How is this for a college bound laptop?

[Borg20001]

I am still searching for a decent laptop for my college-bound son.

His preference is for a 13 - 14 inch screen for portability as well as battery life.

Can you give me your opinions as to whether this laptop on sale at Staples will fit the bill?

http://www.staples.com/product_332979

It looks good from a price perspective, but last time I asked here, you all were able to mention aspects that I had never considered and helped steer me towards this latest one.

I googled and binged this for reviews but did not find anything specific other than the ad itself.

Thanks in advance for your expert opinions.

Borg

 

[dma0991]

That link you posted does not show what model that I need to know.

Things to consider while getting a 'college laptop' would be lightweight and battery life if it is intended to be brought during lectures. I would suggest something like the Acer TimelineX which has great 8 hours of battery life and light enough to be carried around.

Also an optional possibility is a 23" external monitor to be placed in the dorm room and plugged to the laptop via HDMI like a desktop replacement.

 

[Gigantopithecus]

I assume there's no hurry since it's for back-to-school this fall, so DEFINITELY wait for AMD Llano-based laptops to hit the market in the next month or two before even bothering to start shopping.

 

[Davidh373]

4.4 lbs and an i5 with 6GB RAM? I think that should do just fine really. For important homework assignments, I'd probably get an external drive to back up to, just in case the laptop gets stolen, dropped, spilled on, ect. I'd also partition that 640GB drive to have a place for a redundant backup.

 

[Bonesdad]

August is a great time for laptop shopping, don't be hasty!

 

[Schadenfreude]

I assume there's no hurry since it's for back-to-school this fall, so DEFINITELY wait for AMD Llano-based laptops to hit the market in the next month or two before even bothering to start shopping.

August is a great time for laptop shopping, don't be hasty!

Both of these quotes are true - aside from black friday/holiday deals, the back-to-school sales are great opportunities to grab a great deal.

I'd also wait for the Llano-based laptops to come out; they're a much more balanced platform (so he could play games a bit better on it than the laptop you're looking at) and the suggested retail for a lot of the Llano laptops are right around your price range to begin with. Couple that up with the upcoming back-to-school sales and you should be fairly well set.

No as far as the Timeline X recommendation; that is a lot of laptop for your money; but is that out of your price point? And what does your son expect to do with his laptop? Is he into PC games or this this primarily just for everyday tasks?

 

[mfenn]

I agree that you should wait until just before he has to go to school (maybe a week or so to work out any issues) in order to take advantage of Llano and the deals.

As for that particular HP, be sure to try it out in person before you buy because they particular keyboard is horrendous IMHO. I could never see myself typing on it very much.

 

[Borg20001]

Both of these quotes are true - aside from black friday/holiday deals, the back-to-school sales are great opportunities to grab a great deal.

I'd also wait for the Llano-based laptops to come out; they're a much more balanced platform (so he could play games a bit better on it than the laptop you're looking at) and the suggested retail for a lot of the Llano laptops are right around your price range to begin with. Couple that up with the upcoming back-to-school sales and you should be fairly well set.

No as far as the Timeline X recommendation; that is a lot of laptop for your money; but is that out of your price point? And what does your son expect to do with his laptop? Is he into PC games or this this primarily just for everyday tasks?

Thanks for the feedback. As far as I know, he's not into PC gaming that much, more of a 360 console gamer. That being said, I'd like whatever we get him to have some legs to last thru 4 yrs of college without it becoming too backward.

Personally, I'd prefer he not get into gaming so he can get a handle on schoolwork but that's the parent in me. He does the usual facebook, youtube surfing and light online gaming (flash games etc).

You all are right, I guess I was just anxious to get something for him for HS Graduation and he could get used to it before he gets to college.

But the prices have been dropping since we first started looking in April after we knew where he was going to school.

I already have a 22 inch flat screen monitor for him to use in the dorm room as well as a full sized keyboard and mouse (probably would be easier to get a docking station for all that).

Maybe I can wait a bit more, but back to school stuff is usually geared towards HS etc. whereas the colleges tend to start up sooner, like in mid August rather than the end of Aug to early Sept for most High schools.

As for the Llano - I'm glad I came to you all here. I am not up to speed on this and when I saw that this laptop had an i5 later generation (which I assume is Sandy Bridge) that was the extent of what I knew about processors and what should be "good". Do not know much about Llano so will have to google that.

 

[dma0991]

Llano is a more balanced system although the CPU isn't as powerful as SB. With the current Stars cores in Llano, the CPU is not at competitive performance but when Trinity comes out with Bulldozer based cores in it then it would be interesting. According to TH, Llano has a very good battery life which is one of the important things to consider while getting a college laptop. link

It's nice to see that Llano gets a lot of support here. :thumbsup:

 

[mfenn]

If you want a machine to last 4 years (especially with an undergrad ifestyle), hardware specs are the least of your concerns IMHO. Anything you buy today will be slow as hell then anyway. What should be your concern is getting something with good build quality (Lenovo Thinkpad, Dell Latitude, HP Elitebook, even a Macbook) and a 3-4 year warranty.

