SCI -- Worth It?

<p>I am looking for a college laptop (duh). I am torn between the Lenovo t420s and the Dell e6420. The Lenovo is approximately 1.5 pounds lighter and has a faster processor. The Dell, however, is from SCI. Is the service with an SCI computer worth the flaws? Also, do you know which screen is in the e6420: the horrible 1366x768, the 1600x900, or the 1920x1080? Third, does anyone have experience dual booting linux with the Dell? Does SCI get mad at you for putting another OS on the machine? Some information on my needs is that I am planning on being BSE, doing Integrated Science, and concentrating in Computer Science. I will occasionally play some older games (CSS, TF2 - the inspiration for my handle).</p>

<p>If there’s another computer with specs that you’re more comfortable with, I would recommend going for it over the SCI Dell. The main advantages of SCI are that it comes preregistered on the network (this only takes 10 minutes to do once you get to campus), has certain software preloaded (Microsoft office), and comes with a 3-year warranty (don’t know what all it covers) with easy product replacement. If getting a good warranty on another computer doesn’t make it too expensive, you aren’t missing out on much by not buying through SCI.</p>

<p>Thanks for the advice. The Lenovo I’m getting is only a 1 year warranty without being ridiculously expensive. Can I take any computer to the OIT help desk and have tech support repair it for free? Also, it turns out that the e6420 only has a resolution of 1366x768 for those who are interested.</p>

<p>Force–I’ve had the same questions. Thanks for asking. I think the Lenovo is a better computer, so I’m wondering whether the SCI warranty and free loaner is worth it or not.</p>

<p>As far as I know, if OIT can fix it, they’ll fix it for free if it’s under warranty from the manufacturer (not necessarily from the store, though). You can read more here: [Warranty</a> Repairs - Desktop Support](<a href=“Knowledge Article - Princeton Service Portal”>Knowledge Article - Princeton Service Portal)</p>