Laptop Discussion for College

Started by tennisball80
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tennisball80

tennisball80

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So what kind of laptop would you recommend to a freshman guy ? My primary concern is that the laptop will not last long enough for a lecture. What if I need to attend a 3 hours lecture ? Do any laptops will last long enough to take notes for 3 hours ?

Edit:What's the advantage of getting a tablet PC ?
 
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tennisball80 said:
So what kind of laptop would you recommend to a freshman guy ? My primary concern is that the laptop will not last long enough for a lecture. What if I need to attend a 3 hours lecture ? Do any laptops will last long enough to take notes for 3 hours ?
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I went with a Dell Inspiron 600m. Its about 4 years old now. Out of all of my friends, I am the only one who has not had to replace my computer (no one else had a dell). I think that speaks for itself.

As far as battery power. You can buy like an extra battery pack thing (i dunno the technical term) but gives you extra boost, so it will last for a ridiculously long time. My friends computer lasted for like 6 hours or something crazy. That being said, its not necessary. Most if not all of your classrooms are going to have outlets along the wall, sometimes in multiple places. You will be able to plug in your power cord to that outlet and charge while you are in class. Every morning I go to zoology, the first thing I do is plug in my power cord. That way I know that I wont have to worry about the battery for the rest of the day, and if you happen to have a class that doesnt have a power cord you should be charged enough so that it wont matter. So yea, dont worry about the battery, just make sure you have a long power cord!!! And also make sure you get to class a little early that first day so you can get a seat where you are next to an outlet!
 
At least with Dell, you can often purchase longer lasting batteries (its something like 6 cell vs. 9 cell). I have a 4 year old Inspiron 6000 with the longer lasting battery and it can go 4 hours no problem.
 
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Despite the bad mouthing Dell gets, if you can afford their warranties its worth it. When I bought my laptop (3.5 years ago) I found a coupon code for a whopping $750 off. I bought accident protection and extended warranties for four years. Now, I am glad I did. My laptop works fine, when it turns on, but it is a hassle to get it to turn on. Back in August there was a leak in my ceiling and it really screwed the laptop up. Now, I have to power it up 4, 5, 8 times to get it to turn on. Once it turns on everything is fine. I never turn it off so its not a huge problem. Over winter break I am going to send it to get fixed because this is a side effect of the water damage which is covered. I just can't part with my laptop until then or it'd been fixed a long time ago.

Like Ryserr, I have a 600m but these aren't made by Dell anymore. If I wouldn't have had the water issue I'd have had no problems except needing to get a new battery. I was able to get the battery covered through my school's IT desk so I paid nothing for a new one. This laptop is a tank. I have worked on many 600m's (I work at the helpdesk) that have crashed, etc but mine hasn't. Its a sturdy machine sans the water damage.
 
Yeah, I am a fan of the Lenovo products as well. The durability is unmatched. While the price may be slightly higher, I find that it is worth it for me. Also, with the new budget brands (like the R61 series), you get the good durability at lower prices. I paid around $700 for my Thinkpad and it has been a very reliable machine for me.
 
You know, Lenovo actually turns out to be a pretty great deal if you're buying a high-end machine. They favor students heavily (10% discount when I bought mine) and often offer some pretty impressive sales and coupons. I got free Verizon WiFi with mine that way. If you're looking to spend less than a grand, it's probably pretty hard to beat Gateway in terms of price/performance, but you do get a lower-quality product.
 
PERSONALLY, I would go with an HP, much cheaper than Dell, nicer, and longer lasting.

Why? I have owned Dell's before, I switched to an "HP guy" a few years ago because Dell just completely sucks, I'm sorry.

Toshiba makes FATASTIC laptops as well, I HIGHLY SUGGEST that you look into one because they have really nice one that aren't too expensive and have great warranty's.

Happy hunting 👍
 
Dell's consumer line is utter crap, I agree. Their business models are constructed to a much higher standard, though. I still wouldn't get one due to Dell's legendarily abominable customer service, but they do make pretty good laptops if you know what to buy. It actually looks like HP and Dell are fairly comparable where price is concerned. I don't know a lot about HP's, but the few people I know who have them seem pretty happy.
 
MilkmanAl said:
Dell's consumer line is utter crap, I agree. Their business models are constructed to a much higher standard, though. I still wouldn't get one due to Dell's legendarily abominable customer service, but they do make pretty good laptops if you know what to buy. It actually looks like HP and Dell are fairly comparable where price is concerned. I don't know a lot about HP's, but the few people I know who have them seem pretty happy.
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I have never bought their business models but I have heard that as well. HP'
s aren't as popular as Dell's so thats probably why you do not know a lot about them (maybe). But yeah, they are good computers. To the OP, as I said before, take a look at the Toshiba's. Best buy is probably one of the best places to buy a notebook.
 
Dell is a good way to go. They've got some laptop models designed specifically for lasting a long time and even still there are always the extra battery options.
 
