College Computer Time - Help Me Pick!

I'm off to college next year. I'm investigating what computer I'd like to have. I thought I'd make my search significantly easier by posting here. I'm looking for a good quality, reliable laptop. I'm not a fan of Macs. I've listed the requirements my school's given me below. If you have a computer that you love that meets these requirements or know of a good one that does, please post. Thanks.

Requirements:

Operating System: Windows 7 (32-Bit or *64-Bit is Preferred)

Processor Speed: Laptop or Tablet: Intel Core i-5 (or higher) Standard Voltage Processor

Memory (RAM): 4 GB or higher

Hard Disk Drive: 320 GB or bigger (7200 RPM minimum)

CD/DVD Drive: DVD+-RW

NIC/Ethernet Card and Wireless Card: Your NIC needs to run on a 100Base-T, or Fast Ethernet network and have an RJ-45 connector.
Wireless network cards should support the 802.11a/g standard. 802.11n should work on the campus wireless network.



Those are the basic requirements. I'm just posting here to see if anyone has had a great experience with their laptop and would like to suggest one to me. Thanks in advance!

~ KraftyKyle


mine was a sony vaio that i got for $999


specs:


core i7 1.7ghz turbo boost to 2.8ghz

ram:4gb
graphics:intel(sucks)
hdd:500gigs
rest all same as yours...

prettyheavy....impressive performance...

don't get dell...they're crap

look at hps...and maybe asus/acer....

also consider the cpu speed and prefer intel...amds are best known for serving you as a heater...

as well as consider nvidia graphics over other ones...intel are the terrible ones in graphics...

or you can go to ibuypowerpc . com (or) cyberpowerpc . com and get a custom built laptop that meets tour specific needs...

you should've mentioned your budget too

anyways...hope that helped


:)
 
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mine was a sony vaio that i got for $999


specs:


core i7 1.7ghz turbo boost to 2.8ghz

ram:4gb
graphics:intel(sucks)
hdd:500gigs
rest all same as yours...

prettyheavy....impressive performance...

don't get dell...they're crap

look at hps...and maybe asus/acer....

also consider the cpu speed and prefer intel...amds are best known for serving you as a heater...

as well as consider nvidia graphics over other ones...intel are the terrible ones in graphics...

or you can go to ibuypowerpc . com (or) cyberpowerpc . com and get a custom built laptop that meets tour specific needs...

you should've mentioned your budget too


anyways...hope that helped


:)

Thanks so much. I don't really have a budget because I'm trying to invest in my education and will be using this at least 4 hours a day for the next four years. I'm willing to pay for quality, but I also want a laptop that someone has been very happy with. That's why I haven't put price constraints on it.
 
The i series Sandybridge cores are out there in laptops...
Grab one of those if you are looking at i CPU's.

Also, I would be more inclined to buy what you NEED for now and then upgrade sooner.
Instead of buying More than you need and keeping it longer.
 
If you're studying business, and this laptop is going to be strictly for educational purposes. Get a Lenovo Thinkpad. I've used these all throughout college, granted my college gave them to me for free, but it was a great machine. And if you're looking to work in corporate after you graduate. EVERYONE uses a lenovo.
 
@op ^^ what he said...also consider looking at lenovos...

they're famous for their reliability
 
@op ^^ what he said...also consider looking at lenovos...

they're famous for their reliability

I second this. They are pretty powerful and they're built like a tank.

Make sure you dont get a gaming laptop as the battery life in them is bad. I remember my old alienware computer got around 2 hours on power saver mode and the brightness all the way down lol.
 
Make sure you dont get a gaming laptop as the battery life in them is bad. I remember my old alienware computer got around 2 hours on power saver mode and the brightness all the way down lol.

Technology changes.
the on die graphics on a Sandybridge CPU put out great graphics and yet it uses not as much power. That with a new 6 cell, or more battery and you'll get plenty of unplugged life
when gaming
 
If you're studying business, and this laptop is going to be strictly for educational purposes. Get a Lenovo Thinkpad. I've used these all throughout college, granted my college gave them to me for free, but it was a great machine. And if you're looking to work in corporate after you graduate. EVERYONE uses a lenovo.



Thanks for the suggestion. I'll look into those tonight. However my computer is by no means solely for schoolwork. I'm hoping to up it for all my internet marketing needs and run CLAD, BHAR, and other programs on it.
 
Wow ur getting a beast of a machine. ever consider doing both a laptop and a desktop? With the money you're spending on that you can build a pretty awesome tower as long as you find the right bargains. But yes you should have ZERO problems with that machine. You might want to look to sell it off in a year or so cuz Dell laptops tend die down after a year
 
AlienWare really sucks. Its heavy and ive had alot of issues with it overall.

I would go for Sony Vaio or business end of Fujitsu ( they are expensive though).

HP sucks aswell IMO. All year around.

HP doesn't suck at all, the business models. Running 8440p right now.
 
Lenovo ThinkPad X220. If you want to be able to write on the screen, get the X220t. Or you can just get a Wacom Bamboo tablet.
 
Finally got the specs right. Above is the specs for a $999 15z. I guess I really have my heart set on one of them. There's a comparison at
Code:
http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-15z/fs
Check it out and let me know if I should just get the $999 or if it's actually worth paying $500 more for the extra stuff. PLEASE let me know your opinion. Thanks will be given.
 
I actually just purchased the xps15. I got i7 and 750gb of ram for $11XX. Check out slickdeals dude. Im getting mine in a week. Slickdeals has a killer deal for this machine. Its just not a Z :(. Let me know how it is. Im excited for mine.

To answer your question, I don't think its worth it since I found this deal. But still nice nonetheless.
 
4 years in the computer world is like an eternity. Things change really fast, and new things come out. I personally would not spend the extra money because I know I'd rather have two new laptops in a period of 4-6 years than one laptop which will eventually feel very sluggish.
 
I suggest the Sony Vaio. I'm personally a mac fan, but if I had to choose a non mac product it would be Sony.
 
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