VisorCentral.com - Laptop for College

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Posted by Vinny on 11-05-2001 10:26 PM:

Laptop for College

What laptop would you guys recommend for a freshman in college under $2K (under $1.5K would be great)? CD Burner required, DVD highly prefferrable.

Thanks for your help!

__________________
-Vincent

Posted by homer on 11-05-2001 10:47 PM:

iBook.

Dollar for dollar, you can't beat it.

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Posted by Vinny on 11-05-2001 10:50 PM:

Oops. I forgot to mention that it has to be windows--either win2k or preferably winxp preloaded.

__________________
-Vincent

Posted by MIKE STH on 11-05-2001 10:56 PM:

Got a Fujitsu c6611 about 6 weeks ago and am really happy with it. I had it special ordered with 256 and a 30g, but I believe Best Buy has a 20g for about $1499 with XP. Has NIC, modem, DVD/CDRW, 4 USB, IR, Firewire and a control panel, all internal, PLUS looks good.

� Mobile Pentium� III processor 1GHz featuring Intel� SpeedStep� technology
� 15" XGA TFT display
� 256MB memory
� 20GB� hard drive
� Built-in floppy disk drive
� Built-in 8x DVD/CD-RW Combo drive
� Built-in multinational� 56K� V.90 Modem
� Built-in 10/100 Base-Tx Ethernet
� Touchpad pointing device with scroll button
� Windows� XP Home Edition
� Model C-7631

$1699 and that does not include the current $100 rebate
or $47/month (48 months)*

Posted by Thunderbird291 on 11-05-2001 11:41 PM:

I found this at Compaq.com

Presario 2700 Series
Mobile Intel � Pentium � lll Processor 933 MHz-M
256MB 133MHz SDRAM (128MB and 128MB) - Save $100!
20.0G UDMA Hard Drive
6X DVD/CDRW (4X/4X/24X) Combo Drive
15.0" TFT XGA Active Matrix Display
WordPerfect� Office 2002
Microsoft Office XP SBE
Integrated 56K v.92 Modem and 10/100 NIC
16MB Dedicated Video Memory
1.44MB Floppy Drive Future Bay� ll
AC Adapter Included
8 Cell Lilon Battery (57.6 WHr)
JBL Pro Audio System with Bass Reflex
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
2 Yr Parts/2Yr labor/2yr Mail In
Compaq Standard Notepac

$1800, of course I just went with what I might want.

Posted by homer on 11-06-2001 04:33 AM:

quote:
I forgot to mention that it has to be windows--either win2k or preferably winxp preloaded.

Why is that? A school requirement?

Anyways, if that's the case, I've had good luck with Compaq laptops. They're kind of big, but we've gone through 3 of them without any real problems.

__________________
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Posted by Vinny on 11-06-2001 10:58 PM:

It's not a requirement, but a preference.

Thanks

__________________
-Vincent

Posted by homer on 11-07-2001 01:17 AM:

quote:
It's not a requirement, but a preference.

Oh...then I change my recommendation back to the iBook. You'll get more for the dollar than the Compaq...especially if size is a factor.

You can always run Windows on the iBook if you want...

__________________
We're all naked if you turn us inside out.
-David Byrne

Posted by PlantATree on 11-08-2001 04:29 PM:

If you are looking for a powerful desktop replacement then I recommend the Dell 8100. Its a great notebook. Its no lightweight but if you just want something to sit on your desk then its perfect. Has awesome video card too if you are into games

Posted by sowens on 11-08-2001 05:13 PM:

I would say it depends entirely on what you're going to be studying.

If you're going into business admin, then a PC running Windows is probably you're best bet. At least that way you'll have a system similar to what you'll see in the real world, with all the same tools.

However, for just about anything else (CS, Fine Arts,...) I'm with homer: get an iBook.

From a CS perspective: With OS X running you have access to all the same programming tools you will on the campus networks (C, C++, Java, Perl), and you get them for free. You can work on a project without ever connecting to the network until you're done with it and ready to transfer the files (this will be a big help. Trust me). You also have access to loads of freely available Unix code that you won't have with the Wintel box (at least not easily), so if you need a utility or a code fragment, you can get it.

I can't really say too much about the Fine Arts aspects of it, other than Macs are pretty much the industry standard for prepress, multimedia, and music. There's a little more diversity in web production and imaging, but most of the people I know still prefer the Mac for those tasks.

