Laptop for College

[B-29 Bomber]

I was talking to Scamp not you about netbooks.



The Gateway I linked has an A4-3300M which is not a netbook processor and can handle AOEIII and it can handle Civ III, also it has a DVD drive.

It wasn't such a message to you per se but as a message to everyone in general. Must keep the peasants in line you see...

 

[mdwh]

The problem with netbooks are that they are pretty much for net-centric computing(Surfing the web, e-mail). Not only that but since there's no DVD-ROM and the video card(a guess but probably a spot on guess) is probably grabage gaming is out. And what I've heard you can't use microsoft office on them(watch How to: Notebook vs Netbook on youtube, it's on the tigerdirect channel). So netbooks are out.

Well indeed, though I was comparing to the tablet suggestion, which would be even poorer in all these respects. Tablets are the ones that are glorified smartphones As I said in my post, it wouldn't do anything that you couldn't already do on a phone.

As an aside, note that netbooks are nonetheless full PCs, albeit lower power - I still use Visual Studio and play games on mine, it's just I'm not going to be playing the latest games. Do you need a DVD that often? An external drive takes care of that - even on a laptop, I think I'd prefer to drop the internal DVD drive these days. The video was incorrect in various ways - my netbook has a 250GB hard drive, whilst that video quotes a maximum of 80GB. (And in contrast, there are some high end laptops that have smaller solid state drives.) I have to laugh that he quotes running Vista an advantage - but anyway, netbooks can run Windows 7 these days. I can happily run graphics software, download music, play games on it. I think basically that video is way out of date. I fail to see why a netbook couldn't run Office, but I wouldn't take that video as a reliable source.

But anyway - I agree a netbook isn't the best choice for a main computer - as I said, "Though you can get more powerful laptops that are only slightly larger and slightly more expensive". Just that a netbook would be better than a tablet if one wanted something that small.

I wonder if the Tigerdirect channel run a programme showing how crap an IPad is to a notebook? (It seems that netbooks are always looked down upon for not being as good as a much larger laptop, whilst the media do nothing but hype the IPad... Hell, an Apple Air has the same small hard drive problem, and no DVD drive, but I don't see them moaning about that.)

 

[mdwh]

Actually Macs are a good deal if your time is valuable. If your time is worth $25/hour and Windows makes you lose an hour a month that's $300/year and $900/3 years. Suddenly that extra $500 isn't a bad deal

Lose an hour a month on Windows? I don't think so. Nor do I on Linux, come to that.

(Plus I don't buy this time is money logic anyway. If I have to fix a computer problem - which is typically due to hardware or other issues that would apply on any OS - that doesn't come out of my work time. It's not time that I would have otherwise been making money. No, it comes out of time like, sitting on forums like this. Do you make $25 an hour on here?)

 

[B-29 Bomber]

Well indeed, though I was comparing to the tablet suggestion, which would be even poorer in all these respects. Tablets are the ones that are glorified smartphones As I said in my post, it wouldn't do anything that you couldn't already do on a phone.

As an aside, note that netbooks are nonetheless full PCs, albeit lower power - I still use Visual Studio and play games on mine, it's just I'm not going to be playing the latest games. Do you need a DVD that often? An external drive takes care of that - even on a laptop, I think I'd prefer to drop the internal DVD drive these days. The video was incorrect in various ways - my netbook has a 250GB hard drive, whilst that video quotes a maximum of 80GB. (And in contrast, there are some high end laptops that have smaller solid state drives.) I have to laugh that he quotes running Vista an advantage - but anyway, netbooks can run Windows 7 these days. I can happily run graphics software, download music, play games on it. I think basically that video is way out of date. I fail to see why a netbook couldn't run Office, but I wouldn't take that video as a reliable source.

But anyway - I agree a netbook isn't the best choice for a main computer - as I said, "Though you can get more powerful laptops that are only slightly larger and slightly more expensive". Just that a netbook would be better than a tablet if one wanted something that small.

