Laptop for College?

[Raining Glitter]

Hello there! I need to buy a laptop soon for college. I read the guide to buying a computer, which helped a lot, but I'm still nowhere on what I want to buy. So computer geniuses of th, help?

First, I have no clue what brand I want to buy. I basically want a simple computer. It doesn't need to have fancy gaming features or speakers or anything. Having a built in camera would be amazing though. Something that cheap/decently priced, durable, and can last a while would be perfect.

So any recommendations to help me signal down on what to buy? Or any tips overall?

[Spicy_]

Are you under a certain budget?

Lot of college people (including my self) do invest in an Apple Macbook Pro; it may be more expensive but as long as you treat it really nicely and watch the downloading a macbook pro can be the only laptop/computer that you ever need to purchase for your college and quite possibly entering your post college lifestyle. I personally also prefer macs better because of the huge range of app(s) available (that are very useful when studying) as well as they don't feel like a ton of bricks when its your backpack I also did find Macs a bit more user friendly and with alot more built in features than a pc. Also I'm pretty sure that the computer store on your campus or Apple online can offer discounts on these laptops as well as many colleges/university also have scholarships set up for the purchase of a mac. The price range for a MacBook Pro would be around $1,100-$2,000.

However if you had a budget/ don't really want a mac I would recommend looking at HP or Asus laptops as I've and my friends who use PC's have had good experiences with those computers. They can range in from $350-$800

Good Luck!

[Stargazed.]

I have a Dell Inspiron N5050. I paid $568 for it. It's a really good model. It's simple, cheap, and it has a built-in webcam.

They even have newer models (which are probably more expensive) where you can switch the lids to pretty pink, or stripes, or scenes... anything really.

I'd recommend Dells.

[Raining Glitter]

Thanks both of you!

Yeah Macs are a bit too expensive and fancy for my needs. I don't need to be spoiled with apps anyways. Although it might be an option for later on once I get more money.

I'll look into Dells, HP, and Asus. Thanks again!

[Debaser]

My next laptop will be a Dell. HP are awful, i'm currently using one now and the hard-drive was so overclocked that it overheats constantly, no battery life and i have to now use a little prop with a fat-off fan in it.
I have also had HP printers, also shite.

Dell ftw!

[Mitch]

Originally Posted by Debaser

My next laptop will be a Dell. HP are awful, i'm currently using one now and the hard-drive was so overclocked that it overheats constantly, no battery life and i have to now use a little prop with a fat-off fan in it.
I have also had HP printers, also shite.

Dell ftw!

Should have taken it back, the fan was obviously broken, either that or you didn't give it enough ventilation or, the internals were full of dust and fluff. Overclocked hard-drives are impossible, because they are Analogue and mechanical, so not even clocked in the first place. You're hard drive is like a watch, it's very precise and you cannot make it go faster.
The battery was probably screwed like the rest of the laptop, so in the end it was a faulty product, not a fault of design. You should have taken it back...
Dell, honestly has a set of it's own troubles, although my dad also bought a hp and has had trouble with it, but each company to their own I guess. You really have to buy expensive, or better yet, buy an asian laptop, the build quality is much better, so eg, Asus, Toshiba, Lenovo or Acer.

[.:PrincessZelda:.]

I have a Dell Inspiron N5010, that I have had for 1 year and half. It has a built in camera and decent speakers, but it does have some of it problems. I have had to replace the hard drive 2 or 3 times, but overall, it is a good computer. Do you have a budget? Like are you looking for a computer between $500-$1000? HP computers suck, Dell's are okay, but it depends on what type you get, and Mac's are good, but they are extremely expensive.

I think Dell would be your best bet because some types are cheap, durable, and can last a while. Since your looking for a laptop for college, look for one that has alot of memory storage or hard drive space( you need ALOT of space, more like 450-500 GB should be enough). So, I think Dell is your best bet, like I have said before.

[Chuuya]

I agree with a Dell, or maybe a Sony, my two favorite brands. I've used Toshibas, and Asus and I really hated how my hands fit on the keyboard and they were slow and crappy. Just my opinion though My sister has a Dell, and it works really really well and she's had for like 3 years, and I have an HP, don't recommend it either, but hey i've had it for like 5 years and it works and it's pretty fast internet wise. It works but I hate it :P

[Jesus Christ.]

Avoid Dell, I don't understand why so many people are recommending them...

ASUS, Toshiba and HP are alright and affordable (My current laptop is a HP and the only problem I've had with that has an overheating problem, but that's probably down to user error)