<p>I am assuming most of you guys are shopping for and buying new laptops for college. Becuase I am not really up to date on the new laptops and how good they are compared to other brands/models, I need your help. I guess you can say im a "newbie/noob" when it comes to selecting laptops. I am mostly using it for wordprocessing, powerpoint, excel, internet, research..typical student stuff. Im not into gaming, so i dont need any gaming system things</p>
<p>Basically, I want something that is...</p>
<p>-Student friendly/easy to use/good quality
-Light weight, but durable
-Good Battery life (doesnt have to be like 5+ hours)
-I might watch some movies on it if i am bored (though this is not priority)
-Suitable for individuals who are NOT into gaming
-Looks good/neat design
-Sharp images on screen
-Fast (like for internet)</p>
<p>and also, should I get some antivirus or antipopup spam software? which kinds?</p>
<p>so what laptops can you suggest for me? thanks in advance</p>
<p>The most popular laptops on today's college campuses are Dells and Apples, respectively. That said, many schools have contracts with computer companies, are are certified to repair certain brands of computers (i.e. most UCs are Dell-certified repair centers, so if a Dell owner has a problem with his or her computer, the computer could be taken to an on-campus repair center for faster turnaround and less headaches -this assuming of course the equipment in need of attention is still under warranty). I'd look first at what your university's repair center is certified for, just to make things easier. That aside, many people will also recommend ASUS laptops. </p>
<p>As for technical specs, your hitlist can be satisfied by many laptop makes and models for inexpensive prices. :) Anyting with a Core Duo processor, at least 1 GB of RAM, any video card, a DVD- burner, and a decent hard drive (at least 80GB) can be had for a decent price tag.</p>
<p>The best anti-virus software I can recommend includes Windows Defender, Avast, or AVS.</p>
<p>I would suggest the Dell E1405 or the E1505. The 1405 is the 14 inch monitor version and the E1505 is the 15.4 inch version. These computers, while being highly rated, are priced cheaply. I myself have a Dell E1505 and even though I upgraded it to all of my personal specifications, only payed 1386$.</p>
<p>I'd take a look at the MacBook, sound's like it'd be just right for your situation. Just make sure to get at-least 1GB of RAM and a copy of Microsoft Office for Mac, and you'll be all set. Plus you won't have to worry about anti-virus/spyware software.</p>
<p>Actually, most new laptops come with a trial version of antivirus-firewall software. For example, Dell included a one and a half year trial of McAffee AntiVirus and Firewall in my E1505.</p>
<p>Agree with Slorg. You can get a top-of-the-line Dell (or comparable brand) for the same or less cost than a low-end mac. IMO, everyone is crazy about macs right now because they are "so cute" or "so sexy" and not because they are a better product.</p>
<p>In my experience with both (I've had my mac for two weeks), the mac is really cool and whatnot, but you could get your minimum requirements for much cheaper on the pc. Mac OS X is very useful, but unless you really want to pay extra for the OS (I've had no problems yet, but have had a few on XP), you really don't need the mac; however, I am biased because I am in love with my mac and sick of windows XP. (Vista doesn't seem that good either)</p>
<p>I would not get an apple, as many on campus computer programs may not be compatable with them, even if you are running windows on it. As far as antivirus goes, dont purchase any until you get to campus. Some schools provide and require university sponsored antivirus software that is incompatable with many virus programs like Norton. you just dont want to spend alot of money and then get there and not be able to use it or return it.</p>
<p>Here is a good one I found, it's only $399 with a free all-in-one printer, and it's not a Celeron. Don't break the bank on a notebook that has many features you don't need.</p>
<p>Go with Dell. Apple really is too expensive, and your school probably has Windows and such on lab computers, so you may have compatibility problems with Apple. I checked and if you get the base system Dell B130 with Windows XP Professional, Microsoft Student-Teacher Edition 2003 (which has Excel, Word, Powerpoint, and Outlook), 15 months of Anti-virus, and 1 year of accident insurance and tech support, you'll only spend about $950.00. But maybe price isn't really a concern. If you can spend more, get the Dell E1505 with the same things.</p>
<p>I was at Dickinson College taking some classes this summer and I bounced around between my WINDOWS-BASED laptop and the macs at the computer lab. I had no compatibility problems whatsoever, except for the margins...minimum on windows is .17 inches and minimum on mac was .42 but other than that, there were no compatibility problems whatsoever.</p>
<p>I was thinking that Macs and Apple doesn't have Word and Powerpoint EXACTLY. I'm sure it has it's own programs that do the same things, but if you typed your research paper on a Mac and then e-mailed it to your professor, would the professor be able to open it with Word? I've always wondered about this because I've only ever used Windows and Microsoft programs.</p>
<p>Check your data before you make claims, son. Any Office document made in Mac OS (on MS Office or OpenOffice.org) will be 100% compatible with its Windows counterpart.</p>