College Laptop

[jimmi102]

I need some help selecting a laptop. It's for my son who is starting college in August. He doesn't need to run any special programs, just office and such. I would like the case to be durable (not plastic like the old Lenovo's). I was thinking of an i3 processor. I'd like to spend between $450 and $550. I shy away from Dell because of all of their proprietary part tricks. Any ideas? Anybody know if there will be a college laptop review written soon? Anybody know when the school sales start?

Thanks.
Jim

 

[jae]

What is your sons major? And what does he like to do on the computer?

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[jimmi102]

He's studying sports medicine. On the computer he likes messing with music and Facebooking. So he will do a little voice recording. He's not into graphics or gaming.

 

[Fayd]

I need some help selecting a laptop. It's for my son who is starting college in August. He doesn't need to run any special programs, just office and such. I would like the case to be durable (not plastic like the old Lenovo's). I was thinking of an i3 processor. I'd like to spend between $450 and $550. I shy away from Dell because of all of their proprietary part tricks. Any ideas? Anybody know if there will be a college laptop review written soon? Anybody know when the school sales start?

Thanks.
Jim

every manufacturer is going to be using proprietary parts on a laptop. there's simply no way to standardize them.

 

[N4n45h1]

I would suggest you look at the Dell and Lenovo business class laptops. You can get them for pretty cheap from their outlets, and I believe every once in a while they offer 10-15% off on the outlet computers as well.

As for proprietary parts, things such as the HDD, RAM, and wifi card are pretty standard across these laptops. Although it's unlikely that you will be able easily replace the processor and graphics solution.

 

[Toneloc427]

I would suggest you look at the Dell and Lenovo business class laptops. You can get them for pretty cheap from their outlets, and I believe every once in a while they offer 10-15% off on the outlet computers as well.

Agreed - stick with Thinkpads or Latitudes. Parts are made to last a bit longer, the cases/chassis are stiffer and stronger, they don't come with as much bloatware, and the support is better.

My wife's X220 stopped POSTing after a few months; called, told them the steps I'd already taken, they confirmed it was a dead mobo and sent a prepaid box overnight. I sent it out and had it back within 2 business days. Everything was done via express overnight shipping at their expense and it shipped back to me the same day it was received in Kentucky (sent from VT).

The Thinkpads are obviously more "industrial" looking, but the Edge models aren't so bad. I'm waiting for the Edge X1 Carbon to be released at the end of August; it'll probably be about twice what you want to spend though.

If you have Allstate insurance, you can often get a 5% discount on Thinkpads from the Allstate Mall, and you may be able to get another small discount using Amazon checkout from the Lenovo site. Not sure if that's still active though.

 

[jimmi102]

I'm checking out the Latitude now. Hard to keep it under $550 with 4GB's of RAM, but looks durable.

 

[Gigantopithecus]

Keep in mind that RAM upgrades are incredibly easy to perform on a laptop, and that Dell egregiously overcharges on them. If you get something with 2GB of RAM, you can get another 2GB stick for less than $20 at Newegg, or probably about $5 on the For Sale/Trade forums here.

 

[jimmi102]

Good advise on the RAM. Thanks.

Nobody is positive about HP? I know how to remove bloatware. Any other problems there?

 

[Toneloc427]

Keep in mind that RAM upgrades are incredibly easy to perform on a laptop, and that Dell egregiously overcharges on them. If you get something with 2GB of RAM, you can get another 2GB stick for less than $20 at Newegg, or probably about $5 on the For Sale/Trade forums here.

That's one reason I prefer ThinkPads - they do overcharge an astronomical amount for RAM (and HDD/SSD) upgrades, but at least they give you the option to get 1x4GB vs. 2x2GB, so it's cheaper and easier to upgrade yourself.

 

[unokitty]

I need some help selecting a laptop. It's for my son who is starting college in August. He doesn't need to run any special programs, just office and such. I would like the case to be durable (not plastic like the old Lenovo's). I was thinking of an i3 processor. I'd like to spend between $450 and $550. I shy away from Dell because of all of their proprietary part tricks. Any ideas? Anybody know if there will be a college laptop review written soon? Anybody know when the school sales start?

Thanks.
Jim

Three Things

One
Talk to your son's college friends. If a few of them get the same type of laptop, it will help them with troubleshooting and related issues.

Two
Check the website of your son's college. See if they recommend a particular brand or model. Or if they offer a discount on a particular brand. (Note not all discounts will be worthwhile but still worth checking.)

