# Best laptop for college kid



## Buffalo Bill (Apr 5, 2006)

Hi. My son is heading off to college in the fall and I am going to buy him a laptop. I'm asking for advice on which brands/models might be best for this. He lives on the internet and plays games (bad combination for school work, I know). I have two Dell Inspirons currently. One has performed flawlessly while the other had a bad overheating problem that would shut down the unit constantly until I had a temperature-control management system added and that fixed that. However, my company has purchased 5 Dell Inspirons during the past two years and 4 have failed to one degree or another - some catastrophic, others fixable. I used to own a Toshiba Satellite several years ago and that was so bad I got money out of a class action lawsuit. However, I have heard Toshiba has improved remarkably. My kid will be hard on this machine so being rugged will also be a consideration. Also, my experience with Dell tech support in India/Pakistan was always a miserable experience. Do they all have overseas tech help? 

Any thoughts, advice, etc. would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you


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## CoriBright (May 30, 2002)

How much do you want to spend??


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## AcuraCL (Dec 12, 2005)

If I were in the market, I'd be looking hard at Lenovo's.

If he's brutal on laptops, Panasonic has that Toughbook. Premium price but looks _really _rugged.


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## Buffalo Bill (Apr 5, 2006)

Budget is say up to $1700 or so. He shouldn't need a GoBook or something that rugged. I will also make him pay for a bumper to bumper warranty.


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## Bogy (Mar 23, 2002)

My first laptop was a Toshiba tecra. Built like a brick. Weighed that much as well. The weak point was the AC plugin. I bought it used, used it for years, and that was the only problem I ever had. Still works, but it is so old now it never gets used.

New laptop is a Toshiba Qosmio. Great multimedia laptop. Only get one of these for your son if you really, really love him. :lol: You would be pushing the top of your budget. Personally, I have had great experiences with Toshiba and you would have to work hard to convince me to buy something else. I got a full, four year warranty on this one, I have now had it a year, and so far I have not had any problems. My kids haul the thing all over the house, and my daughter in particular uses it frequently for the DVR abilities when something is already being recorded on the Tivo. When I am going to be gone for a few days and want to take it with me, I have to sneak it out of the house when she isn't looking.

From my experience with the Qosmio my recommendation is whatever laptop you get, get one with a Intel Centrino. Mine is a PM 1.8 which is very slow in P4 terms, but plays Doom 3, HL2, or Unreal Tournament 2004 as fast or faster than the P4 3.2 in my desktop. The PM is the older Centrino processor, and it works much cooler and faster than the P4. This is the future of Intel, and "that other company" is going to have to work overtime to compete with it. They can't right now.


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## DonLandis (Dec 17, 2003)

You should do fine for about $1000. But you didn't mention the most important issue here-

Software- My daughter recently graduated. She needed Microsoft Office suite ( Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook. These were pretty much a requirement in many of her courses. In addition, she needed the free readers Adobe Acrobat. Since she was a communications major, she also needed PageMaker in one of her courses. Mac users all required the same Mac versions. While not a requirement but a real help in her work was Photoshop. 

I think you could do fine with a budget for $1000 - $1100 for the laptop and then 5-600 for software. Be sure to look for student discounts for full time students. This is why I said 5-600 for software because the student versions can have normal proces that are $1200-$1500. Most dorms will have the internet connect but you'll need to budget your own antivirus and spyware servics. 

It's not just all about the hardware, you know.


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## Buffalo Bill (Apr 5, 2006)

Great point on the software. I got cheap with my daugter's unit and got only the basics. Immediately afterwards we needed to buy the Microsoft Office suite to include PowerPoint, etc. I felt like an idiot when I realized I could have saved some cash by having it bundled with the initial purchase. I have heard that many schools do offer their students discounts on the software, so I will check into that as well. Better yet, I'll have the kid check into that. 

One other possibility that I may consider and would like some advice on. There is a smaller retailer here called PC City. They fixed my Dell in less than a day and overall seemed very knowledgeable about laptops, etc. They sell their own "generic" laptop with some nice features (you can basically have it configured anyway you want as they build them there). The price is reasonable and all of their stuff comes with a great built-in warranty. Any thoughts if this might be the way to go? One advantage is that if it needs repair, I can take it directly to the store and they do the work right there. Thoughts?

