What to look for when buying a labtop?

Question

I am starting college in the fall, and would like to buy a macbook, but dont really know which one to get.

I am not much into media, well just to download music.

i am a neuroscience major with a minor in english.

Answer 1

Alrighty then, lol.

If you’re buying a laptop, there are a few things to consider.

1.     The processor. Most, if not every decent laptop in today's market has dual-core technology. This means that it has two processors working as one to compute information. Now, what's the difference between speeds? In all reality, for a common user (that is not a hard-core computer geek like some of us), the difference between 1.8GHz and 2.0GHz is negligible. The only areas you will be able to notice will be in gaming, and video encoding.

2.     The memory. If the OS (Operating System) is a "32-bit" then it can only read approximately 3 GB of RAM. Only the "64-bit" processors can understand 4+ GB of RAM. RAM is what the computer uses to store temporary information, like open programs (internet, word processing, music players, etc...). A general rule of thumb is that the more RAM, the faster the computer will load programs/files to a point (as with everything). An industry standard nowadays is around 3 GB. The faster the "clock speed" of the ram (the higher the PC xxxx), the higher quality the RAM.

3.     Hard Drive space is what you store the more permanent information on - word files, music, videos, programs, etc....If you have an extensive music library (5000+ songs (legal songs)), then you should be looking at a computer with at least 250GB (1 GB = 1 Billion Bytes). If you don't really need all that space, then a laptop with 160+ GB of Hard Drive space would suffice.

4.     Graphics Processor!!! If you will not be watching many DVD's or playing any games, then you can settle for an integrated video processor such as the INTEL X3100. If you want the security of being able to play the occasional 3D game, then I would recommend a dedicated graphics card with dedicated memory (256MB or 512MB). You can check whether or not the card is integrated by going to "http://www.notebookcheck.net"

5.     Most laptops now feature DVD/CD Burners. Some offer a built in feature known as "Lableflash or Lightscribe." This will allow you to "etch" images on special CD/DVD's. It makes the finished CD/DVD look more professional.

6.     Price Comparison. Expect to spend $550+ for a decent laptop nowadays. You can sometimes (or during really good sales) find ones cheaper around $450.

       The first laptop I would recommend is the Toshiba M305D-S4829 from Circuit City this week. I just purchased it last Wednesday, and am typing on it right now. It has a ton of power, like seriously. I was playing BF2142 last night with no problems. It costs $699, but It'll be running strong for a few years before anything begins to become too demanding for it. The sound quality on this laptop is phenomenal. It has Harman/Kardon speakers that are Bose quality. It has 4GB of RAM, an ATI Radeon 3100 processor, which is nearly equal to most mid-range dedicated graphics processors. It support 802.11b/g/n networks. It has a standard webcam (not to mention facial recognition software for extra secured log-ons) and all the other features you need lol. The style on this laptop is phenomenal.

       If that is slightly out of your price range though, I would say go to Best Buy and pick up the HP DV5-1002NR. It costs $679, but it is nearly as good as the above laptop with only a few exceptions (it is actually better in some areas as well, lol). The touchpad on it has a glossy feel which is fine for cooler weather, but if its humid out or your fingers are the least bit sweaty, it becomes quite difficult to move the pointer. It has a slightly better video processor - the ATI Radeon 3200 (the main difference is that it has a HDMI output). It has a slightly larger screen at 15.4" WS. Its half a pound heavier, which isn't really a big deal to me at all. It also runs the 32-bit OS of Vista which will only support 3 GB of RAM, which is fine for nearly everything. I hope this helps you in your quest!

       The next two are right about tied for abilities if the above prices are a bit out of your budget. I would recommend testing each one, and then deciding which one you prefer better.

       The first one is the Toshiba L305D-S5868 from BestBuy this week at $549. It features the ATI Radeon 3100 which is capable of handling many 3D games, and in fact - it is the same video processor as the laptop that I am using. It features a built-in webcam, as well as standard DVD/CD re-write ability. It has a 250GB hard drive running at 5400RPM. One feature that it could improve upon is its stock RAM. From the store, it only comes with 2GB. This can be easily upgraded to 3GB from any computer retailer (including www.newegg.com). It also comes with a user-friendly touchpad as well as a nice blue form factor. Although it doesn’t necessarily have all of the extra-goodies, this laptop is perfect for the common pc user, and comes at a great price!

       The second one is the Toshiba L305D-S5881 from Circuit City. This laptop is nearly identical to the last l

Answer 2

The basic one would probably be just fine for you. Make sure you upgrade to 2 GB of memory.

