Is the HP Envy Beats Edition a good computer for college?

Student Lounge College Life
1

<p>Hi guys, this year I'll be an incoming freshman at Virginia Tech. The computer I want is the HP Envy Beats Edition. Is this a wise choice? I really like the design and power and such and I think this would be a good alternative to the Macbook Pro (my dad is afraid someone might steal my macbook so he doesn't want to buy that but he's willing to spend an equal amount of money on an HP...). So here are the specs: </p>

<p>*Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
*2nd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-2410M (2.3 GHz, 3MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.9 GHz
*1GB DDR3 Radeon(TM) HD 6630 switchable Graphics [HDMI, Mini Display Port]
*6GB 1333MHz DDR3 System Memory (2 DIMM)
*640GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
*14.5" diagonal High Definition HP BrightView Infinity LED Display (1366x768)
*SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
*Red Backlit Keyboard </p>

<p>I basically want a computer where I can both study hard and play hard with as well. This computer meets the minimum requirements for my university. So what do you guys think?</p>

2

<p>What’s the battery life? You’re going to be unplugged far more often than you might think - not nearly all classrooms have power ports everywhere, unfortunately.</p>

<p>Also, what does it weigh? You’re going to be carrying this around all day every day. You don’t want another brick in your backpack.</p>

<p>I would go with a slightly bigger/higher-resolution screen. My 2008 15" MBP has a 1440x900 widescreen and I couldn’t really ever see myself using something smaller.</p>

3

<p>6.5 hours battery life, 5.8 lbs, and a 14.5’’ screen</p>

4

<p>Deaninator,</p>

<p>You may want to introduce your dad to lojack for laptops
[Absolute</a> Software | LoJack for Laptops: Track, Locate, and Recover Stolen Computers](<a href=“http://www.absolute.com/en/lojackforlaptops/home.aspx]Absolute”>Leader in Data and Device Protection - Absolute Home & Office)
Just buying an HP does not eliminate theft problem.</p>

5

<p>Or just buy a good cable lock and never leave your laptop unattended without being locked down.</p>

6

<p>You already have a macbook pro and you can get another overpriced computer?</p>

<p>buy whatever you feel like…</p>

7

<p>get the macbook pro 13". microcenter is having a sale for $999. the battery life last for more than 6 hours on mac. battery on HP last about 4 hours if you are lucky. plus, mac has better built quality. i wouldnt worry about people stealing it. a lot of college people have mac</p>

8

<p>I don’t have anything to add to the mac/pc battle, but I think it is a reasonable choice. I almost got one, but decided on a thinkpad w520 due to the difference in battery life. That was the only complaint I had about the envy, the rest seems pretty dang good.</p>