Three
If it were me, I'd be checking the Lenovo Outlet store every day.

Best of luck to you with the laptop. And to your son with school.
Uno

 

[jimmi102]

My daughter had a Lenovo. Worked well except for all of the plastic. Not durable enough.

The college, Whittier, advises HP because they can get deals on them. It's only a small discount though.

I'm now looking at the Lenovo's Do they make a more durable model? I'll check out the Outlet store. Thanks.

 

[mfenn]

My daughter had a Lenovo. Worked well except for all of the plastic. Not durable enough.

The college, Whittier, advises HP because they can get deals on them. It's only a small discount though.

I'm now looking at the Lenovo's Do they make a more durable model? I'll check out the Outlet store. Thanks.

All ThinkPads are Lenovo's and their tough as hell. There are some decent T520 machines on their outlet right now for ~$700.

Generally speaking, you should seriously consider spending $750-$1000 for a laptop. $500 machines are built down to the price point and are essentially treated as disposable items by the manufacturer. You'd be lucky to get a year out of one in a typical college environment.

 

[jimmi102]

This is a kid who lost or had stolen 4 cell phones in high school. He doesn't take great care of electronics. You should see his iPod. I'm figuring he'll get at most two years out of a laptop before he drops it or looses it. I know his dorm room door will be left open whenever he leaves. So I need to be able to replace the laptop and force him to use put his school work up on Dropbox every night.

And yes, he paid for most of the replacement cell phones. Still didn't learn.

 

[thescreensavers]

^ lol he pays for them and stills destroys them, you cant explain that.

Get some accidental warranty with it then. Almost all laptops are made out of plastic unless you get really expensive.

 

[Lean L]

This is a kid who lost or had stolen 4 cell phones in high school. He doesn't take great care of electronics. You should see his iPod. I'm figuring he'll get at most two years out of a laptop before he drops it or looses it. I know his dorm room door will be left open whenever he leaves. So I need to be able to replace the laptop and force him to use put his school work up on Dropbox every night.

And yes, he paid for most of the replacement cell phones. Still didn't learn.

Wow... You should bring the hammer down on him.

 

[AustinInDallas]

500 for an asus for i5 2450m. great price.
metal body
hdmi
usb 3.0

 

[paul878]

Spend around $1300 and get a Thinkpad X or T with the 4 years think protection
warranty. Those $500 laptop will not hold up to the daily abuse of a college student.

 

[mfenn]

This is a kid who lost or had stolen 4 cell phones in high school. He doesn't take great care of electronics. You should see his iPod. I'm figuring he'll get at most two years out of a laptop before he drops it or looses it. I know his dorm room door will be left open whenever he leaves. So I need to be able to replace the laptop and force him to use put his school work up on Dropbox every night.

And yes, he paid for most of the replacement cell phones. Still didn't learn.

Well, in that case, you don't need to worry about a 4 year college laptop. He will flunk out after a year.

Just kidding... kinda. He'll need to seriously learn some responsibility or he won't make it much past freshman year.

 

[jimmi102]

He's a good kid. Good grades, appropriate behavior, will play soccer for the college team, ... He's just always in a hurry and thinking about something else I guess. Yes, I come down on him, but, like most of us, he's not perfect. I'm just planning ahead so I don't hit the roof when he looses the laptop in two years.

I'll check out that Asus. My buddy has one and loves it. How durable is it, do you know from experience?

Thanks all.

 

[krnmastersgt]

Well if you're just worried about theft, I personally use a security cable whenever I'm at my university library or thereabouts. However with your description of your son's behavior with electronics I get the feeling he'd accidentally tug on the cable more than a few times and either just ditch the cable or rip a part of his laptop off eventually.

 

[jimmi102]

Oh, he'd never bother to use the cable. He'd ditch it the first day. I, on the other hand would use it.

 

[Gigantopithecus]

This is a kid who lost or had stolen 4 cell phones in high school. He doesn't take great care of electronics. You should see his iPod. I'm figuring he'll get at most two years out of a laptop before he drops it or looses it. I know his dorm room door will be left open whenever he leaves. So I need to be able to replace the laptop and force him to use put his school work up on Dropbox every night.

And yes, he paid for most of the replacement cell phones. Still didn't learn.

In that case, don't buy him a laptop at all. Research Whittier's computing resources. Most schools have many labs all over campus, including in the dorms. If he complains, tell him he hasn't earned a laptop.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Just get him a cheap netbook