<p>i'm thinking about a Dell lattitude 820</p>
<p>Don't get a Dell. They break and are miserable. Support from Dell is terrible and lots of people have problems with their computers. I have a Dell Latitude and wish I had gotten a Mac. It's a little pricier, but well worth it. Emory has great support for both PCs and Macs.</p>
<p>i was also considering the thinkpad T60. But you know IBM laptop department has been bought by lenovo. And you know the animosity between Taiwan and China.........</p>
<p>Heck, i might just buy a cheap asus. I can get it cheaper in Taiwan anyway. I've a question though, dgebll, do professors give out computer files that might be confusing the operate with a chinese-based windows?</p>
<p>oh yes, what are you majoring in dgebll? Cause I'm only using laptops for playing online poker, writing a report, chatting with friends, surfing the net, and listening to music, at the same time. So in that sense is Mac still worth it?</p>
<p>I've never used my computer for anything other than Learnlink, Blackboard, and typing papers. No one uses laptops in class, and I've never had a professor give me any files or anything like that. You aren't required to have a computer, so I can't see a professor assigning you something that you couldn't do on a computer in the library or Cox Computer Lab. Buy whatever makes you happy I guess. </p>
<p>I'm an English major. I just think Macs are better quality. I don't like my Dell, and I know a lot of people echo that sentiment. It has never worked right and always seems to have a problem. People with Macs seem to like their computer more and have less problems. I would have spent the extra 300 dollars if I did it all over again, and I only use the computer for basic things like internet, Word, Learnlink, solitare, etc.</p>
<p>What kind of computers do I need? I think that's the question you should be asking. Emory University won't ask you for more than Learnlink (e-mails), text editing (Microsoft Word has taken over), and some graphics programs that don't require much processing such as ChemDraw or so.</p>
<p>If you are (I'm going to be frank here) INEPT with computers, I recommend a Mac since they are more user friendly.</p>
<p>However, if you purchase a computer after February, PCs will come with Windows Vista which I have not played with yet. So it will depend on your personal needs.</p>
<p>Personally, I have a PC, but I consider myself a proficient user, thus I have high specs (not going to list them).</p>
<p>EDIT** I own a Dell and I love it because it has been customized to my personal preferences just the way I wanted it.</p>
<p>Also, about the Chinese operating OS question, find a friend who will set up languages for you on the computer if you ever decide to take Spanish. </p>
<p>I use Korean Spanish and English with no problems on my computer and I often run heavy games during the summer, watch movies and abuse the internet most of the time.</p>
<p>yea, i'm a very typical asian who spends a lot of time fiddling with computers. I'm by no mean a computer programmer type person. oh yea, you mentioned vista, i heard some where that it might take up a lot of space, and it would be better to buy a laptop with 2GB ram??</p>
<p>oh and i assume Emory students have discounts at some local computer stores........right?</p>
<p>2GB RAM is no joke. Just because it takes more, it doesn't mean you have to go all the way up. Computers will run faster day after day. Vista only requires 512MB RAM. You do what you want. I personally like the 2.0 Gb feature, however, I did not find any opportunities to abuse of that much memory. </p>
<p>Local computer stores discounts... I think we do but I didn't use it because if you check Dell often enough, you notice at one point (once every month?) There is a 34% discount which was amazing since I got my computer the way I wanted.</p>
<p>I have an Asus W3J. PC is the way to go (my friends who bought Macs have since regretted it). Many if not most of the programs for starving college students are designed solely for PCs. Having a smaller (14") laptop is great because I'm not afraid to bring it to the library to type out an essay but retain enough power to do video editing, Photoshopping and the like. If you do decide to go Asus. The A8Js is almost a perfect college laptop.</p>
<p>Good luck,
~ Brett</p>
<p>but the battery time....</p>
<p>
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but the battery time....
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</p>
<p>I can only speak from experience about the W3J, but I can get a little over 3 hours with power-saving profiles activated and things like bluetooth off. I've read the same modes used on the A8Js can produce roughly 2 hours, 40 minutes of battery life.</p>
<p>~ Brett</p>
<p>wogus, what kind of Dell do you have? Do you recommend Inspiron, Latitude, or dare I ask Precision?</p>
<p>If you go Dell, Latitude is your best bet. Better build, higher quality, more dependable.</p>
<p>~ Brett</p>
<p>XPS...never turning back...</p>
<p>M1210; my computer's one of only 2 of its type i've found on campus so far...</p>
<p>isn't the XPS really heavy?</p>
<p>it's not too bad...i like the size of it especially...it's probably the weight of about a regular widescreen model</p>
<p>Honestly, I had a maxed out (ropped to the best back then when I bought it) Inpiron 6000 (robbed at Emory over Thanksgiving break along with my roommate's because we both live nearby and decided to leave only for a day) but now I have an Inpiron E1505 with the same stats and that was only because it's just light enough for me to be able to carry it for projects and at the same time be heavy to leave it in my room most of the times and work as a desktop substitute. My roommate has the inspiron 1405(?) and I like it a lot too. It just is pricier to achieve the same stats as the one I have right now. I'm not rich nor wasteful, but I am one of those geeks that without a computer, I would probably end up killing someone. (Just a way to say it, wouldn't really do it)</p>
<p>So you like Inspiron over Latitude?</p>