<p>I am thinking of buying my daughter a new computer for graduation. She will be a freshman at Northeastern in the fall. She is entering undeclared. I am not very tech savy. Any help/advice would be great.</p>
<p>Are you looking for Windows or Mac? Or are you open to pretty much anything?</p>
<p>Does she want a smaller screen to carry around (like under 14 inches) or larger, maybe to watch TV/play games?</p>
<p>I always recommend a smaller laptop and then an external monitor, keyboard & mouse you can keep on your desk. Best of both worlds.</p>
<p>I honestly didn’t think people regularly plugged in monitors, keyboards, and mice to their laptops. A mouse I understand, but the rest just seems like a waste of space.</p>
<p>Not many do but the ones that do like it a lot, which is why I recommend it. Many people buy 15 - 17" laptops and carry the extra weight around when they could have 19-24" screen on their desk plus a lighter laptop and usually for less overall money.</p>
<p>Go to the school’s website and see what they recommend. Also, you can get a lot of Student/Academic versions of software cheap through the school. If the Norteastern that she is going to is in Boston, then the following link will tell her how to get “University Community special pricing”</p>
<p>[Computer</a> Purchase Program](<a href=“http://www.infoservices.neu.edu/a-z_services/computerpurchase.html]Computer”>http://www.infoservices.neu.edu/a-z_services/computerpurchase.html)</p>
<p>i would suggest getting her a cheap netbook (hp sells one for under $200) and then a good desktop with some firepower for applications etc.</p>
<p>that way if she wants to take notes or work on papers outside of her dorm she has the netbook, which isnt insanely expensive if it somehow gets stolen, and she has the computer for games or what have you</p>
<p>I agree with the above poster. I just ordered this netbook. I haven’t seen the actual model but I’ve had Asus laptops in the past and have always been happy with them.</p>
<p>[Amazon.com:</a> ASUS Eee PC 900HA 8.9-Inch Netbook (1.6 GHz Intel ATOM N270 Processor, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, 10 GB Eee Storage, XP Home) Black: Computers & PC Hardware](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001GIPSAM?tag=npexamcom-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=B001GIPSAM&adid=0SSR4JGAKCF76XNXD2ZP&]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001GIPSAM?tag=npexamcom-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=B001GIPSAM&adid=0SSR4JGAKCF76XNXD2ZP&)</p>
<p>How can you type on such a small keyboard? That thing (regarding the one in the link posted above) is tiny.</p>
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<p>For the vast majority of students, just a laptop is enough. A netbook and a PC for games seems like sour advice for an undeclared student, with no mention of gaming. (I’d imagine anyone who is a big gamer would already know what they need, computer-wise)</p>
<p>I’d just go with any mid-level laptop. Nothing too expensive, but obviously nothing dirt cheap. Unless she goes into something computer-intensive, it should do her just fine.</p>
<p>Getting it stolen is not an issue, assuming responsibility is something your daughter has. Nobody is going to rip your laptop from your hands. Don’t leave it unattended, and you’ll be fine.</p>