Bought a new laptop two years ago and regretting. HELP!

Student Lounge College Life
1

<p>I'm currently a high school senior but will be attending Berkeley in the fall as an intended Computer Science major.</p>

<p>Two years ago I bought an $800 17-inch laptop. I thought it was a pretty sweet deal as it's an i7 with lots of memory and space.</p>

<p>I am now regretting this decision. I expected my laptop to be heavy (about 5/6 pounds) but didn't think much of it at the time. I most likely will not be able to carry it around, especially at a huge campus like Berkeley. I want a new laptop, preferably extra light, but should I stick with my giant laptop for another year? Or should I buy a new one? I feel like not having a light laptop will be a huge burden as I like to bring my laptop to the library and have study groups and such.</p>

<p>I don't know what to do!! And money is somewhat an issue as I have to come up with it myself...Opinions?</p>

2

<p>First of all - i7’s are almost never worth it, unless you really want a gaming laptop. They run out and burn out pretty fast. i5’s are sufficient for most people.</p>

<p>Secondly - 5-6 lbs…isn’t actually that bad. Most people I know have laptops in that weight range and carry them around pretty much everywhere. (I have a ~16in laptop that weighs about the same).</p>

3

<p>But it’s huge, and it doesn’t even fit in my backpack. I have to bring it in another bag and it’s extremely annoying.</p>

<p>And what’s your point…are you saying it’s fine that I have a 17 inch for now?</p>

4

<p>If it’s still working after two years then it’s served you better than most. I’d get a bigger back pack and stay with the laptop until the inevitable. GL</p>

5

<p>Also: Clean the fan/get the fan cleaned fairly often.</p>

<p>i7’s tend to actually burn out - it’s the overheating that eventually kills them.</p>

<p>But, yeah, 17in isn’t that sizable. Trust me. I’ve had friends carry laptops with keyboards and a secondary screen around.</p>

6

<p>I know, but it just seems like it will be an annoying hassle. Most CS majors I know who go to Berkeley carry their laptops EVERYWHERE and always have study groups and such. If I have to take my 17 inch anywhere, I would have to bring it in a separate bag. Is it really seriously okay to stick with my 17 inch? </p>

<p>If I decide to get a new lighter laptop/ultrabook, what would be a good size?</p>

7

<p>If you’re that set on going for something smaller, aim for a 15 incher. Your 17 incher will be fine though. If you think carrying that’s a hassle, then be lucky you aren’t me; my old laptop’s screen broke. Consequently, whenever I needed to go mobile with my computing, I had to drag around a bulky 21 inch screen (only monitor I had at the time)!</p>

<p>Also, 5 to 6lbs isn’t that bad for weight, especially if you’re carrying in it’s own bag. If that’s a load for you, I might recommend hitting the gym instead of a computer store…</p>

<p>(only joking)
(kinda)</p>

8

<p>I bring my i7 17.3" 10 lb laptop all around campus and more. I carry it in an [Everki</a> Titan](<a href=“http://everki.com/products1/18-4-laptop-bags/titan-checkpoint-friendly-laptop-backpack-fits-up-to-18-4-detail]Everki”>Business 120 | 18.4-Inch Easy-travel Laptop Backpack | EVERKI) backpack, which is amazingly comfortable for the >25 lb worth of stuff I carry everywhere. The only drawback is battery life (<2 hrs).</p>

<p>If a 17" laptop doesn’t fit in your backpack, you might want to consider a bigger backpack just so you can carry more things regardless of the size of your laptop.</p>

9

<p>Keep the laptop. See how much you are really going to carry it around. Once you are there, you will be better able to judge the tradeoffs between power and size. Maybe you will want to keep it for the dorm and when you really need capability, and get a netbook for carrying around. They only time my kids carried it around was when they wanted to play games with friends. When you need gaming power, it doesn’t get much smaller.</p>