College Notebook Advice

[mcarson]

Hey everyone,

I just graduated and will be going to college in a few months. I was wondering if you guys could give me some advice on buying a notebook. My budget is $1000, but if I can spend less, it's better. I'm going into a "Visual Design and Web Media" progam so I'm going to need to be able to run programs like Adobe Photoshop, Macromedia Suite, Quark Express, and obviously papers and the usual stuff. I will be living about an hour away from my home so I will be living in the dorms and will be able to come home on weekends every so often. My program is heavy on the Mac usage side but I really don't want to go Apple. If I had to buy an Apple I think I would buy an older cheap Apple Desktop and have a PC Notebook. I was looking at the Dell Inspiron 700m, or possibly the Dell Inspiron 9300. I'm not sure how much power I really am going to need for Photoshop and the like. I know Dell runs those $750 off coupons often so if I was going Dell, I could save lots of money that way over other companies. Any input would be great. Also I know lots of people are buying notebooks for college right now, woulden't it be a better idea to wait a few months when they run "Back to School" ads? Any input on this issue would be great. Thanks for your time.

 

[cmp1223]

Well, for a laptop that will last four years i would suggest IBM, ASUS, or fujitsu. These laptops have carbon fiber and/or magnesium alloy chassises that will help prevent damage. Such materials prevent screen flex and general abuse. These manufactures often have better hard drive cushioning, better screen latches, and better keyboards. But, these are out of your price range. Of course a dell will suffice, and i'm sure at lease 60% of freshman will have them, just realize that it needs to be taken care of, and that it's plastic chassis isn't great. Also, at least with photoshop, realize its performance is more CPU based than GPU, so a 6600go isn't necessary (maybe with your other apps it is?) Also, i would suggest a non-glare screen. The reflections drive many people crazy, but its personal choice. Also, i would get something under 6 pounds, unless it will always be on your desk. If you pay for a gaming machine, in four years you will regret an 8 pound laptop that can only play four year old games well.

 

[Epsil0n00]

I have to throw in a second vote for IBM Thinkpads! I support an install base of hundreds of Thinkpads and I can say without a doubt that they are the best PC laptop around for business (ie. non-gaming) use. They put up with normal wear and tear much better than other brands (including Dell, Gateway, Compaq and HP, Alienware, Toshiba...).

Another factor that you should weigh highly is what type of support the company you purchase from provides and what type of warranty to purchase. IBM has excellent tech support that is still located in the US; Dell is pretty good too. Compaq, HP and Sony's computer support sucks--I wouldn't recommend them to anyone.

I highly suggest that you make sure to get a warranty to cover the length of time you expect to use the laptop... if this laptop is for four years then purchase a four-year warranty. There is an extremely high chance of a laptop having a hardware problem in four years and one out-of-warranty repair will most likely be more costly than the cost of the warranty. Some companies also offer 'accidental damage protection' that will cover the cost of repairs for user abuse and damage. IBM offers 4-year accidental damage protection for a couple hundred dollars... I recently saw one laptop's screen get broken twice in 6 months and the owner didn't pay a dime for the repairs! Just like the warranty, if you damage you laptop once it will likely cost more than the accidental damage protection!

If you're doing Photoshop, Macromedia stuff, layout, etc. you will want the most powerful machine (in terms of CPU, Chipset, RAM) that you can afford. The other thing about laptops is, since it is not really possible to upgrade them (aside from increasing RAM), paying more upfront will make your investment last longer. If you purchase a mid-level performing laptop now then don't expect it to perform well for more than 3 years. It seems like paying more now really pays-off in that fourth year...

Good luck!
Epsil0n

 

[cmp1223]

Good points epsilon. Also remeber, outside of IBM (and maybe a few others) all laptops are made by about 4 big companies in taiwan and rebranded dell, alienware, and such. So make sure you buy a good quality original manufaturer. Read here: http://www.gen-x-pc.com/laptopmanu.htm