I need help picking out a laptop. My budget is $1500, but hopefully I don't have to pay that much to get what I want. It will mostly be used for school purposes... note taking, power point viewing, internet researching, etc. I'm going to be carrying it to and from classes so I'd like it not to be very heavy... but I also would like it to have a big screen. It doesn't need to have a big hard drive, but I'd like it to be decently fast. I'd also like it to have a fast CD burner and a good wireless connection. A 4 hour battery life would be nice, although I don't know how feasible that is. I have no idea which brands are supposed to be the best, or even whats available these days. Anyone got any advice or suggestions? I NEED THEM. thanks a lot!
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laptop for school - suggestions/advice please!
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swatbat
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Doesn't really have a big screen but the gateway 14 inch tablet is something I would look into. Using onenote you can type your notes and when you need to draw a digram you can pull out the stylus and draw it. Very handy. You can get the tablet with a pretty good config and the bigger battery for that too.
Thanks for the suggestion, that sounds very promising. I'll check it out. Do you have one yourself?
swatbat
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Debating on buying one. I used a tablet back a few years ago for a few months and loved it. Have a client that has like 4 of the pentium m gateway tablets(older model) and trained the users on them. Prob going to buy one for this semester. Hell I was specing out new notebooks(14 inch wide or normal) to replace my dell 600m and they are almost as expensive. Only thing elce I would really consider is an ibm t60 or something which is not a tablet and about 2 grand how I would like it configured. Nice as hell though.
you sound just like me. I am heading to university this fall and I opted for an HP dv2500t.
All spec'd out, it totaled $1400 shipped with tax.
Granted, I was concerned with portability and gaming, so if you leave off some of the options, it would probably be closer to $1200 and still be ultra fast.
I will report back as soon as I recieve mine
All spec'd out, it totaled $1400 shipped with tax.
Granted, I was concerned with portability and gaming, so if you leave off some of the options, it would probably be closer to $1200 and still be ultra fast.
I will report back as soon as I recieve mine
you sound just like me. I am heading to university this fall and I opted for an HP dv2500t.
All spec'd out, it totaled $1400 shipped with tax.
Granted, I was concerned with portability and gaming, so if you leave off some of the options, it would probably be closer to $1200 and still be ultra fast.
I will report back as soon as I recieve mine
alright, let me know how you like it
molson3530
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I got an IBM(Lenovo) T60p for law school. It has been wonderful. I thought I would say that all of the people I have seen with tablet PCs have never used them as a tablet. I have the 9 cell battery and get about 5 hours of run time. Plus, the keyboard is awesome. Ultranav is also good while surfing the net in class because your hand only makes very small movements.
Hm, I wonder why people don't use the pen. It seems it would be very handy when taking notes if you need to draw a diagram or arrows or a star or something. What's ultranav? I saw a couple of people on amazon recommended the Lenovo T60 too. I'll have to check it out. Thanks for your suggestion.
I just completed one year of college so far. I got a Thinkpad Z60t and its been great. Lightweight, 5+ hours of battery life, a 15.4 widescreen. Im in computer networking and alot of people in my major use Dells and Gateways. Very few HP users or any other brand you can buy at your local Best Buy. The Dell and Gateways users all say there nice and all but alot of them complained about the battery only lasting 2-3 hours. By the end of the day im still going and 1+ hours strong and most of them already drained the battery. They also do pack on some pounds in the backpack compared to what a Thinkpad would. My books are usually 400+ pages and having a laptop doesnt make it any easier.
I would personally get a Thinkpad. There awesome laptops and have alot of handy features that I make use out of actually. The fingerprint reader does a great job securing it from random people. Who going to take the time and try crack it or less they really know what there doing! The "rollcage" actually saved my laptop quite a few times. Yes im clumsy lol I swear by my Thinkpad.
O yeah forgot to mention. They hardly generate any heat. They cooling is really good and it gets luke warm at best.
I would personally get a Thinkpad. There awesome laptops and have alot of handy features that I make use out of actually. The fingerprint reader does a great job securing it from random people. Who going to take the time and try crack it or less they really know what there doing! The "rollcage" actually saved my laptop quite a few times. Yes im clumsy lol
I swear by my Thinkpad.O yeah forgot to mention. They hardly generate any heat. They cooling is really good and it gets luke warm at best.
I just completed one year of college so far. I got a Thinkpad Z60t and its been great. Lightweight, 5+ hours of battery life, a 15.4 widescreen. Im in computer networking and alot of people in my major use Dells and Gateways. Very few HP users or any other brand you can buy at your local Best Buy. The Dell and Gateways users all say there nice and all but alot of them complained about the battery only lasting 2-3 hours. By the end of the day im still going and 1+ hours strong and most of them already drained the battery. They also do pack on some pounds in the backpack compared to what a Thinkpad would. My books are usually 400+ pages and having a laptop doesnt make it any easier.
