<p>It might be a bit too early to think about this, but here it goes:</p>
<p>I'm wondering what kind of laptop I should buy from the Princeton SCI. Specifically, I'm comparing the Apple Powerbook vs the Dell D610. If I do get the Dell one, I'll be getting the memory upgrade to 1 GB.</p>
<p>So... Should I get the Apple Powerbook or the Dell D610 (with the 1GB upgrade)? (which one will perform better?) Note that I've never used a mac before, and I'm worried about the compatibility between the mac vs all the other windows computers out there. </p>
<p>Or should I even order from SCI? I am not sure of the degree to which SCI offers a discount... perhaps one of the major wholesale retailers (Costco, Walmart, Circuit City, Frys, Best Buy etc) may be selling the same models at even greate discounts...</p>
<p>Does anyone have any ideas? Any current Princeton Students? Thanks.</p>
<p>If the prices are like last year's, then there is a huge discount on the Dell laptops. With the software (XP Pro, MS Office Pro, Antivirus) and warranty (3 yr complete care), it really is a good deal...something like $1000 off <a href="http://www.dell.com's">www.dell.com's</a> price, or about 35-40%. They do rip you off with the ram upgrade, though. You could do the 1GB yourself for under $100.</p>
<p>The only problems I've had with the dell is that the harddrive can make the palm rest under your left hand get kind of hot. It's not really a problem, but if you're easily annoyed then it is a turn off.</p>
<p>Another reason to go for an SCI computer is that OIT can provide quick and convenient warranty service right on campus (I believe there is a walk-in hardware support center in Frist). You wouldn't need to spend any time dealing with telephone customer support.</p>
<p>When would I be able to buy the SCI computer from princeton over the summer and when would I get it shipped to my house because I want to have the computer about 1 month before classes so I can load all my home stuff (itunes, multimedia, extra software, personal files) on?</p>
<p>Yeah does anyone know what the discounted price was last year? I don't think we can find out what the actual price is unless we log in w/Princeton NetID.</p>
<p>As soon as you have your NetID and the site is displaying the current prices, you can get your new comp. It arrives very quickly and you have plenty of time to upload your music, etc. One big advantage is that OIT is intimately familiar with the particular model and its quirks. Repairs and hard-drive replacements are very fast.</p>