school laptop

I

ilkhan

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1: what does everybody in college use their laptop for (if they have a desktop or not)
2: I have approx $1K to spend, if I can get a job I will have another couple hundred in a few weeks. What would everybody recomend?
3: [H] IS BACK!
 
I've got a dual monitored desktop that I use when I'm at home, and a Sony VAIO that I carry around to classes. I carry around a laptop because U of Mich has wireless just about everywhere, so it's pretty convenient for me to use the laptop with the wireless network. The desktop is used for gaming and photo-editing, though the laptop is just as capable (faster proc in laptop and more RAM, but dual-monitors can't be beat).

The laptop is good for working in teams (lots of senior projects and stuff) and just checking e-mail between classes, without having to fight for a workstation in one of our CAEN labs.

When I first went off to college, I thought that I had no use for a laptop, but last December Best Buy ran a deal on the VAIOs, so I got mine for $900 with a 2.4GHz Intel along with 512MB of RAM...now that I have it, I can't imagine living without it. For now, with $1k, I would recommend getting a Dell, as they're a pretty good deal. Gateways are okay. Personally, I'm partial to Sonys, because I like the way the keyboards and touchpads react. Also, if you do get a laptop, invest in a wireless network for your apartment...very convenient ;-) I'm typing this from my living room couch right now.

Long reply to a simple question ;-) So what college are you going to?
 
i have both a desktop and a laptop. sadly i havn't really had any use for the laptop last year. i've heard rumors that my college is getting wireless this year though so that's likely to change.

i've been very happy with dell laptops. you can probably find a not the fastest kind of laptop for maybe $1000-1200, just a guess.
 
UoMDeacon said:
So what college are you going to?
Click to expand...

UNR
which I believe is fully wireless, but not sure.

I just dont see a glaring reason to get a laptop yet :(
 
Here are a few tips for laptop usage I have picked up on over the past three years of college:

  • Only bring the laptop to classes you are going to need it in! I sit next to a few guys who bring their laptops with them to every class.. and all they do is play Spider solitaire and dick around on AIM all day. When it comes time to getting group work done they have no idea what is going on and end up reading foxnews.com instead.
  • Make sure to get a non-descript bag for your laptop. Theft of laptops is a big problem at all college campuses. Nothing says "Steal Me" like a shiney new Targus getup. Get a messanger styled bag and you will be quite alright, I have been well served with a basic Gravis bag that has a padded compartment in the back. I can throw my laptop, power cable, 20 feet of Cat5 (because my wireless card is a POS) and several binders/books with no problem. The messanger bag fits comfortably over the shoulder and distributes the weight nicely in my experience.
  • Don't leave your laptop sitting around if there is no one nearby that you trust. This could (sadly) include a dorm room where a douchebag roommate has douchebage friends over, or even in the cafe while you go to take a quick leak. Make trusted friends and keep good company and all should be well.

As for the laptop itself.. I spent $600 shipped for an off-lease Dell C600 that has turned out to be a great investment. Its a P3 @ 733, 256MB RAM, 20Gb HDD. It won't play games (keeps me on track in class ;)) and can run XP Pro/SuSE 9.1 and all of the assorted productivity software without a hitch. I didn't break the bank and I have a workable machine that I can get another year of use out of (atleast).

I would definately.. DEFINATELY.. recommend/demand getting a laptop if you are going to be doing any sort of collaborative work. I have spent upwards of 30-40 hours per week this term with a six person team in my Senior Project course. Five out of the six of us have laptops and our meetings are amazingly productive because we can throw ideas, data and anything related to the humungous deliverable (it is approaching 300 pages) around. Some of the other groups do not have a high density of members with laptops, or members who bring their laptops to meetings, and they burn up time by not being able to present previous work done.. or do collaborative work on the spot.


Edited for typos/content
 
Lots of good advice here. If you have the $$ and can find one with the specs you need, grab a centrino. I have one and I love the battery life. I get 5+ hr on it. That is actual operating time, web surfing, or doc creation. I can watch a 2+ hr movie on it too. Wifi is your friend.
 
One more small note...size does matter. I know that 7-8lbs may not sound like a lot, but as I found out as I was running thru an airport terminal to catch a flight, it gets frickin heavy ;)
 
i'm waiting primarily for the new mobile graphics chips and the dothans to actually hit the market in quantity; that's when i'll be making my college laptop decision.
 
dss64662 said:
i'm waiting primarily for the new mobile graphics chips and the dothans to actually hit the market in quantity; that's when i'll be making my college laptop decision.
Click to expand...

If you are into gaming these type of laptops tend to be a bit heavier than non gaming notebooks. I have a Dell Inspiron 9100. Weighs in at about 9lbs. And has a Radeon 9700 64mb. Get's me over 3200 in 3Dmark03. Nice notebook but poor battery life. But that's a gamers notebook for you.

The Sager 5690 would also be a great choice.
 
I use a laptop at university. Pretty much everywherre is wireless so it makes everything very convenient. Also, it's much easier to have a computer all to yourself rather than use the school's computers cuz they are always being used.

You don't really even need a high-end laptop, maybe something small and light to ease the carrying load.
 