I wonder if the Tigerdirect channel run a programme showing how crap an IPad is to a notebook? (It seems that netbooks are always looked down upon for not being as good as a much larger laptop, whilst the media do nothing but hype the IPad... Hell, an Apple Air has the same small hard drive problem, and no DVD drive, but I don't see them moaning about that.)

First off that video was a few years old and therefore is off on specifics like the maximum hard drive space but in general is somewhat accurate. If a tablet is a glorified smartphone, and I'm not challenging you on that because they are without a doubt, but Netbooks aren't all that much better. And if you think I was plugging tablets get that out of your head right now because I don't want a tablet.

 

[deanej]

A netbook can do anything a normal PC can in consideration of it's reduced specs. In that sense a netbook is just an arbitrary label - the hardware is smaller and lower spec than what one would typically get these days (though they still outclass the (now dead) 486 I grew up on); the software is identical to that of a normal PC.

As for why netbooks are looked down on but the iPad is loved: dumbed down is "in" these days due to the consumerization of IT. Power users are being thrown under the bus in favor of [average] Joe user. At least Windows 8 still has the old UI available, but that will pass (eventually... this is Microsoft after all, but just look at Linux; it's already gone the way of the phone).

 

[B-29 Bomber]

This is my last mention of Netbooks on this thread. If you want to create your own "Netbook v. Notebook" thread then knock yourselves out. I may even post sharing my opinion. But this is not the thread for that. This thread is about helping me find the most cost effective NOTEBOOK out there. If anyone does plug netbooks I will ignore you and I implore everyone else to ignore them too. That is all I have to say on that subject

Spoiler :

]1. A netbook can do anything a normal PC can in consideration of it's 2. reduced specs.[/B] 3. In that sense a netbook is just an arbitrary label - the hardware is smaller and lower spec than what one would typically get these days (though they still outclass the (now dead) 486 I grew up on); the software is identical to that of a normal PC.

As for why netbooks are looked down on but the iPad is loved: dumbed down is "in" these days due to the consumerization of IT. Power users are being thrown under the bus in favor of [average] Joe user. At least Windows 8 still has the old UI available, but that will pass (eventually... this is Microsoft after all, but just look at Linux; it's already gone the way of the phone).

1. Except the ability to accept Disks. There is no
2. You've just hit the nail on the head of the Netbook's coffin. Reduced Specs. This would mean combined with one that I would not be able to play my games on a Netbook. Do you honestly believe that I will fall for the BS that AoE3 will play on a Netbook. Come on.
3. No. Just no. A netbook is called NETbook for a reason. It's for NET-centric computing(surfing the web, checking facebook, twitter, e-mail, etc.) Not heavy computing like gaming.
4. @ mdwh; Yes I do need a disk drive, sir since I'll be playing computer games on the dang thing.

So, does anyone know a place that has a Notebook laptop that is within $300-$500 USD. My minimum is 4gb RAM 320gb HDD and 1.9 GHz processing speed and 15.6" display. The more there is for as little $$$ as possible would be even better.

The best deal I've seen was $450 for 17.3" display 4gb RAM and 500gb HDD at the Best Buy physical store.

 

[deanej]

Except the ability to accept Disks.

Not important to most people these days. You might want to be careful to make sure your laptop comes with one; not all do these days. It's not just netbooks and tablets that don't have optical drives.

2. You've just hit the nail on the head of the Netbook's coffin. Reduced Specs. This would mean combined with one that I would not be able to play my games on a Netbook. Do you honestly believe that I will fall for the BS that AoE3 will play on a Netbook. Come on.
3. No. Just no. A netbook is called NETbook for a reason. It's for NET-centric computing(surfing the web, checking facebook, twitter, e-mail, etc.) Not heavy computing like gaming.

Most people don't need more. Netbooks can still do more than a tablet at the same specs yet people love tablets for some reason. Besides, I wasn't advocating for you to get a netbook (I would never recommend one as a primary computer), just responding to your assertion that a netbook is nothing more than a glorified smartphone (despite the fact that its software isn't locked down and dumbed down like a smartphone's is).

