<p>What type of computer is best for college freshman? Any recommendations?</p>
<p>S has a Lenovo Thinkpad he seems to be happy with, but it was kind of pricy IMHO. I really think some of it depends on what your freshman wants to do with it. S plays computer games on his. Presumably he also does homework ;)</p>
<p>I made D1 pay the difference between a Windows based laptop and the Mac she wanted when she went to college a few years ago. In retrospect, the Mac was a great choice. Although they are not completely immune to malware and viruses, the incidence is much lower than on a Windows laptop. D2 will probably get a new Mac from me without paying the difference (shhh…).</p>
<p>@intparent - I am leaning towards a mac, but wanted to make sure the difference in price is worth it. DD’s existing computer is windows based and 3 years old. We’ve never owned a Mac, but seems like folks who have used both generally prefer mac.</p>
<p>What a pleasant surprise for you D!</p>
<p>Depends on the student and what he or she will do with it. We are more of a Mac family, both D’s and H have Macbooks. My S is into video game design and he and H put a desktop computer together from various components they ordered. His laptop is Alienware.</p>
<p>Here is a compilation from the HS Class of 2010, so it is a little outdated, but the concepts are still the same.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/10667705-post30461.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/10667705-post30461.html</a></p>
<p>As someone who works in IT and familiar with most laptops…if you must go PC, avoid the consumer-line and go for the mid-high corporate models like Dell Latitudes or Precisions, Toshiba Tecras, Lenovos, etc. </p>
<p>Avoid HP/Compaq, Sony, etc because quality is sketchy and with Sony…you’re paying just as much as Apple for much less quality IME. I’m also reluctant to even recommend Dell’s corporate-line considering how many problems my friends’ companies have had with their more recent latitudes. </p>
<p>Got two Latitudes dumped on me gratis recently thanks to one of those companies because they got fed up with overheating/fan issues that was derived from lack of maintenance and Dell’s use of cheap CPU fans which I find disturbing. Such issues are fine for techies who can take laptops apart and perform appropriate maintenance/repairs/maintenance…but not for non-techies. </p>
<p>I’d avoid budget/consumer-line models altogether…especially those below $600. Too many corners on hardware build quality/QC tends to be cut on those.</p>
<p>Either will work and it comes down to user preference and what you’re willing to spend. I’d pick a PC rather than a Mac but that’s due to personal preference as well as some more unique things like a computer science major who needs to run certain compilers.</p>
<p>I’d pick a laptop over a desktop and I’d get a laptop with about a 14" screen with a max of around 15.4" and a minimum of around 12".</p>
<p>I think anymore one of the bigger differentiators is in the service - i.e. what needs to happen if it breaks. The service can vary even within one manufacturer depending on what you sign up for. All laptops can break (they all use about the same components including the Apple) and they all can be dropped, have liquids spilled on them, etc. so consider getting coverage for the laptop for 4 years that includes accidental damage. You might also want to consider having on-site service rather than having to send the laptop into somewhere as is typically the case unless she feels she can live without it for 1-2 weeks.</p>
<p>Check with the college bookstore to see what deals they have for whatever type of system you decide on and whether they have any particular recommendations.</p>
<p>Don’t buy application software, such as Office, without checking with the college and sometimes even the program (example engineering) first since they sometimes have deals where the application software is either free or heavily discounted.</p>
<p>Note - there are tons of threads on CC on this topic so you might want to do a search for some of those.</p>
<p>cobrat, could you recommend what you would buy in a small netbook?</p>
<p>You can also take a look at refurbished Macs through the Apple store online. We got our DDs both MacBooks at a very reasonable price almost three years ago. They had some really great deals on MacAirs last time I looked.</p>
<p>What major?</p>
<p>When Happykid told the salesperson that she’s studying theater design, she was walked directly to the Macsection of the store. Some of the programs that she uses don’t have a PC version.</p>
<p>The kids all seem to want Macs. Take my advice and buy all the warrantys you can. Something always goes wrong, but if you have the right warranty, they’ll replace the whole laptop with no hassle.</p>
<p>DS had a large (17") laptop in highschool - technically portable but more “luggable” than anything else. Uses it as a desktop now and grandma bought him a Mac as graduation gift. He uses that to take to class and has found some programs work better on his PC and others on his Mac so happy to have both. Realize that he’s lucky - but also know that he could have been fine with either one or the other. Look at what the school recommends and supports b/c as others have said, something does always go wrong!</p>
<p>Thanks all, this is extremely helpful. She is considering pre-law/econ as major. None of our family plays video games. Computer would be for school, music and skypeing.</p>
