Choosing a laptop for college.

Hi i'm a student about to attend college and just as most students do, I need a laptop. Im looking for it to be very energy effecient but also very good with gaming and other demanding tasks. This has brought me to consider core duo based laptops with dedicated graphics cards.

One of my major considerations has been the Apple Macbook Pro. Some specific requirements include a 2.16 Ghz Core Duo, 2 GB of ram, (and with the Macbook Pro I would just get 1 GB and then order the other from new egg to save two hundred dollars) a dvd burner, at least a x1600, 256mb video card from ati or a 7600gt from nvidia. (both energy effecient mobile versions) I would be fine with something more powerful as long as it is still an energy effecient mobile version and fits in my price range. (my price range stretches from 2000 to 2700 dollars) I also dont want to be carrying around a 10 lb. monster, I would like to keep it under 7 lb. if I could. One more thing (as if I wasnt being anal about this already) is that I need it to be reliable, I don't want some computer that craps out the minute the 1 year limited warranty runs out. One thing I noticed is that most people recommend the dell xps or alienware laptops for gaming. The only problem is that in order to get all the bells and whistles like I want I would be out of my price range and I think $3000 is more than enough for a laptop. Some of this may seem picky I guess but if im going to be spending over two grand on a notebook I want it to suit my needs as well as possible. So with all these variables im trying to find the best deal possible and I must say its quite a challenge.

My final problem/consideration is that there is alot of new technology coming down the road. I was waiting to see how the Turion X2's did compared to the Core Duo and as far as I have heard the Core Duo has won pretty handily. Other things include Merom (supposed to be coming out in August) and wireless n built into notebooks. (maybe even new dedicated laptop graphics cards?) Merom would give me the 64bit capability, the ~20% increased performance its going to bring, and the SSE4 instruction set that the Core Duo lacks. My issue with waiting is that I need it before the first day classes start on Aug. 28th. I'm a little unnerved by the fluidity of the Merom release date as well as the time it will take to come to market. So I hope you can see my dilemma and offer up some opinions (and great deals you've heard of) on the situation, thanks.

I'd get a Thinkpad T60p. It's got dual core and a 256MB x1600 (although it's called the V5200 when it's sold with workstation-class drivers, it is the same part), 7200RPM drives, etc. Thinkpads are very reliable. The 15" offers a decent blend of performance and portability, plus the nice FlexView screen. The 14" offers lighter weight and better battery performance.

If you buy a modular-bay battery with one of these, you can achieve over six hours of runtime on battery with the 6-cell, over eight hours with the nine-cell main battery. I prefer the six-cell because the 9-cell juts out the back.

If you really want to take your work with you, do yourself a favor and don't buy a big horking notebook. 14" screen size is the absolute largest I would consider really portable. In addition, a wide-screen aspect ratio is wasted for schoolwork in any but the biggest and smallest models. The only exceptions to this are people who routinely work with very wide documents, such as finance/accounting majors with spreadsheets.

been a heavy laptop user over the years and switched to apple 2 years agogo
would deffo get a macbook if i was you. just easier to use, lighter, better power, and better customer support etc all in all

A good article for choosing a laptop for college.

HOLY CRAP $3000 to buy a laptop?!?!??!?!?

Probally Alien ware or Mac

If you're into gaming get an Alienware (though they can be a bit overpriced), a Sager or an Asus, these are all good choiced.

I'm not too sure how it works but you can probably get a discount with HP and Dell, other reasonable choices. Check both the HP and Dell Outlets to see if anything there suits your needs

Which Laptop to buy?

It's not the make that makes a good laptop, it's the specs. There are three main rules in buying a good computer or owning one, here's my guide to explain everything about them.

Object 1: Processor

The horses power of your laptop, the more Mega Hertz (MHZ) the faster. new processors are being developed every year. Nowadays dual core means two processors in one, core duo is more advanced and Quad Core is four processors instead. it doesn't matter AMD or Intel just get what ever your money can buy. but to be more specific AMD tends to be better at gaming where Intel is better at applications. Fair single processor with 2.4 GHz. Good Core duo 2.2 GHz, best Quad 2.6 GHz.

Object 2: RAM (Memory)

Ram is used by the processor to store the information into the hard drive, is it vital that the faster your processor is the more RAM you need, beforehand manufacturers use to sell computers with a powerful processors such as a P4 3.2Ghz but with only 512 mega bits (MB) of ram where in real life a processor that big will need 3 times more Ram. nowadays most laptops are sold with 1 or 2GB of Ram which is Ideal for vista, however it is always upgradeable and we recommend you upgrade to at least to 2GB to improve the performance of the computer, or 3.5GB maximum for windows 32bit and 8GB for windows 64bit, a Quad will need 6 to 8GB, a core duo will need 2GB to 3.5GB of Ram, it is cheap and will not harm your computer in any way.

Object 3: Hard Drive

The space, the rooms you need to store your files and documents. The hard drive stores important information which must not be deleted such as the Operating System, the Programs and other stuff if simply one, just one file is deleted your computer crashes. but the main deal is the more space you have the better, with Itunes you'll need at least 80GB of space which is equivalent to 40,000 songs but most will also have videos, large programs and photos, hard drive does not change how fast is your computer, it's simply a storage room, a fair would be a 60GB, the best is anything more. it's upgradeable too but you'll have to move all your files and systems to the new one which can be painful unless you've got us to do it for you. You must make sure that your laptop does not use RAID technology which is a tool mostly used to hide it from being seen on external devices or to use it to share two hard drives in one, this tool can prevent you from transferring your files. it is also where viruses play around but there's nothing you can do about that.

more details...

1. The make:

It isn't that important but here's a special cheaptofix.co.uk's top 10 laptop makes.

1. IBM 2. TOSHIBA 3. HP (COMPAQ) 4. ACER 5. SONY 5. DELL 6. FUJITSU 7. SAMSUNG

8. PHILIPS 9. PACKARD BELL.

based on experience, parts availability & quality. Apple can not be compared due to the difference in price.


2. The size:

There are three sizes to chose

1. 11" and smaller (ideal for internet & typing but no CD player)

2. 14" most common small size, high prices and lower specs.

3. 15" above, affordable and good specs.


3. The extras:

Wireless is available on all laptops, try and buy one with 108Mbs wireless speed as standard is 54.

Bluetooth? do you really use it.

DVDRW most people don't burn on DVDs, you should! its the size of 4 CDs.

SRS, Multiplex, 5.1 sounds, nah not really I wouldn't need to watch a DVD on laptop.

HD? even old laptops are HD so don't be fooled by HD technology on laptops.

Finger print security? not recommended, thieves are not interested in your files and its crackable.

Glossy, look for glossy screens they produce better graphics and details.

Graphics, you don't need more than the built in graphic card but gamers need a 256mb and more.

USB, where your printers, cameras plug into minimum of 4 ports maximum of 6.

Card reader, not many use it but it’s for your photos straight from any camera.

Metal or Plastic? Plastic to avoid shortage, metal hinges between the screen and the base board.

warranty, laptops thesedays tend to last no longer than 1 year try your best to get extended one.

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