<p>^^^^WOOOOOOOOOOOOOw I didn’t post such a long list of electronics, I think it has to do something with that particular hyperlink.</p>
<p>If you want the best deal just look in slickdeals. Look in the front page and the forums as well. If you don’t need the computer now and are patient, you can find a great deal.</p>
<p>I would be careful buying from CircuitCity. They’re owned by Systemax now and based on the way they run TigerDirect, their customer service still probably sucks and their prices aren’t too hot.</p>
<p>If you really want an HP, wait for coupons to come up on slickdeals/fatwallet bringing down the cost on the official HP site where you can customize.</p>
<p>Notebookreview.com might be a helpful website for you.</p>
<p>I would avoid Circuit City.</p>
<p>my favorite non-pricewatcher site is zipzoomfly with vanns as a close second</p>
<p>but yeah, always be on the lookout on fatwallet, slickdeals, dealnews, techbargains, passwird, woot, yugster, and if you’re a paid member, somethingawful.</p>
<p>I dont know the forum rules on posting links… but try newegg dot com. They have great customer service. Ive built 3 computers from parts purchased through them never had any problems with shipping and always good deals.</p>
<p>@MiqueMaus: you comparing Adobe Creative Suite to iPhoto and iMovie is like comparing Final Cut Studio to Windows Movie Maker. Do you see what I’m talking about?</p>
<p>@MiqueMaus, you buy a MBP for the beautiful LED screen that it comes with. That’s why it’s so good for media applications. The screen is usually what people look for when buying a laptop when color reproduction is crucial. Most of the PC laptops you see are cheap because they come with crummy low resolution displays.</p>
<p>Now with that said, a PC laptop with the same specs and same screen is still going to be cheaper than a mac.</p>
<p>I just tried to justify the cost of a Mac but couldn’t do it… sigh</p>
<p>I think you’re missing the point.</p>
<p>MBP is $2800. Dell XPS with the same hardware is ~$1100. Even considering the price you pay to use OSX, there’s still around a thousand dollars unaccounted for. Many Mac users justify the gap by pointing out how it comes with a terrific group of things like iPhoto and iMovie. My point is that for the difference in price, you could buy the Entire CS4 suite.</p>
<p>So please point out why you should get a Mac if you’re “going into media.”</p>
<p>As for the LED screen on the MBP, you can get it with any XPS/Studio. You admit that yourself. Comparing the MBP to cheap PCs seems a bit disingenuous, no?</p>
<p>If you can afford to pay more for the same thing with an apple stamped on it, by all means. For the average college student, there are a long list of things that the money would be better spent on.</p>
<p>Someone just admit they bought a Mac for no other reason other than it’s hip to do so and the Mac v. PC debates will explode into a million pieces.</p>
<p>You keep on comparing things that are not of the same quality, I know that PCs are cheaper, but 2800 gets you a 17" macbook pro w/2.66Ghz CPU, 4GBs of DDR3 ram, and an 8 hour battery. 1100 does not get you a XPS with a 1920x1200 resolution screen and the same specs… The XPS M1730 with comparable specs is $2200. There is a price difference, but it’s not as exaggerating as you made it. You should check before you post.</p>
<p>What I was referring to for media was the Final Cut Studio package, which contains some awesome software. It’s only for OS X, and obviously you might argue that you can install OS X on PCs.</p>
<p>[Dell</a> XPS M1730 Laptop](<a href=“Computers, Monitors & Technology Solutions | Dell USA”>Computers, Monitors & Technology Solutions | Dell USA)</p>
<p>[MacBook</a> Pro - Apple Store (U.S.)](<a href=“http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_mac/family/macbook_pro]MacBook”>Buy MacBook Pro - Apple)</p>
<p>edit: I don’t know if you get education discounts for dell or not, I know for mbp, you get 200$ off for education discount.</p>
<p>FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR BUDDY,</p>
<p>Please don’t fight about a MBP vs. PC. They are good in their own realm. The Mac vs. PC advertisement ads say it all.</p>
<p>I started this thread to get some advice from people who know better than me in terms of laptop specs. not to have fights over which one is better than other.</p>
<p>CHEERS,</p>
<p>SYNCHROTRON</p>
<p>No.</p>
<p>I got my XPS for $980 last March. Peryn Core, 4 GB (DDR3 isn’t even a factor since laptop cores don’t run high enough clock rates for the difference to matter), 9600m GT, 1680x1050 (Upgrading to 1920 would’ve cost $50 more), and a battery that lasts 7 or so hours. </p>
<p>What you’re ignoring is the fact that unlike Apple, PC retailers like HP and Dell frequently have sales. In fact, the vast majority of laptops sold by them aren’t sold at the sticker price. The “Instant Savings” and such are just gimmicks when you consider that you can easily go on ebay and find hundreds of 25%-30% off coupons that occasionally stack with each other. What you’re doing is comparing a sticker price for the MBP that doesn’t vary (since they have such firm control of their retailers) and a sticker price for the Dell that is rarely ever applicable since they are constantly on sale.</p>
<p>If you read this thread yourself, you’ll see that practically everyone has suggested the OP check slickdeals and such for deals on PCs, which just drives the point home. Even with your student discount, the Mac is priced higher than the hardware provided and software included would suggest.</p>
<p>Final Cut Pro costs twice what Premiere Pro CS4 does. So if you’re a professional filmmaker and your company is willing to comp you for it, by all means, go for it. But the pieces of software overlap on the vast majority of processes used. For practically everyone who uses it, Premiere Pro CS4 is overkill. Just keep in mind that for the price of FCP, you can have the CS4 Production Suite, which will let you do far more than just film.</p>
<p>At the end of the day, you use what you use. I have a laptop that I paid far less for that runs just as fast. If Apple were to release a computer that costs the same and runs faster, I’d be on it in a heartbeat. But as it stands now, PCs are better values than Macs. No one is saying that Macs aren’t capable laptops, I’m just saying that you could get more for the same money with a PC, which you fully admit yourself. If that’s something you can’t accept, by all means, keep bickering. But that’s the point I’m trying to make. Not that PCs are inherently better than Macs, just that they’re better values.</p>
<p>I agree with this post. :)</p>
<p>Thank you for all the replies above.</p>
<p>I am stuck again (sorry), I need to choose between Thinkpads and dell vostro. Slickdeals is serving me very nicely. However, I need your help to choose between the too. </p>
<p>Please share your opinions abt both laptops, if you think both laptops are equal then I have to flip a coin and decide although I have a hatred for dell for some unknown reason.</p>
<p>Thanks,
SYNCHROTRON</p>
<p>T500 all the way. Very cutomizeable as well as reliable and more bang for your buck!</p>
<p>I never like dells, too expensive at some point for some below average laptops and comes with stuff you don’t need.</p>
<p>T500 all the way, it’s what I bought (going to buy once I get my money from parents lol)</p>
<p>May I recommend an alternative? Take a look at tabletpc’s. They allow you to write on the screen. You want to get the kind with a fancy pen because they write so much better and have a built-in eraser. I love mine because I can (and do) use it as a notepad. The notepad thing is great, especially in classes where it’s pretty much impossible to take notes with a laptop. I’ve also used mine to draw organisms in bio lab. 