My thoughts:

I got a Toshiba Satellite Pro in the summer of 2005. I am still using it. The battery life has started to suck this year, and I did have to replace a harddrive last year, but it has been a really good computer for me. I have a Dell desktop that my family has had since 2004? It is amazing. Still works really well. He have made elective upgrades (new video and sound card) but overall it has been a solid PC. (A bit slow now, Pentium 3 2.1 is outdated but it was top of the line when we bought it).

I am starting to look at new computers myself. Thinking about getting a tablet. I do want to look into these Lenovo's that get alot of talk on here. Can they be purchased in stores?
 
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Caesar said:
My thoughts:

I got a Toshiba Satellite Pro in the summer of 2005. I am still using it. The battery life has started to suck this year, and I did have to replace a harddrive last year, but it has been a really good computer for me. I have a Dell desktop that my family has had since 2004? It is amazing. Still works really well. He have made elective upgrades (new video and sound card) but overall it has been a solid PC. (A bit slow now, Pentium 3 2.1 is outdated but it was top of the line when we bought it).

I am starting to look at new computers myself. Thinking about getting a tablet. I do want to look into these Lenovo's that get alot of talk on here. Can they be purchased in stores?
Click to expand...

What's the advantage of getting a tablet PC ?
 
Caesar said:
Being able to write directly on slides. As it is now I print them out and write on them. It would save time ink paper and therefore money.
Click to expand...

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1chWA4y459U[/YOUTUBE]
 
I LOVE my lenovo tablet. I bought it as they were phasing it out at the end of this summer, so I got it for ~ $1500, but it's fantastic! I write notes on it and I can use all the colors of the rainbow in the same pen, making chemistry and biology diagrams much easier to follow. I really only use it for science classes right now, but that's because French is easy for me, so I would get too distracted on it, and my humanities class I take notes in the book itself.

I'm sure it would be useful to write on slides, but only one of my professors uses slides and he refuses to send them out because he doesn't think we'd listen as well.

My tablet is basically a beast... and I have 4 year accidental warreny PLUS Lo-Jack included in the price.
 
That looks like WAY too much work. you have to guess where on the blank slate the part of the slide you want to write on is. You have to import files and such. Plus in class you couldn't write ON the notes upless you brought the laptop and hooked up the note writer which takes up way too much space. I think the tablet is the way i'll probably go.
 
I had a dell that died and it was warranty hell to get it repaired. I ended up "borrowing" parts from similar models in my department. Honestly, the laptop doesn't matter much. It is simply what you like to use. It is funny to see the first week of classes with freshman when they all bring their laptop to class, by the time you hit senior year the most you want to carry is a notebook and a pen.

I wouldn't worry about the 3 hour lecture. I've had a few classes that were 3 hours long but they were kind of lab type classes with computer stuff, so I was at a computer the entire time anyway. You'd be a god in my eyes if you could handle a 3 hour lecture without zoning out and not taking notes for parts of it. I rarely even take notes any more. A huge chunk of my classes just post everything.

Dells are solid enough cheap laptops. Mine was built like a brick. I felt like I was carrying a feather once I ditched it and got my macbook. I'm very happy with it too. Easy to carry, lasting me forever and great battery life.
 
This is a good point. Not many people bring laptops to class, they are too difficult to mess around with currently, but I think if I had a tablet I probably would (less to carry around). Also my school has auditorium lectures and the power supply is too limited to allow for plugging in.
 
We were issued Fujitsu Lifebooks for our professional program. An amazing tablet PC for sure.
 
I <3 my Apple laptop. I started out with a school issued Dell and it died 3 times before I finished freshman year. I've had the same Apple iBook ever since... but they are really expensive so that is something to consider
 
If your very use to windows i suggest getting a dell laptop.

But if your looking for change, like i did this summer before college, switch to mac. There easy to use, last long, and it takes only minutes to know most of what you need to when using a mac. I think the website even has a tutorial to show you (even though a "genius" at the apple store can give you a tutorial)

Also you should get the regular macbook, but wait after you get accepted to college so you can get a discount. Last summer when i bought my mac, because i put in info about the college im attending i was able to get $100 off, a free ipod touch, and a free printer!
 
I have an Apple MacBook. I highly recommend Apple. This is my third Mac laptop. (1 upgrade and 1 because my other was stolen--watch your laptop!) They are easy to use, compatible with most PC programs, and have long battery life. (Mine is about 4-5 hours.) Anyway, I'd get an Apple! 🙂
 
I would looooove to have a fujitsu tablet.


This year, my dental program switched from requiring Dells to requiring HPs, due to problems with Dell. That might tell you something.
 
I second the ppl that said Dell Inspirion. You can get one of the base models for a good price and it will be great for college. My Dell's have lasted for years in the past also
 
apple macbooks all the way!...

if u do the math, they are not that much different in price than other COMPARABLE laptops. i got a macbook 160GB for $1200, which includes a printer and the ipod touch. 1200 - 300 for touch - 100 for printer = 800 for APPLE laptop. 4-5 hour battery life. E.X.C.E.L.L.E.N.T customer service (person to person, not on the phone). plus most programs are compatible with PCs and Macs so that argument is definitely out the window.
 
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Just for the record, Lenovo recently made a dramatic upgrade to their standard RAM (DDR2 1067 instead of 667). That should make a decent difference in how your machine works, and it's pretty nice to have if you're like me and freak out when someone even mentions screwing around with your computer's guts.
 
