<p>So I'll be entering college next fall, so needless to say I'll need a laptop. My parents are already groaning about tuition costs. What would you guys recommend as a really good quality but affordable laptop?</p>
<p>Also, my dad works for IBM, so I suppose if worse comes to worse we can get one of theirs at a discounted price.</p>
<p>"next fall" is a year from now...sheesh.</p>
<p>just get a IBM/Lenovo T61 or X61, or whatever the next generation is. they're not that affordable in sticker price, but there's usually a discount around back-to-school and an education discount, plus your dad's employee discount.</p>
<p>My sister is a sophomore right now at a tech college and uses nothing but Toshiba. ^^</p>
<p>Given where your Dad works, absolutely get a Lenovo.</p>
<p>I bought a DELL laptop for college, and I am happy with it so far..Although, I am not yet in college..it is still good for what I am using it for, and college shouldn't be much difference..It is the DELL Latitude 600 with decent amount of space/memory..I got it for around $400</p>
<p>Lenovo is known to make the BEST laptops, as far as build quality goes.</p>
<p>I thought Lenovo was an entity completely independent of IBM? If not, go with that if you can get the discount.</p>
<p>Lenovo is a Chinese company that bought the personal computing division of IBM in 2003. You will not get any discount on Thinkpads even if your dad works for IBM because IBM is independent from Lenovo.</p>
<p>I think good computers are cheapter in Bestbuy and Circuit City. For $900 or 1,000 you can get something like:</p>
<p>CPU: Core 2 Duo 7500, 2.2 Ghz
Harddrive: 160 or 200 GB
Memory: 2 GB
Graphics: 256 MB Nvidia dedicated graphics card</p>
<p>I do not like Thinkpads very much. They are meant mainly for business, so they are stable but not powerful. If you (1) major in science or engineering and need to solve problems computationally, (2) like playing games, then I definitely recommend a computer of the above configuration.</p>
<p>Mine is a Lenovo 300 V200: Core 2 Duo 7300 at 2.0 Ghz, 160 GB hard drive, 2 GB memory, 128 MB integrated graphics card, 12.1 inch screen, for $ 1,500. The small screen makes it impossible to cram a dedicated graphics card so the graphics sucks. Also the battery is too large and is not streamlined with the chassis, so it looks very ugly. Otherwise, a decent computer. As far as mobility, I don't think there is much difference between a 12.1 inch and a 14.1 inch.</p>
<p>apoptosis, the OP has not mentioned gaming, and thus has no reason to worry about a gfx card.</p>
<p>If you plan on taking the laptop class to class, i would still recommend a lenovo. What is the difference between a business laptop and a "regular laptop"? One has bells and whistles, the other works well. Get the 14 or 15 inch screen to avoid the problems apoptosis had. Many ultra portables have goofy batteries. I'd also recommend getting XP, but thats just my opinion.</p>
<p>You also may want to consider a tablet (several companies make them) which would allow you to eliminate paper.</p>
<p>These are all really great suggestions ^_^ Thanks, guys! I'll probably end up going with a Lenovo, I know my sister was able to get one at a discounted price and she likes it.</p>
<p>I'd say go for a Dell. You can tell them exactly what you want and they'll add it, but it will definitely be under $1,000. Plus, they have these things called skins and it covers the front of your notebook. So you can get your college name or favorite football team. They have a lot you can choose from. hope that helps. good luck :)</p>