What kind of computer do you use?

[emmak]

Hello all! I am currently using a Dell Inspiron 1525 laptop for all my internet and word documenting needs... but I've been trying to do some research about a new computer to buy for the start of college next year. What kind of computers do you use? Desktop or laptop? What brand? Any recommendations? I've been looking into HPs... Thanks for the help!

[The Economist]

Sony Vaio VGN-FW31zJ

Awesome and powerful pc!

Deffinitely reccommended!

[Sandwich]

I have a HP computer - the Compaq d330. It's been with me 5 years and been excellent

And I have a Sony VAIO laptop, which is alright but quite slow.

I've actually had lots of recommendations from other people for HP laptops, although other people saying customer support is rubbish and they break down quite a bit. So I don't really know what to think about them Contrary! All I really DO know is that Dell laptops aren't worth getting. Even slower than the VAIO and with mysterious powers of super weight.

Seeing as you're going to be reasonably mobile at college, I'd go for a laptop I assume you won't be playing many games on it!

[godofib]

Maybe an apple macbook would also be good for college provided you are willing to spend the money. They are pretty expensive but are good with speed and pretty light-weight.

[MIBO]

I use Toshiba U400...really cool. You should really take the weight in account if youre gonna carry it around in university... mine doesnt weight a thing, so i havent got trouble carring it around.

The seize is also important, dont go for a mini, unless its really expensive they normally are not very powerfull, and not too big either, not handy.

[sweetnsimple786]

I've actually had lots of recommendations from other people for HP laptops, although other people saying customer support is rubbish and they break down quite a bit. So I don't really know what to think about them Contrary! All I really DO know is that Dell laptops aren't worth getting. Even slower than the VAIO and with mysterious powers of super weight.

Seeing as you're going to be reasonably mobile at college, I'd go for a laptop I assume you won't be playing many games on it!

I've been using a Toshiba Satellite for 1.5ish years. I think I got it because it was under 1000USD and had what I needed. I like it. I just don't like that Vista came with it

There's been an HP laptop in my family for 3-4 years. It's in working order =) Never had to call support, so I can't agree/refute Sandwich's statement.

And our newest laptop is a Compaq. It's powerful&fast and has great graphics or whatever for my brother.

As for the Dell. My first laptop was a Dell. It worked for a year or so then broke down. Booo. But the tech support was great

[The Economist]

Maybe an apple macbook would also be good for college provided you are willing to spend the money. They are pretty expensive but are good with speed and pretty light-weight.

By saying speed you probably mean the CPU. Well to get a discent CPU to a macbook you need to spend over 2k so NO they are not good laptops!!

Unless you want a CPU less than 2.40 Ghz --> Which means NOT fast

[__inthemaking]

I got a Sony Vaio CR for university and now I never use the desktops at home anymore.

I like it. Except the graphics card isn't good enough for gaming .

[The Economist]

I got a Sony Vaio CR for university and now I never use the desktops at home anymore.

I like it. Except the graphics card isn't good enough for gaming .

Vaio didn't use good graphic's cards. The FW series have ATI Radeon ( awesome company) premium graphics, and the quality is amazing!!

What is your G. card?

Edited July 29, 2009 by Smid1345

[Dark Matter]

I've got that 8.9 screen Acer Aspire One netbook. I like it because it is so small, kind of get's hard to sit on it for a while though. Helps me force to take breaks for my eyes and neck though:P I can't spend hours on it then. Also the battery it comes with it not the greatest, only about 2 hours in it. So I had to go out and buy another one for university. Waiting for it to be delivered so I don't know how long the battery will last in the end, it said 6 hours.

If anyone is to get one of the mini Acer laptops though I would probabaly go to the 10.whatever screen size though. I saw it in a store and it seems like it would be easier to work on, though is still small like the 8.9.

[Abu]

I'd tell you to get a mac, since they are very reliable and the tech support is fantastic. However, if you're not orientated that way then get a Toshiba or Sony.

Do not get a HP. I only say that because I went through hell trying to fix a one year old tablet PC that cost a lot, had an inherent fault in the motherboard's VGA card. Thousands of people have complained online but HP refuses to correct the problem. If I had replaced the motherboard, it would've cost in excess of $1000.

