Comp for College

<p>Hey guys, I'm thinking of buying a notebook for college. Can someone help me? What's the best value computer? and should I go for a Dell or Toshiba?</p>

<p>Please refer to past discussions on computers. There are PLENTY of them!</p>

<p>Search!</p>

<p>And go for neither. IBM makes the best PC notebooks out there.</p>

<p>IBM makes solid laptops as their shock-protection system works pretty well. (The laptops got something inside that detects the dropping motion of the laptop body and embraces itself.) But IBM is phasing out their PC division... soon to be gone. :( If you wanna go for best value, Dell might be a winner.</p>

<p>IBM sold off their computer/laptop business to Lenovo, a Chinese manufactuer. Lenovo was IBM's OEM supplier which means that Lenovo produced IBM's computer. Lenovo will continue to produce those same computers/laptops under it's own name or some other brand name.</p>

<p>True, but according to recent analyses I've read... it seems like the new management can really impact the production lines and A/S efforts. Who knows what'd happen to the quality?</p>

<p>but the IBM looks nasty, imo... seriously, there's no way a thinkpad can compare with Dell's latitude.. Now it's a matter of debating between the the Latitude 610 and the Insipron 6000(which is cheaper).</p>

<p>If you are buying a computer for looks, youll be sorry. What matters with a laptop is good support, and good build quality. Dell doesnt have either of those. Some may argue the support is good, it was but its getting worse and worse. IBM on the other hand is built like a tank. It isnt flashy, and has really high resale value for years. Plus if you were to use it when you have a job it would look really professional unlike a flashy computer.</p>

<p>I don't know much about Laptops but I've heard that Sony Vaio's were overpriced....</p>

<p>Also, are the thinkpads easily expandable?.... is there an IBM that you would recommend... cuz yea, it does seem stupid for me to base a decision purely on aesthetics...</p>

<p>Yet also, the latitude 610 is one of the most popular models rite now and it seems pretty durable... is it worth it? ($1200)</p>

<p>In my opinion very few Dells are worth their price. They look nice in pictures, and LOOK durable. They arent though. If you dont want to believe me (this goes for everyone) order a IBM Thinkpad and a Dell, and take them apart. The Dell is all plastic inside and not put together very well. The IBM is all metal, and all piece fit perfectly where they are supposed to. As far as which IBM, it all depends on your budget. If you know an employee for IBM you can get big discounts. I configured a laptop on Dell's website yesterday to be the same as one of the new IBM T43's. You want to know what the price different was after all student discounts and such, $9.00. Yes, $9. But IBM's can be VERY expensive if your dumb enough to pay full price, or they can be moderately expensive. They will be more expensive then other brands but at the same time they are much much more durable. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for. Don't expect IBM quality out of a $1200 Dell.</p>

<p>So how much would you say a good, solid Pentium M IBM would cost?</p>

<p>I got an Inspiron 8000 a few years back. What a miserable computer that was - the keyboard was extremely shoddy (I missed a stroke once and popped off a key, which could not be put back in at it wasn't the type of keyboard where the keys are removable), and the actual construction of the laptop just wasn't as sturdy. I ended up trading it and getting a decent deal for a desktop, but I wish I had just gotten a ThinkPad from the start. Apple also makes sturdy computers, but they are obviously more expensive.</p>

<p>lazieeryceboi almost all of the new IBMs have the Pentium M. The T43 series has it, tell me what you want an I will give u a model number, you cant pick a video card tho, ur choice of processor is 1.86, 2, 2.13 ghz. Memory can be 512mb or 1 gig and then hard drive choice 40/60/80 gb. Fingerprint reader yes or no? and finally bluetooth yes or no. If you tell me you choice I could tell you the exact one you should get and the price.</p>

<p>Apple and IBM are the only manufacturers worth looking at. They tend to build their cases out of titanium hybrids. The only thing worse than a plastic case is a plastic case that is molded and fit together to look "cool" as that just means more parts and processes to weaken the thing. An added bonus is that the cooler it looks, the more likely it is to get stolen. Looking at my thinkpad you can barely tell if its new, 3 years old or 10 (actually it still looks like my 486...just thinner). </p>

<p>Just go to the IBM website and play around with the options (or try to find a refurbished slightly used thinkpad that just came back from a corporate lease)</p>

<p>So, for ThinkPads, what series and model is the best in your opinion? I was looking on the IBM site and it looked like the T series seemed the best. However, I really have no clue about notebooks and such. So, what model do you think is best and I guess an explanation why would be good.</p>

<p>It depends what you want. Both the T and the R series are pretty good all around notebooks. The T's cost more but are a little bit nicer (they weigh less etc.). Laptops are always a compromize between size/battery and preformance so it really depends how you are going to use it. </p>

<p>For my best guess as to what you would use, I would go for a T42, make sure it has a lot of ram (its often cheaper to but RAM later and put it in yourself if you are comfortable doing htat), give it around 40+ gigs of harddrive, take the 1.7ghz pentium M and the high-res 14.1inch lcd (as a cost/battery/size saver but it might not actually save enough to matter).</p>

<p>Mm, alright. Why not T43?</p>

<p>Also, would XP Home be more suitable for college than XP Pro?</p>

<p>you could also check out toshiba laptops. theyre very nice.</p>

<p>As to the original questions:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Do not buy anything until you check out what is offered by the college you are going to. Many colleges have deals with computer providers under which you can buy a new laptop at a discount not otherwise available to consumers. Those deals will usually include 3 or 4 year warranties and the computer provider will often have on campus service of that warranty. </p></li>
<li><p>If there is no program at your college, or you want to check elsewhere, then look at many sellers and see what deals are available. Except for Apple which has its own system and components, what goes into a computer, whether it is sold by Dell, IBM, Gateway, Hewlitt Packard or others is basically all the same stuff but you should compare prices for comparable units, check out what warranties are offerred, and look for the best deal with reliable warranty service for components desired. Moreover, delaying the purchase as long as possible is very often beneficial. If you are starting college in August, late June through July may be the ideal purchase time. What happens with computers is that what you see today for X dollars may well cost less in three months and because they will have an upgraded model for the X dollars by then.</p></li>
</ol>