help!
i am considering buying a laptop for college but have no idea what to look for.. i'm hoping to pay a semi-reasonable price as well. any suggestions?
Answer
It really depends on your budget. In general you should aim for at least 2 GHz processor and at least 3GB ram. nvidia or ati video cards are preferable if you want to play games.The dell laptops are in this link:
http://www.dell.com/home/laptops
Here are a few suggestions that are already configured but you can always use the above link for cheaper or more expensive if you want better screen resolution, video card or others:
dell studio:
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=dndwra4&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&kc=productdetails~laptop_studio_15
dell xps:
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=dycwhn1&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&kc=productdetails~xpsnb_m1530
dell coupon codes (they add new ones occasionally):
http://www.notebookreview.com/dellCoupon.asp
It really depends on your budget. In general you should aim for at least 2 GHz processor and at least 3GB ram. nvidia or ati video cards are preferable if you want to play games.The dell laptops are in this link:
http://www.dell.com/home/laptops
Here are a few suggestions that are already configured but you can always use the above link for cheaper or more expensive if you want better screen resolution, video card or others:
dell studio:
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=dndwra4&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&kc=productdetails~laptop_studio_15
dell xps:
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=dycwhn1&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&kc=productdetails~xpsnb_m1530
dell coupon codes (they add new ones occasionally):
http://www.notebookreview.com/dellCoupon.asp
Looking for a good computer for college that has good graphics. ?
Harper
Digital artist, gamer, college kid. Go.
Answer
I suppose that for college you want a laptop, not a computer.
To eliminate any doubts, MacBook laptops are way overpriced. They do look cool, but you are just paying for the name and the shinny box.
While Mac OS is somewhat safer than Windows, there are lots of things you will not be able to do with a Mac, as most gaming and other important software is created for PC only. To conclude: Macs are ridiculously expensive for what they offer in terms of hardware specs and performance.
The Alienware line is also overpriced, and basically just nicer looking versions of Dell laptops.
When buying a laptop, your best value comes from Internet sellers such as Newegg, TigerDirect, CompUSA, Micro Center, Geeks.com, etc. Retailers usually charge more and offer less.
To settle the which brand is better dispute, remember that all laptops and parts are Made in China, no matter what brand name is printed on the outside.
So in fact the brand (HP, Toshiba, Dell, Sony, Acer, Lenovo, Asus, etc), does not matter all that much. As far as brands go, only the support and info you get both before and after the sale matters. Dell support sucks. HP, Toshiba and Acer have excellent support. Don't know too much about Sony, Asus or Lenovo.
Only the hardware specifications and performance benchmarks can make a laptop better or worse than other laptops.
Here is what to look for when shopping for a laptop:
Get an Intel Core i5 or Core i7 CPU (Processor). DO NOT GET AMD, PENTIUM OR CELERON processors.
DO NOT GET Integrated Graphics (on board or from processor) - if it says Intel Graphics or Intel HD Graphics than it's Integrated graphics.
Make sure it has dedicated graphics (a Graphics Card or GPU) of at least 1GB. On a laptop with an Intel processor it should say either GeForce (nVidia) or Radeon (ATI).
For regular use with some minor to moderate gaming, an nVidia GeForce GT 520M or better graphics card would be perfect.
For more demanding gaming or photo and video processing, at least an nVidia GeForce GT 550M or better is recommended.
Look here for a laptop graphics card chart:
http://compreviews.about.com/od/video/a/Laptop-Display-And-Graphics-Guide.htm
Memory: Get at least 4GB of DDR3 RAM memory, you can go up to 8GB DDR3 RAM but it will cost you a little extra.
While SSD hard drives are best and fastest, they are way too expensive and small in size (64GB to 256GB), thus not recommended for a laptop, where you only have a single hard drive installed.
Get a normal, spin hard drive of at least 500GB (1TB or more is better, but will cost more). Seagate hard drives are the best, the WD Caviar are also OK.
Laptop should have an incorporated Webcam and Microphone on top of the screen (most laptops have them nowadays).
Make sure you have at least 4 USB ports (if one or more are USB 3.0 all the best, but USB 2.0 are OK).
