<p>I've switched between PC's for the last 5 years, but there was always that part of me that wanted a mac. I know its silly, but more than anything I bought a mac last week because it just gives me those college chills. Or maybe I just felt like it was time for a change since I'm moving away and everything. Anyways, I was just wondering what everyone else is using or prefers.</p>
<p>Err. Just bought a Dell Inspiron 15. i5-450, 2.4 ghz processor. 8 gb ram. 640gb hard drive. 1gb (forgot the brand) graphics card. windows 7. webcam. blueray. etc.
I’m content ^__^</p>
<p>in the voice of an old man…you young spoiled bastards! lol. When I started college a little over 10 years ago, no one had laptops. my 1st year college desktop was a 333mhz AMD, 128mb of ram…5GB HDD, 28.8K modem running windows 98. Second year of college, I got my first laptop, it was like 10lbs and only had a 13" screen.</p>
<p>Technology advanced like crazy, when I graduated, I think a 2.4ghz P4 processors. 512mb -1GB ram, wifi 802.11b, 20-40GB HDD were the norm, that seemed extremely fast at the time. That was like 8 years ago. even at the end of my college days, laptops were not widely used, they were still expensive and bulky at the time, also not as many brands…and most people were still using CRTs.</p>
<p>scotto3394 - what the heck do you need 8gb of ram for…wait judging by the graphics card, gaming?</p>
<p>It’s always me and my Mac…</p>
<p>I don’t really know much about my Toshiba except it has a 12 cell battery and is 17 inches. Which means I won’t be taking it around with me to lectures everyday :</p>
<p>Amd athlon X3, 2gb ddr3, nvidia gts 250 
I have yet to purchase a budget laptop</p>
<p>Onix Blue Toshiba with Windows 7 ( originally with Vista Basic) intel celeron, 2gb ram, 15 inches</p>
<p>Sager - Duo Core 2.63GHz - 6GB Ram - GTX 260M - 15" inches </p>
<p>I would recommend Asus or Sager if you want state of the art products for a reasonable price.</p>
<p>Bringing my Desktop and an old Fujitsu lifebook from like 2005</p>
<p>Quote - “333mhz AMD, 128mb of ram…5GB HDD, 28.8K modem running windows 98”</p>
<p>JEEBUS, my mp3 player has a faster processor. WAIT, MY CALCULATOR TOO (not even kidding)</p>
<p>run of the mill 15.6 inch pavilion Dv6 laptop, 2.1 GHz dual core, 4 GB RAM, 320 GB HDD, etc etc.</p>
<p>maybe my six year old single core desktop, if I can convince my parents that i need 2 comps</p>
<p>HP Pavilion dv5- 4GB Ram, 500gb hard drive, i5 processor, Intel HD Graphics, 14" screen, Windows 7… yep :D</p>
<p>If you care more about school than games, get a netbook.</p>
<p>Carrying my 5 lb laptop hurts my back. Word of advice, keep school and fun seperate.</p>
<p>When at school, only take your 2-3 lb netbook. When at home, play Starcraft 2 or something on your $1000 beast.</p>
<p>good luck squinting at a 800*600 resolution screen…</p>
<p>Yeah, if you have horrible horrible vision.</p>
<p>I’m taking my Alienware m11x 
perfect size and power</p>
<p>I would have bought my hp envy…if it wasn’t having problems like the other two I’ve exchanged with hp/amazon. I guess I’ll be waiting for the new ati graphics card that are supposedly be releasing in Dec/Jan.</p>
<p>@Pizzahutmaster I have an Alienware m11x, great price for the spec. good size to lug around all day too. Good choice</p>
<p>Although netbooks are all you really need for notes and basic internet access. I would not recommend them for college, especially if you are planning to take notes (if you are a CS major, it’s useless with so little power, compiling anything on those things take forever!)</p>
<p>The problem is not the underpowered processor. It is the size of the keyboard. Touch typing on those things are a hit or miss. Yes they are very portable but make sure you are comfortable with USING it for an hour at a time before purchasing.</p>
<p>Suddenly, my Mac and I feel left out… Had I known pc’s were more popular, I would have gotten one. Did I make a mistake? 
</p>
<p>@iloveparis Don’t feel left out. Macs are great too. but it also depends on what you use it for and what major you are in. If you ever get a class where there’s a demo CD you need to use then you might have a problem because those are PC disks. I doubt you will have that problem. You will have great battery life that will last you through the entire day.</p>
<p>The reason PCs are more popular in school is because everyone has a budget, usually their parent’s budget. With a PC you just get a lot more for your money and there are so many lower cost options within the PC world…and don’t forget the gaming aspect.</p>
<p>I’m a 30y/o UCR graduate, computer/IT/programming professional, I have way too many computers in my two homes, all my TVs are connected to a computer. I don’t have an exact count, but it’s around 8 PCs and 5 Macs + an iPad. Love my Macs, but there are just limitations when it comes to work requirements.</p>