<p>as we all know, the school year is creeping up on us.. and i've been searching for a decent laptop to take with me for quite a while now. i've managed to narrow it down to two choices, both of which have decent specs as far as i'm concerned. i'm not entirely sure which one would be best though... the Asus model i'm looking at promises long battery life, but it doesnt have some of the ports/slots the sony model has. The sony model costs more, and seems to have a much weaker battery ( reviews say its about 3 hours at most) but it has a firewire port, which i've heard is handy. any advice would be greatly appreciated. </p>
<p>If you’re on a budget, don’t bother with Apple. They’re usually hundreds of dollars more than Windows models of the same caliber. This is a pretty good buy. It has a long battery life, fast processor, and is all around excellent for the price you’re paying.</p>
<p>I myself customized my Dell Studio laptop. The Dell XPS laptops are of better quality, but I was on a budget, and there were a few good sales going on (ended now) resulting in a cheap laptop with good warranty and quality with free 2-3 day shipping. Also, the XPS laptops are not eligible for a free Windows 7 update (a must for Vista users, in my opinion) while the Dell Studio laptops are.</p>
<p>Yea don’t buy a mac unless you want to waste…I mean spend…an extra $500 bucks. I’d go with the Dell Studio 15, if that’s too big then go with the Studio XPS 13.</p>
<p>@OP - While there’s some good advice above definitely, both of the laptops you’ve linked to also look great.</p>
<p>Of the two, I personally would definitely go with the Asus. It’s a full pound lighter, has more battery life, is a higher quality brand in my opinion, and looks like it’s got a screen that’d be easier on the eyes. Plus it’s cheaper.</p>
<p>On the ports - I think both computers look equipped to handle the cards you use in cellphones and digital cameras just fine (and even if they’re not you can fix that with a very cheap USB accessory). </p>
<p>Firewire is entirely unnecessary unless you’ll be using a video camera or MIDI interface, which most people won’t. And newer video cameras use USB anyway, so both computers are fine there.</p>
<p>The only downside I see on the Asus is lack of bluetooth, which is great for popping ringtones and pictures back and forth from your phone and back and forth from other people’s laptops without needing the internet or cables or anything. But you can buy a bluetooth adapter for ~$40 dollars (if you even think you’d use one) which is definitely less than the difference in price between the two laptops. </p>
<p>It’s a tad funny that normally people put up “What laptop should I buy?” threads with no details at all, and everybody responds saying that they can’t give advice without specific laptops they’re considering or details on what they want, whereas you’ve given two you’re looking at and everybody’s recommending their general “what everybody should buy” answer regardless. lol :D</p>
<p>That being said, I am kind of a fan of Dell and Apple both, and Thinkpads are supposed to be great as well. </p>
<p>You’d have to pay more (about $1100 total, with free iPod and printer) for an Apple for sure, so unless somebody already knows the reasons they’d want to get one, it’s probably not the choice for them.</p>
<p>The Dell XPS and Studio lines are great (customization is your friend), and you could probably find something there in the same price range as you’re looking at now. Avoid Dell’s Inspirons. They’re not bad, but they’re a step down from the Asus and Sony you’re looking at. </p>
<p>I still think the Asus is a good choice though. Definitely check out some of the recommendations people are giving you if you’d like, but assuming you’ve already given this some thought and are really down to those two I don’t think you’ll regret going with one of your original picks or anything.</p>
<p>I like Asus and personally I think Sony is overpriced. So I’m kinda biased there.
I think firewire is not that useful. USB2.0 is comparable in speed. If you’re going to have multiple external hard drives then maybe, since that’s what I use my firewire port for.</p>
<p>The Asus appears to be lighter and has better battery life too, which are both major plusses in my book.</p>
<p>DUDE… I cannot believe people are still asking this question…</p>
<p>Both of those computers kinda sucks. The graphic cards sux, the designs are ugly and they are not even 2nd tier laptops. If you are trying to save money why not get a 1st tier laptop that is still cheap like a white macbook? You get a free printer and a free ipod touch. Most Apple laptops now have blacklit LED.</p>
<p>If you really did your research, you would not be asking this question now… Macbooks may not be very high in the specs but they are more stable. Don’t let the bigger ram or higher HDD size attract you. For most applications the the difference in RAM only gives a 1-10% speed difference. Apple laptops are the sexiest and most worthy laptops in the world. </p>
<p>^ Apple’s warranty sucks. People on my floor had to pay through the roof to replace their Apple laptops from water damage and drops. Thinkpad’s keyboard is created to take into account water damage (it just leaks through the bottom) as well as accidental drops (<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgXXCSlt7uI[/url]”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgXXCSlt7uI</a> <- joking, but really the casing is VERY durable). Dell’s customer service is abysmal. Many of my friends had to spend hours on the phone trying to replace their laptop parts due to a manufacturer error.</p>
<p>Go for quality and get a Thinkpad. While it might be on the higher end of the price spectrum, you definitely won’t regret it due to its easily superior build. </p>
<p>Furthermore, if you need unbiased opinions, check out this site that I direct my friends to: <a href=“TechnologyGuide - TechTarget”>TechnologyGuide - TechTarget;
On the left side, there’s a “Most viewed” tab that is very helpful in picking the best laptop to suit your needs.</p>
<p>As far as Dell’s customer service - it’s “that bad” if you get an Inspiron. Dell has an entirely separate customer service department (which speaks much better english than the Inspiron department ) for XPS computers, I’ve found their customer service on the XPS side to be just fine.</p>
<p>Thinkpads are good computers too of course, definitely something to look at.</p>
<p>@Clear my mind - I like my mac as much as the next guy, but they’re not for everybody, and not for every budget. If the OP went out of his way to ask about a pair of computers we can at least do better than saying they’re ugly and sub-2nd tier (who decides on these tiers?). And the graphics cards are very much fine, unless you want to do gaming. Since the OP didn’t mention being addicted to WoW, I’m assuming that’s not an issue.</p>
<p>If you want to jump in and direct the discussion feel free, OP. Specific questions about all the ideas people are throwing around? As Castel’s pointed out, there are definitely other notebook reviews (on and off this site) that probably have good advice as well.</p>
<p>You can get Moshi keyboard protect that is 1/5 mm thick. Its only like $25 and it illuminates the keyboard light. I think macbooks are very cheap for what you are getting. If they last 5 years and cost more, so what? Think long term. The new macbooks can fit any college student’s budget…</p>
<p>After living in the dorms for a year, I saw my share of Macbooks and Thinkpads. I would personally say that Thinkpad outlasts Macbooks by far. (Plus, the Macbooks develop this disgusting stain where the user rests his or her palm)</p>
) for XPS computers, I’ve found their customer service on the XPS side to be just fine.</p>