What kind of computers for school do you reccomend?
So I may be getting my first laptop this summer for school. What kind do you reccomend?
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PCs without fancy graphics boards. With spellcheckers ;-)
@andreaxjean Is right about Mac’s. They seem to be popular among the college kids.
I would bring back pen and paper.
@andreaxjean , don’t you think Mac is maybe too overrated and it is not even that good?
Don’t get a Mac. Get a PC, with lots of RAM (4gb at least). Other than that, it’s a matter of personal preference (design, size, etc.).
One with a good battery system…one that will last at least the whole day….
What are your requirements? Do you need something for calculation-intensive applications, or just for word processing, Web, email, iTunes, stuff like that?
If cost is no object, get a Macbook. If cost is a real object, get a netbook. There is a huge downside to buying more computer than you need, given the hit you take on depreciation.
@bob_ , I can’t have a PC because I need to be carrying the computer to school :)
Either an Asus or a Toshiba will serve you well. Get something small and lightweight that is powerful enough to keep up with software developments for the next few years. I quite like the Toshiba U500.
Do not be suckered by the smaller-is-better hype. A larger laptop will weigh more than a netbook, but it will also have the power to do more as well.
@Nullo , but I think it will be too heavy for me to be carrying it everyday
Macs are not overrated and they outlast any windows operated computer. I’ve had my MacBook for three years without a single problem. The battery lasts for 5 hours and sometimes even more. I also own an HP laptop and that battery was supposed to last for 4 hours and even when I conserve energy by turning the brightness down on the screen, it only lasts up to an hour and a half.
@Thesexier Erm, yes, I meant a computer with Windows, not a desktop :)
Whatever you get (Mac, Windows, Linux), make sure you install the 64-bit version of the OS. There’s no reason to be stuck with 32-bit limitations with any of the modern operating systems on the market today. Consider what software and media you plan to interact with on this computer. Do any of your classes require a specific OS? Might there be a combination of classes where you’d need all three (consider Mac’s Bootcamp)?
Besides that, do yourself a favor and go physically touch different machines from different vendors. Pick them up. Type on them. Try the mouse. View the screen from different angles. Don’t purchase based on emotion alone.
And feel free to upgrade the user-serviceable parts of your machine after you buy it. Install your own RAM. Upgrade your own hard drive. Do the pricing research and you’ll often (but not always) find that you can do some of the simple stuff yourself for much less than customizing/upgrading at time of purchase.
Don’t assume you have to buy big name, expensive software packages from known vendors. You don’t have to get Microsoft Office (expensive, Windows only), for example. Consider Open Office (free, any platform) or iWork (cheap, Mac only). Same goes for GIMP vs. Adobe Photoshop.
Budget ongoing payments for anti-virus software if you go with a Windows-based machine (absolutely necessary). Do not buy any anti-virus for the Mac (there are simply zero in-the-wild virus exploitations for Mac). I’m not qualified to discuss Linux anti-virus requirements.
hp touch computer. everything in schools should be touch screens. lol i’m saying this because i’m still in school. ha ha ha. 3 more months until i leave for recruit training for the Marine Corps.
“Is right about Mac’s. They seem to be popular among the college kids.”
That is just a Steve Jobs Marketing ploy.
Choice of a system is heavily dependent on things that you will use it for. If you will be doing graphic design, film editing and photography stuff, then a Mac would probably be an easy (but expensive) way to go. However, if you’ll be doing research with the help of your laptop, then a PC would be an economical way to do it. You also have to consider other options such as screen sizes, Optical Drive reader and/or writers, media card reader, onboard web-cam, on-board mobile broadband adapters, and lets not forget, color and or design.
Personally, I would first consider Dell Vostro or XPS.
BTW, PC would mean a non-Apple system and not solely a desktop or home computer.
“If you will be doing graphic design, film editing and photography stuff, then a Mac would probably be an easy (but expensive) way to go.”
That is such a 90’s statement. When it comes to those things.
Mac or “PC” makes no difference. At all. Purely an operators “personal” preference. Having NOTHING to do with how to get the work done.
:-)
I recommand you to invest in Dell laptops.
@gnsagar27 , Ok my mom has a dell computer for her school
@gnsagar27 , I can’t use hers because she is going as an exchange student and she is using her computer for school
I suggest you to invest in a computer that does not require much processing power. P4 or core 2 duo will do the job.If you are net savvy and download a lot of stuff, then you invest in larger HDD like160GB or like that.For the memory,1GB will be sufficient for your work(still I don’t know what kind of work are you going to do on your laptop)!!
If you talk about OS,most of todays laptops are loaded with windows7, windows vista.If you are familiar with linux and know how to operate it,you can buy laptop preloaded with linux(there are many flavors of linux OS).The simple to use are mandriva,ubuntu,knoppix,fedora,redhat if you say a few.OK.I think this all you need to know.
@gnsagar27 No one sells P4s any more, the only Pentium is the Pentium D. I would recommend a Core 2 Duo or Centrino. These are also being phased out in favour of the Core i3 and i5, which are far superior. Processor power is one thing that you must invest in, because it can never be upgraded. You can always buy more RAM or a bigger HDD, but you are stuck with the processor you choose for the life of the computer.
@FireMadeFlesh Not entirely true, but that has to do with weird naming conventions.
Personally, I have a Toshiba T135 with a dual-core Pentium U4100 (a little hard to find; most have the inferior AMD CPU or the “barely better than a netbook” single-core U2700) that compares favorably to a Core2 only with half the power draw (and thus, twice the battery life). I was considering the Toshiba U505, but the battery life was too short and it was a bit pricier than the T135. Shop around and you can get one like mine for $500. Be warned that if you choose the T135, insist on the SU4100 CPU!!!
If 2–½ hours is good enough for you then the Toshiba U505 or M505 with a Core i5 should do the trick. If you prefer 6-hour run times and can do without the built-in optical drive, the T135 is decent.
@jerv That is a seriously nice computer! Thanks for the qualification.
@FireMadeFlesh I am giving just the suggestions and I’m not the hardware vendor to know that P4 is not available in the market any more.(For your information I tell you that I,at my home,use a computer having core i5 processor)
Before you choose either a Mac or other computer, check with your school to see if all of their stuff can be done on both IBM compatible and Macs. I bought a MacBook and while I love it, some of the things my school use don’t work on my MacBook. Luckily I have a PC as well.
FYI – The SU4100 is actually a Penryn core like the Core 2 so calling it a Pentium is really a misnomer. Totally different architecture from my old Northwood, and most of the Penryn chips are actually marketed as Core 2 Duos
Sure, not quite as fast as the Arrandale used in the Core i3/5/7, but the power draw is considerably less, making it more suitable for laptop use; about half the W/GHz, and a maximum total draw of 10W as opposed to the i3’s 35W.
So everyone thank you for you help and all that, but for my 16th birthday my parents gave me the LG Notebook I will be using it for my school:)
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