<p>What are the most important factors to consider when selecting a laptop for your college student? I know there are other threads on this subject, but the ones I looked at seem to devolve quickly into a PC vs. MAC debate. What I'm interested in hearing from you all is what computer features ended up being important to your S or D? For example, one parent said her D found that the weight was an issue on her big campus, and ended up switching to a smaller model that was easier to carry around.</p>
<p>Does the major your student is pursuing have any specific requirements? My son is going into a major that involves heavy computer programming and they had very specific minimum requirements for the laptop he was to purchase. He also had some additional “requirements” such as a blue ray player and built in web camera. We did consider weight in the event he would be carting it around campus.</p>
<p>Lightweight</p>
<p>Fast processor if they think they might be doing anything graphic related (this could mean running complicated chart programs or doing design or programming)</p>
<p>Durable. I found it easiest to get a laptop sleeve vs. a laptop case or a bag with a laptop compartment. That way no matter what bag I was carrying, whether it was my purse or a tote or a backpack, I could be sure my computer was safely covered. </p>
<p>Good warranty and a clear understanding of how and where they would need to go if there was a problem. Many campus computer stores will only repair computers bought at the campus computer store. So if that’s not what you’re doing then they’ll need to know where the nearest repair shop is and how to use their warranty coverage. </p>
<p>A webcame is useful for lots of things, including video chats with the parents and keeping in touch with long distance high school friends. Also, most web video cams also take still motion shots which your S or D will find useful and fun.</p>
<p>First bit of advice - the “deals” offered by the schools are often not deals at all - they can be out of date specs at close to full retail prices. However - educational software deals are real indeed. Don’t buy your copies of Microsoft Office “included with the computer” or at retail price, period. Some schools have group licenses your child can get access to, so call and ask. However, if they don’t, once your student has a verifiable college email address he or she can purchase most software at tremendous discounts online, as in this example from Microsoft:</p>
<p>[Microsoft</a> Office Discount for US Students -The Ultimate Steal- Office 2007 Software for $59.95](<a href=“http://www.microsoft.com/student/discounts/theultimatesteal-us/default.aspx]Microsoft”>http://www.microsoft.com/student/discounts/theultimatesteal-us/default.aspx)</p>
<p>Lightweight, fast processor, and big hard drive are all important - don’t forget, they will not only be doing schoolwork on the system but they will most likely be using it as an entire entertainment center, with games and movies and music stored on the system as well. And built in webcams have really become standard as they communicate via Skype vs. using their cell phones. However, there are tons of totally fine, suitable systems that meet all the requirements for a kid in college. When it comes down to actually making a decision, here are a couple of approaches to take:</p>
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<li><p>Get the cheapest “bang for your buck” system you can find. This is a good approach if you are willing to “self insure”, and replace the laptop if it gets broken. You can surf bargain sites like [Slickdeals.net:</a> The best coupons, deals and bargains to save you money!](<a href=“http://www.slickdeals.net%5DSlickdeals.net:”>http://www.slickdeals.net), buy at the dell outlet ([Dell</a> Outlet - Refurbished Computers - Refurbished Laptops - Refurbished PCs | Dell](<a href=“http://www.dell.com/outlet]Dell”>Refurbished & Overstock Laptops, PCs, Monitors: Dell Outlet | Dell USA | Dell USA)), get in line for “Black Friday” type sales. For less than $500.00, and often much less, you can get a decently specced laptop that any non-gaming kid will be more than happy with. If they end up dropping it off the lofted bed, you just yell at DD or DS, cut off some of their spending cash, and order them a similar cheap replacement.</p></li>
<li><p>Buy them a slightly higher specced machine that you think should last their entire college career, and spend about 1/2 as much as the machine cost on a top of the line on site service contract with accidental damage protection. This is the approach I took - the important thing is to spend the additional bucks on the total care coverage, or accidental damage protection, or whatever they call it. Because, let’s face it, the kid is just as likely to spill a Coke on the computer as he is to run into actual hardware issues. Up front costs of going this way will range between $900-$1300 or so with a reputable vender like Dell or Lenovo - but that’s it - you are done - it’s a 4 year deal. They can run the computer over with the car and the vendor will have to replace it. Or, more likely - they will get a few replacement power bricks and a hard drive or two and maybe a new keyboard and the warranty will more than pay for itself over 4 years.</p></li>
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<p>Whatever you do - don’t buy an extended warranty from BestBuy or Staples or whereever you get the computer. Always go directly to the manufacturer. </p>
<p>Oh, and one more word of advice. Make sure the system always has up to date antivirus software. Most computers are sold with an antivirus trial that is only good for a few months. Before you send DD or DS off to school make sure it is uninstalled and replaced with a more permanant solution. Sometimes the college has a license in place for all students. However, if not, you can always find viable free options. If your family uses Comcast, they currently offer Norton Internet Security for up to 7 computers per account. If you have a different ISP, download Microsoft Security Essentials, an excellent free a/v product put out by Microsoft. If you don’t trust Microsoft (although it’s really a good product) you can go with AVG Free, Avast, or Avira.</p>
<p>Warranty and service are important to me – I always seem to need to use them!</p>
<p>I prefer to purchase my computers from Costco – they double the manufacturers warranty to 2 years and provide “concierge service”. Instead of contacting the computer company directly, you contact them (a real person) and they connect you directly with the department you need to deal with and get it taken care. Saves hours of phone time!</p>
<p>if you use an American Express for the purchase (Costco accepts cash, checks or AMEX only) it will further extend your warranty.</p>
<p>Little laptops are much better than big ones.</p>
<p>I agree with everything said above. </p>
