<p>Which laptops do you find have the best performance and speed at UCLA?
For now I am thinking of an HP or a Sony Vaio.</p>
<p>Which do you prefer?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>HP, definitely. But if you’re planning on using it off campus, you’d better get a Lenovo.</p>
<p>lenovo is always dependable.</p>
<p>i got a dell xps for $790 with a discount. good ram, processor, gfx card…pretty happy.</p>
<p>not to sound like a fanboy, but macbooks are fast when you want to get things done. firefox is slightly faster on a mac than on windows and safari 4 is even faster. chrome is available on windows though if you want fast web browsing. you should choose a vaio over a hp cuz hp laptops (especially pavilions) arent reliable at all. if you want to invent in something that will last for 4+ years, buy a lenovo or macbook.</p>
<p>I’m currently using an HP and I hate it. Ugh… the usb drive sometimes works and it has troubles starting up and not freezing. Normally computers freeze when too much memory is being used or something, but for me, it’s cause the material of the laptop is cheap and it bends… meaning I have to “unbend it” -literally- for it to not freeze.</p>
<p>I’ve had a long history of HPs dying on me or simply being not being lasting enough. The only reason I’m using this one right now is because it was given to me (because of the usb problem… the bent part occured later on…).</p>
<p>I’m biased, so what.</p>
<p>silvercross, you’re not alone!</p>
<p>I went through 3 HP’s so far. Desktop, laptop and another laptop replaced the broken one. The laptop broke down like 2 months into buying it… Got it replaced but realizing more and more how bad quality HPs are. The blue “media” buttons are super annoying too!!! Worst invention ever. Not to mention the customer service calls being transferred to reps in Southeast Asia where I can’t understand a thing they’re saying.</p>
<p>I miss my Sony Vaio - best laptop I’ve ever had!</p>
<p>Macbook (white).</p>
<p>I bought it last summer with the $100 student discount along with a free iPod Touch and free HP printer. It was a great deal and I am very, very happy with my laptop. It starts up really fast, never lags the way my Dell desktop does, never have to worry about viruses, and it’s very portable. I take it with me everywhere on campus as I take notes with my laptop instead of a notebook and pen, plus it’s thin (just 1.1 inch thick) and small (13.3 inches monitor). It’s pretty much the only thing I carry in my backpack other than a course reader or a small book sometimes when I go to discussion or to read in the library.</p>
<p>i got the same deal with my macbook white too last summer (didn’t get the printer since i had a laser one already) but definitely like it more than my old hp, which starts slow, horrible battery life and very heavy… although the HP was a lot better for games :(</p>
<p>i wanted a dell xps when i was freshie but ended up with a acer aspire one netbook + desktop combo.</p>
<p>I just got a new Macbook Pro. My dad refused to let me take my old Gateway notebook; while it’s been reliable it’s also showing its age. Plus, with a Mac you don’t need to worry about all the viruses and crap floating around out there. The Macbook Pro is far and away a superior machine to what I was using, and the price was right (only $1200).</p>
<p>im thinking about getting a desktop, i saw a 3.0ghz AMD quad with motherboard, 1tb harddrive and 4 gigs of ddr3 ram for $400 the other day, i have a couple cases so no need to spend there, only thing i need would be a video card… but im skeptical about AMD still… should i just wait for intel i7 to come down in price?</p>
<p>dell inspiron 1520, its worked great for me for the last 2 years besides running somewhat hot which is covered under warranty and they’re about to come check it out</p>
<p>on a side note, when you get your computer get a crapload of hard drive space</p>
<p>that is my main advice to you</p>
<p>I have a Thinkpad T60 (now in its 3rd summer of use), runs great, but need to clean up the machine and fan. I’m looking into upgrading now & building a desktop on a budget ($600 for the system w/o monitors or peripherals). Looked into the Macbook Pro, but it’s out of my price range (price premium still too high for me) at this point in time (also, can’t afford to have to go through the learning curve for a Mac when I have so many projects to work on). </p>
<p>Getting a laptop really depends on what your budget is and what you’re comfortable with. </p>
<p>Don’t ever buy extra RAM from the manufacturer, it’s way expensive. Buy it online and install it yourself.</p>
<p>@Kickserve are you overlocking? And which which Phenom model is it? I’m on the forums @ forums.overclocking.com to help build my new machine.</p>
<p>I also recommend Asus laptops. I bought a 14in one about 3 years ago. It was top of the line at the time, and it’s still pretty good, never had a single problem. Good processor, high res for a 14in screen, and nice dedicated video card.
A couple of days ago I saw this deal for a 15in for about $800 and it had a 9800m video card, 2.5GHz processor. </p>
<p>Another good option which I’m definitely considering for my next upgrade is to go for a netbook + desktop.</p>
<p>Had an xps1330 my first year. It worked fine and reliable, but I’m more keen on power than portability. I’m gonna bring that and my just built desktop to school
Intel i7 920 oc’d to 4.0ghz, asus p6t deluxe, gtx275</p>
<p>i had a macbook (black) but i got rid of it because it was heavy to carry around and it got really foukin hot too! :mad: plus getting software for it was a pain in the ass i.e. matlab, cad, pspice etc.</p>
<p>I love my 13" MacBook Pro!</p>
<p>[Configure</a> - Apple Store (U.S.)](<a href=“http://store.apple.com/us/configure/MB991LL/A?mco=NjcxMTQ5Mg]Configure”>http://store.apple.com/us/configure/MB991LL/A?mco=NjcxMTQ5Mg)</p>
<p>i built my own desktop last year and it was perfect. i really had no use for a laptop to take to lecture, and i could just leave my desktop on at nite.
@ kickserve/deuces if you guys need help on building a custom, just shoot a pm. im running a core2quad 6600(oc’d to 3), duo sli’d gtx260’s,6gb ddr3 ram, 3 tb hd + a sick water cooling system. cost me about 900, total w/case,power, etc.</p>
<p>I might, this is my second rig (first was a P4 2.4Ghz–> 3.4Ghz on air about 5 years ago), although I don’t think i’m going to be running a rig as high intensity as yours (no need for dual SLI). I’m looking at Phenom 550 to T7500/E8200 and maybe the T9500/E8400 range</p>