<p>So, I know a guy here who has a masters from the U. of C. in computer science, and I asked him about good but cheap laptops that have all of the basics, as I will need one in the fall. He suggested a Dell, and he said he would get back to me with more information about them soon. He is looking for a new one himself, as his one is old is not functioning as it once did.</p>
<p>I was wondering what laptops all of you are considering (or already have). Do you know any cheap but decent ones?</p>
<p>If you can splurge, the new 17-inch Power Mac is to drool for. Otherwise, as long as it's a Mac, you'll be good... but that's just me. :)</p>
<p>New Apple iBooks coming soon, look to be ideal for school use.</p>
<p>college students get discounts on apple products.</p>
<p>i convinced my mom to let me get a cute iBook.</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>idad: do you know when the new apple ibooks are coming out? a ballpark date?</p>
<p>Are the Apples the best computers to get?</p>
<p>Especially now that you can put windows on them?</p>
<p>Kathros thank you so much for creating this thread, i am also looking into buying a laptop and frankly i am very confused...
Well, i did some online research and i found this really neat website explaining all the technical lingo and comparing laptops side by side which is pretty nice, here are the links:
<a href="http://www.pcworld.com/howto/bguide/0,guid,13,page,3,00.asp%5B/url%5D">http://www.pcworld.com/howto/bguide/0,guid,13,page,3,00.asp</a>
<a href="http://www.pcworld.com/howto/bguide/0,guid,13,page,2,00.asp%5B/url%5D">http://www.pcworld.com/howto/bguide/0,guid,13,page,2,00.asp</a>
<a href="http://www.pcworld.com/resource/browse/0,cat,1619,sortIdx,1,pg,1,00.asp%5B/url%5D">http://www.pcworld.com/resource/browse/0,cat,1619,sortIdx,1,pg,1,00.asp</a>
I hope this helps in any way... :/
oh i am considering getting Toshiba Satellite; however i am still debating whether the brand or price of a laptop really does make a difference in its performance??????</p>
<p>The rumors are that the new intel-based iBooks will be out sometime this month or early next month. The ease of use of Mac OS X and the better security, not to mention free iLife software, built-in Wifi & Bluetooth,make it hard to beat. The education edition of MS/Office is only about $139.00 and is better than the windows version according to reviews.</p>
<p>I have a Toshiba Satellite. It's decent, but overheats on occasion. I will be using it at UChicago like I do here - to take notes and **** around during class</p>
<p>I've had a Gateway laptop for a couple of years, and it's been having trouble lately, but I plan to get the system reinstalled before September, so that it will (hopefully) feel new. The only problem with it other than that is that it's kind of thick and heavy.</p>
<p>is it better to get a laptop or an actual PC?</p>
<p>I can only offer this advice:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>If you buy a Dell, you can get it serviced right on campus for no extra cost, even if you buy directly from Dell. When my D broke her screen last fall, it only took a few days to get the part and fix it, for example. You will also get much better support for those models most common on campus (which, nach, are those the U sells) whether formal or informal from other students.</p></li>
<li><p>Full MS Office for Windows is $20 through the University computer store.</p></li>
<li><p>The University computer store sells some models at pretty good prices, although you might do better if you watch for coupons.</p></li>
<li><p>Get to know this site: <a href="http://nsit.uchicago.edu/services/sales.html%5B/url%5D">http://nsit.uchicago.edu/services/sales.html</a></p></li>
<li><p>There is a lot of software that does not work on MACs.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Yes, I was going to suggest getting it from the college itself. I bought mine (IBM Thinkpad, a great little computer) from Duke, and it's sooooo nice to be able to take it to OIT when I have problems.</p>
<p>i'm using Hp dv1363..a great laptop..let me know if you wanna know more..</p>
<p>There is no software that will not run on the new Macs. Some of the best software, the iLife applications for example, will not run on Windows. Macs are the only computers that will run Mac OS X, Linux, and Windows XP operating systems. Parallel Workstations $50 virtualization software allows one to run Windows XP/Vista currently with Mac OS X at near native speeds (why anyone would want to is beyond me). Macs are currently virus free, no ad-ware, and have the very best everyday software. The built-in iSight camera is a nice touch as well. Student purchasers get a nice discount when purchasing Macs.</p>
<p>Guys, thank you so much for all of the information. I am looking into your suggestions. As you might have guessed, I am computer illiterate, but most of what you have said makes sense to me!</p>
<p>I have yet to hear back from my friend. Also, I will check out the laptops sold through the University.</p>
<p>Keep posting, and thanks again. :)</p>
<p>idad,</p>
<p>I should have said some software does not run "natively" on a MAC. Yes, the new intel based MACs can run windows, but I suspect (maybe you can confirm) that one would then need to purchase the Windows OS. Can one then get an OEM price, or must one pay retail (i.e. lots of $$$)?</p>
<p>Yea, there's great MAC software out there, for a few things.</p>
<p>It depends on the OEM version. No version ships with a MAC, but if one is replacing a computer for example, the install disk that came with it can often, but not always, be used for the MAC. OEM versions can often be picked up in PC stores. The MS OEM license requires a hardware purchase, but that can be a $5 cable, it does not have to be a computer. </p>
<p>Actually, with Apple's free "boot camp" software, Windows does run natively on the new MACs. No virtualization is required. You cannot run OS X and Windows concurrently, however, with this method. One either boots into one operating system or the other, you choose at start-up. This software will be built into the next OS X operating systems (version 10.5, AKA Leapord). Tests by various PC Labs shows that Windows typically runs faster on the new MACs than on similarly configured high-end PC's.</p>
<p>OS X is lacking in a few games and some specialty software for lawyers, dentists, etc. (though they can now run all that software by booting into windows), but only MAC OS X allows one to fully integrate iTunes, Garageband, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, iWeb, and iDisk on the lower end and, more complex versions of each at the higher-end. As noted earlier, MS/Office is a nicer implementation on OS X than on Windows, particularly in the area of project management. (I also recommend students get one of the many note taking applications and get Inspiration software [<a href="http://www.inspiration.com/productinfo/inspiration/index.cfm%5D;%5B/url">http://www.inspiration.com/productinfo/inspiration/index.cfm];[/url</a>] available for OS X & Windows.)</p>
<p>The other nice feature of MAC OS X is its ability to automatically detect and configure itself for networks, printers, and other peripherals, and its ability to allow users to easily (and wirelessly even with no base-station) share peripherals with a network connected computer. For example, on trips when wireless is not available, we will connect one computer via a cable, and the others share the Internet wirelessly.</p>
<p>Some of this automatic configuration capability is available for Windows from an Apple software application called Bonjour for Windows. Apple built it so iTunes on the PC would not be limited by the Windows OS.</p>
<p>Idad, </p>
<p>These days, you can almost never "recycle" Windows from a retired machine. Not with XP. Activation will kill you, and Microsoft will not be sympathetic. And many of them are coded during production to the machine they ship with.</p>
<p>So, to run Windows on a MAC, you're going to need to buy the OS. The good news is that vendors like Newegg sell the OEM versions and make ordering pretty easy. But XP Home OEM will still set you back $90 plus whatever hardware you order in order to qualify for the OEM price.</p>
<p>The license stays with the machine not the purchaser? Interesting. I know of a couple folks who installed Windows using an install disk that came with a PC, I didn't realize that the license was not transferable. </p>
<p>And yes $90 is too much for windows when one has the more modern OS X available. :)</p>