 

[Davidh373]

If you want a machine to last 4 years (especially with an undergrad ifestyle), hardware specs are the least of your concerns IMHO. Anything you buy today will be slow as hell then anyway. What should be your concern is getting something with good build quality (Lenovo Thinkpad, Dell Latitude, HP Elitebook, even a Macbook) and a 3-4 year warranty.

What he said.

 

[ElFenix]

If you want a machine to last 4 years (especially with an undergrad ifestyle), hardware specs are the least of your concerns IMHO. Anything you buy today will be slow as hell then anyway. What should be your concern is getting something with good build quality (Lenovo Thinkpad, Dell Latitude, HP Elitebook, even a Macbook) and a 3-4 year warranty.

accident coverage is pretty much a must. so many people in my law school class broke all sorts of things dropping their computers, spilling stuff on them, etc. dell replaced pretty much everything for everybody.

as for stuff being slow in 4 years, i suppose so, but then again software demands haven't been increasing near as quick as they had been. other than video conversion there is little that a 4 year old Q6600 requires the user to wait around for.

 

[piasabird]

Visit a dorm room and look at how much room they give you with your 20 year old desk. I would think the average size of a laptop is like 15". In many cases the smaller screens actually cost more because so many people want the larger screens. You need to do a lot of shopping before you decide. You may want to use something like a net top. Sometimes, when they sell computers you can get both for about the same price.

I really wonder whether people really want to carry around a laptop all over the place.

 

[mvbighead]

Visit a dorm room and look at how much room they give you with your 20 year old desk. I would think the average size of a laptop is like 15". In many cases the smaller screens actually cost more because so many people want the larger screens. You need to do a lot of shopping before you decide. You may want to use something like a net top. Sometimes, when they sell computers you can get both for about the same price.

I really wonder whether people really want to carry around a laptop all over the place.

This is actually pretty decent advice, IMO. Netbooks are cheap, ultra portable, and with OpenOffice or something on there, he could do pretty much anything he needs to do in class.

Save documents to a cloud drive of some sort (Amazon, etc.) and he can then access it on a regular desktop with full kb/mouse back in the dorm. Should the netbook get demolished... oh well, buy a new one at 200-300 bucks.

You may get it all under 600 bucks... maybe not... but the kid would at least have a back-up machine should one be in for warranty work or what have you.

 

[Gigantopithecus]

A netbook is sufficient for school-related needs, unless he's doing CS or something else that will actually benefit from a faster CPU. If he's more of a console gamer and uses his computer to internet/email/research and type papers, get him a $300 E-350-based netbook. And in two years, get him another netbook. A $300 laptop in two years will likely be more powerful than today's $600 laptop!

 

[Borg20001]

A netbook is sufficient for school-related needs, unless he's doing CS or something else that will actually benefit from a faster CPU. If he's more of a console gamer and uses his computer to internet/email/research and type papers, get him a $300 E-350-based netbook. And in two years, get him another netbook. A $300 laptop in two years will likely be more powerful than today's $600 laptop!

Thanks for the feedback. I will have to consider that, though I know he is resistant to a netbook as he sees it only as a "toy". He will be a Mech Engr major, maybe into biomedical engineering so he may need the cpu for some design software etc. I'm not too concerned about his gaming - at least that's not why I am paying tuition (sorry let me take my "Dad" hat off). But I do want something that will support his scholastic needs and if they can also provide a modicum of entertainment to him - all the better.

So that being said, I think I am still leaning towards a laptop vs. netbook unless I'm mistaken about computer needs for a Mech E major.

Appreciate any feedback!

 

[Gigantopithecus]

Ahh, a mech e major will definitely use software that will benefit from a more powerful CPU. Whether he'll actually do anything sufficiently complex (in terms of design software and/or statistical analysis) his first two years, I can't know without course syllabi, but since even he doesn't have those yet, can't help you out there!

I will say this, though - netbooks aren't toys, haha. The $300 Samsung Atom dual-core (NF310 IIRC) is an extremely well-built machine. The $400 HP DM1Z with the AMD E-350 is a fine netbook as well. The Lenovo X120e is more expensive at $500 but it's extremely well-built and durable.

I guess if I were you, I'd probably get him an HP DM1Z for his first year. If he likes it and it's sufficient, have him use it another year or two. If not, you'd be able to resell it easily for $250-300, so you'd be looking at $100-150 for a year's use of the laptop. And of course, what will be available in just one more year will be superior to what you can get now.

Regardless, tell him good luck! Mech E is not an easy degree but all of my friends from undergrad who finished, including one who graduated with a 2.01 GPA (haha), are gainfully employed.

 

[Venom20]

One thing I would recommend is to keep the laptop screen relatively small (for lightweight portability) and perhaps purchase a monitor on the side for work at his desk at home/dorm.

 

[matas]

I will probably pick up a Llano based laptop at the end of the summer aswell, as long as they do not cost more than $700.