This is my last mention of Netbooks on this thread. If you want to create your own "Netbook v. Notebook" thread then knock yourselves out. I may even post sharing my opinion. But this is not the thread for that. This thread is about helping me find the most cost effective NOTEBOOK out there. If anyone does plug netbooks I will ignore you and I implore everyone else to ignore them too. That is all I have to say on that subject

A forum thread is not people responding to only you. It is a discussion, and like all discussions, it can drift. Points get brought up that can spark discussion. While as the OP you do have a right to nudge people back on topic, the attitude you are displaying when doing so actually makes me want to ignore you. Also, your insistence on avoiding netbooks is drawing more attention to them than they otherwise would have. It is natural to want to respond to the points you raise while attempting to move the discussion back! You'd have better luck if you simply said "could we please go back to my laptop?" and dropped the netbook discussion. Personally, I wouldn't care if a topic of mine drifted as long as my question got answered. Side discussions are normal.

As I don't know much about laptops that cheap, I'm just going to shut up now.

 

[tokala]

So, does anyone know a place that has a Notebook laptop that is within $300-$500 USD. My minimum is 4gb RAM 320gb HDD and 1.9 GHz processing speed and 15.6" display. The more there is for as little $$$ as possible would be even better.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230109

Much better CPU than the one civ_king suggested (frequency is NOT the only thing important there), but less capable GPU.

 

[sophie]

Ok, so this post ended up becoming a lot longer and more rambling than I was hoping for. I sort of turned it more into a general advice post in regards to laptops, computers, and gaming in college, specifically for someone going into the dorms, although there is stuff in there that addresses the OP. Just a forewarning.

I remember when I was shopping around for laptops when I started college (about 2 years ago) there was a pretty damned good deal on a compaq lappy for somewhere around 500 bucks. I know 2 of my friends ended up getting that model and they seemed fairly content with them. Try the HP website, I think that's where they found theirs. I know your budget is totally tight, but if you could at all be able to bump yourself up into the 800-900 dollar range, your options would be much more open, especially given the kind of specs you are looking for. I got my Dell Laptop (the one I am typing this message on right now) for about 850, I think, and I got a printer with it for another 50 bucks. Generally the laptops I saw were the 8-900 dollar Dells and HPs (mostly Dells), and then a lot of Macbooks (about 900-1000 somewhere in there), and A LOT more Macbook pros (Somewhere around 1200 I think). As for netbooks, I saw a few of those around, and they seemed to work very well for what you're going to be doing a lot of in college; namely facebooking, watching movies on netflix, and taking notes/writing essays. Definitely worth their keep if that's all you want to be doing on them.

As for gaming in college, unless you're a really hardcore gamer, I'd recommend against bringing up some kind of a super rig with a bunch of games, at least if you're going into the dorms. I did it for my first year, and while it's fun, it's way to easy to get isolated doing it. When you get to college you're going to be so busy going out on Friday nights and partying/wandering around/having fun, video games, at least I find, tend to fall by the wayside. For videogaming in college, in my opinion, you're much better off bringing a console with good party applicability, the best of the best is a N64, with the next best being a 360 or a Wii if you have one of these BRING IT, you'll find you'll get much more use out of it than a big gaming rig with a bunch of steam games on it. As for computer games, I'd recommend bringing low intensity games. Not necessarily simple ones, but more like oldies but goodies that are easy to install, don't put too much work on the processor and are easy to fire up if your professor is getting boring/you need to kill 30 minutes. Games I used were things like Rollercoaster Tycoon, AOE2, M1TW, Zeus, and those types of games. That's just my experience with gaming in college, and you're free to do whatever you want, that's just my advice.

Desktops at college: I'd recommend against it. I did it for my first year, I brought my homemade desktop up and it was pretty fun; being able to play all those games on there was nice, but I think I had a much more enjoyable year my second year when the desktop broke down and I was forced to be much less of a recluse, and enjoyed the college social life. Plus lugging that desktop back and forth is a pain in the ass and wastes valuable space when you're trying to cram all of your stuff for the year in one minivan.

Also, as said above, if this is going to be a laptop for schoolwork, you may want to keep in mind that buying a printer and some sort of office program would be a VERY good (albeit not necessarily mandatory) idea.