Thank you!!


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## olgeezer (Dec 5, 2003)

Apple powerbook-intel processors-add vista software when out if windows must be used.


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## bobsupra (Jul 12, 2002)

A few comments. Stay away from generics, difficult to get warranty work done when the kid is 500 miles away. There is a student microsoft bundle available that has the basic software needs, and is priced below the normal version. I like Dell, always have due to reliability and service work. They, for a price, will come on site to fix PC's but not sure about laptops. Monitor http://www.gotapex.com/ for Dell pricing.

Talk to the IT folks at the college. They can both tell you about discounts, and more importantly the way they want the laptop configured. Some don't allow routers in the dorms...so wireless to the printer is an issue. Also, look at the possibility of a docking station for the laptop...makes it easier to plug and unplug without taking the AC cord out all the time...they break.

Also, while it may be a few bucks more, if there is cable tv to the room, having the laptop serve as the tv monitor (need a board for that) saves room. Also, get a good lock for the laptop. They can disappear. Make sure your homeowners policy covers the laptop while its away at college.

You'll need a printer. Taking the laptop to the computer lab to print out a one page doc is a pain. Don't buy manufacturer cartridges, go to one of the many that offer generic, re manufactured cartridges. Its worth the price. Also, make sure he's got 2-3 reams fo paper. Paper is very expensive at the college store.


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## Mark Holtz (Mar 23, 2002)

Two things:
* Make sure that the laptop support 802.11b and g. Many campuses have areas where WiFi is used. If WiFi isn't built into the laptop, they'll have to get a WiFi card. A lan port would also be helpful.
* The student prices for software is extremely cheap, so it's best to obtain it from the student bookstore.

I picked up a laptop last year. It's a 1.6GHz HP that does a pretty good job. The only change was that the memory was expanded from 512MB to 1 GB, and I'll probably swap the hard drive out. I picked it up for $700, and while it isn't the best, it does what I need to do for class. 

Almost none of the critical information is stored on the laptop. My school files are stored on a USB drive. I then make a backup copy onto my hard drive at home using SyncToy. 

At Sac State, if your laptop is running XP, you can then download printer drivers and print out documents from the laptop to the printer. Usually, I end up just saving it to the USB drive, then using the dedicated print station. 

Hope that helps.


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## Buffalo Bill (Apr 5, 2006)

I had to chuckle about the cable lock as this was the very first thing I thought of when it comes to my kid. Either he's unlucky, too trusting, or just careless but he has had more stuff stolen from him than I can count. Also will check with insurance company - never even thought of that. 

I like the suggestion of getting a board to double as a TV. The dorm rooms now have broadband internet, cable TV, microwaves, etc. I attended the same school nearly 30 years ago and we were lucky to have a small fridge for some beer. 

All great suggestions, and I thank you for the advice. Dell does have an on-site repair option that I think would be a good investment. The thought of being laptopless (is that a word?) in a college environment is a little scary.

Thank you again!!!!!!!!


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## Bardman (Apr 23, 2002)

I would second the Lenovo... I've had 4 laptops for work over the years, and IBM (now Lenovo) models have always been good. It's the little things that make a difference, and they seem to have perfected them. (great keyboards, the trackpoint works great, and support everywhere)

Currently on a IBM T42 that has been dropped so bad a corner of the chassis is actually missing. Still chugs right along!!!


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## music_beans (Mar 21, 2003)

Does anyone here know about Acer and Nobilis?


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## Bogy (Mar 23, 2002)

Buffalo Bill said:


> I like the suggestion of getting a board to double as a TV. The dorm rooms now have broadband internet, cable TV, microwaves, etc. I attended the same school nearly 30 years ago and we were lucky to have a small fridge for some beer.


If you get an XP Media Center Laptop like the Toshiba Qosmio, you won't need to do anything but hook up the laptop. TV, including DVR, is built in.


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## redbird (May 9, 2005)

I agree with Olgeezer, the new Macs with Intel processors can now select either Mac OS or Windows XP at bootup, complete software flexibility. The new MacBook should be out in the next couple of weeks at lower cost than the current MacBook Pro.


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