<p>cavcomp blows.</p>
<p>tablets are overrated–why spend $1000+ premium so you can write on that instead of a notebook.</p>
<p>although people hate them, dells usually are the best option. get a latitude and get the best warranty, Dell has next day service, cavcomp claims they do. i did get my computer from cavcomp and have completely abandoned calling them for help–I call dell directly now when I have a problem and its much more speedy. they either overnight you simple parts to replace (hard drives, etc) or send a repair guy the next day to your apartment.</p>
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<p>I have an IBM thinkpad (about 3 years old) and it had plenty of problems but the on site warranty was really good. Once IBM switched it over to Lenova the warranty service was not as good.</p>
<p>I was thinking I should stick to Dell because the CAV Comp could service it even if I bought it direct Dell. I wanted a custom configuration as opposed the the 2-3 choices CavComp will release in May.</p>
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Any reason you recommend this over the XPS?</p>
<p>case isn’t plastic (its some magnessium compound that holds up better) and it has better long term support as they are the business models. After 4 years, I’m still able to get the same parts when something goes wrong from dell. I doubt they keep XPS parts in stock for 4 years.</p>
<p>If you want to play video games, then the latitude isn’t what you want, however.</p>
<p>Give Cav Computers another look. When you compare prices, be sure you factor in EVERYTHING that comes with theirs, including software, memory, etc. You can get the specs from Cav Comp and literally price it out with Dell line by line. I priced my S’s on dell.com and UVA was cheaper. And I think the service has been good. Certainly it has given me peace of mind.</p>
<p>^ don’t worry about the price of software AT ALL. all software that comes with a cav comp is available free on UVa’s network to every student.</p>
<p>If your laptop breaks, it can take sometimes over a week for CavComp to repair a laptop. and trying to hurry them along usually involves a trip or two out to milton drive where their repair facility is. its really a poorly designed system.</p>
<p>dell is the best bang for the buck. latitude’s are a solid business line but cost more.</p>
<p>since this thread is officially “non-recommendation” I’d say avoid cavcomputers, sure they give you warranty and all but in my opinion it is just not worth the cost, especially if you know a thing or two about computers.</p>
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<p>video games a are a must, but so is a box that can be dropped occassionally. I got an email from Dell today and the latitude has some nice security stuff, but the XPS can be configured for gaming.</p>
<p>I noticed they were offering accidental damage protection. That sounds like something I could use. Anybody know anything about it?</p>
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<p>How do you get the UVa software package if you don’t go through Cav Comp?</p>
<p>The accidental plan covers the computer if you drop it or something. Frankly, I wouldn’t get it and just be careful. Unless you’re prone to accidents, it’s not worth the money. </p>
<p>As for software, I know you can get pretty much everything except Windows through UVa. I know any engineering program on laptops is available either for free or less than $20 (Mathcad is $12, everyone has to buy it regardless). Since you get Windows on the computer either way you go, there’s no real software issue. Windows Office might be the only thing you’d have to get on your own if you don’t buy through CavComp, but I think it’s extra anyways, and computer manufacturers always give you the option of adding it on.</p>