As for utility of laptops in college, I don't think I'd be able to live without mine (in fact I found it very difficult living without it for 2 days when I left it at home one time). Not only does it make notetaking and keeping track of your notes themselves very simple and painless (especially when you learn to type quickly and correctly), but it's also very useful for life in the dorms, from a social aspect (arranging parties, meetups for things, and trips downtown are much easier, facebook in college social life is sort of starting to become a bit mandatory), and then, although this sounds terrible to say, there's the status symbol aspect of it. Now, this may be a bit different for the OP, being that he's going to community college and he'll be living at home (I know a lot of the above deals with dorm life), but it's still applicable and I think helpful to any other prospective college students going into dorm life and junk. Well, that's just my 2 cents.

 

[civ_king]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230109

Much better CPU than the one civ_king suggested (frequency is NOT the only thing important there), but less capable GPU.

Except of course his main need is in GPU not CPU

 

[deanej]

Also, as said above, if this is going to be a laptop for schoolwork, you may want to keep in mind that buying a printer and some sort of office program would be a VERY good (albeit not necessarily mandatory) idea.

On this, I would recommend against an HP ink jet. I wound up using far more ink on "printer calibration" than on printing and gave it up after a year and a half (I use the printer in the Applied CS Labs, which even uses a web printing interface, so I don't have to find space in the public labs).

At least it came with a coupon for a BluRay player, which my Dad used as an excuse to buy one with a flatscreen HD TV.

 

[B-29 Bomber]

Ok, so this post ended up becoming a lot longer and more rambling than I was hoping for. I sort of turned it more into a general advice post in regards to laptops, computers, and gaming in college, specifically for someone going into the dorms, although there is stuff in there that addresses the OP. Just a forewarning.

I remember when I was shopping around for laptops when I started college (about 2 years ago) there was a pretty damned good deal on a compaq lappy for somewhere around 500 bucks. I know 2 of my friends ended up getting that model and they seemed fairly content with them. Try the HP website, I think that's where they found theirs. I know your budget is totally tight, but if you could at all be able to bump yourself up into the 800-900 dollar range, your options would be much more open, especially given the kind of specs you are looking for. I got my Dell Laptop (the one I am typing this message on right now) for about 850, I think, and I got a printer with it for another 50 bucks. Generally the laptops I saw were the 8-900 dollar Dells and HPs (mostly Dells), and then a lot of Macbooks (about 900-1000 somewhere in there), and A LOT more Macbook pros (Somewhere around 1200 I think). As for netbooks, I saw a few of those around, and they seemed to work very well for what you're going to be doing a lot of in college; namely facebooking, watching movies on netflix, and taking notes/writing essays. Definitely worth their keep if that's all you want to be doing on them.

As for gaming in college, unless you're a really hardcore gamer, I'd recommend against bringing up some kind of a super rig with a bunch of games, at least if you're going into the dorms. I did it for my first year, and while it's fun, it's way to easy to get isolated doing it. When you get to college you're going to be so busy going out on Friday nights and partying/wandering around/having fun, video games, at least I find, tend to fall by the wayside. For videogaming in college, in my opinion, you're much better off bringing a console with good party applicability, the best of the best is a N64, with the next best being a 360 or a Wii if you have one of these BRING IT, you'll find you'll get much more use out of it than a big gaming rig with a bunch of steam games on it. As for computer games, I'd recommend bringing low intensity games. Not necessarily simple ones, but more like oldies but goodies that are easy to install, don't put too much work on the processor and are easy to fire up if your professor is getting boring/you need to kill 30 minutes. Games I used were things like Rollercoaster Tycoon, AOE2, M1TW, Zeus, and those types of games. That's just my experience with gaming in college, and you're free to do whatever you want, that's just my advice.

Desktops at college: I'd recommend against it. I did it for my first year, I brought my homemade desktop up and it was pretty fun; being able to play all those games on there was nice, but I think I had a much more enjoyable year my second year when the desktop broke down and I was forced to be much less of a recluse, and enjoyed the college social life. Plus lugging that desktop back and forth is a pain in the ass and wastes valuable space when you're trying to cram all of your stuff for the year in one minivan.

