Experienced Users - Recommendations for Best Laptop for College Student?

Parents Forum
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<p>We are shopping for a laptop for D - who is graduating from HS early, taking a few college classes this spring before starting college in the Fall of 2013. The college she is attending doesn't have any special deals for their students.
Since I have not shopped for laptops before - I want something that is affordable and reliable. Please don't recommend a Mac - too $$.</p>

<p>From my research - I've gleaned the following:
Screen size – 15” seems to be the “sweet spot” for portability for college students. Weight – The lighter the better for college students. 3-4 lbs okay
Processors – try to avoid any that have a Celeron Chip or SU chips
Try to avoid Sempron or AMD chips
If Pentium Processor – try to find 2nd or 3rd generation – the model # will be in the 2000 or 3000.
Built in webcam – probably standard on most
Make sure has Ethernet port
Will probably want to purchse a printer?
Bakelight keyboard?</p>

<p>Is there anything else to consider?</p>

<p>Do you have any specific brands or models that you think have done exceptionally well for your own kids? Is there a stront feeling that we should be getting a laptop vs. an Ultrabook, etc.</p>

<p>Any opinions are appreciated! There are lots of sales going on right now - so am hoping to buy something soon. Thanks!</p>

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<p>What is the major?</p>

<p>If the kid is headed into design, ask at the college itself. Chances are that even if you don’t like the price, the kid will need a Mac. Rebuilt ones are significantly less expensive, and have the reputation for being surprisingly durable.</p>

<p>Even if the college she attends doesn’t have any specific deals, ask the computer seller. Some (again Mac for example) do have deals of their own for students.</p>

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<p>But interested in Anthropology, Psychology, etc. She really has no idea - but at this point she is not interested in anything involving graphic design. From what I"ve ready - a Mac would defintely be nice - but not required for the things D may be interested in.</p>

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<p>Another approach is to go with a 13 inch laptop with a 20 inch monitor in the dorm room.</p>

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<p>In general, 13 inch laptops weigh less than 15 inch laptops.</p>

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<p>Look for at least a Core i3.</p>

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<p>Yes.</p>

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<p>Some ultrabooks don’t have an Ethernet port but most inexpensive laptops do. Just about everything has wireless Ethernet.</p>

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<p>A printer in the dorm room is a convenience as there should be many of them in the library. The killer cost on inkjet printers is the ink.</p>

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<p>Backlit keyboard. This makes it easier to use it in the dark. It’s usually a luxury feature.</p>

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<p>Backup. Losing your computer (for whatever reason) just before you have papers or homeworks due can damage your GPA or create lots of added stress.</p>

<p>I like Lenovo for quality and reliability. I used to like Dell but I’m on the fence about them now. Avoid HP. I would go for a laptop over an Ultrabook if cost is a major concern.</p>

<p>You might also ask around your extended family or network to see if someone has a laptop that they’d give you or sell to you on the cheap.</p>

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<p>We went with the cheapest possible. For writing papers and connecting to the library website, just about any PC can do the job. I second the notion of borrowing or buying used. </p>

<p>At D’s school, once she’s connected to the campus network, she can save to her own network space on the school server, so even backing up isn’t a problem. She doesn’t take her computer to class, preferring paper and pencil for notes. The school provided an iPad that she has with her if she needs to access something on the go. </p>

<p>She watches movies on her laptop, so for that, a bigger screen was nicer.</p>

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<p>Backup - get a decent external drive where she can back up her files. You can find one in the $50 range that will store everything that is in her system.</p>

<p>Weight - Happykid went for the 13 inch because it is lighter and she drags it everywhere with her. She watches TV & movies on it, and doesn’t complain about the screen size. Other students might not be happy with that though.</p>

<p>Printer - Can she print for free on campus? Then she might not need a printer at all. Does she really need to print color? A black only laserjet will be cheaper to operate than a multi-color inkjet.</p>

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<p>Consider getting one (or having it switched) to Windows 7 if you buy one with Windows 8 installed. It is a pain in the neck operating system, and I am guessing almost all new computers on the shelf now have it.</p>

<p>I have to add to the voices saying a Mac is a good idea. They are harder to hack, and require less messing around with antivirus and spyware updates. My D1 got a mac, but I made her pay the difference between the lower priced Windows option and the Mac. However, I am actually planning to go ahead and get D2 a Mac for college because I am now convinced it is a lower maintenance option and worth the extra cost. Plus, I don’t want to have to teach her to navigate Windows 8 or move any machine she buys back down to Windows 7.</p>

