New laptop for college

[KoolDrew]

Well, next year is college and I need to buy a laptop. For budget, max is basically $1800, but I'd prefer it to be cheaper than that. I just set it higher because I figure the more flexible I allow my budget, the better off I am. Since the laptop will be carried around a bit (not all the time, but here and there) I'd prefer something smaller, such as 12-14". The laptop will mainly be used for school and since I am taking a Computer Information Systems program power under the hood is important. I'd also like to use it for everyday tasks as well so when I'm at home I don't have to sit in one room in front of my desktop a lot. It will see a little bit of gaming and multimedia use, but gaming won't be heavy. If I wanted to game heavy, it will be on my desktop. Battery life doesn't have to be great, but definitely decent.

Before I posted this I have done quite a bit of research myself and think the Lenevo ThinkPad T61 would be perfect for me. What do you guys think? Any other suggestions?

 

[TheStu]

What exactly is entailed in Computer Information Systems? If there is any cross platform work at all, you may want to consider getting a macbook since it can run just about every OS under the sun legally, coming from some one that is studying Software Engineering, OS X is a great platform for development purposes, since you can get up and running much faster in my opinion than on Windows, and getting things up and running on Linux for me at least also requires me to troubleshoot 27 different things first then I can install something, which I then have to troubleshoot.

 

[Brainonska511]

Take a look at the new Dell XPS M1330. Get it without the dedicated video card and with a student discount (if it is offered with your school), you could get a good deal on the system (of course, configure it in the Small Business and Home sections as well to see if you are actually getting a better deal).

 

[KoolDrew]

Originally posted by: Brainonska511
Take a look at the new Dell XPS M1330. Get it without the dedicated video card and with a student discount (if it is offered with your school), you could get a good deal on the system (of course, configure it in the Small Business and Home sections as well to see if you are actually getting a better deal).

That was one of the ones I looked at, but its more of a consumer grade laptop and the T61 is known for its durability, which is important to me. So I think I've decided on the T61 after reading a few reviews.

However, what would you recommend for warranty coverage? Keep in mind, I plan on keeping it throughout college, but I don't want to spend an unecessary amount on warranty coverage. They seem to have "Warranty service upgrades" and "Protection services." Under Protection services it lists "3 Year Depot Upgrade with 3 Year ThinkPad Protection." So I'm assuming this covers the other warranty as well?

Here's the configuration...

Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 (2.0GHz 800MHz 4MBL2)
Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium
14.1 WXGA+ TFT, w/o Camera
Intel GMA X3100 GM965 w/ 1394
2 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad)
100GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo 24X/24X/24X/8X Max, Ultrabay Slim
PC Card Slot & Express Card Slot
Wireless card: Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN
Integrated Bluetooth PAN
7 cell Li-Ion Battery
Power cord: Country Pack North America
Modem cable (RJ-11): PSTN cable
Language Pack: Language Pack US English
4 Year Depot Upgrade with 4 Year ThinkPad Protection

The total comes to $1,651.20 w/ student discount and if I understand how the cash back thing from fat wallet works I can get 3.5% back making it $1593.41. What do you think? Anything I should change in the above configuration? I figured it wasn't really worth the $150 or w/e they charged to move from 2.0GHz to 2.2GHz.