Also, as said above, if this is going to be a laptop for schoolwork, you may want to keep in mind that buying a printer and some sort of office program would be a VERY good (albeit not necessarily mandatory) idea.

As for utility of laptops in college, I don't think I'd be able to live without mine (in fact I found it very difficult living without it for 2 days when I left it at home one time). Not only does it make notetaking and keeping track of your notes themselves very simple and painless (especially when you learn to type quickly and correctly), but it's also very useful for life in the dorms, from a social aspect (arranging parties, meetups for things, and trips downtown are much easier, facebook in college social life is sort of starting to become a bit mandatory), and then, although this sounds terrible to say, there's the status symbol aspect of it. Now, this may be a bit different for the OP, being that he's going to community college and he'll be living at home (I know a lot of the above deals with dorm life), but it's still applicable and I think helpful to any other prospective college students going into dorm life and junk. Well, that's just my 2 cents.

My God! Where am I going to get $800-$900! I have already explained this: I'M POOR!!!!!

 

[sophie]

My God! Where am I going to get $800-$900! I have already explained this: I'M POOR!!!!!

Ok, so this post ended up becoming a lot longer and more rambling than I was hoping for. I sort of turned it more into a general advice post in regards to laptops, computers, and gaming in college, specifically for someone going into the dorms, although there is stuff in there that addresses the OP. Just a forewarning.

I know your budget is totally tight, but if you could at all be able to bump yourself up into the 800-900 dollar range, your options would be much more open, especially given the kind of specs you are looking for.

Reading comprehension is a useful tool to have in college. There was no need to be so rude, either.

 

[Elephantium]

B-29 ... I'm not sure what you expect out of this thread. You said yourself that you have a budget capping at $350 ($450 if you wheedle some extra dough out of your parents), but then you shoot down everyone who offers advice.

What gives? Tantrums like this won't magically get you a $1000 machine at 1/3 price.

 

[Quintillus]

Also, as said above, if this is going to be a laptop for schoolwork, you may want to keep in mind that buying a printer and some sort of office program would be a VERY good (albeit not necessarily mandatory) idea.

Since B-29 will probably be living at home, there's no reason to buy a printer, assuming he already has one. Even if he doesn't, the college's printers may be perfectly sufficient - drop by a lab before turning in a physical paper and you're set, even if their computers aren't very good. Depends on your major, of course - I'm sure there's some where having your own printer (at home or in a dorm) would be very handy, but in some majors having your own printer just isn't worth it (for cost and space reasons) versus using the college's.

tl;dr: A printer's probably not worth buying if you can use the college's, or even a local library's.

 

[deanej]

Not a great strategy near final exam week, but works the rest of the time. Print final projects well in advance if you're using a school printer!

 

[sophie]

Not a great strategy near final exam week, but works the rest of the time. Print final projects well in advance if you're using a school printer!

This. Plus, if you're in a humanities major related field, that 10 cents a page can REALLY add up after a few quarters. I can understand with non-writing intensive fields though.

 

[B-29 Bomber]

I got my laptop you guys! It's not what I would call my dream laptop but I should be able to easily be able to play Civ 3. But not AoE 3 sadly. It's a shame because I would have loved to be able to represent the to game genres that I like: Turn-based and RTS. But I like Civ 3 better so I can live with the compromise. Here's the Specs:

CPU: AMD Dual-Core Processor C-50

Display: 15.6" HD LED LCD

Graphics Card(I Think): AMD Radeon HD6250

RAM: 3 GB DDR3

Hard Drive: 320 GB 5400 RPM

Disk Drive: DVD-Super Multi DL drive

Battery Life: On Balanced: 4-5 hours
On Power Saver: ~6 1/2 hours

The Processing Speed is the bottleneck at 1.0 Ghz and AoE3 requires 1.4 Ghz. A lousy .4 Ghz prevents me from playing AoE 3 on it. Damn...

 

[tokala]

AoE3 should work. The "1.4GHz" very likely refer to a Pentium4, and your C-50 should be easily faster than that.