<p>S1 has a Mac and seems pleased - though we ended up also buying the students Microsoft package so he could use Word for one of his classes. </p>
<p>S2 I an engineering student and is pleased with his Samsung.</p>
<p>OP:</p>
<p>Either Apple or ‘PC’ laptops would be fine for her intended major I’m sure. It’s really a matter of personal preference and cost. One of the reasons a lot of students like the Apple, IMO, is simply ‘style’ - Apple was smart and paid attention to the enclosure styling and it’s likely sold a lot of devices for them. The other difference is in the operating system. Some people prefer the Mac and some prefer Windows and most can get along fine with either of them. Most people will end up using a Windows based computer in their job but all of them. Again, I think it’s a nit to go with one or the other so there’s no ‘best’ answer to your question IMO.</p>
<p>If your D isn’t sure then go visit the bookstore of her college if it’s convenient or some other nearby university, preferably one with a large bookstore, and she can maybe play with the ones on display and they’ll likely have both Apples and ‘PC’ types from various manufacturers. </p>
<p>When you compare them don’t just look at the styling though, which is likely all your D will look at, you need to compare price for relatively ‘like’ performance of the particular laptops. If you don’t know the significance and lingo of all of them (CPU type, GHz, GBytes, RAM, HDD, Disk size, type of display, type of graphics card and capabilities of that) this might be hard to do. Generally a ‘PC’ will be less expensive than an Apple for similar performance but sometimes people don’t care about that differential and are willing to pay more for the Apple. </p>
<p>Also pay attention to the inputs/outputs - for example if it has an HDMI port so it can be connected to the TV for viewing videos/pics or a memory card port that’ll accept the memory card from her camera (SD card slot), and you might want a DVD player built in if she wants to watch DVDs on it - some laptops don’t have them anymore - especially some of the Apple ones (smaller form factor plus they’re trying to get you to buy media from them).</p>
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<p>Except 80% of the worlds population that own PC’s 
We never considered a Mac for our son’s they would have dis-owned us had we gotten one. We did get our daughter a Mac when she graduated from College but she is now leaning towards a PC. </p>
<p>I agree with looking at the College requirements and discounts. Newegg [Newegg.com</a> - Computer Parts, Laptops, Electronics, HDTVs, Digital Cameras and More!](<a href=“http://www.newegg.com/]Newegg.com”>http://www.newegg.com/) has a great website for getting just what you want at a reasonable price. I use square trade <a href=“https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=wm#search/squaretrade/1370ef1b4ac2288a[/url]”>https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=wm#search/squaretrade/1370ef1b4ac2288a</a> for warranties.</p>
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<p>I personally don’t find anything compelling about netbooks considering their limitations in speed and capabilities. </p>
<p>IMHO…you’re effectively paying for an older computer in a nicer/fancy packaging. Moreover, since they’re considered at the lower-end of the budget/consumer line…the build quality on the ones I’ve seen/played with leaves much to be desired IME. </p>
<p>Moreover, the Tablet PCs/Ipads have taken over the market formerly held by netbooks. The latter’s essentially yesterday’s news. </p>
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<p>IME, when people think there’s a massive differential, they’re often comparing consumer/budget line PC notebooks with the Mac notebooks…which is an apples to pickles comparison. </p>
<p>That’s not to say there isn’t…but the differential if you’re comparing comparable PCs on basis of build quality/QC isn’t as much as most would think.</p>
<p>^^ There’s not a massive difference in cost but to some people a difference of a few hundred dollars (just an example - I haven’t done a recent comparison) is a big deal and to others - not.</p>
<p>Netbooks - When I’ve checked on them in the past (and purchased one for a grandma) they were all about the same with just a few differences - i.e. some had a better built-in webcam than others. They all had the same processor, the same memory, etc. But now the line’s getting smudged with lower cost (lower end) laptops that are more powerful than a netbook but generally not as powerful as a more full featured laptop. What’s appropriate and worth the cost completely depends on how it’ll be used. It’s like a discussion of a netbook vs an iPad or an iPad vs a laptop.</p>
<p>I’ve always had PCs, but DD will get a Macbook at the end of the summer when she heads for college and has the student discount. By then, the newer OS and processor should be incorporated. At the beginning of HS, we got her a refurbished Macbook. I feel that Macbooks are pretty sturdy beasts, sturdier than PCs. Also, I like that she can haul it to an Apple store if/when any type of problem crops up, and have more confidence in the competence of the service she will receive. Yes, you pay a premium, but ultimately I think that is better than a more likely hard drive failure with a PC. </p>
<p>BTW, our family only has a couple of iPods; no iPhones or iPads, etc.</p>