going back to school

[NightShade01]

Hey all i was looking for some input on buying a new laptop. I going back to school in the fall and the one i had broke and i need a new one. I'm a CS major (do ALOT of programming) minor web design, e-mail, papers and such, no gaming, rarely watch dvd's. My biggest struggle is wheater to get something thin and light (around 4-5 lbs with a good CPU) or to get an ultraportable (3-4 lbs slower cpu). I take my laptop everywhere so it can't be too heavy, use it mostly for note taking calander e mail assignments and again programming. The laptops i was considering are as follows:

Sony - VGN-SZ240
Intel Core Duo 1.66Ghz, 1 GB RAM, 40GB HD, 24x CD-rom, 6 cell batt, 4 lbs 13.3" ($1400)

Dell - M1210
Intel Core Duo 1.66Ghz, 1 GB RAM, 60GB HD, 24x CD-RW/DVD-ROM, 6 cell batt, 4.37 lbs 12" ($1200)

Dell - D420
Intel Core solo 1.06Ghz, 1 GB RAM, 30GB HD, D-bay CD-rom, 4 cell batt, 3 lbs 12" ($1218)

Acer - 3002WTCi
Intel Pent M 1.7Ghz, 1 GB RAM, 60GB HD, 24x CD-rom, 3 cell batt (given 2 batts), 3 lbs 12" ($1221)

I get a discount through the school for ordering dell and that's the brand i had recently (had the 600m) only grip i had with the previous one was it was celeron and died after 2 1/2 yrs. Any other models comments ccritques or input would be great! just looking for other opinions. As of right now leaning towards the D420 just worried that the CPU won't hold up to the web design and coding...also a little worried that 12" might be too small a screen for coding.....
thanks in advance

[mbossman2]

if you schlep the laptop all day you need light and looooong battery life and it sounds like whether you have the latest and greatest or a generation ago and 1 step from obsolete is immaterial.

also the more you move the laptop around the shorter the laptops life span span extended warranty might not be a bad idea.

[Stuey]

You might like the Dell E1405 better than the M1210 b/c a 12" screen doesn't offer too much screen real estate.

Also, what kind of discount does your school offer? Mine offers 12%, but it's not stackable. In contrast, you can typically find better deals on the Dell Home site, and occasionally better coupons online (xpbargains.com).

My suggestion would be to go to your local circuit city or similar store and check out some of the laptops for screen size comparisson. Who knows, a 12" might be suitable for your purposes, but a 14" might be a good compromise as it only adds about a pound to the system's weight.

[glc]

I'd strongly favor a Core Duo, whatever you decide to get. The performance is quite impressive.

If a 12" screen is too small, you always have the option of connecting it to a large monitor in your room. I'm assuming you will be doing the majority of your work there. Having a full size keyboard and a real mouse would be a plus there too, you should have enough USB ports to hook them up.

If you can deal with the extra size and weight, a E1405 or even a E1505 is an *excellent* value.

I really don't care for Sony notebooks - they look real nice, but they are extremely proprietary.

[thefultonhow]

My mom has a 700m -- her eyes aren't great but she hooks it up to a 20" CRT and she can read everything just fine at her desk. With that said, I find even my 14" ThinkPad to be a reasonable size. I do think the Inspiron M1405 would be a good buy.

A word of caution -- check to make sure that there are no Dell coupons that bring the price on a Dell laptop down below what you can get from your school. I've found when looking at friends' schools' deal pages that it's often cheaper to use a 35% off coupon from Dell Home than to use their deals.

[Floppyman]

Just saw this today on Slickdeals....

Dell is giving away free notebooks just in time for back to school:

http://dell.eprize.net/backtoschool0...&noflash=flash

Even if you don't win, you'll end up with a coupon with some $ or % off. HTH

[NightShade01]

awesome find.....wish there was a more defined way to win however but sweet deal none the less!

[NightShade01]

Ok so I think that i have finally decided on the dell latitude d420. i saw the d410 ( a customer came in with one today). I comepared it to the newer model and i def like what i saw plus the price seems right. Programs needed are visual studio, photoshop, and dreamweaver....all of which the laptop just barely beats the requirements too but none the less it beats them. Any last thoguhts b4 i make my purchase from anyone?

[RazorDX]

I've been looking around as well and found the Dell E1505 to be the best value.