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<p>Agree with suggestion to buy a monochrome laser. I have seen them on deal news for as little as $60 (Samsung, Brother). They are often shipped with a temporary toner cartridge, but the temp cartridges still print far more pages than ink jet toner will. The replacement cost for the toner can be high ($80-$90 for 3000 pages), but she may take a very long time to run through the initial cartridge.</p>

<p>You can set up an RSS feed from deal news to be notified when they have laser printer alerts.</p>

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<p>I agree with the advice above including bceagle’s regarding the screen size. Even the 15.4" size can get heavy/bulky after awhile. Something closer to 13" might be better although I think 15.4" is acceptable. </p>

<p>For most majors most laptops will be okay since they’re used mostly to browse the internet, use Word or another word processing program, watch DVDs (in which case make sure it has a DVD drive), email, IM, etc. An HDMI output jack can come in handy if one wants to connect it to a TV when showing pictures, etc.</p>

<p>Since it’s for your D make sure it’s aesthetically pleasing to look at (color, sleekness, etc.) if that’s important to her.</p>

<p>A backup hard disk is a good idea. Just assume the laptop will fail at some point. Backup source files (papers, etc.) to a cloud drive (dropbox or similar) and also to a USB stick or an external hard disk. The external disk can store full backup images as well as backups of photos, etc. If the laptop has a failure and needs to be sent in to fix it, she’ll want everything backed up first since whatever’s on it is likely to get wiped out by the service people.</p>

<p>Make sure the laptop has a decent anti-virus program running on it. This is needed for protection and usually required by the college.</p>

<p>My kids didn’t need an external monitor/keyboard/mouse and wouldn’t have used them. Whether to use one depends on the kid including whether they play games on the system. Start out without one and then see how it goes.</p>

<p>I second the laser printer. Try a wireless Brother HL-2270-DW - s/b able to find it for around $100. My kids were sometimes printing things at 2 in the morning or something so it was a good convenience to have a printer in the room.</p>

<p>Consider getting accidental damage coverage since a dorm is a volatile environment. For my kid I purchased the 4 year protection which covered things like fixing the keyboard if something is spilled, damage caused if the laptop falls from the bed, etc. You can get this through some manufacturers (which is what I did) and by independent insurance companies which I’ve seen some others on CC have used.</p>

<p>I purchased Dell with the coverage above. They worked out fine except the hinges needed to be fixed (under warranty). I think the hard disk failed as well and was replaced under warranty (with a bigger hard drive at no extra cost). I’ve used Dell a lot as well as Lenovo. They’ve both been fine. If you can get the more business-oriented line rather than the consumer one it might be more durable (or maybe not). Look for durability and by that I mean robust hinges, etc. Get the coverage above to protect it no matter what. </p>

<p>Don’t buy productivity software like Microsoft Office, etc. yet. Sometimes a school will provide it for free or very low cost to students (lower that the ‘Student discount’ you can get in stores). If you check with the school on this and they have no deal then look for the student price in stores.</p>

<p>There are always specials on laptops - keep looking for a good deal but the market is so competitive that you’ll likely not pay too much for it.</p>

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<p>For typical word processing, web, etc. use, any current processor sold new should be fast enough, so it is unlikely to be worth worrying about or spending money to upgrade the processor.</p>

<p>The speed limits on the computer are more likely to be network connection (mostly dependent on external factors), memory (computers get slow if they have to page to disk when the RAM is not sufficient to hold an entire web browser program and data), and disk.</p>

<p>Memory in particular is one place where choosing more is relatively inexpensive, but pays large dividends in computer speed.</p>

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<p>“Bakelight keyboard?”</p>

<p>Ok I feel like I am going to give up tech if this is a thing. </p>

<p>You may want to consider a flash hd if your kid is clumsy. And a larger monitor if they are a gamer. Buying a wireless optical mouse is probably a good thing to do anyway.</p>

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<p>I have an Asus laptop with an I7 core processor, good graphics card with additional memory, 15.4 HD display, etc. I bought it last year, and I love it. My S, who had a macbook pro throughout college, just replaced it with a Lenovo laptop that has a faster i7, an even better graphics card, and an equivalent display. (It also has a huge hard drive.) He was very tired of being a “prisoner” in the mac world. (His view.) And he paid a few hundred less for the Lenovo than I paid for this. IIRC, he used newegg.</p>

