<p>Hey I'm going to college soon as a bioinformatics major and am looking for a good laptop. My budget is around $1000-$1200. I've tried netbooks in the past, and they just aren't for me. Please help me pick a laptop with the following:
-i5 processor
-Intel HD or weak graphics card (I already have a desktop for more serious work)
-720p/900p
-4GB (1 Dimm since I want to upgrade it later)
-13.3" to 15"
-Empirical battery use on low to medium brightness should be 6 hours or more
-Weight must be below 6 lbs
-Must not have design issues (heat/non-responsive touch-pad/awkward key positioning/etc)
-I do not really care about bluetooth/webcams/optical disc drive
-Preferably looking for a laptop with an extended battery option</p>
<p>I have been thinking of the following so far: ASUS U33JC/U43JC, Acer Timelinex 3820t/4820t, Toshiba Portege R700, HP Pavilion dm4t, HP Envy 14. Please tell me what you think/recommend.</p>
<p>I’m assuming you will want a full-sized keyboard with numpad for your major? Also, I’d recommend ASUS (stay away from HP and Acer). ASUS N61 series has a Core i5 processor, 8 GB RAM, Nvidia GeForce GT325M and Intel HD switchable graphics cards, 1366 x 768 resolution, optical drive and weighs 6 lbs. And it costs less than $1000.</p>
<p>I ordered an HP envy 14. I had it customized to order: I upgraded the i3 to an i5 450 and kept the rest base. It cost me 1140 before tax but after calling the resolution number and asking to change a component, they offered $100 to keep my current configuration and not cancel. Plus I got 30% off from Bing Cash Back. </p>
<p>When my Envy14 gets here this Wednesday, I’ll give you an update on how I like it.</p>
<p>From the people who got it already, the only complaints they have are: hearing a “whining” noise. The only other major complaints are windows not being properly installed onto the hard-drive and the lighting for the HP logo being off centered. </p>
<p>But if you’re unhappy about the computer, you can always return it up to 21days after delivery, no shipping fee.</p>
<p>Asus just came out with the U35JC/U45JC, which have much better battery life yet the same power as the U33JC/U43JC. Definitely worth checking out!</p>
<p>Battery life will depend on what kind of application you are running while using it without being attached to the wall. My current laptop is an Acer 5xxx, and I have never had a problem. </p>
<p>@OP since you want 4+GB of RAM, make sure that you get 64bit processor and OS.</p>
<p>Son’s Dell Studio lasted 10 months. Within those 10 months:</p>
<p>–multiple keys popped off the keyboard and keyboard needed to be replaced. Because we purchased the expensive Complete Care/In-Home Repair, we didn’t have to pay for the replacement. Dell shipped it out and his college’s Computer Service people put it in.</p>
<p>–Problems with the power cord connection to the laptop. Often times, the power/recharge cord would inch it’s way out of the laptop connection thing causing the laptop to not charge.</p>
<p>–Very weak hinges. The top of the laptop doesn’t close properly. One side of it remains raised up about 1/4 inch. The technician checked it when he came to replace the hard drive and said that the screw holding the display was almost completely out. He tightened it but the top remains off about 1/4 inch on one side when closed.</p>
<p>–Wireless signal----often lost wireless signal (he had the Intel wireless card). </p>
<p>–Then came the problems with random shut down (great when you’re in the middle of a project).</p>
<p>–Hard drive completely failed at the 10 month mark. Thus, a completely dead $1100 laptop.</p>
<p>–After the hours and hours of trying to follow up with the problem with Dell (if you’re lucky enough to get a tech that you can understand), Dell sent a technician to the house to replace the hard drive. They also had him bring a new power/recharger cord and brick.
The Technician stayed about 10 minutes and said everything would work fine once the computer went through whatever process he had it doing after he installed the new hard drive. Ha! We were left with a laptop with missing drivers. This meant more hours on the phone with Dell. </p>
<p>In the meantime, son decided to give up on this piece of junk. He bought a 13 inch MacBook Pro. This was a big step for someone who had only used Windows (and Dells). He’s had the MacBook Pro for about a month now and all is quiet and calm in the house. No more frustrations with misconfigured laptops/drivers. No more Window’s updates (which would then cause problems after the fact). No more freezes. No more scans.</p>
<p>The Dell Studio is fixed for the time being. Since he purchased the MacBook Pro, he has no desire to ever use the Dell again. He wants/needs reliability and definitely does not trust his Studio after the multiple problems it gave him. He’ll keep the Studio as a backup and just in case he needs Window’s for something (this way, he won’t have to install Windows on his MacBook Pro). I don’t think we’ll ever buy another Dell consumer laptop again. Every one of ours has had issues.</p>
<p>Not to be contradictory, but I’ve had a completely different experience, so you might not want to totally throw out the Studio. I’ve had mine for about 14 months. The keys have never popped off and I’ve never had random shut downs or hinge breaks. The only complaint I have is that it is a tad bit noisy. The fan can get a little loud sometimes. But from my experience, it’s been a completely reliable laptop.</p>
<p>@nysmile, while this is a fix to only one of your problems, if your laptop is overheating, this is most likely due to where you are using it. If you use it on a desk, there shouldn’t be a problem, on the other hand if you use it on a bed, you will suffer massive overheating problems. To date, I have only had I laptop that does not shut down when on a bed, and it still gets pretty hot. That said, your other problems are entirely dells fault.</p>
<p>I’ve had a friend with a Dell Studio, and nysmile’s comment pretty much sums up his experience, except it was after 15mo.</p>
<p>It basically comes down to: consumer-grade laptops are built cheaply. They will last if you take good care of them, but with the amount of usage that they’ll face in a college environment, you really should invest in a business-grade laptop.</p>
<p>Dell Latitude, Lenovo Thinkpad, HP Elitebook, and Asus UL-series are all good choices.</p>