[Vvi]

I'd tell you to get a mac, since they are very reliable and the tech support is fantastic. However, if you're not orientated that way then get a Toshiba or Sony.

Do not get a HP. I only say that because I went through hell trying to fix a one year old tablet PC that cost a lot, had an inherent fault in the motherboard's VGA card. Thousands of people have complained online but HP refuses to correct the problem. If I had replaced the motherboard, it would've cost in excess of $1000.

I agree, HP's are rubbish. There are 3 in my family, and all three have crashed at one point very soon after they were bought. 2 classmates of mine also bought HP's during the last year, latest models, and they ahd to be taken to the repair shop a month after purchase because they crashed. My father traded his for a Toshiba in the end, and that's what I have as well (a Toshiba Satellite). Someone on this forum recommended Toshiba to me as well because they are very hard-wearing (someone dropped her's off the table accidently and it survived with barely a scratch). I'd recommend either Toshiba or Apple, even though I don't like the layout of Mac and how the whole system works. 3 of my friend's

I was going to get one of the mini-laptops but they have very little space on them, so they aren't ideal for university. Look for a light one that you can carry around easily with you in your bag.

[meh]

I've had this HP laptop for about 10 months and haven't had any problems so far. I really don't know much about the technicalities of computers though so I'm not sure how it stacks up to other brands. No complaints about it though...

[emmak]

Wow, there's a lot of positives and negatives for HPs! I've always been a PC type so I don't think it would suit me to get a mac. Just saying.

For you college kids, what screen size do you have? My current is 15.4", and I've been looking into 13-14" screens. They seem to have the decent battery life, light weight, and enough memory. Sony VAIOs seem pretty and flashy, but are more expensive than other models. So far, the HP Pavilion dv4t 14.1" has caught my eye... free upgrade to Windows 7, savings on Microsoft Office Home & Student... it seems to be a good college laptop. Anyone have reviews for the performance for this specific one or similar ones? I DON'T think I'll return to Dell, even though their pretty colors appeal to me... performance is a lot more important. This laptop gets to about 90 degrees Fahrenheit when running just normal programs, and isn't very fast. Shall have to look for a good deal when it comes my way!

[deissi]

By saying speed you probably mean the CPU. Well to get a discent CPU to a macbook you need to spend over 2k so NO they are not good laptops!!

Unless you want a CPU less than 2.40 Ghz --> Which means NOT fast

Speed does not equal CPU power. Neither does it equal clock speed. A 3 GHz Pentium 4 is no match to a 1.8 GHz C2D.

Also, a 2 GHz dual core is fast enough for ordinary computing use. However, if you want to get a "decent CPU on a MacBook", you could get the 2.53GHz 13" MB Pro, costs $1500. Not really over 2k is it.

Finally, when you take into account that OS X is not a resource hog like Vista is, you'll reach the conclusion that you don't even need a fast Mac to keep things running smoothly. In fact, most people with a G4 are still satisfied with their processing power - although C2D Macs are a lot more powerful. You can't say that about PC users with 3 year old laptops. Summa summarum, OS X is great, especially when Snow Leopard is released.

[The Economist]

By saying speed you probably mean the CPU. Well to get a discent CPU to a macbook you need to spend over 2k so NO they are not good laptops!!

Unless you want a CPU less than 2.40 Ghz --> Which means NOT fast

Speed does not equal CPU power. Neither does it equal clock speed. A 3 GHz Pentium 4 is no match to a 1.8 GHz C2D.

Also, a 2 GHz dual core is fast enough for ordinary computing use. However, if you want to get a "decent CPU on a MacBook", you could get the 2.53GHz 13" MB Pro, costs $1500. Not really over 2k is it.

Finally, when you take into account that OS X is not a resource hog like Vista is, you'll reach the conclusion that you don't even need a fast Mac to keep things running smoothly. In fact, most people with a G4 are still satisfied with their processing power - although C2D Macs are a lot more powerful. You can't say that about PC users with 3 year old laptops. Summa summarum, OS X is great, especially when Snow Leopard is released.

Apple stopped producing the macbooks with CPU 2.53Ghz and they are now producing the new one with 2.66Ghz which is quite expensive!

My sister bought it that's why I know.