I have a 12" Powerbook G4 and it is perfect for my schooling needs. Take it to every class, it is light and very portable, not to mention that it looks pretty bad ass.

If you have about 1 grand to spend, I say you get the new G4 iBook. The nice thing about the newer iBook is basically the L2 Cache. It is now 512KB instead of the old 256. It is pretty nice that they give you an extra 200mhz also. Basically, the new iBook has the same specs as my 12" Powerbook for about 500 dollars less.

Also, you can prolly get a University discount. At my school, the 12" iBook, the new one, can be had for $1072 with tax.

O yeah, the newer iBook also comes with Aiport Extreme cards installed and weights about 4.9 lbs.
 
If you do go mac...you need to factor in the extra software costs if you already have a PC.
 
I have an Emachines M6805, which I got about a month ago. It's great for classes where there's lectures. It's much easier to type notes when a professor is talking. It has an ATI Mobility 9600, which lets me play EURO 2004 high-res on the TV using S-video in peace and harmony (the european football cup is coming soon, so that means a lot to a frenchman like moi).

It's widescreen 15.4, so watching DVDs and anime is awesome.

I really recommend it, it makes it really much easier to do so much on the go. And it's wireless G.
 
--If you like to move around your apartment to do your work a laptop is very mobile especially when combinded with wireless.

--Bringing it to class can work if you have a lot of notes that are giving by the professor in electronic format....like those crappy powerpoint slides :/ But I agree with pointdexterish a lot of people don't use them in class to aid them in learning.

I never had a laptop throughout college, but even if I did I doubt I would bring it to class.

pointdexterish do you goto DePaul....Network Project???
 
Honestly, if you want a desktop replacement, you really have to sacrifice weight and real portability. I have some more gripes about desktop replacements (the screens are too small/slow, the graphics cards are not upgradable, the hard disks aren't big/fast enough), but my main one is that it defeats the purpose of a laptop, which is the ability to routinely take it with you. So, to that end, I have to say that you should get a lightweight Pentium M processor-powered laptop that will give you good battery time, durability, and a nice low weight. You might say that as long as it's a laptop it's portable enough for daily use, but my Inspiron 4000 begs to differ...

I have actually been really impressed with my dad's Dell Latitude X300 - it's light as a frisbee, has integrated wireless, etc., is very durable, and has good power as well as good battery life. If I were buying a laptop today, that's what I'd get, for the reasons I mentioned above. I haven't had my hands on the other models like the M680*, so I don't know how they stack up, but I'd definitely get some hands-on experience and do some forum-surfing before actually buying. Anyway, good luck on your laptop-finding journey!

-SEAL
 
i have an ibm x40 for school/work and a shuttle sn41g2 for play :)

i would recommend the x40 though just for school/work though cause it's not meant to play games.
 
ive gone through many laptops, most of them worth almost nothing. I first had a Toshiba T1100 plus (8086, about 3mhz, dual 720k floppy drives, no backlight). It was thrown into the air about 5 feet and landed on concrete, dislodged the 640k ram card but other than that, it worked perfect (power supply went up in smoke later). I moved onto a 8088 zenith, then onto a 286 16mhz zenith SUPER sport, which had a backlight, a super-duper 2000 baud modem AND a 21mb hard drive. The zeniths were built to be used as semi-truck jack stands. i have never ever seen anything built better, the internals of it and the hindges are a see-it to beilive it.

Later, i bought a 386 comcrap 25/c or something which fried the motherboard after i hooked my home made power supply in backwards. I bought a 486 contura areo after that on ebay and the hindges busted, which caused the lcd to flip backwards and over-extend the lcd cable fraying the wires on the paper thin cable. lately, i bought a 486 Nec versa 33/s at goodwill for 9.99$. Its about 3lbs, fairly light, has two 250mb hard drives, and a 256 color 10" screen. It can play doom, wolfenstien 3d, descent, and it can play windows 95 (windows 95 is a more of a strategy game, not an operating system). you try win95 on a 33mhz 486 with 7mb of ram....


in reality, the 286 laptop could barley run arachne in dos, and it could theoretically run windows and ms-word. If it did, it would never ever fall apart, and it would build arm muscles.

But for internet and other scool related stuff, a 486/586 would be acceptable. my laptop had the balls to run a 10baseT card at about 5 mbs, enough to use the internet.

You just have to buy a laptop with the thought in mind that it will be destroyed, blown up, caught on fire, or stolen... in other words, i wouldnt buy anything over 100$
 
The ole what laptop should I get thread.

Man I HAVE MISSED THIS FORUM!!!!!!!!

Well, I use my Dell 600m for everything I do. My school should go wireless in a couple years -- too late for me, but I still get good use of mine.

Since you will be able to connect wirelessly, I'd definitely be in the market for a laptop. If you want a desktop replacement, like many will suggest after me and like those that have suggested before me, the Emachines m680X is going to be a kickass deal for you. They are great performing laptops and are cheap. Bestbuy has deals all the time and you can get one for really cheap after rebates. Probably spend 1400?

Anyway, you will use it a lot I'm fairly certain if you can go around wirelessly. You will love it and those around you will envy you.
 
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