I would personally get a Thinkpad. There awesome laptops and have alot of handy features that I make use out of actually. The fingerprint reader does a great job securing it from random people. Who going to take the time and try crack it or less they really know what there doing! The "rollcage" actually saved my laptop quite a few times. Yes im clumsy lol
O yeah forgot to mention. They hardly generate any heat. They cooling is really good and it gets luke warm at best.
Thanks for your insight. The T60 or a tablet are the front runners so far
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swatbat
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Thanks for your insight. The T60 or a tablet are the front runners so far
The T60 is a sweet notebook. One of my friends had one.
Personaly I would make sure when you are looking you will be willing to carry around whatever you get. I know personaly a wide screen 15.4 is just too big. The T60 with the 1400x1050 4x3 screen is real nice though. Hell I have a 14.1 4x3(1400x1050) and want something a little smaller.
Vengance_01
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Get something used like a IBM Thinkpad T42 or something. Don't waste your money on a notebook.
just got my dv2500t-
So far it is great. The size is perfect for me at 14.1, screen seems clear, glare is not an issue even when using it outside. My 9-cell battery says it will last me 6:25 hours.
So far the only annoyances:
- lots of garbage software installed by factory!
- keyboard seems a bit stiff... I am assuming this will loosen up a bit with use.
Also, I user the T60 at work and it is an EXCELLENT laptop. If you arent going to be gaming at all, that might be an even better choice than the HP.
So far it is great. The size is perfect for me at 14.1, screen seems clear, glare is not an issue even when using it outside. My 9-cell battery says it will last me 6:25 hours.
So far the only annoyances:
- lots of garbage software installed by factory!
- keyboard seems a bit stiff... I am assuming this will loosen up a bit with use.
Also, I user the T60 at work and it is an EXCELLENT laptop. If you arent going to be gaming at all, that might be an even better choice than the HP.
thanks for the advice... I'll have to look into the differences between the T60 and T42
Nobu
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Also, I don't have one myself but system76 has some fairly nice notebooks if you don't mind using Linux(Ubuntu). I'm thinking about getting one myself, but I'll probably not since I don't have a computer with Windows anymore and it's tough when you love games so much. x.x
I hope you will be happy with whatever you do get. ^.^
I hope you will be happy with whatever you do get. ^.^
Vengance_01
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Personally if your dorm is big enough go with the Cheapest, smallest notebook and then get a decent Micro-ATX or SFF system. For example I have my IBM X30 with a P3 1.2GHZ,256MB,12.1 XGA screen. I love that little notebook. Weights a little over 3LBS, gets 3 hours of battery life, and it only set me back 250$ almost a year ago. I am going to add 512MB stick of ram, and a 60GB 7200RPM HD which will breath new life into the notebook.
molson3530
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It is the "eraser head" type pointer that is on the keyboard.
I looked it up and it looks like ultranav is having the little button to control the cursor on the keyboard and a touch pad as well. I could be wrong though.
Never used linux, so I don't know how well that would work out.
I've already got a desktop. The laptop will be used mostly for taking notes in class and studying away from my room.
Nobu
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That's fine, I'm not going for force you.
I just wanted to point it out in case you might be interested. Ubuntu isn't too hard to learn, but if you're more comfortable on Windows maybe you should get a laptop with Windows instead. It would be one less license to buy if you ended up not liking Ubuntu. ^.^
That's fine, I'm not going for force you.
I just wanted to point it out in case you might be interested. Ubuntu isn't too hard to learn, but if you're more comfortable on Windows maybe you should get a laptop with Windows instead. It would be one less license to buy if you ended up not liking Ubuntu. ^.^
yea I'd have to look into/learn the new OS and I don't really have time for that.. thanks for the suggestion though
Iv been using a X60 tablet (soon to be X61) and it has served me well. Im a soon-to-be sophomore in college. I started out last year with a Dell X1 then a Dell D420 and finally the X60. Im very happy with the X60. The keyboard is excellent and with the SXGA screen I get alot of screen real estate when im working out in the library etc. Iv got a 24in and a 20in lcd in the dorm so screen real estate is very important to me. The tablet function is nice if you are an engineering major or like to take notes by hand. You can get a very decent X60 or X61 with a SXGA screen for $1500.
My plan was to type my notes and then just use the pen as needed... for arrows/diagrams/etc. Would that work? Or is there not a program that lets you type and make drawings on top of the text?
swatbat
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Onenote by microsoft. Most tablets come with it. You can download a trial from microsoft's web site and play around with it if you want. 03 had some issues but from what I've been told they fixed a lot of them with 07. I've only used 03 and thought it was a great program.
I went to circuit city to look at laptops today and I decided I definitely want one with a smaller monitor (around 14"). I wish that they had some of the think pads or tablets, but they didn't have any (didn't think they would). While there I looked at the Toshiba Satellite U305 and it seemed to offer a lot for it's price. I definitely liked the size of it. Anyone have any thoughts on this laptop?
both of those stores are an hour away
they're building a best buy now but it won't be done in time. I've actually never been in a best buy.
