<p>I'm going to be a freshman in college next year and I'm trying to find out what kind of computer I should get. I'm going to be a political science major, so I don't think that I'll need anything too high powered or anything. The most that I would spend on a laptop is around $700. Any help would be appreciated.</p>
<p>This is extremely vague. How big do you need the laptop to be? Weight? Battery life? Do you have particular requirements, such as gaming performance, screen resolution, optical drive, brand, aesthetics, etc?</p>
<p>You’ll most likely be typing up papers, reading, etc.</p>
<p>In that case, you’ll want to optimize first for reliability (so you can carry out your basic tasks) followed by portability (so you will be able to more easily utilize it).</p>
<p>If you can afford a MacBook Air, I’d heavily recommend one. Even though it’s a bit expensive, they just work.</p>
<p>Can’t afford one? The ASUS UltraPortable series are great.</p>
<p>aldfig0, I was kind of being vague on purpose because I really have no idea what to look for. I just want to be pushed in the right direction. I’m looking for a solid, all around performing laptop. I guess the most important think to me is reliability, I want it to last as long as possible without any technical issues. </p>
<p>Thanks excelblue, I’ll definitely check out ASUS!</p>
<p>A Sony Vaio is a pretty good laptop. I found some that start around $500, but I would suggest adding an i3 or i5 processor rather than using an Intel Pentium. I will PM you some suggestions.</p>