I scan all my textbooks in so I never ever have to lug them around, but this allows me to write and highlight my books too, and I sell my books for pretty much what I paid since they’re perfect. </p>
<p>Mine is a convertible tablet, which means I can flip the screen up and use my computer like a normal laptop so I can quickly types notes in classes like history and econ. There are some tablets without keyboards if you want less weight and bulk.</p>
<p>They are a little more expensive, but mine has already paid for itself by allowing me to lose less money on books. Even if it didn’t pay for itself, I’d still want one so I wouldn’t have to carry around textbooks.</p>
<p>Anyway, if you have any interest, just pm or email me. I don’t sell them or make any money off of them, but I’m such a big advocate of them that I’ll be more than happy to spend some time helping you find the perfect tablet at a great price.</p>
<p>hmm…does anyone have an opinion on the acer laptops? i know that they’re considerably cheaper than the other brands and i have a friend who owns one who says they work fine. and the amazon ratings seem to be pretty good.</p>
<p>which one will work better for me? I want a laptop that lasts through 4 years of college. It will be used for mostly school work and light gaming. I am undecided for my major and have no idea what i’ll do… but i know that i will not be an engineer if that helps.</p>
<p>[Costco</a> HP Product](<a href=“http://www.costco.com/CTO/HPProduct.aspx?prodid=10029570&whse=BC&topnav=&cat=28163&b=1&lang=en-US%2Cen-US%2Cen-US&model=NS270AV&configno=00f88dc5-4ed6-478c-9b05-72c829c9bb07]Costco”>http://www.costco.com/CTO/HPProduct.aspx?prodid=10029570&whse=BC&topnav=&cat=28163&b=1&lang=en-US%2Cen-US%2Cen-US&model=NS270AV&configno=00f88dc5-4ed6-478c-9b05-72c829c9bb07)</p>
<p>or Thinkpad t400 with these specifications</p>
<p>Intel Core 2 Duo Processor P8600 (2.40GHz 1066MHz 3MBL2) 25W1<br>
Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium12<br>
14.1 WXGA+ TFT, w/ CCFL Backlight<br>
ATI Mobility Radeon 3470 with 256MB<br>
3 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1067MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)8<br>
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad)<br>
250 GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm4<br>
CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo 24X/24X/24X/8X Max, Ultrabay Slim (Serial ATA)5<br>
No Bluetooth<br>
ThinkPad WiFi (BGN)10<br>
Integrated Mobile Broadband upgradable<br>
6 cell Li-Ion Battery60<br>
2764: 1 Year Depot Warranty - TopSeller7 </p>
<p>Thinkpad costs $956</p>
<p>does anybody have a dell xps16? i’m thinking of getting one and was wondering if it’s a good laptop to get for college. i’d use it for watching dramas, schoolwork, and listening to music
also, is a 16inch too big?</p>
<p>I have a Thinkpad and my D has a Vostro. They’re both fine. Keep in mind that most of these laptops are fairly generic and have the same components in them since the laptop companies generally don’t actually make any of the components themselves (that includes Apple laptops). You can usually spec nearly identical laptops from different manufacturers for comparison. However, try to avoid comparing a higher end one from one manufacturer to a lower end one from another (or even within a manufacturer’s line) to pick the ‘better’ laptop since you’ll end up comparing apples with oranges (whoops - how about oranges with grapefruit). </p>
<p>If you plan to carry the laptop a lot consider getting a 13-14" model. If not you might want something more in the 14-15.4" range. A 17" model is too big and heavy for a laptop IMO.</p>
<p>Buy from a major manufacturer (Dell, HP, Lenovo, etc.), look for good deals, consider the features and aesthetics you care about (size, weight, battery life, ruggedness, ‘style’) and consider the warranty. If the laptop is for college, I recommend getting some kind of accidental coverage in case it’s dropped or liquid is spilled on it. Dell offers good coverage for this and their response with replacement parts is excellent in our experience.</p>