I'm going to get a new laptop for college, and I am looking for some advice. I already talked to some professors and people at the university and they didn't list any specific requirements for the laptop.

Here are some things to consider:

- I'm going into computer science (I'm not completely sure how this would affect my laptop decision...but maybe you would know)
- I'd like to be able to have 5 windows open, including a browser window with 20 tabs, at least one of which is a YouTube video playing
- The laptop does not need to handle high-end 3-D games
- I'll likely use some distribution of Linux, but there is a chance I will use Windows 7
- ~$1000 is the maximum I would want to pay
UPDATE: I'd prefer a ~17" screen.

Sorry if I left any important information out.

I've always been extremely happy with tablet PCs for the purposes of taking notes, but that necessarily restricts the variety of machines you can choose from. Does a tablet PC interest you, can you see yourself handwriting notes, or would you prefer to stick with a traditional laptop?

Do you have a desktop, too? If this is just a note-taking, flash-game playing way to get through class, it's not going to be a big deal. But if you plan on this being your main machine, you're going to need something nice. I hate 17" laptops, but coding on anything smaller is pure hell. If you've got the desk-space for one, you can always buy a nice monitor to plug into it when you need to get work done.

Get a netbook, and don't watch stupid crap on youtube.

If you have a desktop, then yeah, get a netbook. They can handle youtube just fine. And you can always set up remote desktop.

I dunno about specifics but at Best Buy they actually have some d4mn good laptops in the 600$ range (2+ ghz dual core, 4GB DDR3 RAM, Windows 7, 15.xx inch screen)

Not sure what anyone else here would recommend, but I highly suggest going with a Toshiba. HP has been having many motherboard issues and get really hot. My brother's Sony is having issues with harddrives and it isn't even a year old. My Satellite A105 is roughly 6 years old and runs windows 7 very well. From anyone else I have talked to, while toshiba is a bit more expensive, their hardware has a lower failure rate than others, and they just stay cooler. Heck, I don't even have a fan under mine when I run it, and it barely heats up the surface it sits on.

My next machine will be a http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=p3907.m570.l1313&_nkw=motion+computing+ls800&_sacat=See-All-Categories Though I am sure you don't really care about that. XD

I bought a Toshiba Satellite A665 for just above $900. (Apparently my school gives a 25% discount on Toshiba products, but they didn't tell me that until AFTER I bought it. Grr.) It has a 1.6 Ghz Corei7, 4gbs of DDR3 RAM, a 600 gb harddrive, pretty good speakers, decent chiclet keys, and a 16.5 inch screen. So far, I'm happy... sure, it's incredibly ugly, but it does everything I need it to do well.

get a dell. They're cheap powerful and stylish, and I haven't had any problems with mine. Then go to newegg and upgrade the memory and hard drive and you have a SWEET laptop for everyday use for less than 1000 dollars.

A tablet PC somewhat interested me, and I thought about getting one for a while before replying to you, but I think I'll just stick with a traditional laptop.



Yeah, this is going to be my main machine.

So far, I'm considering non-tablet laptops, probably by Toshiba, I guess. In addition, I'd prefer a ~17" screen.

Yes and No. If you get a dell, make sure you check which model. I have an Inspiron 1501 that runs decenet. Its about 3 years old, but it still has decent speed. If your planning on using it for computer science, (which is the field I plan on studying in), I would not reccomend this because it has a very low ram (like 1g) and a small harddrive. I also have an Inspiron 1545 but NEVER EVER EVERR, get that. I purchased it last year about July 20th? and by august 11th its harddrive failed, due to a manufacturer's error. Dell sent me a replacement drive, and it failed last tuesday. I plugged a different harddrive into the computer and it ran fine, but the harddrives that Dell gives you are shit/refurbished. if you do get a 1545, go to http://www.newegg.com and look at getting a new harddrive there.

Otherwise, everybody in my family runs dell. Not all of them are bad but if/when I buy another laptop, I'm planning on getting a Toshiba.

EDIT: Yes, a 17" screen is definetely a must.

If you want a cheap netbook to supplement your main PC, Woot has an Acer 10.1" netbook with all the standard specs for $210 before shipping today (1am, Monday, July 19th, 2010) until whenever they sell out, which will probably be soon.

Fair enough, I can understand that, particularly if this is going to be your main machine and you don't want to restrict your options.

Getting a laptop as your main machine is restricting your options too much as it is. It's fine for a comm or history major to have a toy computer, but if you're going into CS, you should really have something you can actually do work on. What is it that you really need the portability for, anyway? Most college kids who have laptops just leave it on their desk and plugged in 24-7.

[random thoughts]I have a 1545, and its hard drive failed so badly that Windows gave a BSOD about not being able to mount the boot partition. Somehow, though, it started working again (I really DON'T have any idea how)... Actually, on second thought, maybe the FS was corrupt, because it COULD read the MBR, but couldn't mount the Windows partition, and when I installed Ubuntu, it 'magically' worked again...

I got it for X-mas, but I totally hate Dells because most of the broken PCs I ever see are Dells. I'm going to get a new PC or maybe a Mac when I get the money (I'm only 14, and there aren't many jobs around my area for people my age...) In addition, my allowance is quite low...[/random thoughts]

I don't think I'd ever buy a Dell for myself, since they seem generally underspec'd and don't have the most aesthetically-pleasing designs in my eye, but I understand why my school buys them, as they have excellent, fast, and very dependable tech support.