Which laptop?

Student Lounge College Life
1

<p>Hi there,</p>

<p>I am looking for a decent laptop that will get me through four years of college, and hopefully past that. I have researched Apple, HP, Gateway, Sony, and Alienware for possible laptops and as of right now, have narrowed it down to HP DV6T Select Edition, MacBook AIR, and MacBook PRO. For both Macs I intend to go with the cheapest possible if I choose to buy a certain version.</p>

<p>As for what I wish to major in, I am currently in a toss up between Agronomy and Computer Sciences (If you would like to give advice on that one you can too). I hope to either attend University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, SMSU in Marshall, or St. Cloud State in Saint Cloud. All are in Minnesota. All three colleges are fine with OS x or Windows 7.</p>

<p>One of the concerns I have with Apple computers is the price, which is holding me back. I have heard rumors on other sites that the MBP is going to be discontinued soon, which could be bad if I bought one. The thing that is getting me to consider Apple's computers is that they seem to have excellent batteries, speed, and reliability. The reason I am considering the HP DV6 is it is fairly cheap and seems to get good reviews from people.</p>

<p>If I go into agronomy I would only use the laptop for Netflix, reports, web surfing, The Sims 3, and the Java game Runescape.</p>

<p>If I go into Computer Science I would probably use it for more than that so PLEASE consider that when answering the questions below.</p>

<p>So, how long would you expect the HP to last and how long would you expect the Macs to last if handled the same?</p>

<p>Is there a better PC out there at the same price, or less, than the DV6 that I should look into?</p>

<p>Can the MBP and MBA handle boot camping Windows 7 and still keep quality?</p>

<p>Which laptop is the most reliable?</p>

<p>What are the major differences between the cheapest MBP and MBA?</p>

<p>I might have more questions coming as I think of them.</p>

2

<p>If you’ve long been using Mac or Win and like it, stick with it. If you’ve been using Mac, you’ll hate everthing about Win except price. If you’ve been using Win, you can’t justify Mac’s price, and you won’t like the differences. If you’re not used to either and can afford it, you’ll be happier with Mac (you can also boot Win). MBP has top Nvidia graphics, Air is much lighter. Our D had MBP, but likes her new Air much better.</p>

3

<p>Well I am a Apple homer, but in your case it really depends on which OS you are more familiar/comfortable with. I can and do use both Windows and Apple, but feel more comfy with Apple products. You will need to decide which is better for you, and get that type. </p>

<p>I do not think the MBP will be cut, but I don’t have any sources from the inside.</p>

<p>If you do get a Windows, for the Love of College, do not get an HP. Every HP I and my family/friends have owned has started to have problems within a year. Dell isn’t as bad, but their reliability isn’t that great either. For a Windows PC, I recommend a Sony or Toshiba, both brands you have eliminated. </p>

<p>So, of the 3 laptops you have, MPB is the best IMO because it is larger, (I hate 13" screens) and has a DVD drive, which believe me, you will need at some point. And yes, while you can buy an external DVD drive for MBA, it’s just not the same.</p>

<p>Hope this helped!</p>

4

<p>I haven’t heard many bad reviews in the HP DV6 series…I am edging away from Apple because Computer Science seems to be all Windows based and getting windows on the Mac would add another 150 USD. I looked into Toshiba again but they have a limited about of reliable laptops for four years use. I will be looking at Sony again tomorrow.</p>

5

<p>Lenovos tend to strike a good balance between cost and quality.</p>

6

<p>Harry, that is a good one!!! How could I forget about Lenovo? They are very good.</p>

<p>Hebrew, for Computer Science, yes, a Mac is not as useful, since you would need to use Windows more often.</p>

7

<p>Owner of a HP DV6T Quad Edition here. Pretty darn happy with it, though I ultimately found it a liiitle too large, and the battery life isn’t great. I picked it as I needed a PC as an engineer, and the price was good. Plus it’s got a really solid graphics card; I play games like BFBC:2 and it runs really well.</p>

<p>In regards to the poster complaining about HP, it’s nonsense. HP makes great laptops and the DV series is known for quality.</p>

<p>You can’t go wrong with Macs for their battery life and quality. Not to mention, 85% of your classmates will be using them. Their price is pretty unreasonable though. Usually there are compatibility issues in CS-type fields, but if the schools (and particularly the CS department) are fine with OS X, it’s a good option.</p>

8

<p>“85% of your classmates will be using [Macs]. Their price is pretty unreasonable though.”</p>

<p>Apparently 85% don’t think so! ;)</p>

<p>And remember, OS X is Unix.</p>

9

<p>That’s because 85% just follow what’s trending. Plus if you’re enrolled in college, there’s a good chance your parents can shell out that kind of money.</p>

10

<p>

Those 85% believe me when I say that my $400 laptop can outperform their Macs. I wouldn’t give too much weight to their opinions.</p>

11

<p>True, speed is not the deciding factor for Mac fans; being a Mac is what’s important to them.</p>

12

<p>I’m not really into $1,200 trending. I am going to look into Sony and Lenovo a bit…I think I did look at Lenovo and had saw one that was somewhat decent…they just seem a bit off-brand. Is that red thing on the Keyboard they have optional because it looks like it could get annoying while typing.</p>

13

<p>I’m not sure what you’re referring to by the ‘red thing on the Keyboard’. Is is on this -> [Amazon.com:</a> Lenovo G570 43348PU 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black): Computers & Accessories](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-43348PU-15-6-Inch-Laptop-Black/dp/B005NHP21C/]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-43348PU-15-6-Inch-Laptop-Black/dp/B005NHP21C/) ?</p>

14

<p>It is called a ‘Pointing Stick’, I am seeing it on the ThinkPad computers on the Lenovo website.</p>

<p>Such as what is found [url=&lt;a href=“Lenovo Official US Site | Laptops, PCs, Tablets & Data Center | Lenovo US”&gt;Lenovo Official US Site | Laptops, PCs, Tablets & Data Center | Lenovo US]HERE[/url</a>]</p>

15

<p>The initial cost of a Mac can be a turn off, but in the long run it is so worth it to put in the extra money. Macs just work, pretty much all of the time. You don’t have to worry about viruses and malware, etc. The battery life is exceptional compared to the PC counterparts and they hardware is far superior. No cheap plastic to be found. </p>

<p>I’m an Apple fan girl, but not without reason.</p>

16

<p>In my time, I have had 1 virus with a PC, and 1 virus with a MAC. I have used a PC for 10 years and a MAC for 5 years. I am not so sure that they cannot get viruses.</p>

17

<p>What anti-virus would you recommend for a Mac?</p>

18

<p>The only high end antivirus software available to Mac that I know of is Norton. If you have common sense you would not need an antivirus for any machine.</p>

19

<p>I truly don’t understand the MAC hype. They come with INTEL processors and stock AMD graphics (which is what most PCs come with), you can download OS X onto ANY PC. Laptops aren’t really meant for gaming and the MBP especially doesn’t have good airflow nor the GPU to handle any serious gaming. What is the point of having an i7 processor and no discrete graphics card? The $1800 MBP will give you mediocre gaming at low-med settings for most games which is a joke considering my $800 custom built desktop blows it away and even my 2 year old dell laptop which I paid $550 for comes with a 512mb GPU and an i5 processor. But hey I suppose that cool metal hardware is worth the extra $1300.</p>

20

<p>It’s also the OS and Apple infrastructure. If you haven’t owned and used one, you can’t appreciate it. Gaming isn’t the reason.</p>