 

[mfenn]

Thanks for the feedback. I will have to consider that, though I know he is resistant to a netbook as he sees it only as a "toy". He will be a Mech Engr major, maybe into biomedical engineering so he may need the cpu for some design software etc. I'm not too concerned about his gaming - at least that's not why I am paying tuition (sorry let me take my "Dad" hat off). But I do want something that will support his scholastic needs and if they can also provide a modicum of entertainment to him - all the better.

So that being said, I think I am still leaning towards a laptop vs. netbook unless I'm mistaken about computer needs for a Mech E major.

Appreciate any feedback!

Maybe it's just personal preference, but I'd probably be a little annoyed if someone tried to stick me with a netbook as my only computer. The tiny, low-resolution screen is a deal breaker on a primary machine IMHO.

 

[pitz]

If you want a machine to last 4 years (especially with an undergrad ifestyle), hardware specs are the least of your concerns IMHO. Anything you buy today will be slow as hell then anyway. What should be your concern is getting something with good build quality (Lenovo Thinkpad, Dell Latitude, HP Elitebook, even a Macbook) and a 3-4 year warranty.

Yup I agree here too. With those Thinkpads/Latitudes/Elitebooks, you can usually get docking stations, which are damn convenient for students as well. Work on a paper into the night and in the morning, pop the laptop out of the dock (in 2 seconds), put into backpack, and go! Come home, put laptop onto docking cradle, and instantly, its connected to one's printer, mouse, printer, network and external LCD monitor (a *must* if the computer is going to be used for more than an hour or two a day!).

Throw in cheap and abundant spare parts for the Thinkpads/Latitudes/Elitebooks, and the 3-year warranties, and the TCO is usually very similar to buying el-cheapo gear from Staples or Best buy. Plus many schools usually have on-campus computer stores and deals where you get the hardware with all the warranties and on-campus support for quite a bit less than you would see quoted at the manufacturers' websites.


School costs what, $20k/year to attend, if not more? Why try to save $400-$500 on going with a 'consumer' laptop instead of a proper business tool?

 

[pitz]

as for stuff being slow in 4 years, i suppose so, but then again software demands haven't been increasing near as quick as they had been. other than video conversion there is little that a 4 year old Q6600 requires the user to wait around for.

Yeah SSD has basically been the 'big' thing to hit laptops in the past 3-4 years. Even 4-year-old laptops (ie: my Dell Latitude D830) are perfectly fine performance-wise if you throw a SSD in them.

 

[Borg20001]

Yup I agree here too. With those Thinkpads/Latitudes/Elitebooks, you can usually get docking stations, which are damn convenient for students as well. Work on a paper into the night and in the morning, pop the laptop out of the dock (in 2 seconds), put into backpack, and go! Come home, put laptop onto docking cradle, and instantly, its connected to one's printer, mouse, printer, network and external LCD monitor (a *must* if the computer is going to be used for more than an hour or two a day!).

Throw in cheap and abundant spare parts for the Thinkpads/Latitudes/Elitebooks, and the 3-year warranties, and the TCO is usually very similar to buying el-cheapo gear from Staples or Best buy. Plus many schools usually have on-campus computer stores and deals where you get the hardware with all the warranties and on-campus support for quite a bit less than you would see quoted at the manufacturers' websites.


School costs what, $20k/year to attend, if not more? Why try to save $400-$500 on going with a 'consumer' laptop instead of a proper business tool?

Thanks. I already have a 20" external monitor for dorm room hook up as well as printer, mouse and keyboard. I would look for a docking station if there is an option for whatever laptop I finally settle on.

So given the parameters you've set here, what do you think the ballpark price would be for a decent laptop that has durability to withstand college life?

 

[Davidh373]

So given the parameters you've set here, what do you think the ballpark price would be for a decent laptop that has durability to withstand college life?

I would also avoid the netbook if that is all you're getting. They are pretty slow all together, and aren't powerful at all running graphics software. If you are getting him a netbook, you should also commit to getting him a desktop with a little more heft.

If you are deciding against the netbook now, you can probably get into the $1200 range for a good and powerful 15". If you were to take the desktop/ netbook approach, you'll run about $1000 since you already have a monitor.

 

[Borg20001]

I would also avoid the netbook if that is all you're getting. They are pretty slow all together, and aren't powerful at all running graphics software. If you are getting him a netbook, you should also commit to getting him a desktop with a little more heft.

If you are deciding against the netbook now, you can probably get into the $1200 range for a good and powerful 15". If you were to take the desktop/ netbook approach, you'll run about $1000 since you already have a monitor.

Thanks David. No, I am not leaning towards the netbook. Though for a laptop, I'm probably going to compromise a bit and get him a 14" screen size just for portability and reduced power consumption (i.e. longer lasting on battery). Will have to wait and see what turns up towards the end of the summer. Will try to scope out a Llano CPU if its there but will also see what is available in the more durable laptop lines I guess. Personally, I'd still like to keep it under $1K.