Was just looking at some of the mac's the other night, their pretty expensive in comparison to some of the laptops by, let's say, dell.
 
KempDrumsalot said:
Which version from Apple's Macs would you suggest?
Click to expand...

I'm typing this on the black MacBook. It's not available anymore, as they just updated their laptop offerings. My mom just got the white one, which is the lowest end one they have--less memory and such. Mine's 250 GB, which is plenty for me.
 
As a sophomore in college who owns a Lenovo X61 (Tablet PC) and takes his organic chemistry and physics notes on it I HIGHLY recommend it. Using Microsoft one-note allows me to annotate PDF's Word documents, basically anything that can be printed can be virtually printed into one-note and annotated. Onenote also scans the printed document, indexes it, and allows you to search it for key points. The software and tablet function are extremely powerful tools, and also allow one to kill less trees if you are a staunch environmentalist.

On another note, the battery life is fantastic. I have gotten more than (barely) 5 hours of typing time, and 4 hours using wireless at the same time. I go on one charge all day with the extended battery. The laptop is extremely flexible in its abilities and is very capable of handling multimedia (No video editing though, obviously). It weighs just around 4 lbs, which is ridiculously light. Also, the laptop has a setting that can make the computer hibernate and allow you to switch batteries without losing your data if you switch them quickly enough. It is an amazing machine.

The drawbacks are price (~1200$ if you go refurbished like I did), screen size, and lack of attached CD drive. The screen is good but does leave some to be desired on sunny days. To be honest, the lack of onboard CD-RW drive is not a big deal to me. All of my music is digital, and when I want to import something I stick it on the base which has a drive.
 
pressmom said:
I'm typing this on the black MacBook. It's not available anymore, as they just updated their laptop offerings. My mom just got the white one, which is the lowest end one they have--less memory and such. Mine's 250 GB, which is plenty for me.
Click to expand...

How does your mom like the 1 GB white verison? It's about 300-400 dollars cheaper, but it's basically half of everything on the others 😱
 
KempDrumsalot said:
How does your mom like the 1 GB white verison? It's about 300-400 dollars cheaper, but it's basically half of everything on the others 😱
Click to expand...

She loves it. But she doesn't need a lot of computing power. She just uses it for email, word processing, etc. If you plan to have a lot of videos, movies, photos, music, etc on you laptop, you'll need one of the bigger ones. For me, it's totally worth the extra money because I feel there are less problems with Macs (viruses, shut downs, errors, etc.) Plus I love the iLife programs.
 
I love my Toshiba Portege R500 - Small, Fast... the perfect notetaker. It fits in my backpack in a slim case. Since it's small and lacks an optic drive the battery life is amazing. I don't really have any need for an optic drive but it has plenty of USB ports to borrow someone's external for a bit to install something. I have a great wireless logitech mouse I carry with it - the USB hookup slides into the mouse during transport. Could not be more pleased.
 
pressmom said:
She loves it. But she doesn't need a lot of computing power. She just uses it for email, word processing, etc. If you plan to have a lot of videos, movies, photos, music, etc on you laptop, you'll need one of the bigger ones. For me, it's totally worth the extra money because I feel there are less problems with Macs (viruses, shut downs, errors, etc.) Plus I love the iLife programs.
Click to expand...
this is a good point to consider. My problem while I was at school was viruses. College networks are notorious for harboring all of these viruses that will destroy your computer and lead you to hours and hours on the phone with tech services (and out of a computer). In 4 yrs I have not had one virus on my Mac =) but if you don't want a mac invest in some good virus protection for your computer.

if anyone has questions about Mac stuff feel free to PM me. I know A LoT about mac products
 
Forbes said:
As a sophomore in college who owns a Lenovo X61 (Tablet PC) and takes his organic chemistry and physics notes on it I HIGHLY recommend it. Using Microsoft one-note allows me to annotate PDF's Word documents, basically anything that can be printed can be virtually printed into one-note and annotated. Onenote also scans the printed document, indexes it, and allows you to search it for key points. The software and tablet function are extremely powerful tools, and also allow one to kill less trees if you are a staunch environmentalist.

On another note, the battery life is fantastic. I have gotten more than (barely) 5 hours of typing time, and 4 hours using wireless at the same time. I go on one charge all day with the extended battery. The laptop is extremely flexible in its abilities and is very capable of handling multimedia (No video editing though, obviously). It weighs just around 4 lbs, which is ridiculously light. Also, the laptop has a setting that can make the computer hibernate and allow you to switch batteries without losing your data if you switch them quickly enough. It is an amazing machine.

The drawbacks are price (~1200$ if you go refurbished like I did), screen size, and lack of attached CD drive. The screen is good but does leave some to be desired on sunny days. To be honest, the lack of onboard CD-RW drive is not a big deal to me. All of my music is digital, and when I want to import something I stick it on the base which has a drive.
Click to expand...

So do you type your note or write it down on the tablet during classes ?
 
I write on it daily. You will get some awkward stares the first few weeks of class, not many people have tablets.
 
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