<p>I'm currently a senior so next year I will be in college. Since Black Friday is coming up, I'm wondering if I should use this opportunity to try to get a laptop on sale? I'm also going to be studying science/tech/engineering and I'm thinking that I can use my laptop for a bunch of stuff including for gaming and movies, as well as for school work.
Should I buy one now or wait until later?
What about a printer, should I consider buying one during the holidays for the next year?
Also if your good at this, other than like Ram and hard drive space, is there anything specific I should be looking for in a laptop?
Lastly, where is a good online or store to buy one from?</p>
<p>Colleges have printers so it’s not necessary to bring your own to college. </p>
<p>I suggest getting one next year just a few months before college because technology changes very quickly so before you know it a new laptop will be out. Plus there are always sales going on. </p>
<p>What to look for in a laptop
RAM: at least 4gb
Hard Drive Space: 500gb is plenty even more is better
Screen Size: 15.6 and lower anything bigger will be annoying to lug around
Weight: The less it weighs the more it’s portable </p>
<p>You say games…what types of games? If they are graphic intensive I suggest getting a laptop with a dedicated graphic card if not then anything that says intel hd graphic 3,000/4,000 is fine for browser games. </p>
<p>I suggest looking on the website newegg as they always have a large selection of laptops to choose from and you will get much better deals than going to the store.</p>
<p>
There are also typically sales in mid- to late-summer right before school years start aimed at people going ‘back to school’, so you will have at least one other opportunity to see varying laptop models on sale before you begin college. Plus, as Kcpk54 mentions, there might be some new tech out over the course of the next year. IMO, unless you’ve done your research and you know for sure you’re getting the best deal on a specific model that will last through 5 years (your Sr yr of HS and the 4 (+) years of college), then you should wait until next summer.</p>
<p>
Yes, while schools will have printers at multiple locations on campus, it means the student is subject to a) being on campus to get anything printed, which can be annoying if they are in a hurry to get to class or do something else on or off campus, and b) only getting things printed at the time that school printing facilities are open (so you’d end up having to go to a FedExKinkos at odd hours). Not all campuses have libraries open 24 hours, so you’d be subject to when these printers are available to get anything printed. Not so bad for those who live on campus in dorms, but those who live off campus it could be inconvenient. Regular wired printers are relatively cheap (the ones that only print, not scan, fax, etc.) and may make life in college a little easier, especially if you find yourself typing your paper late at night in your dorm ('cause the library is closed) for a class you have first thing in the morning. You can also consider splitting costs with dorm/roommates and make it even cheaper, or you can get a higher end one that will scan, fax (possibly an asset when applying to jobs or internships that want some signed docs from you asap), and be wireless.</p>
<p>
Most consumer level laptops will come stock (pre configured) with 4GB of RAM. That’s a good number to start at and some can be upgraded for fairly cheap within a couple years if you find you need more. Note that some laptops called Ultrabooks (the thin and lights) typically do not allow for easy RAM upgrade. 500GB HDD is al definitely doable for many years, and if you feel you’re in the need for more, then those can also be upgraded later or you can buy an external to assist with storage management. Anything over the 15" range is typically cumbersome for students to lug around from class to class, so it’s often noted that the 13-14" range is better for this (those sizes tend to be lighter and thinner), but you will lose out on some screen size. As a possible Engineering student you should consider this fact. Go to the store and play around with a few display models of various sizes to help determine which you may be comfortable with. If you’re so inclined, some students get a small portable laptop in the 13-14" range and then also buy an external monitor of 17" or larger. That way they can take their laptop around campus as needed, and then hook up to a larger screen as soon as they are stationary in their room. This larger screen option will also assist in a better gaming experience. Intel HD 4000 is much better than the 3000 for gaming and will generally play the more non-graphics intensive games at lower resolutions perfectly fine. Laptops that come with dedicated graphics units (GPUs) are typically more expensive, and you should consider the amount of time you will have to play video games while going to classes and studying at the same time (maybe have plans for clubs and other activities).</p>
<p>Thank you, these responses were very helpful. I think I will consider getting a computer early since I can also use it during senior year of high school and then for the printer I will wait until the end of the year to get one. With regards to games, I will play really basic browser games. I think I will probably spend more time watching movies with my Laptop than gaming. I will probably check out Newegg and the other electronic stores for deals.</p>
<p>In my opinion unless you absolutely need a new laptop now, do not buy a laptop for college on Black Friday. While it might seem like you’re getting a deal, a majority of laptops I seen being offered are a bit under performing for a potential engineering major like you. Besides that you may have to camp outside a store for hours & than still have to fight a crowd of aggressive shoppers just to a slightly cheaper model. </p>
<p>The back to school laptop & desktop deals tend to always be the best deals of the year by far, as manufacturers are releasing newer models, thus cutting prices on older but still great laptops.</p>
<p>As far as what you should look for in a laptop, I’d strongly recommend you get at the very least an Intel i5 processor from the current generation, but preferably an i7 quad core processor. Look for at least 4GB of RAM, but make sure It’s expandable as such ultrabooks aren’t upgradable. Lastly, whatever size hard drive make sure It’s a 7200 RPM drive, I’ll boot up your programs faster & consider getting a laptop with a nice resolution like 1600x900. Anyways good luck.</p>
<p>Sent from my ADR6300 using CC</p>