<p>how are you deciding to purchase a laptop for those of you who are getting a laptop for their children's college-assuming that the college says that it has no preference?</p>
<p>and, in general, mac or pc?</p>
<p>I purchased a Dell Inspiron 15.4" laptop for my one D. My other D just replaced her 4 y/o laptop with a Dell Vostro 14.1".</p>
<p>Look for deals - Dell often has 'coupons' that offer a good discount. I've heard that Mac laptops are less expensive and more competetive than they used to be.</p>
<p>Be wary of advice that says "only get a (insert brand here)". </p>
<p>Make sure the laptop is a laptop rather than a desktop since they're far easier to move around, use while sitting on the bed, outside, take home on breaks, etc. </p>
<p>Anything over the 15.4" models starts to get heavier and less wieldy. Most will opt for a 15.4" or even the 14.1" like my D (she thought the 15.4" were too big and clunky).</p>
<p>Make sure it has a built-in DVD drive so they can watch movies.</p>
<p>Stay away from the 'leading edge' like the super thin Mac laptop unless you're willing to pay a premium for not much gain.</p>
<p>Consider getting the 4 year accidental damage coverage and premium support option (Dell has this). It costs a bit more but a college is a hazardous operating area for laptops (or anything electronic).</p>
<p>Some people say to stay away from Vista but we haven't had too many issues with it.</p>
<p>If the college is a larger one, see what ones they're used to supporting if you think you might need support form them. For most it would be Dell and Apple at least.</p>
<p>Laptops tend so skimp on RAM, so if you do decide to opt for a model with less than optimal amounts (or it seems to run fairly clunkily after a short time), you can try getting more RAM off of a site such as newegg.com and install it yourself. Sadly, running a computer with less than 1GB nowadays is just asking for trouble.</p>
<p>Check your college for laptop offerings. If the college sells laptops, then they are generally sold at a steep discount with all necessary student software preinstalled and the computer already optimized to work on the college's network. Best of all are the schools that offer free service on campus for computers bought through the school. Do NOT underestimate the peace of mind and downright usefulness on-campus service and support (as well as a all accidents covered insurance policy) grants.</p>
<p>This thread <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/400041-revolving-thread-topics-linking-old-new.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/400041-revolving-thread-topics-linking-old-new.html</a> has a link to old threads on the topic of laptops</p>
<p>get a Macbook.</p>
<p>Anything with Vista requires 2 gigs of RAM. 1 will not work, period. I think MSFT is being sued now for misleading the public on this issue, but I could be wrong. Everyone ant their mother sue MSFT.</p>
<p>I think ucsd<em>ucla</em>dad's post is the most balanced outline of issues that need to be considered.</p>
<p>People's budgets and needs vary immensely, so as long as you take all of these suggestions on board, as well as making sure you see the laptop in person before buying (buying over the internet is usually cheaper), you'll be fine.</p>
<p>DS got a Macbook last year, then found out that 3 out of 4 have the MacBook/MacBook pro in their suite.</p>
<p>Check to see if your school has requirements or recommendations. My S (undergrad journalism) was given specific requirements for laptops, so that narrowed his decision. (It actually provided proof that he needed more than I thought he needed!) The university also had a brochure that listed, department by department, whether professors use mostly Mac or mostly PC. ucsd<em>ucla</em>dad, in this case, when they say it's a Mac school, they do mean it. Otherwise, I agree that it's up to the student.</p>
<p>One thing to watch for is, if you get an Apple, there are big sales that start somewhere in early June. Maybe other manufacturers do sales as well. They are found on the Apple web site. You may have to supply a copy of the college acceptance letter when you go to the store to get it, or if you get it online, you just give the name of the school your student will be attending. Sometimes they come with a free iPod! We got a MacBook and my D is very happy with it. I happen to have the same machine and also love it.</p>
<p>We are trying to decide between the Macbook and the Lenovo Thinkpad X (with Windows instead of Vista). My son wants the Lenovo but it may be out of our budget with the upgrades. If you are going to UCLA and buying a Macbook, I suggest that you purchase it at their store. The prices are unbelievably low on Macs.</p>
<p>D is getting a MacBook Pro for her graduation. We will be utilizing the iChat software and imbedded video camera a lot since she will be two states away for college! :)</p>
<p>Dell</a> Outlet - Refurbished Computers - Refurbished Laptops - Refurbished PCs has some pretty good deals. I am actually typing this on a laptop purchased from there a couple years ago and it's still going strong.</p>
<p>I got mine from The</a> Refurb Depot | #1 Source For All Things Refurbished I like the refurbs better because the quality control is superior.</p>
<p>Buying something supported by the U is worth a lot, as is the all risks warranty.</p>
<p>My D, a senior, in the three years she had all risks coverage (Dell complete care, I think) had two screens replaced, one MOBO and one HDD. Although we paid for mail in support only, Dell shipped the parts to the U computer folks who did the work for free (paid by Dell, I presume). </p>
<p>Also note that universities often have great purchasing deals, but the vendors also have great coupon deals. But for software, nothing matches academic licenses. How does full MS Office for $25 sound?</p>
<p>Good things to keep in mind:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>never heard anyone say they wish they had a heavier machine with a bigger screen.</p></li>
<li><p>never heard anyone say my HDD is too big. Yes, one can upgrade the HDD after purchase. Done it many a time myself. And each time was a pita. Either you pay extra for the hardware or software to clone one drive to another, such as Norton Ghost, or you do a clean install, which takes a long time. And, you can invalidate the warranty with a HDD upgrade. As a minimum, that drive will not be covered by complete care, for example.</p></li>
<li><p>more memory trumps higher processor speed just about all the time. slow machines usually don't have enough memory (or fragmented HDD). For most users (i.e. anyone not heavily into video editing), the slowest processor around will be more than enough. Just remember, this years fastest process will probably be next years slowest and not even be around junior year.</p></li>
<li><p>memory is overpriced from the pc manufacturers. If money matters, buy the minimum and go to crucial or kingston to buy more.</p></li>
<li><p>lots of USB ports are nice. </p></li>
<li><p>while refurbished machines are often new, often the prices are not such a savings. You need to compare carefully, because the perception of savings may be greater than the reality.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Final note: Interesting that 4 years ago, when my D was a HS senior, the big question was desktop or laptop. Times have changed even more than my bank accounts in four years.</p>
<p>S opted for a Lenovo R61, purchased online from the lenovo website. We found some good promos on the fatwallet forums, where people post the latest info on sales and discounts for various products. S had very specific ideas of what he wanted, and loves the new laptop. He spec'd a Mac with the same memory and features and it was double the price we paid.</p>
<p>My advice for the novice laptop shopper (without a techie child) is to go for a laptop marketed to business users, like the Lenovos (formerly made by IBM). They are less gimicky and tend to be more solidly built than the consumer specials you see in big box stores.</p>
<p>D started with Lenovo and we mistakenly didn't buy the 4th year of warranty when it was offered to us the summer before her senior year. You guessed it--computer died the fall of her senior year. She now has a mac.</p>
<p>"- while refurbished machines are often new, often the prices are not such a savings. You need to compare carefully, because the perception of savings may be greater than the reality."</p>
<p>I've liked the refurbs, but not because of the price savings, but because the quality control is superior. As a result, purchasing warranty service on them is MUCH cheaper than what you pay when you purchase new.</p>
<p>D is buying MacBook Pro.</p>