What laptop computer would you recommend to a Computer Science student going to uni?

Question

any recommendations or past experiences will help :)

Answer 1

Go with a simi portable laptop.

Not super portable (unless you have the money and don't mind cramped hands) and you don't want a really heavy one as you'll carry it around from time to time.

Brand isn't as important as it use to be (my laptop is not from a brand name company for example) what you will need though is
1 GB of ram (making sure you can add more later)
A good processor (Go a little higher end here, as its hard to update laptop hard drives)
60-80+GB hard drive (depends greatly on how you use your computer)
A good video card

For the time being core duo processors are the way to go, they run cooler, faster, and are cheaper than their amd counterparts


Pretty much any computer with those specs should fit what you need, oh and get a good screen you'll be staring at it for awhile =)

Aton Gutierrez
Residential Computing
Management Science and Engineering (Technology and Organization)
Stanford University

Answer 2

I'd recommend a Macbook Pro...
not because it's a Mac, but because you can install Linux, Windows and MacOS on a Macbook Pro (or Macbook), which would be useful for a computer science student.

Anything with an Intel core 2 duo though... get something fast and efficient :)

Answer 3

Go with one of the XW series by HP. Personally, I'd use the HP xw4300 Windows XP Professional Edition Pentium 4 660 3.6GHz Processor 80GB SATA Hard Drive 2GB DDR2 RAM 667 DVDRW/LightScribe Drive NVIDIA Quadro4 285NVS 128MB Graphics/Gaming System that you can get at www.stupidcheapcomputers.net for less than $1,200.

Answer 4

Dell Small Business has well equipped Inspiron 6400 (identical model to E1505 in Dell Home) for $643.

Specs:

Intel Core Duo T2050 (1.60GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 533MHz FSB)
Genuine Windows XP Home
Upgrade to Windows Vista Home Basic from XP Home, $55 payable at redemption
15.4 inch Wide Screen XGA Display with TrueLife
1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz, 2 Dimm
120GB 5400rpm SATA Hard Drive
8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
128MB ATI MOBILITY RADEON X1300 HyperMemory
Dell Wireless 1390 802.11b/g Mini Card (54Mbps)
Integrated Audio
53 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
1 Year Mail-in Economy Plan

Good upgrades to consider:

Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 (2.00GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 667MHz FSB) [add $200]
15.4 inch UltraSharp Wide Screen WXGA+ (1440x900) Display with TrueLife [add $50] or
15.4 inch UltraSharp Wide Screen SXGA+ (1680x1050) Display with TrueLife [add $100]
85 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery [add $49]
256MB ATI MOBILITY RADEON® X1400 HyperMemory [add $50]

Link to system: http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?cs=04&kc=65014&oc=BNPCBC4&x=6&y=12

Answer 5

go for a toshiba, sony, or and ibm. you could get a toshiba with a good processor and 2 gigs of ram and a 120 gig harddrive for under a g. plus in cs all you need to do is write programs so you could even get a very low end computer and it would still work just fine for you

Answer 6

AT least 2 GIGs of RAM and at least 2GIGs of CPU speed .

CHECK WITH THE SCHOOL FIRST !!! If they teach PC based classes, then a $3000 new Mac would be useless.

Remember, computers can be rented. You might but one type and rent another type for one semester for one or two classes that it refers to.

Answer 7

Check to see if your University has a computer source program... they usually sign an agreement, or have a program that may be part of your fees.

Answer 8

http://www.laptopcloseout.com/usa/store.html

CHECK THIS SITE OUT AND DELL, WHICH I HAVE , ALWAYS HAS A SPECIAL ON, IVE ONLY GOT A 40 GIG HARD DRIVE AND IM SURE YOULL WANT MORE, MAKE SURE YOUVE GOT A TOP LEVEL WIRELESS AS WELL, EMAIL ME IF I CAN BE OF HELP


GOD BLESS

Answer 9

A Dell D8000 would be the minimum

Answer 10

macbook