<p>To the list of things, I would also add versatility. D set herself up with a tablet that is very versitile on the go, especially with One Note, and with her docking station she also maintains many of the advantages of a desktop, including a large monitor that doubles as her TV set, and with the tablet itself, also gives her a dual monitor configuration. She says the only way anyone will ever get that set up away from her is by prying it out of her cold dead hands. </p>
<p>I would also recommend getting the longest lasting battery you can if there are options. Either that, or perhaps an extra battery.</p>
<p>Some companies, Dell included, offer 3 and 4 year extended warranties that also cover accidental breakage. I recommend getting the 4 year one for the college student. A dorm room can be a hazardous environment for a laptop and it’s made worse if they actually cart it to class. This kind of coverage covers spilled drinks on keyboards, cracked displays from dropped laptops, etc. </p>
<p>They make 17" models and for a while people tended to get the bigger sized laptops until they had to cart them around a bit and realized how heavy they really were and now the trend is to get smaller ones. I wouldn’t buy anything over 15" and would lean more towards 12-14" with 14" probably being a good compromise. </p>
<p>Don’t go overboard on buying software, i.e. MS Office, compilers (if a CS major), etc., for it until you find out what the student needs and also what they might be able to obtain for free or very low cost at college. Some colleges have a deal where the students can download certain software for free.</p>
<p>For the next laptop I buy I’ll also check to see if their help desk is based in North America or outside of it - usually India, and have a strong preference for company with a North America based help desk versus India - I can’t stand India based call centers.</p>
<p>I got my son a used IBM T42 on eBay, and he liked it so much that I got one for my husband and myself as well. We paid from $150 to $300+, give or take, per computer. (They got cheaper as the model got older, and as I became a more savvy eBay bidder.)</p>
<p>I also bought SquareTrade warranties for each (at about $30 a pop), which are offered for many eBay computer purchases, and we had to use one of them when the USB ports on my son’s computer died, after he’d had it for nearly a year. SquareTrade was great … they promptly sent me the full laptop purchase price and without any hassles beyond my having to box the laptop and take it to a drop-off center that was about two minutes from my house. (If my husband were reading this, he would say, “WHO took it to the drop-off center?” So, okay, it was actually him. 
)</p>
<p>The IBM’s are very durable, far more lightweight than my last laptop, and all of them came with a lot of software already on them.</p>
<p>So, for parents who are afraid that their kids will drop or lose their laptops (or leave them in a spot where they can be easily stolen), I would suggest eBay + SquareTrade as an option.</p>
<p>If warranty and convenience are important…consider buying directly from the university bookstore. You will pay a slight mark-up, but most college bookstores include PC service for 4 years in the price. The convenience of having the service on campus is well worth the price. Many of the bookstore service contracts include any reason - spills, drops, etc… that wouldn’t be included in a store warranty. My student has had the keyboard fixed after spilling lemonade all over it. No problem whatsoever. The university website should have plenty of information on the computer and service level offered. If not, call the bookstore.</p>
<p>I hate to turn this into a Mac vs PC conversation, but I would love to hear feedback from people WHO HAVE WENT THROUGH THIS ALREADY in deciding which one is best to buy for a kid entering college as a freshman.</p>
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<p>Son is a CS major and his professor was an anti-Windows guy so homework had to be done on a Unix-based operating system. He needed this fairly quickly so I got him a Mac. I didn’t feel like doing system management duties on Linux. Linux is my main platform at work so I work all day on it but we have a system management team to keep it up and running. The Mac has Windows too for his courses that require Windows applications.</p>
<p>My CS major son won’t buy Macs. He runs Linux most of the time, but has Windows on his laptop for games. As a CS major his laptop was bigger than I think most students need. (Both screen size and computing power.) It only lasted three years - buttons wore out and eventually it just died. He carries his laptop around in a backpack - he also added a longer life battery which meant finding backpacks that were big enough was not trivial.</p>
<p>Personally you can get more for less money with a Windows PC so unless the campus has a strong bias for Macs, I’d go that way.</p>
<p>Most of his CS professors use Macs (maybe they have some kind of group discount or deal) so maybe there’s a bias there. The Mac also allows you to do Mac OS X development; something that’s pretty common when working on Open Source application development.</p>
<p>For the non CS major, I’ll cast a vote for a Mac. </p>
<p>I have had Macs at home and PC’s at work for nearly 15 years and my experience has been that macs have fewer problems (I’m not saying none), are extremely well made, and have the Apple stores to offer personalized, face to face support. </p>
<p>For kids who simply need something that works (and works and works), the Mac provides them with a reliable platform.</p>
<p>I am an IT professional, so understand the Mac bias from a CS department. However, my son will most likely not be a CS major, most likely some science or math focus. I have been waivering on what to buy. His PC laptop he has used for high school always seems to be hit with spyware and viruses and needs cleaned every few months because of the gaming and social networking sites he visits.</p>
<p>My son who is a sophomore chose a 13" laptop for his graduation gift, then I got one, and now my soon to graduate son wants one too for his graduation gift. They’re just so easy to lug around. I bought a pretty high end one for son #1 who uses it mostly for facebook and watching youtube videos as well as writing the occasional paper, so I won’t get such a nice one for son #2. He will be majoring in engineering and they told us that you can’t afford the software anyway so he will be using the school’s computers for classwork.</p>
<p>Also, see what software your school offers. Son #1 can download Windows Office and Photoshop Elements for free and Windows 7 for $20.</p>
<p>Per the advice of a kind CCer who PMed me, D called the tech dept. of her prospective school. She was told that 70% of the campus uses MAC, and so that is what they’d recommend she purchase. He also confirmed what my techie friends have told me regarding MAC’s superiority in the area of virus protection. The tech guy said they no longer even install anti-virus software for the MACs because it’s unnecessary. In addition, there is an Apple store on campus for easy servicing. So thanks one and all for your advice.</p>