<p>Check with your college’s tech dept for their recommendations. My son went with his desktop- math/science plus comp sci courses leading to his second major. never felt the need for a laptop. Campus printing cheaper than buying one plus ink, plus the freebies from courses.</p>
<p>The UW-Madison DoIT (computer tech site) always has information about choosing computer. You may want to see that to get ideas.</p>
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<p>Make sure Best Buy services any problems in a timely manner. They’ve been quite hit-or-miss from what I heard from friends and clients. Plus, I recalled a lawsuit because Best Buy sat on a laptop sent in for warranty repair and then tried to charge the client because the time they sat on it just happened to exceed the warranty coverage on it. </p>
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<p>Depends on how it is carried and whether the laptop’s build quality is good to begin with. With the exception of that crappy first notebook I had in college, every other laptop I’ve had is still running fine…even the one I picked up in the late '90s despite heavy daily usage and carrying it around everywhere. I used a Fed-Ex bubblewrap envelope as a protective cover around my notebooks before I placed it in my backpack without issues. </p>
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<p>I’d only advise going that route if you/your student is able and willing to serve as their own tech support…including feeling comfortable spending time to troubleshoot problems and completely disassembling the notebook to repair/replace parts as needed. </p>
<p>Though I am able to do so, I valued my time as a student/professional enough that if I have to pay money, I’d rather buy a high quality notebook new with warranty. </p>
<p>Better that than to deal with the hassles of supporting older notebooks/possibility of getting a lemon with no warranty support. If the notebook is more than 3-5 years old…the only way spending on replacement parts is worth it IMHO is if the notebook came as a free hand-me-down and you’re prepared to use it for another 3+ years. </p>
<p>Even then…the ROI is debatable if you factor in wear & tear and greater possibility of further component problems/failures down the line.</p>
<p>What service plan providers do a good job? We are literally ON OUR WAY OUT THE DOOR to Best Buy with the intention of buying a Toshiba with a Geek Squad service plan but now I’m having second thoughts.</p>
<p>I want something with a carry-in or on-site service, not a mail-away plan. I don’t see who provides that.</p>
<p>It’s not clear we can get a service plan from Toshiba without buying the computer from Toshiba, but they don’t sell this model or anything like it directly. Only through Amazon/J&R.</p>
<p>So I’m befuddled.</p>
<p>I know I’m supposed to buy an extended warranty and service plan, but I cannot figure out HOW.</p>
<p>Also, should I be buying the accidental damage plans? Those cost a mint.</p>
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<p>I’d try to get it elsewhere other than Best Buy as unless things have changed within the last several months…even Best Buy sends off warranty repairs off to a repair site if it involves more than simple virus cleanings/system reinstalls. Also, a lot of clients I have were people who had unsatisfactory experiences with Geek Squad so I’m a bit wary there.</p>
<p>I’d check with your student’s college/university to see if they have onsite repairs and what brands/models they service. However, if the problem is beyond something simple…they’re likely to mail it off to an offsite repair shop/subcontractor as well. </p>
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<p>Unless your student is supercareful about his/her notebook and has supercareful roommates…it would be a good idea to get one based on my experiences and observations of most college students.</p>
<p>They’re cheap through your homeowners-and cover damage and theft</p>
<p>Ok, S wants a fairly expensive ($1300) Lenovo laptop with 2 graphics cards for his gaming. He has agreed to pay part of the cost, and we would get some insurance as well. Any drawbacks to going along with this?</p>
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I do not think so … we did a similar thing with SecondToGo … we all went through the options and decided what we would pay for … he was then free to buy whichever model he wanted as long as he was willing to pay the increment … it seems like a very fair approach to us.</p>
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<p>If he’s not already fully aware, I’d make it clear to him that gaming should not come at the expense of academics/internships/ECs. </p>
<p>Also, $1300 for a gaming-capable notebook is actually on the inexpensive side considering hardcore gamer notebooks can go for 2 to 4 grand easily depending on configuration options/capabilities. Then again, most gamers I know tend to game on their desktops to get the most capabilities in the most cost-effective manner. </p>
<p>I also find it interesting how $1300 is considered expensive for a notebook considering when I was in college, you needed a minimum of $1700-2000 to get the lowest-end notebooks. Back then, $1300 was barely enough to get a budget to mid-range desktop for basic office/home usage.</p>
<p>Thank you everybody for all of the computer advice. Being the sucker I am, I purchased a mac for him (macbook pro) on tax free weekend here in mass. That is the last big expense!!<br>
Now onward to the quest for which insurance plan to get for it, geek squad, applecare, or that national insurance for laptops.</p>
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We discussed the possibility of getting a desktop INSTEAD of the laptop, but his friends seem to have convinced him that he cannot survive as a student without being able to carry his computer around with him. Is it worth considering the possibility that we could get a less expensive desktop for the gaming AND a less expensive laptop for about the same total amount (PC + LT ~ $1300)?</p>
<p>DD has been using family PC for a few years, but wants to make the switch to Mac laptop. How much time will it take for a new Mac user to feel comfortable?</p>
<p>Youngsters (:)) will take to it very quickly–rough estimate, within a week.</p>
<p>13"MBP, w/AppleCare is the ONLY reliable manufacturer. Since they’ll run Windoze, there’s NO reason to buy ANY PC, regardless of major.</p>
<p>May buy one for the wife so she’ll leave my 15" alone!</p>
<p>While computer shopping this weekend, we met three young people who had started out with bigger laptops (17" monitors, or even the 15.6" size) and traded down.</p>
<p>One young man is a computer science student who had a big, heavy laptop he kept on his desk and a netbook he carried around with him. I think if he’d realized he was going to be unhappy with the big laptop, he would have gone with a desktop + netbook setup.</p>
<p>Why would he need to take his computer to class? Unless there is a compelling reason to it’s just extra weight. I know my son was required to use comp sci lab computers for his comp sci labs, a laptop would have been useless. A desktop has advantages over a laptop, especially for gaming, although I agree your son should seriously watch out for spending too much time gaming in lieu of studying.</p>
<p>I can think of several places a college student would want to bring his/her laptop. The library if they are doing research or writing a paper, another students room when working together on a paper, if they are going home for the weekend, etc.</p>
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<p>Not unless the laptop is a real cheap low-end notebook that IMHO…no one in their right mind should buy due to greater possibilities of breakdowns, poor/nonexistent support, etc. </p>
<p>If the budget is such that one is limited to desktop for gaming/all needs or a notebook for portability…your son needs to choose ONE OR THE OTHER…not both unless he’s willing to pay most/all of the cost. </p>
<p>I’m also a bit skeptical of any college student’s “need” to have a gaming system in college as that from my observations tends to be common among students who fall into the trap of prioritizing gaming over academics/internships/ECs. </p>
<p>As a 17 year old college student, I actually had a heated argument with an aunt because SHE insisted I needed a TV in my dormroom whereas I knew myself well enough to know that it is a huge addictive timesink I could do without…especially when there’s new college students to meet, campus/town to explore, and more.</p>
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<p>Very interesting considering current 15-17 inch notebooks tend to be lighter than the notebooks my generation carried during our college days in the mid-late ‘90s. Have a 13" Toshiba Tecra from the late’ 90s and an early 2000s Dell Latitude which weighs in at around 9.5-11 pounds each. </p>
<p>Never had an issue carrying them in my backpack with adapter and other academic related things. When I carried my mother’s MBP 15" and someone else’s Panasonic 15" Toughbook in separate instances, they both weighed less combined than my Dell Latitude and around the same amount as the late '90s 15" Toshiba.</p>