I plan on buying online since you can normally find better prices What do you mean by "check the configs"?
thanks
swatbat
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both of those stores are an hour away
they're building a best buy now but it won't be done in time. I've actually never been in a best buy.
What do you mean by "check the configs"?
thanks
Well it looks like they don't carry it anymore. Don't think any of the big stores carry the thinkpads either.
I was saying check the config as with the gateway tablets you can get better graphics, finger print reader, bigger battery etc if you do a custom config. Same with pretty much most notebooks.
swatbat
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Just came out, haven't played with one yet but it looks real nice on paper. I think the one with the 2 meg webcam and nvidia graphics would be real nice. Hell if you step down on the web came you can get an led backlight which should help battery life.
FYI if you get one of these get it with the nvidia graphics and bluetooth built in. Also consider ordering ram seperate as they want too much for it.
oh, i don't really want to buy anything separate b/c i don't want to have to worry about finding the ram and putting it in and such. i don't care about a good graphics card or bluetooth..
Do I dare suggest a MacBook?
The 13.3-inch DVD burning model is $1199 with an educational discount. It's clocked at 2.16GHz, you get a 120GB hard drive as standard, and it often nets 4+ hours in real-world use (DVD viewing or games will bring it lower, of course). The hard drive is also easily swappable, so if you're willing to start from scratch you can upgrade the drive yourself without breaking your warranty.
It's actually thinner in practice than the M1330 (the 0.9 inches Dell claims is only at one part of the notebook), and you neither have to worry about clearing off trial software nor setting up antivirus and firewalls. You can pick up Office for Mac in a student version for about $150 ($125 after a rebate) that will handle Powerpoint just nicely.
Also, a side perk: Apple's promo campaign is offering $199 off an iPod (i.e. a free 4GB iPod nano) if you get a MacBook with the educational discount. You could either keep it and get a free music player or turn around and sell it.
The 13.3-inch DVD burning model is $1199 with an educational discount. It's clocked at 2.16GHz, you get a 120GB hard drive as standard, and it often nets 4+ hours in real-world use (DVD viewing or games will bring it lower, of course). The hard drive is also easily swappable, so if you're willing to start from scratch you can upgrade the drive yourself without breaking your warranty.
It's actually thinner in practice than the M1330 (the 0.9 inches Dell claims is only at one part of the notebook), and you neither have to worry about clearing off trial software nor setting up antivirus and firewalls. You can pick up Office for Mac in a student version for about $150 ($125 after a rebate) that will handle Powerpoint just nicely.
Also, a side perk: Apple's promo campaign is offering $199 off an iPod (i.e. a free 4GB iPod nano) if you get a MacBook with the educational discount. You could either keep it and get a free music player or turn around and sell it.
Yeah, I considered a macbook.. but i've always been happy w/ PC so I don't want to switch now. I don't want to deal with upgrading parts and such either. Also I don't use firewalls/virus scanner or any of that stuff. Clearing off free trials doesn't seem too bad
swatbat
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A mac book is something to look at as well. It can run xp or vista if you want it to.
I would consider the ram seperate though. Very easy to install and you can save a few bucks.
Anyway if you have the option for blue tooth and it is 20 or 30 bucks or so I would ad it. If you ever decide to use it in the future for connecting a phone to trasfer phone books, a wireless headset for chatting through the machine, wireless mouse, etc the internal bluetooth makes it nice as you don't have a little dongle sticking out of the machine that you could break or loose.
I personaly hate the built in chipset graphics as take system memory and hey you might want to play a game at some point. You never know.
I would consider the ram seperate though. Very easy to install and you can save a few bucks.
Anyway if you have the option for blue tooth and it is 20 or 30 bucks or so I would ad it. If you ever decide to use it in the future for connecting a phone to trasfer phone books, a wireless headset for chatting through the machine, wireless mouse, etc the internal bluetooth makes it nice as you don't have a little dongle sticking out of the machine that you could break or loose.
I personaly hate the built in chipset graphics as take system memory and hey you might want to play a game at some point. You never know.
a macbook is a pretty good choice if portability is your game.
Though Im not too much of a fan of Apple the Macbook is still a decent value especially if you sell the free ipod.
But if you dont plan to do any gaming then just buy a used laptop because basic college stuff doesnt need much processing power.
Though Im not too much of a fan of Apple the Macbook is still a decent value especially if you sell the free ipod.
But if you dont plan to do any gaming then just buy a used laptop because basic college stuff doesnt need much processing power.
yeah, not really looking to switch to mac. i'd be afraid that it would be hard for me to figure out how to do things.. or find certain programs (or their mac equivalents) that i like to use. an ipod nano would be kinda sweet though but i already have an ipod. and i don't think i'd want to run windows on a mac.
but i already have an ipod. and i don't think i'd want to run windows on a mac.