You also may get a discount through your college.

Hope that helps:

http://store.apple.com/us/configure/MB40...

Answer 3

personally the first thing i would say is macs suck......so waht if you cant get viruses, you cant do anything either and plus they've already created 2 or three mac viruses so that just went out the window. Also they are just good looking, they have no capability and are way way way to expensive. Since you arent a gamer I wouldnt worry alot about the graphics card. I would worry about the Ram, ram lets you multitask and i imagine with you majors you would use word processing, internet, and music at the same time so you want to max ur multitaksing. Go for atleast 3-4 gigs of RAM. You also want a good sized hardrive I would say go for the 200 gig 7200RPM 16MB cache hard drive or a 320 gig 5400 RPM hard drive. RPM is how fast the computer can acess your files, i would prefer speed but some people like the wait. You also want a good sound card and good speakers on the laptop even if you do have a nice pair of external speakers. You also want things such as play, pause, stop keys on the laptop or have a fn button which is like a shift for keys with other functions. Also, have atleast a 2.2 GHZ processor, avoid intel celeron, centrino, centrino 2, all the pentiums, and i wouldnt go for the extreme but i wouldnt avoid it, its just expensive and your not a gamer. Also, get vista, it is much more organized than XP which will help you in college, although i wouldnt know cuz im only 15. I would also imagine you would want a good networking card and a cd. dvd drive on the laptop but thats up to you. Also make sure you have ports to plug things in, it sucks when you need to hook something up but dont have the ports. I would suggest Sony, Toshiba, and Gateway laptops, the have great customer service, very nice laptops, not as expensive as apples but a h**l of alot better, and they have lots of ports. Plus they are easily upgradeable if you ever need to do so, apples are not. Don;t go with the apple, do some reasearch in a different company of laptops, and not dell because they overprice and suck. I have a gateway fx 6860, has all top of the line hardware and was only 1300 bucks when it should be well over 2500 bucks. Again its your call, but there are lots of unhapy apple customers out ther and lots of apple haters, and way more haters for apple than any other.

Answer 4

get the cheapest one. unless you want something very light then get the air one.

good luck.  

Answer 5

Starting college and you cant even spell laptop?

Answer 6

In a laptop, you will get the most performance improvement by getting a 7200 rpm hard drive. 160 gigabytes or more should be standard.

get a laptop cooler, heat is what kills computers. put your laptop on your lap and you block the cooling vents=dead computer

get an anti virus. google anti-virus reviews- pick one.

you should be able to purchase "office" from the bookstore at discount. it is on sale right now at several places, softwareoutlet.com  i think newegg.com  costco.

Answer 7

Any basic laptop will do, but youll be spending a great deal of time on it, so dont skimp and regret it. Its a fraction of the cost of school, and youll be using it more than anything else you need.

The two best companies out there are Lenovo and Apple.

The basic apple is the one most suited to you, the expensive ones have a bunch of things youll never use, like massive hard drives and top of the line graphics cards. They have decent battery lives of about 3 hours, and decent price of about $1000.

Lenovo is arguably the best laptop maker out there, but one of their models, the T400, stands out greatly. Almost everything about it stands out. Its cheap, starting at $820. Its fast, It has a 2.1ghz low voltage Intel Core 2 duo. It has amazing battery life, of more than 4.5 hours, and up to 7. It has the highest resolution screen available on a 14" laptop, 1680x1080. And maybe the most interesting feature is that the graphics card can turn itself off to save power, so it sips energy when doing light work, and it still has the ability to play some pretty extreme games.

You can get one with the WXGA+ monitor, 2.4ghz cpu, 9 cell battery (most have 3-5), 3gb of ram, and a ATI 3650 graphics card, all for under $1100. There are some pretty inexpensive warranties, about $60 a year for service and $100 for a replacement plan. Thats probably the best out there.

Lenovo also has some other very capable computers, the CL series is more powerful, but has less battery life. The X series has over a 9 hour battery life, and the R series have around 8 hour battery lives and are about the same cost as the T series. The T series is the most well suited for college, unless you want to sacrifice that extra graphics power for another two hours of life and go for the X series.

The only thing Ive noticed about lenovo is that when ordering a laptop it does not tell you the screen resolution, its says WXGA and WXGA+. Make sure you pay the extra $45 for the best WXGA+, it has a much much better picture and saves energy by using an led back light.

I am going to get a T series when I decide to replace my current laptop.