Which laptop?

Colleges & Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
1

<p>Hey there, please give me advice if you know,</p>

<p>I need to buy a laptop for use at Penn. Maybe you can give me good advice.
A lot of people were convincing me to get a MAC, but for financial and other reasons I wanna stick with Windows.
I wanna waste around 1400 dollars on it. I would go from 1400 up to, lets say, 1600, only if it was really necessary and an excellent investment.
I was thinking bout getting a DELL or IBM from Penn Connections, but lately a lot of people are tellin me the Sony VAIO laptops are the best fot the price range Im aiming for. So Im planning to get the VAIO FS or FE series (online).</p>

<p>Any thoughts? Thankx a lot</p>

2

<p>i would advise you to keep an eye on slickdeals.net</p>

<p>they post absolutely smoking deals on dells once in a while, and you might find the machine of your dreams. At your price range you could definitely find a dell, dvd-rw dual layer, 100 gig hd, 1 gig ram, ridic screen, core duo 2.0ghz+ processor. It's just that the deals aren't always there</p>

3

<p>Vaio? Best for that pricerange?</p>

<p>HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA</p>

4

<p>I hate Vaios.</p>

5

<p>Very good. Thanks for your opinion. Can you support your hate of VAIOs with decent argumentation please? Can you tell me what EXACTLY sucks about them and is much better on other windows laptops of the same price range? </p>

<p>Thankx a lot.</p>

6

<p>They break easily and are not built too well, from my experience. There is this infamous "boot breakdown" where it just doesn't want to boot up or turn on. This was a huge case a year ago and I don't know if it's fixed yet. The batteries tend to run out VERY quickly, and the screen likes to fill itself with dead pixels over time, in addition to hard drives and slots failing repeatedly for no reason. This has happened with two Vaios I've worked with, and I didn't treat them any differently than I do my Thinkpad (I'm quite careful when it comes to computers), and there are no such problems here. Of course not all Vaios are like this, but enough people have these issues such that it's a definite red flag. That, and they are overpriced for their worth. Just not worth the troubles -- you can find cheaper computers at higher qualities for sure.</p>

<p>I got myself a Thinkpad and I'm pretty pleased with it, actually (cheaper than 1400 at that). I've got nothing against Macs either -- they're stable and effective when it comes to the functionalities required for schoolwork at Penn, but of course they are a little spendy for me right now. Thinkpads are incredibly well-built and sturdy -- people have dropped them and they've still held up (I'd advise against this, however, haha). I've also subjected my keys to a lot of abuse playing high-speed games, and they still work just fine. I feel like if you want a computer to last you for undergrad, you should get something that will be able to withstand such a duration.</p>

7

<p>I'm going with the Dell Latitude. I wanted a tablet PC, but Penn isn't offering them. Yeah, I know I don't have to buy it through Penn, but my dad thinks it's better to buy a computer they offer support for.</p>

8

<p>JCoveny, I mean this in only the nicest way possible, but why don't you actually try to help people on this board rather than make rather poor attempts at being witty, funny, or clever. I'm not saying there isn't a place for that on this board, but as a Penn student frequenting this board, it would be nice to make prospective students want to come to Penn, not giving them the impression that we're a bunch of ignorant jerks. I'm not saying you come across as an ignorant jerk whatsoever, but the entire college confidential community gets closer to that line every time an out of line comment is made. </p>

<p>Just my two cents, take it or leave it.</p>

<p>As for the thread: I know far too many people who have had problems with Dells to ever recommend them. If you can get a more reliable brand for the same price (IBM, for example), I'd go with it.</p>

9

<p>I would've preferred the ThinkPad (it's even cheaper than the Latitude), but the Dell has a bigger screen. I'm really just going to use the computer for schoolwork, instant messaging, internet surfing and probably some poker (tsk tsk). I don't anticipate any problems with those.</p>

10

<p>The last time I checked their website, it seemed like Penn Connections doesn't really offer any spectacular "discount" deals. You can probably find better deals in computer stores or online, but either way will get you a computer.</p>

11

<p>penn connections stuff seems pricey cuz they always come with a super-long warranty. Dell stuff really can be sketchy with their quality. But if you're willing to be patient there are no better deals to be had. I just bought an E1405, and had a display issue 2 weeks into it (the screen is also not everything i was expecting, there is light leakage at the bottom). However updating all my drivers manually solved my problem (hopefully) and I think I got a fantastic computer for the price (sub 800): WSXGA (1440 x 900) briteview, core duo, portable, 60 gig hd.</p>

12

<p>Hm, I checked out the Penn Connections and I like the IBM ThinkPad T60 a lot except for two things 1. I want a DVD burner which it doesnt have 2. I want a 15 insted of 14.1 display.</p>

<p>A notebook that has these costs 200 dollars more from the IBM website. Is there anyway Penn Connections could change these two things for me yet keep the discount? :)</p>

13

<p>
[quote]
JCoveny, I mean this in only the nicest way possible, but why don't you actually try to help people on this board rather than make rather poor attempts at being witty, funny, or clever.

