<p>Hey, just posting this for people thinking about bringing a laptop to school next year. What model are you considering? </p>
<p>I really like the Toshiba Satellite M55 as well as some of the VAIO series. But then again...I'm looking for a somewhat light/portable laptop. </p>
<p>Anyone else have other suggests and/or would like to post which one they're bringing?</p>
<p>Oh...or, current students, what do you use / opinion?</p>
<p>I already asked this question in another thread, but I need to know if outlets are accessible everywhere that people normally use laptops, like in dorms and especially libraries. My laptop's battery really sucks, so I basically have to keep it plugged in at all times.</p>
<p>dylin88: People have all sorts of laptops here. Lots of Apples, for sure, but I've seen VAIOs and Dells. I personally have a Toshiba, but because of the weight it's more of a desktop replacement than a portable thing. Whatever brand and model you decide to go with, make sure that you treat it right - there's nothing worse for your grades than ruining your keyboard by spilling coffee on it the night before your big term paper is due.</p>
<p>duobeef: Outlets are fairly common, but in some of the classrooms and lecture halls you may have to hunt around and sit in weird places.</p>
<p>can anyone comment on the Apple: MacBook Pro?
I'm planning on getting this, but I wanted to know some pros/cons of this before i get it.</p>
<p>Also, I've been using a PC my entire life. I want to switch to a Mac only because I heard there are less viruses which is a plus. But are there any HUGE major differences between a PC and Mac, in terms of being better for school/college purposes?</p>
<p>i dun think so. i converted to mac from win a month ago, and i must say that mac is the best thing ever. after using it for a week, you will get so used to it because its so user friendly.</p>
<p>but i would say u shud wait for the newer model (nxt generation) to come out. this would be prob in summer and it will definitely beocme better. also, i heard that the new OS is coming out in end of the year.</p>
<p>it is so hard for me to get the best timing to buy my laptop because new OS for both mac and win are coming out pretty soon. (win-i heard around nxt year Jan.)</p>
<p>dylin88,</p>
<p>If you want ultra-portable, look at:</p>
<p>Lenovo x60
Sony VAIO S series
Fujitsu LifeBook P7120<br>
Toshiba Portege R200
Dell Latitude X1</p>
<p>actually, micheeatsfish, macs don't have fewer viruses...that's a myth perpetuated by apple marketing (which i will concede is pretty brilliant). But the reason there have been fewer viruses isn't because it's less susceptible, but because macs didn't have as big of a market share, but recently there have been a lot of mac viruses because the market is growing...kind of ironic actually</p>
<p>but regarding pc vs. macs...pcs are definitely more reliable/better for regular computer work, just because the microsoft platform is really designed for pcs...however, if you are into music/photography/and stuff like that, macs would be better because. But for normal processing, pcs are better</p>
<p>i would recommend dell inspiron 710m...it's the smallest thing in the world; not a good desktop replacement b/c keyboard is really small, but so convenient for bringing to class...it's the size of a piece of paper!</p>
<p>
[quote]
pcs are definitely more reliable/better for regular computer work
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I work with both, and I just can't figure how you find this to be true. As far as I can tell, the Office suite runs just as well on Mac OS as it does on Windows.</p>
<p>And since Open Office works for both...</p>
<p>Hey everyone. Im not familiar with the laptop market at all. I built a few desktops recently. I need a very fast laptop that has a good sound/video card, i want to hook up my 5.1 surround sound to it in my dorm. I need a big screen, wide preferrably, I also need it to support dual monitor display because i want to bring my lcd flat panel too. (makes life easier). Any recomendations?</p>
<p>WOW! I have used macs for the past 3 years and never had one virus/spyware related problem. What are you talking about? I'm not sure about the new intel ones but I use a G4 ibook and have never had a virus. I'm not bias becuase ive used windows aswell for many years. If you want a comp that is reliable get a mac. On windows you will turn on your comp one day and get the blue screen of death.</p>
