<p>I'll be working the next six months to buy supplies needed at university. Choosing a computer is giving me a huge headache as the risk of theft is all-too-real.</p>
<p>I'll be living in the dorms, so I've decided on getting a laptop as I can take it with me to a private study area in the library and watch a movie in peace, do some writing, listen to some music, etc.</p>
<p>Problem is if I were to get a laptop it would be a $2,500 laptop, but things get stolen and disrespectfully used by roommates, etc. I can't carry the laptop around with me all the time or sleep with one eye open. There's always the risk of one of our roommates inviting a friend to our room or the door being left open and somebody slipping in and stealing my laptop while I'm taking a shower or eating dinner.</p>
<p>So... am I really stuck buying some ****ty MacBook Air that can only be used to painfully surf the internet because people steal?</p>
<p>Thanks! I've heard crazy stories of desktop monitors getting stolen(lol?) and roommate's laptops secretly being used in the middle of the night to view porn without permission(lol?)...</p>
<p>I know that some laptops have a way to lock them to a desk or something. It’s somewhat awkward, but my roomate did it last school year. Also, are you sure you need to get a 2,500 dollar laptop? There are cheap laptops besides the MacBook air, you know. A more expensive laptop may also be heavier, which would be a major disadvantage if you are dragging it around campus…</p>
<p>Just buy a MacBook Pro. It’ll cost you around $1200. In addition, I would also suggest this lock for your computer. I would post the link but I do not want to be banned. Happened last time. Haha. Anyways, the name of it is at the bottom. Just google it.</p>
<p>Kensington 64343 MicroSaver DS Notebook Computer Lock with Keys (PC/Mac)</p>
<p>I’d suggest getting a netbook. My netbook’s model is Acer AO521 and it costs $350+. It’s pretty powerful if you’re planning to watch youtube videos (cause some classes put the lecture on youtube) and play flash games. It doesn’t have a cd drive and it can’t play high-end games though.</p>
<p>Since you are looking to spend about $1,200 I would recommend some tablet laptop. It would be much more useful because not only would it have specs better than any mac, but you’d also be able to take notes with it using a stylus. An example would be the ThinkPad X201 but there are various options.</p>
<p>If you don’t like Windows than just dual boot with Ubuntu or something.</p>
<p>First of all, I work in IT, and *** are you doing buying a $2,500 laptop for college? You want a gaming beast? Or a giant and heavily upgraded MacBook Pro? This is college… get something with great battery life and a small screen/thin form factor, not a hulking desktop replacement. </p>
<p>Secondly, all laptops (even Macs) have a universal port to connect a laptop lock to. This is generally something you can get for around $30 with either a key or combination. It loops around itself and a desk leg/bed post so the only way to get the laptop off is by cutting through a steel cable or knowing the combination. </p>
<p>There’s also LoJack for laptops if you’re really paranoid.</p>
<p>But seriously, $2,500 for a college laptop is absurd. You’re not going to enjoy lugging that thing around. I hated using my 15.4" back in the day; I can’t imagine anything bigger.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Macbooks are overpriced garbage</p></li>
<li><p>You don’t need a laptop for college, you can build yourself a powerful desktop for around $700.</p></li>
<li><p>If you just need something portable go with a netbook.</p></li>
<li><p>Kensington locks are easily picked/broken</p></li>
</ol>
<p>The best way to go is to build your own desktop (which is not as hard as it sounds) and getting a cheap netbook to compliment it.</p>
<p>I have a nice desktop that I built. I’m taking it to my apartment with me. I also have a laptop, which is nice and portable. If you’re going to get any computer, there’s no reason to get a freakin desktop in college. $700 gets you a nice laptop. Taking that $700 and getting a non-portable desktop is utterly nonsensical. Matter of fact… you don’t need a powerful anything in college. A ~$500 laptop works fine. I can’t do netbooks because of the small keyboards, but my 13.3" laptop is perfect for me.</p>
<p>How many kids on college campuses living in dorms know how to pick a lock? Haha come on…</p>
<p>Everyone I know uses a MacBook Pro, its become like the golden standard for college laptops. I currently have an acer laptop but I’m upgrading soon. </p>
<p>Also I wouldn’t be so paranoid about your roommate, usually you will get someone respectful of your things and if thats not the case just request a room switch.</p>
<p>I completely forgot about Kensington locks(never had to use one)! Thanks! I’m not afraid of a roommate stealing it or using it(as for using it, a simple password would deter that); I’m just worried that they’ll invite people over or leave the door open leading to it getting snatched; leaving a laptop unattended on your dorm desk is as bad as leaving it on a table at the library and going to the restroom which is just asking for it to be stolen. You just need deterrents… example: some people who live next to schools complain about kids walking around on their lawns… I’d just put up a fence. If I were living in an apartment I’d just build a new desktop and accompany it with a refurbished MacBook Air, but I’ll probably be in a triplet or whatever poor transfers are setup with.</p>
<p>I’ve seen people try to justify stealing somebodies iPod by saying, “He left it on his desk and went to the bathroom.” LOL?</p>
<p>I plan to get a 15.4" sandy bridge laptop with good upgrades that justify the price… not a ■■■■■■■■ desktop replacement. It’s something I can take to private study rooms in the library or just areas of the library with IEMs and enjoy a Blu-ray movie, latest games in ultra detail, web development/typesetting with true colors(matte screen), etc.</p>
<p>Get a ThinkPad. Top notch business-grade laptop, and no one wants to steal it because it looks like it’s the first laptop ever made. I have one, and I’m LOVVVVVVINGGGG it.</p>
<p>It is rather unlikely that you will actually use all of the capabilities of a top of the line expensive laptop, even if you are a computer science major using it to compile your programs for course projects.</p>
<p>As another posted said above, choose something reasonably small and portable with good battery life. And something like that does not need to be that expensive.</p>
<p>Dorms generally consist of one lock that leads to the living quarters for 2-3 people. As he said, he’s worried about his roommates having someone over while he’s not there.</p>
<p>If you are concerned about theft, go with a low end ThinkPad.</p>
<p>Thief upon seeing a ThinkPad: “Seriously, ***, is this from the 90’s?”
Thief upon seeing a MacSomething: “OMG, I can fetch like a hundred bucks for this!”</p>
<p>Don’t buy a laptop with a large HDD, powerful CPU, or GPU:
Laptops have a horrible HDD failure rate, you are better off buying 32GB or so in the laptop and then going with a 1TB USB external drive for a hundred more.
The CPU and GPU both consume power even while the computer is idling with just a web browser or Office open, if you want to extend the non-gaming life of your laptop while on battery, buy one with a cheap processor.</p>
<p>Do buy lots of RAM:
When the OS runs out of RAM, it creates a swap file on the HDD. The laptop’s HDD is slower than your desktop’s making this more noticeable. You want at least 2GB (4GB is better) worth of RAM to eliminate this problem.</p>
<p>Buy a small laptop, but make sure it is comfortable:
Large laptops >14" are awkward to use and the screens require more power to run (again, battery life). Small laptops <10" often have tiny keyboards that are not comfortable for adults over long durations.</p>