And of course the OS X is absolutely AMAZING!

Some users though find a way to ruin them

I'm checking if my laptop would run OS X Leopard but I get a small problem with the wireless card :P

[Chelleee]

avoid acer travelmates

we have the travelmate 6292, and hmm how to put it nicely, it can't hibernate properly and you get "insufficient API" messages.

battery is decent, i've had this laptop for 'bout 2 years and on full bat it lasts for 2.5hrs ^^

overall: looks good, lets me do what i need to do to get by school every day so i'm not complaining ~

[deissi]

Apple stopped producing the macbooks with CPU 2.53Ghz and they are now producing the new one with 2.66Ghz which is quite expensive!

My sister bought it that's why I know.

And of course the OS X is absolutely AMAZING!

Some users though find a way to ruin them

I'm checking if my laptop would run OS X Leopard but I get a small problem with the wireless card :P

Nope, still in production: http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_mac/family/macbook_pro?mco=MTE4NDY

Not everyone likes OS X, so of course it's good to discuss PC options too. Mac should be the primary choice for people with no cash worries.

[Abu]

Wow, there's a lot of positives and negatives for HPs! I've always been a PC type so I don't think it would suit me to get a mac. Just saying.

For you college kids, what screen size do you have? My current is 15.4", and I've been looking into 13-14" screens. They seem to have the decent battery life, light weight, and enough memory. Sony VAIOs seem pretty and flashy, but are more expensive than other models. So far, the HP Pavilion dv4t 14.1" has caught my eye... free upgrade to Windows 7, savings on Microsoft Office Home & Student... it seems to be a good college laptop. Anyone have reviews for the performance for this specific one or similar ones? I DON'T think I'll return to Dell, even though their pretty colors appeal to me... performance is a lot more important. This laptop gets to about 90 degrees Fahrenheit when running just normal programs, and isn't very fast. Shall have to look for a good deal when it comes my way!

Since you have university in mind, get one that has a long battery life. I'm just going to mentions macs here since the new Macbook Pros have a 7-8 hour battery. Not a lot of Windows PCs can beat that. However, try to get one to match that since if you're going to be in multiple lectures, you won't have access to a power point.

Also, wait until Windows 7 comes out. Vista is complete trash.

By saying speed you probably mean the CPU. Well to get a discent CPU to a macbook you need to spend over 2k so NO they are not good laptops!!

Unless you want a CPU less than 2.40 Ghz --> Which means NOT fast

Speed does not equal CPU power. Neither does it equal clock speed. A 3 GHz Pentium 4 is no match to a 1.8 GHz C2D.

Also, a 2 GHz dual core is fast enough for ordinary computing use. However, if you want to get a "decent CPU on a MacBook", you could get the 2.53GHz 13" MB Pro, costs $1500. Not really over 2k is it.

Finally, when you take into account that OS X is not a resource hog like Vista is, you'll reach the conclusion that you don't even need a fast Mac to keep things running smoothly. In fact, most people with a G4 are still satisfied with their processing power - although C2D Macs are a lot more powerful. You can't say that about PC users with 3 year old laptops. Summa summarum, OS X is great, especially when Snow Leopard is released.

Apple stopped producing the macbooks with CPU 2.53Ghz and they are now producing the new one with 2.66Ghz which is quite expensive!

My sister bought it that's why I know.

And of course the OS X is absolutely AMAZING!

Some users though find a way to ruin them

I'm checking if my laptop would run OS X Leopard but I get a small problem with the wireless card :P

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_mac/family/macbook_pro?mco=MTE4NDY

I see a 2.53 there and it's 1.5K

avoid acer travelmates

we have the travelmate 6292, and hmm how to put it nicely, it can't hibernate properly and you get "insufficient API" messages.

battery is decent, i've had this laptop for 'bout 2 years and on full bat it lasts for 2.5hrs ^^

overall: looks good, lets me do what i need to do to get by school every day so i'm not complaining ~

We had an Acer that lasted around 7 years. Albeit with a complete format and a new motherboard. Then again, they don't make them like they used to anymore.

[Matej]

I have a 3 years old HP nx6310 laptop. I've never had any problems with it, performance is good enough for my needs, battery still lasts for ~3h. So I would say HP is a good choice