College Laptop

[Mattrod]

Hello,
I am a high school senior , who will be attending college this fall and my parents told me they would get me a laptop for my birthday. I checked with the school and they highly recomend Windows xp pro because they said it would work with the schools network smoother. I keep looking around but i cant seem to find a laptop i like, i have no need for a finger printer scanner or any other frivilous features, all i will be using the computer for is typing, web surfing, and uploading pictures. My high school has dell laptops that are just plain and simple black they are from the inspirion model, but i cant remember the exact number off hand. So after all that, Do you have any suggestions on a laptop for me? Thanks for any help

[Staren]

Well the first thing to do is check and see if the university you're going to has a computer store. A lot do, and usually have good deals on suggested models. After that, how do you plan to use this computer? Will it stay pretty much in your apartment / dorm. or will you be bringing it to class? It makes a big difference on the screen size recommendation.

[thefultonhow]

What kind of budget are you looking at? Depending on how much your parents are willing to spend, it would make sense to either get a Dell Inspiron E1405 or E1505, or a Lenovo ThinkPad Z61t or T60. Either way I would get a good warranty -- three or four years with accidental damage protection.

[glc]

I would do the T60 Thinkpad. The only way to get a Dell now with XP Pro is through their refurb outlet or a Latitude off their small business site. The Thinkpad isn't cheap, but it will last you 4 years. It's a road warrior. They start at about $1000 and go up from there. They are available in both standard and widescreen versions. Core 2 Duo is available.

[Mattrod]

thanks for the replies, i found http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16834147353 this laptop, becasue i really am just looking for something to type reports and essays on. Do you think this one would hold up, or do you see me having problems with it?

[thefultonhow]

I would recommend against that one for several reasons:

1. It's an HP. That and the budget price indicate to me that it will hold up rather poorly to the rigors of everyday use. When it does break, HP will be much less helpful than Dell or Lenovo.
2. It has a Celeron M, which combines with the 4-cell battery (completely insufficient) for lackluster rated battery life of 2.2 hours. A ThinkPad T60 is rated at almost 2.5 times that with just the standard battery, and an extended life one is available. Remember also that rated battery life is optimistic -- I think you will be lucky to get 90 minutes when the battery is brand-new.
3. 512 MB of RAM is enough, but 1 GB would be much better. All new Dells and many Lenovos come with 1 GB at the low end.

My brother got a low-end Toshiba as his last laptop -- big mistake. He has had a ton of problems with it. Low-end is just the wrong kind of laptop to get.

[ironzombie99]

If you are not a big gamer then and you are open minded you may want to check out the mac line but that was never for me.

First check with the school. I know at my university they have deals with either dell or gateway and with apple that gives discounts to students. Another reason to look into these deals is that the IT departments usually have contracts with certain computer makers which they can repair them for you, if you dont have a brand they support then its all on you when it comes to hardware problems.

Other than that I am using a HP laptop i bought only for school work...its nice and all but i prefer the dells that my friends have.

www.cnet.com is a website that host reviews for laptops, just place to mention.

[glc]

If you have to get a cheapie, get an Acer. I'd still prefer a refurb Dell though.

Look at the 4 year thing - you aren't going to get 4 years out of a cheap laptop - you WILL with a Thinkpad.