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Posted by dick-richardson on 11-08-2001 05:26 PM:

iBook or a Palm device with a stowaway/office software combination.

__________________
-Joshua
Abortion: Darwinism at its finest.

Posted by Vinny on 11-08-2001 08:04 PM:

It would be for engineering (probably electrical engineering..)

Thanks Again!

__________________
-Vincent

Posted by homer on 11-08-2001 08:36 PM:

quote:
If you're going into business admin, then a PC running Windows is probably you're best bet. At least that way you'll have a system similar to what you'll see in the real world, with all the same tools.

I've never seen ANYONE in Business Admin use anything but Excel and Powerpoint.

And maybe occasionaly Word.

quote:
It would be for engineering (probably electrical engineering..)

That's a start, but I guess the real question is 'what do you specifically want to use the computer for?' After that, what specific criteria are you basing your decision on (screen size, battery life, OS selection, sound card, size, weight, looks, available software, etc...)?

As for electrical engineering software, if that is a priority, you're probably talking about a very niche market segment. I'd first find the software, THEN choose the OS, THEN choose the laptop.

__________________
We're all naked if you turn us inside out.
-David Byrne

Posted by Yorick on 11-09-2001 05:16 AM:

quote:
Originally posted by homer
I've never seen ANYONE in Business Admin use anything but Excel and Powerpoint.

And maybe occasionaly Word.

they don't use email?

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Posted by homer on 11-09-2001 05:41 AM:

quote:
they don't use email?

Eh. Not well.

Yea...I guess they do...there was a tad bit of sarcasm in that last comment of mine. But that really has nothing to do with OS specific software. In fact, I call email more of a task than a particular application,...

__________________
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-David Byrne

Posted by Vinny on 11-14-2001 10:02 PM:

Wow. Thanks for all the responses. I've taken a look at all the laptops. The best style/size wise is definitely the iBook--very sexy machine. I've never used a Mac before tho so I'm not sure how wise it would be for me to switch. Size is a definite concern, it has to be pretty darn portable. For example I want to be able to take it to classes or library if I need to. Battery life is also a concern, some buildings are wired for 802.11b and I could use this laptop for that. One thing that dissapoints is how much more expensive laptops are compared to desktops .

__________________
-Vincent

Posted by dick-richardson on 11-14-2001 10:31 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by Vinny
I've never used a Mac before tho so I'm not sure how wise it would be for me to switch.

I didn't find it all that difficult when I switched last December. If you're real worried about it, buy Virtual PC. An iBook w/Airport meets the other needs you mentioned exquisitely.

quote:
One thing that dissapoints is how much more expensive laptops are compared to desktops .

That's going to be true across the board. Oddly enough, Apple seems to be lower, spec for spec, than the competition. If they're not, they're impressively close (for once).

__________________
-Joshua
Abortion: Darwinism at its finest.

Posted by Vinny on 11-14-2001 10:40 PM:

I would be able to share files with PC users, too over the network right? What about utilizing university printers, stuff like that?

Thanks

__________________
-Vincent

Posted by dick-richardson on 11-14-2001 11:11 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by Vinny
I would be able to share files with PC users, too over the network right? What about utilizing university printers, stuff like that?

Thanks

All work flawlessly with Virtual PC - that's how we have the macs at work on the network (until we find a linux solution).

__________________
-Joshua
Abortion: Darwinism at its finest.

Posted by homer on 11-14-2001 11:17 PM:

quote:
I would be able to share files with PC users, too over the network right? What about utilizing university printers, stuff like that?

Virtual PC takes care of all that, but there are alternatives as well.

Macs can read/write to PC disks. Most printers on your network should be network printers, and most network printers have Mac drivers. File sharing between Macs and PCs is only doable via 3rd party software on either the Mac or PC (ie, Virtual PC, Dave, or something like that). If there is a server, of course that can act as the 'in-between'.

Interesting side note...a friend of mine was helping his college-bound sister get a laptop. They were at Microcenter and had narrowed it down to a $1400 ibook and a $1100 Win-book (their in-house brand). The clincher was when the Mac rep closed the iBook, POUNDED on the case with both fists, and then opened it again to show it working just fine. They then asked the PC rep if he could do that with the Win-book. He said he would never attempt to do that and then said that the best bet is laptops IS the iBook.

__________________
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