these are nearly all built in China anyway. They will stand behind their products for whatever warranty period you have. Also, I would not be in too big a hurry to make this purchase for the next school year anytime soon. Electronics change, and upgrades are made so often, you might be better off waiting until after Christmas to make the purchase, and save money also.
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The DDR3 is the latest type of memory and a 7200RPM hard drive is a real plus in a laptop. Many use a 5400RPM drive, so the 7200 is faster. You don't give all the specs, so can't say much more. For example, is the processor a 64bit or 32 bit processor. I'd advise to definitely get 64bit. Sounds like a good price. Some don't like HPs laptops, but I have one and like it just fine, much better than a Dell I had.
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sprtphntc7a
Original Author
13 years ago
thanks for your replies....

great link zep, so much info
jean, good suggestion, i will look into it...

thanks again !!

if anyone else has suggestions, keep them coming....

TIA
breenthumb
13 years ago
The computer guru's on the radio here (soundbytes.org) always suggest that buying locally, near the college, gives access to local warranty help. May not apply if buying from big box retail though.
john_wc
13 years ago
I would put reliability at the top of the list. Consumer reviews have become almost useless due to sabatogue by those who are overly-loyal to a particular brand.

Rescuecom publishes a reliability report. It measures the number of support calls it receives for each brand and then compares that to the relative US market share of each brand to derive a reliability index. It is not a perfect measurement but at least it's based on objective data. Rescuecom's 2013 ratings are as follows:

1. Samsung (648)
2. Asus (332)
3. Lenovo/IBM (228)
4. HP (124)
5. Toshiba (118)
6. Apple (76)
7. Dell (60)
8. Sony (54)
9. Acer (28)

This post was edited by john_wc on Thu, Jul 18, 13 at 15:26
sdelafuente
13 years ago
I have been in the field of computer repair for almost 10 years. I would recommend Samsung, Acer, Dell, Apple, and Lenovo. The brand I don't not suggest is HP. They have the tendency of giving out right after the warranty. Also try to get it with an Intel processor. AMD run really hot.

Good Luck
sprtphntc7a
Original Author
13 years ago
thanks everyone for your input...great info!!!

i was already shying away from HP...
and set on intel processor vs. AMD...

2 decisions made....

anymore help would be great....

TIA

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Best College Laptop

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zep516

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Best College Laptop

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