<p>I use both...mac in school and windows at home. The only advantage I've seen is that Mac's run final cut motion/ other editing software that I don't think is available for windows. So if your going into film or w/e I'd recomend it. my friend whose doing tv (not at NYU)was required to get a macbook pro/final cut. But I like windows better for everything else since I'm more use to it so I'm probs getting the Inspiron E1505 with windows media center.</p>
<p>Dylin88, I actually have the Toshiba Satellite M55 (I'm using it right now), and I'll tell you that it's a fabulous computer. It's perfect for everything, lightweight, lots of memory, and just plain good.</p>
<p>xsuubiex, take a look at this laptop:</p>
<p>Falcon Northwest FragBook TL</p>
<p>OS: MS Windows XP Professional
CPU: 2 GHz
RAM: 1024 MB
Hard Drive Capacity: 60 GB
Graphics: ATI Mobility Radeon 9700
Primary Optical Drive: DVD+/-RW (Plus Minus)
Wireless: 802.11g
Screen Size: 15 inches
Screen Size Type: widescreen
System Weight: 6.4 lbs</p>
<p>the TL is puny compared to this monster:</p>
<p>FragBook DR 6800</p>
<p>CPU = 3.6-GHz Intel Pentium 4 660
OS = Windows XP Professional
RAM = 1GB (can add another 1 gig)
HD = 7,200-rpm 120GB (2 x 60GB) RAID
Optical Drive 2.4X DVD+R DL
Display/Resolution 17-inch/Wide-UXGA
Vid Card = Nvidia GeForce Go 7800 GTX/256MB
Wireless Networking 802.11a/b/g, Bluetooth
Ports Four USB 2.0, FireWire, DVI, VGA, SVideo,
PS/2, mic, Ethernet, modem, S/PDIF, IrDA, serial, parallel
PC Card Slots One Type II
Memory Card Slots 7-in-1 card reader
Weight 13 pounds
Size 11.7 x 15.5 x 1.9 inches
Service and Support One year parts and labor</p>
<p>The Mac-PC debate will go on as long as both companies are legitimate. Macs still have the multimedia advantage and PCs still have the software advantage. PCS work equally well as Macs as long as you know what you are doing and take care of it...if you really aren't a computer person, however, the Mac be the computer for you. The MacBook G4 finally has a real processor, but it is pretty pricy compared to similar models, for what it does.</p>
<p>VAIOs look pretty cool, and Sony is good for multimedia, but beware - the line has a history of malfunction and poor customer service.</p>
<p>Dells work well and are excellent all-around computers. I've never liked Dell's marketing or interface, but they are very popular.</p>
<p>Toshiba has some excellent models, but some of their older ones are poor quality.</p>
<p>When I chose my laptop for next year, after a lot of research, I ended up going with a Lenovo - the multimedia functions of ThinkPads are usually a bit weaker than comparably priced models, but as business/schoolwork notebooks they have no equal. Build quality is always very high and the little things (such as the keyboard, etc, and they still have a pointer) are widly considered to be the best on the market.</p>
<p>Remember to keep size and battery life in mind, processing power is fine but not if you can't use it. The number one weakness of many of the top notebook models is poor battery life. Also, if you plan on keeping the comp through undergrad, defenetly get a duel-core AMD or Intel processor, if you can, and try and get at least 1GB of RAM.</p>
<p>Peace, Winston.</p>
<p>Winston,</p>
<p>The keyboard on the Lenovo is arguably the best in the market. And the battery life on the x series is probably one of the top 5.</p>
<p>Good product, if you can afford the premium.</p>
<p>I believe that NYU gives a good discount on Lenovo computers.</p>
<p>Yup...I bought the Lenovo T60 2623 - Think Express Model with the core duo Pentium 1.83 Gh and 14.1" screen...the only thing I configured was the flash memory - I updated to 1GB RAM. The whole model cost $2000, and for most people there is no reason to spend that much, but I'm a computer guy and intend on using the machine for a lot of other stuff as well. In its price range, the particular model was wicked, too, so it was a good buy. It's one of the more popular models around these days. Kyang mentioned the Inspiron line...also very popular, and an excellent choice for students.</p>
<p>The Lenovo is coming in a week...order was delayed because the computer was backordered. I'm pretty pumped.</p>
<p>Peace, Winston.</p>