The Firewire (IEEE 1394) and the e-Sata ports are good to have, but not mandatory. Same goes for HDMI or HDMI Mini.
At least a DVD/CD writer drive. A BD (Blue Ray drive) is more expensive and not necessary.
Of course you want WiFi (wireless) and ethernet connection.
Make sure it has at least a 6 cell battery (8 or even 10 cell is better, but will cost more). This will ensure better battery life, both between charges use and overall battery life.
Get the Windows 7 Home Premium operating system. Do not get Windows 7 Starter or Home Basic.
Here are some helpful tools:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/
http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/
Good luck.
I suppose that for college you want a laptop, not a computer.
To eliminate any doubts, MacBook laptops are way overpriced. They do look cool, but you are just paying for the name and the shinny box.
While Mac OS is somewhat safer than Windows, there are lots of things you will not be able to do with a Mac, as most gaming and other important software is created for PC only. To conclude: Macs are ridiculously expensive for what they offer in terms of hardware specs and performance.
The Alienware line is also overpriced, and basically just nicer looking versions of Dell laptops.
When buying a laptop, your best value comes from Internet sellers such as Newegg, TigerDirect, CompUSA, Micro Center, Geeks.com, etc. Retailers usually charge more and offer less.
To settle the which brand is better dispute, remember that all laptops and parts are Made in China, no matter what brand name is printed on the outside.
So in fact the brand (HP, Toshiba, Dell, Sony, Acer, Lenovo, Asus, etc), does not matter all that much. As far as brands go, only the support and info you get both before and after the sale matters. Dell support sucks. HP, Toshiba and Acer have excellent support. Don't know too much about Sony, Asus or Lenovo.
Only the hardware specifications and performance benchmarks can make a laptop better or worse than other laptops.
Here is what to look for when shopping for a laptop:
Get an Intel Core i5 or Core i7 CPU (Processor). DO NOT GET AMD, PENTIUM OR CELERON processors.
DO NOT GET Integrated Graphics (on board or from processor) - if it says Intel Graphics or Intel HD Graphics than it's Integrated graphics.
Make sure it has dedicated graphics (a Graphics Card or GPU) of at least 1GB. On a laptop with an Intel processor it should say either GeForce (nVidia) or Radeon (ATI).
For regular use with some minor to moderate gaming, an nVidia GeForce GT 520M or better graphics card would be perfect.
For more demanding gaming or photo and video processing, at least an nVidia GeForce GT 550M or better is recommended.
Look here for a laptop graphics card chart:
http://compreviews.about.com/od/video/a/Laptop-Display-And-Graphics-Guide.htm
Memory: Get at least 4GB of DDR3 RAM memory, you can go up to 8GB DDR3 RAM but it will cost you a little extra.
While SSD hard drives are best and fastest, they are way too expensive and small in size (64GB to 256GB), thus not recommended for a laptop, where you only have a single hard drive installed.
Get a normal, spin hard drive of at least 500GB (1TB or more is better, but will cost more). Seagate hard drives are the best, the WD Caviar are also OK.
Laptop should have an incorporated Webcam and Microphone on top of the screen (most laptops have them nowadays).
Make sure you have at least 4 USB ports (if one or more are USB 3.0 all the best, but USB 2.0 are OK).
The Firewire (IEEE 1394) and the e-Sata ports are good to have, but not mandatory. Same goes for HDMI or HDMI Mini.
At least a DVD/CD writer drive. A BD (Blue Ray drive) is more expensive and not necessary.
Of course you want WiFi (wireless) and ethernet connection.
Make sure it has at least a 6 cell battery (8 or even 10 cell is better, but will cost more). This will ensure better battery life, both between charges use and overall battery life.
Get the Windows 7 Home Premium operating system. Do not get Windows 7 Starter or Home Basic.
Here are some helpful tools:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/
http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/
Good luck.
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Title Post: what are the most recommended dell laptops for college kids?
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Rating: 100% based on 9998 ratings. 5 user reviews.
Author: Unknown
Thanks For Coming To My Blog
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