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<p>Judging by what I’ve observed and heard from more recent undergrads, they seem far less willing to share computers with classmates that was the case when I was in college in the '90s due to concerns about theft, viruses/malware downloaded by others, carelessness about damage/breakage, security concerns, and germs(mostly germaphobes). </p>

<p>Personally, I’ve only started to be willing to lend out computers to others after college as I have several older spare towers and notebooks and I am proficient in fixing/replacing damaged/worn out parts. During undergrad, I wasn’t about to risk lending out my only notebook to classmates who may be careless, klutzy, or otherwise clueless about taking due care of high-value borrowed items: “Treat them better than your own stuff and return it in the same/better condition than when you received it.”</p>

<p>As for buying used…if we’re talking notebooks, I’d only recommend that for people who are proficient enough to serve as their own IT support…including fixing/replacing parts. </p>

<p>If you/your student’s not comfortable with being their IT support, I’d strongly recommend buying new for the warranties and the higher chance the notebook won’t have any parts that are about to wear out(i.e. hard drives, CPU fans, etc).</p>

<p>As for printers, unless you plan to print plenty of color photos, get a b & w laser printer. </p>

<p>Much lower lifetime cost of usage compared with inkjets when one takes into account cost/replacement differences of toner/ink cartridges. My near 20 year old laser printer is still going strong after only one replacement cartridge. On average, each $70 cartridge lasts me 10 years…far better than replacing ink cartridges every 1-3 months at $20-30+ a pop.</p>

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<p>Back-up: use Google Docs or DropBox. Much more versatile than an external hard drive (can access from multiple places) and much more reliable than those little USB drives (guaranteed to fail when giving important presentation). If her school uses Gmail as many do, it will have Docs (a.k.a. Google Drive, the new name.)</p>

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<p>Please, please have her use the above mentioned Google Drive, DropBox, ICloud, etc, or an external hard drive. If she does decide to go the mac route, which I am not making any judgements about one way or another, GET A PLASTIC KEY COVER!!! My DD spilled a quarter cup of water (or less) by complete accident on her new mac and it was fried within seconds. She was so meticulous about that computer. She left her water bottle at home the day before on a break, and wouldn’t you know it, the very next day she knocked her water onto it. The computer was a total loss.</p>

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<p>Dealnews or one of the other deal accumulation sites should have good daily specials on prices.</p>

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<p>^Do people still use pricewatch.com?</p>

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<p>We have always had good luck with Dell. We all have different ones. Call their 800# and talk to one of their reps. Let them know exactly how you plan to use the computer and ask them to make some recommendations. They have always been right on target for our family. S bought a laptop for his engineering classes. He originally was looking at one on the website that he thought would work but he called and talked to one of the reps, told him exactly how he planned to use the computer and the Dell rep suggested a different one that was about $300 less than the one he was considering. S bought it and couldn’t be happier. They also offer a discount for college students.</p>

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<p>Lenovo educational discounts are pretty decent; but make sure you get the real ThinkPad series, not the Ideapads etc. DD1 has a T420, and the Mrs. has one as well (work). So far it’s been great. </p>

<p>Ultrabooks, hmmm. Not so sure I’d go for one quite yet. The premium is high and unless you need to lug it around daily, not worth the cost. </p>

<p>13" is about the max I’d be willing to lug around. I have an aging Dell laptop and have not been super-impressed with it so far. Mine is 15+". Too big. If money is not a big issue (:)) look for something like a Lenovo X220 type, very formidable machine. This and an external docking station and monitor should handle everything needed.</p>

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<p>We’ll be buying D2 a laptop when she graduates HS in the spring. I’ve already told her it will be a Mac. I have a MacBook that I bought in 2007; just upgraded the OS and memory for less than $200 & I’ve never had a problem once in 5 years. As a matter of fact when I stopped in the Apple store with it to verify how high up I could upgrade the OS, the Apple Genius told me they’d repair a small crack in the casing even though it’s out of warranty. Sweet.</p>

<p>In the meantime, we’ve bought 2 laptops (1 Gateway & 1 Toshiba) and D1 got a Dell with her scholarship & they are all so slow, and have software updates all the time, and Microsoft Office will just decide to crash. All while I happily work away next to them. </p>

<p>Agree about purchasing software. My Microsoft office for Mac was $9.99 through my academic employer. Our students get the software for free. Different schools have different deals with vendors, but my graduation present to myself was one of the Adobe creative suites for less than $200 with a retail price of $1500.</p>