[/quote]

In case you haven't been reading here long, I do. I do where necessary. But at the same time, people take themselves incredibly seriously here, which just begs for someone to come in and disperse a little of that tension. Also, I have answered many PM's from random people looking for advice on things such as Math at Penn, M&T, Penn in general, or whatever. I can help you to. I have my handy stick remover right here.</p>

<p>
[quote]
I'm not saying there isn't a place for that on this board, but as a Penn student frequenting this board, it would be nice to make prospective students want to come to Penn, not giving them the impression that we're a bunch of ignorant jerks. I'm not saying you come across as an ignorant jerk whatsoever, but the entire college confidential community gets closer to that line every time an out of line comment is made.

[/quote]

If anyone judges whether or not to come to Penn based on the posts on an internet forum by one person, I could care less whether or not they come to Penn. In case you've heard, the internet is SERIOUS BUSINESS!!! Seriously though, if anything, it'd be nice to show that Penn students might break the mold every once in a while and know how to laugh. Not know how to drink, how to study all night, how to focus on "getting that job," but laugh. At themselves. Why? Because people take themselves SO damn seriously. And we're not hurting for applicants, especially someone who can't be bothered to read the forum a little before posting "I'M IN DECA! 3.9! CHANCES PLEASE!!!!! THNX!! POST STATS!!!"</p>

<p>
[quote]
Just my two cents, take it or leave it.

[/quote]

Who should I write the check to?</p>

<p>To answer the thread, Vaio's are too unreliable to warrant a lower pricetag. Even if they were solid comps, they are still quite overpriced. Why? Because it's a Sony product. If you don't believe me, look for the PS3's launch date :O</p>

14

<p>
[quote]
The last time I checked their website, it seemed like Penn Connections doesn't really offer any spectacular "discount" deals. You can probably find better deals in computer stores or online, but either way will get you a computer.

[/quote]

This is quite true. Just find a good comp with a long warranty. I'm an ITA, and I can tell you that we don't really care if your computer is in house or not, since we only offer software support. And as far as the computer connection, unless it's something as easy as "take compressed Co2 and blow it in the keyboard," they're probably just going to ship it to the manufacturer anyway.</p>

15

<p>even if coveney is a dirty yellow loving pervert, anyone who wants to take a stab at him must go through the most beautiful man in chinatown, me.</p>

<p>and he can Affirmative Action into the college of your choice!</p>

16

<p>i switched to a 14.1 wide screen from a 15" regular screen, and I don't mind the difference at all. The tradeoff between a little screen space and a lot of weight is quite pleasing actually. You'll still have the same real estate, just the pixels will be a little smaller.</p>

<p>You can also get an external dvd burner if you need one. They're not too cheap pre-made, but you can make your own for around $60 (40 for the drive, 20 for an enclosure), or you can do the same with a hard drive for just a little bit more</p>

17

<p>I just switched from a 15" regular to a 13" wide screen, and I agree with MichaelJ. I prefer having a lighter, less clunky-looking computer to shlep around.</p>

18

<p>If you want to play a lot of World of Warcraft, get a desktop with a lot of RAM. My laptop runs World of Warcraft horribly, as it only has 512MB of RAM and an LOLintegrated video chip. Of course, since you're asking about laptops, I'm betting that you already have a desktop to raid on, and you want a good laptop to be able to farm consumables during class. In that case, make sure you have at least 1GB RAM and an actual video card in your laptop, so you don't die because of load lag. Epic repair bills FTL.</p>

<p>As for t3h "Hot deals," check out <a href="http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/&lt;/a> for some ridiculous bargains on laptops and other computer stuffs.</p>

19

<p>If you're looking to spend $1400-$1600, you can still get a solid Mac. The nice new black MacBook with 2Ghz Intel Core Duo is $1500 in the standard configuration from apple, and the penn store usually knocks a coupl hundred off the price. As someone who fervently worships at the altar of Steve Jobs, even I have to admit that the higher end MacBook Pro's are overpriced (those are the silver ones). The more budget-oriented MacBooks though, when you consider the software package you get standard with them, plus their great reliability and fewer security issues, are actually some of the best laptops you can get for the money.</p>

<p>On the PC end of things, these are my recommendations as a 2 year ITA:</p>

<p>Stay as far away from Dell as humanly possible, especially for laptops, I could go on for hours about the number of quirks, design flaws, and general crappiness of these computers</p>

<p>Gateway: generally too bulky, processors on high-end laptop models are intentionally underclocked for stability, so you pay for something you can't really use</p>

<p>Toshiba: generally solid, but kinda hefty</p>

<p>Vaio: you actually mentioned Sony in a discussion where you're concerned about the price??</p>

<p>any lesser-known brand: tends to be hefty, but things like eMachines are great bargains, though not really for the long term</p>

<p>IBM: probably the best PC laptops out there, and not by a little bit; very good in terms of size, performance, durability, etc.</p>

20

<p>slickdeals.net is another excellent resource, and I prefer them over fatwallet.</p>

<p>i agree with the ibm statement, but dell has been having these ridiculous deals these days.. they're so tempting</p>

<p>oh. they're called lenovo now, i forgot.</p>