<p>I was looking at the four main Dell laptops that the JMU bookstore offers and was just wondering which one most people buy or is recommended. I understand that a lot of it is dependent upon major, but in general, which ones are the best for the buck without being excessive? The ones I've found they offer were the Dell Latitudes D630A,D630B, D830A, and D830B</p>
<p>IMHO, the 630B. I value portability and run time over screen size in a laptop, and personally don't see the value of the bigger screens - you can buy a separate LCD panel for that. You can upgrade a laptop's memory and disk, you're stuck with the CPU. So we decided the 630B made the most sense for something that needs to last 4 years, though the 630A is probably overkill for many/most students. I did notice that the prices are as good/better than the discount my employer has with Dell. OTOH, I can beat the prices for the ATO kit by judicious shopping, so we passed on that. </p>
<p>Don't wait too long - we ordered last week and received an email today that the laptop will ship on/before 8/14 - that's less than a week before move-in.</p>
<p>Also, if you order through the bookstore, have your JAC # and JMU email address handy - I had to get that from my son and email them the info.</p>
<p>If you are confident of your PC management skills, you can find better prices elsewhere or go with a Mac and run Windows in an emulator/virtual machine. The "premium" for the Dells is the on-campus support, and the Latitudes are better built than the consumer-grade systems.</p>
<p>My D got a Macbook Pro through the bookstore so can't comment on the Dells, but I will also urge you to go ahead and order. We were warned that many kids didn't get their computers last year before school started because they waited to order so late.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice. I'm still a high school senior, but was just looking at the options. I built a Studio on Dell's website with specs similar (but usually better since there weren't equivelants for all of the options) to the 830A, and with the student promo that Dell has going on, it was the same price. Will JMU give support on laptops not bought through them, or not the Latitude/Macbook?</p>
<p>I think they only service the ones bought through them. That's one of the main incentives to get students to buy through them.</p>
<p>I believe I am correct in saying that JMU will honor any dell or apple warranty whether or not it was purchased through them. Therefore, they would make any necessary repairs as covered under the manufacturer's warranty.</p>
<p>That makes sense in thinking about it. If they are certified technicians for Dell and Apple, then they should service any computers under their warranties. Worth a call though - they are very helpful there.</p>
<p>Update - the Dell shipped 2 days ago (DHL) and arrived today. I still wouldn't wait too long.</p>