Help me pick a laptop for school

[zCypher]

Hi y'all,

I'll be going back to school probably come winter time and although I do have a work laptop, I won't have it after my contract is up at work. I'd like to pick out a decent laptop for school.

Here's an example of something that fits in my budget:
http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/...a30987777ben02

I don't particularly care for the look, but that's pretty low on the priority list.

Things I like about this model are:

4GB ram, 500GB hard disk, Wireless N, 7 Home Premium, $599

I would actually prefer a smaller laptop, say around 13". However I looked at netbooks and wasn't all too impressed with what I saw.

There were a couple models that looked pretty good (13 inch screen, good video card, 4GB ram, 7200rpm hard disk etc) but they were $800-900. That's pushing it for the price though.

Any specific models you'd recommend?

 

[Murloc]

I think that a 15'' is just too heavy to carry around all day.

But if you want a decent 12-13'' it costs you more money (netbooks aren't worth it if you have to work on it all the time).

 

[MJinZ]

Macbook (for your purposes should be fine)
Vaio Z

That's about it. Both are $999 - $1500

 

[zCypher]

I think that a 15'' is just too heavy to carry around all day.

But if you want a decent 12-13'' it costs you more money (netbooks aren't worth it if you have to work on it all the time).

Yeah, i'd really prefer a 13 over a 15.

MJinZ, aren't the Apple and Sony offerings usually pricey in comparison? Between Staples and Best Buy I've seen a number of products from Acer, Toshiba and HP well under $1000 (usually $599-799)

I'm just not sure what the best choice would be, but I definitely want to keep it under $1000 after tax and everything.

 

[Emulex]

macbook are so cheap. esp last gen. current gen is what $799 new. pro is $999 new. you get a discount for being in higher edu.

 

[TheStu]

macbook are so cheap. esp last gen. current gen is what $799 new. pro is $999 new. you get a discount for being in higher edu.

Current gen is $999 new, where are you seeing it for $799? MacBook Pro is $1199.

You can get around those prices refurbed though, and the refurbs are as good as new.

 

[zCypher]

Interesting, I will have to check that out. Macs have the same hardware as PCs now more or less right? Other than the sleek look, why get a Macbook? Is it more sturdy than your average laptop?

 

[TheStu]

Interesting, I will have to check that out. Macs have the same hardware as PCs now more or less right? Other than the sleek look, why get a Macbook? Is it more sturdy than your average laptop?

The guts are more or less the same but in my opinion the differences are...

Build Quality
Customer Support
Better Keyboards
Longer Battery Life
Best Trackpads (in OS X, still better than the rest in Windows, but not as stark a difference)
Good weight/size balance
I like OS X better and found it pretty good for when I was a Software Engineering student.

 

[zCypher]

Cool, I will have to find some around here to go see.

Here are the two best deals I could find so far (not Mac though):

http://www.thesource.ca/estore/produ...3A927228B#more
AMD V120 @ 2.2GHz, only 512KB L2 cache though
3GB DDR3 expandable to 8GB
250GB 5400rpm
ATI radeon HD 4250
Win 7 home premium 64-bit
Office Home
DVD and Wireless N
15.6" and $450


http://www.canadacomputers.com/produ...item_id=030696
Intel i3-330M @ 2.13GHz with 3MB L2
4GB DDR2
640GB 7200rpm
Radeon HD 5650 1GB DDR3
Wireless N, multi touch and Win 7 home premium 64-bit
$599

 

[zCypher]

Any feedback about these two units?
The only better ones I've been able to find have been significantly more expensive.

 

[Rustican]

I would recommend the HP dm4 14" notebook.

http://www.logicbuy.com/deals/hp-dm4-core-i3-core-i5-laptop/19851.aspx