<p>I posted this in the previous post "Mac VS Sony", however; I have decided to start a new thread and have some open opinions.</p>
<p>I am a freshmen at the College of Charleston, and I will be a business major! I had a Dell Inspiron 1420 that worked awesome for my needs, however, my screen cracked yesterday
:(
Now I am in the market for a new computer. I have debated a MAC book but I really don't want to have to learn a new system- so can someone give me some suggestions for a computer. My budget is around $1000.00, and I would like the screen to be under 15inches prefebaly 13.3" or 14.1". Everyone keeps saying a think pad, but I really would like a brand I've heard of such as: Dell, HP, Toshiba, Sony... etc.</p>
<p>Any suggestions?? I would also prefer a white computer, if not black or silver, possibly navy blue would be fine. I want to look studious :) haha my old one was PINK!!!!! Oh no.</p>
<p>Thinkpads were made by IBM and are now made by Lenovo. It's as major a brand as Sony; probably more so.</p>
<p>For a business major I think Windows is the best choice. You can get a Macbook and run Windows on it but that's going to be a bit more than $1k. I think with your budget you should take a good look at Dell's and HP's product lines.</p>
<p>Macbooks are generally more expensive than their PC cousins for the same hardware specs. If you aren't a Mac user, there is no point in trying to become one just because they are becomming trendy.</p>
<p>Dell has a great refurbished/returned/open box section on their website. You can check it out and search for computers that meet the requirements you set. Refurbished computers are an excellent alternative if you are looking to get a good computer for dirt cheap.</p>
<p>Color should not matter - you can buy a laptop skin (basically a big sticker) that covers the top of the laptop to reflect your personality. For that matter, you can buy a scratched laptop, and cover the scratch with a skin.</p>
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Everyone keeps saying a think pad, but I really would like a brand I've heard of such as: Dell, HP, Toshiba, Sony... etc.
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</p>
<p>Just because Lenovo is not a well-known company to consumers doesn't mean its computers are bad. Thinkpads are the brand of choice for companies, as they have unmatchable quality and reliability. They are not well known to consumers because they don't look very good and cost a pretty penny. But I assure you that a Thinkpad is better than any Dell, HP, Toshiba, or Sony. It will last you for all 4 years of college.</p>
<p>Also, nysmile is right about staying away from the laptops with NVIDIA graphics chipsets. Thinkpads use ATi chips ;)</p>
<p>Apple apparently is going to be releasing new Macbooks which will have a more wide range of prices in case you can wait. Not sure if that helps your decision or not. Some claims are MacBooks may go for as low as $800.</p>
<p>I wouldn't discount thinkpads just because you haven't heard of them. They're really high quality computers. I mean, they are used in the space shuttle.</p>
<p>Quick question--have you tried to get Dell to replace the screen on your current laptop? Only asking because I had a friend who periodically had to have things replaced, and it was never a problem, but he had warranty on it, too.</p>