Thread: laptop suggestions for someone going to college

Originally Posted by Algorhythmic

College student here. I actually recommend not getting a laptop, even if you are going into say computer science. Why? You'll get more done going to a computer lab on campus by far. Trust me on this. I do recommend getting an ebook reader though because that way you will not have to carry around any textbooks, which not only will be hundreds to thousands of dollars a semester, but also weigh a ton. I personally use an iPad as an engineering student and would not go back. I do have a laptop, but I don't use it except for when I am at home. If you happen to unfortunately not have access to computer labs, get a laptop in that case. My laptop is an Asus, and if you look at actual reports they are the best PC manufacturer. I have one of their gaming laptops and it runs very cool unlike the Dell Space Heaters (TM). Also, don't play computer games at college. Not only is it going to kill your productivity, but by playing games you won't be taking advantage of all the great social activities available. Never again will you be around so many people with a common interest or goal than you will while at college, plus girls girls girls who are fit and attractive.

I see your point. However, I doubt that I would be able to do certain things like torrenting or gaming or producing/making my own tracks as a hobby on a school computer. Yeah gaming might kill productivity, but I don't plan on gaming 24/7, plus I have to stay true to my people and play a game of SCII once in a while.

I've never had a Thinkpad that has a heat problem. They are rock-steady reliable, built for the corporate world.

I will also second the vote for high resolution. I have a 17" 1920 x 1200, the rest of the family each as 15.4" 1920 x 1200. You can fit many windows on the screen and get a lot of detail.

Also, get a keyboard worth typing on. The Thinkpads have top of the line keyboards - none of this chiclet crap that died with the Timex Sinclair until Apple revived it.

For $1K USD each, my boys got i5 systems with the high resolution display, so it is quite do-able. I think 4-year warranties added another $300 - $400 or so each.

Also, Algoryhthmic has some good points. College nookie - you only get a 4-year shot at it.... unless you're a professor. Definitely worth skipping SCII.

I'll definitely keep Thinkpads and the resolution factor in mind. I'm heavily leaning towards an i7 system because I want FL studio to run smoothly and I've seen that i5's are the bare minimum.

Eh Algorythmic may be right but I'll always play a couple games of SC. It's in my blood to play

Wondering if I'm too late to put my 2 cents in here. When I first went to college I spent $1000+ on the biggest baddest system out there, the problem= the computer was trying to do too much. It had a great display and graphics as well has a hefty processor and 2 hdd's. Basically it was a power hog, I could do everything that I used to do with my desktop back home on that one laptop, which was what I wanted. I didnt think about what I was going to actually be doing when I got to school though. I tried to take it to class to take notes but it was simply not happening, the laptop was too big and the battery lasted 2.5 hrs on power saver when it was new. If I was to do it again this is what I would do.
Instead of buying 1 laptop, for the same price buy: 1 desktop computer+ 1 small laptop for taking notes.
I would get a netbook and use it for taking notes in class, browsing the web, checking email, etc. while I am in class or in the library. Then, when I get home and have to do serious computing I jump on my desktop and let the machine blast the games or videos to pieces.
The netbook I bought my sister(2 yrs ago) for just this purpose has the following specs:
Price $200
Battery life: 6-8hrs under use (seriously)
Weight: 3lbs (remember you'll probably be carrying this to class)
RAM: 1Gb
HDD:120GB
Intel atom processor
It works for everything you would normally do during a typical school day like taking notes, etc. You can easily use dropbox or any other service so you have your notes and files on both computers (even your firefox tabs). Then you have $800 to spend on a desktop system; this will buy you a more than decent gaming rig (high end if you build it yourself), or you can spend less and save yourself a pretty penny.
To give you an idea this is the system I built a month ago for $300.
Thermaltake V2 tower and 450W PSU
AMD phenom II x6 1055t
8Gb ram
60Gb SSD
with motherboard to put it all together. For $500 more you could build a badass AMD rig or a really nice Intel one if that's your thing.

newegg.com acer aspire 15.6 hd led lcd, 3gb ddr3 memory, 320gb hdd. I bought this one couple of months ago and couldnt be happier

I wish I would have had all this info before I got mine 1-2 years ago... mine is a PoS D:

I have hear very little positive things about acer so i'm probably gonna dtay away from those...

Have you considered building a gaming desktop computer and then purchasing a netbook to use on campus? If you plan on doing a hefty amount of gaming then you should absolutely get a desktop instead of a laptop. You will be able to upgrade it as needed and for the performance it will be significantly cheaper than a laptop. When I first started school, I just had a laptop. After awhile the battery went bad and I got tired of lugging it around, so it essentially became a desktop since I never took it anywhere. Now I have a beast desktop, a good laptop, and a netbook. I've found that the netbook is the best thing for dragging around campus, as it is extremely light weight and has a great battery life.