I'll be starting college in the fall, and my parents are getting me a laptop for a graduation present. What kind do you recommend? I refuse to buy a Gateway. I looked at a Dell, but they seem to be ripping me off, as I can get a much better one from Alienware for less money. Are Macs as superior as their owners claim? Suggestions would be appreciated!
well, as STUDENT he's probably keen on portability, taking it to the library and class, home on weekends, out to study when his roomie is being loud, etc.
If he said price isnt an issue, you can easily find a laptop that's damn close to if not equal to the power of a modern day desktop, go with Alienware, VoodooPC or at least a high-end Dell. Ah i miss going to Borders and posting on forums from my laptop =( I think im going to go now!
Anyway yeah, get one of those three hands down. If anything's a "ripoff" it's a mac laptop, lower power for much money and just a pretty looking OS. Stick with a Dell, Alienware or VoodooPC
: Nothing's better than takin a dump and checkin out some uber hardware...well...hacking into microsoft while dropping off the Cosby's might be better :
Voodoo Computers. I think Alienware and VooDoo have the same company make their laptops. I know for one that alienware does not make its laptops in house (well, they could be doing it now, it was s year ago since I read that)
Yeah Toshiba laptops are pretty slick too, the sound on some of , even the older versions of a Satellite is pretty good for just being a laptop, and i hear the newer ones actually have subs built in, dunno if it's true or not though. Shi_No_Ryuu_XI, Alienware used to NOT have their laptops made in house, but as of sometime last year I think they started producing in house, again Im not 100% sure.
If money isnt an issue, Alienware/VoodooPC is the obvious choice, it'll allow you to do all the "homeworky" stuff really nicely, and "IF" you want to do any sort of gaming on the go, you'll be flying through the latest games.
If you just need a homework/schoolwork machine, no reason to make them spend $5,000 on a laptop :) Go with a nice Toshiba or somethin.
Best of luck!
: Nothing's better than takin a dump and checkin out some uber hardware...well...hacking into microsoft while dropping off the Cosby's might be better :
i would reccomend an IMB ThinkPad. They may look plain on the outside compared to an apple or alienware, but you can dish them out with some pretty cool features, especially for a college student. You can configure you labtop with integrated Wi-Fi wireless and Bluetooth. If your college has the capabilities for wireless technology, then IBM can come completly integrated with no antenna's or crap hanging on the outside
toshiba = fucking high quality and awsome driver support.. never had a problem.. except when i stepped on the screen
compaq = not teh shit but just shit. bad quality, bad driver support.. my screen is cracking of it's own accord
hp = reasonable. nothing special, just an average mobile box
ibm = much the same as hp.. nothing special
dell = good driver support (that happens when you're running a desktop in a laptop shell).. fucking big.. maybe look at a latitude from dell.. (very small and nice)
you're all saying if he wants portability and a good computer get an alienware box.. sure they are mad.. but i mean, lets be realistic here.. IT'S FUCKING HUGE! i mean, you'd rock up to a lan with that thing and use just as much space as the next guy. if you want portability then think about a dell latitude or a sony PCGTR1 (or something in that range). they both have the latest hardware, such as pentium-m, a key feature in portability. if you just want power then by all means get the alienware or a dell inspiron.
personally i wouldn't steer clear of a toshiba as a first choice.
The most important thing I can recomend is: WIRELESS.
Make sure you get an 802.11g card (be it integraded such as the Centrino, or a PCMCIA card) so that you can connect to all existing 802.11b networks as well as new 802.11g networks.
Wireless....finally, a way you can get things done without having to have your laptop wired in some way.
Also, consider the weight. Anything over 6lbs is gonna get really heavy while walking to class. I know Dell makes some really nice 3-4 lb laptops.
ya true true. but he isnt paying for it. his parents are. if it were me i would definitly go for the alienware. i mean come on, its......alienware.
if not alienware i would go for a toshiba. my friend has one and it fucking kicks ass. i recommend not changing the OS tho. no drivers work when you do that.
i would go for a sony vaio GRT series or a apple power book G4 or consider a alien but that is to expensivel; me buying a laptop is not so soon but i bought one a year back a sony r505 for my uncle and i still use it some times i have also used a dell insperion 1100 but definatly a desktop is much stable and a longer lasting system for the money and is much expandble but its your choice. hope you make a desition upon you own needs but thanks for sharing with all of us.
is the apple i would preffer in the todays market and another plus point to own a apple is it upholds it own price like a Mercedes for approx 7 years. but the window laptop used are very cheap.
Thanks, everyone! Just for clarification, I'm a she:-) And maybe I should be more specific about what I'm looking for. I want something that's light, able to go wireless, but still has decent power behind it. From what you're saying, it sounds like Toshiba is the way to go. Are they good quality? My machine won't fall apart? And if it does, will it be repaired?
Believe it or not the best deals on laptops are at Sams or Costco. I've had Toshiba, HP, and Sony. Don't buy a Sony unless you pick up a sledgehammer to go with it. The HP I had worked flawlessly and the Toshiba was relatively bueno.
.burns dvds .powerfull enough to run industry std sftware .fantasticly thin .amazingly crisp and viewable screen .6HRS BATTERY!!! .its an apple- ie, incredibly stable OS and no hardware compatability issues
My point is, if you're going to go wireless, make sure you get an 802.11g solution as it will takeover 802.11b in a relatively short amount of time and the hardware is all backwards compatible. Stay away from 802.11a, it's worthless.
And that shouldn't even be an if, go wireless. You'll hate yourself if you don't.
Beyond that, I still recommend Dell. I always have and until they screw up bad in my eyes, I always will.
Oh, oh, oh!!!!
Make sure that whatever laptop you get has INTEGRATED peripherals. The last thing you want is to get your .7 inch thick laptop and realize that it doesn't have a CD-ROM drive inside of it....so now you've gotta plug one in, and suddenly you need a table....wow....so much for being on your lap.
sorry ahem12 i wasnt even thinking about gender at the time. like i said before my roommate owns a Toshiba Laptop. from the way he rants on about it sometimes, i would think it is a great laptop. he says that it has great support. he takes it everywhere so i dont think it falls apart easily. but if you want one that can with-stand the elements, you need a military or construction laptop, they are nearly indistructable.
o.O I Fart In Your General Direction O.o -- can you figure out what i ate?
Without a doubt check out the Macs! www.apple.com/retail/ can help you find a store near you. Also, Apple recently got top place for laptops in PC Mag's review of customer service and product satisfaction. Macs are a perfect blend of portability and performance, and graphics apps (especially Photoshop) run like a dream on a G4. You might want to check Apple's site Monday or Tuesday, however, as it is rumored that Apple will update their laptop line sometime early next week.
If price is no issue i would consider the 17" mac, it is widescreen. I used to have a mac back in the day and i liked it alot then. the tech zone reviewed a mac recently. www.thetechzone.com
i have a 2 ghz p4 toshiba satelite pro... built in wireless lan, sd ram slot, 60gbhd, dvd-rw, 1ghz of ram... this thing has never givin me a problem in my autocad classes, formZ or any other arch classes, fast, light and fits anywhere.
