What is the best notebook for a college student?

Question

I've heard people say the tablet feature is nice. I looked on Dell's website but could not find anything about that. Also, I would like to stay away from Macs simply because the colleges I attend /will be attending for med school is offering software to use on Windows, and also because I prefer PCs over Macs. Thanks for any suggestions!

Answer 1

Most colleges or universitys offer education discount programs through partnerships with PC manufacturers, Apple, and other resellers. Typically you can find this info out by contacting the bookstore, enrollment, or IT department.

Our University uses IBM Thinkpads which are more of a business model. Now Lenovo bought the Desktop, Notebook, and Tablet line from IBM last year. So if you are thinking about a Thinkpad you would choose Lenovo as the manufacturer and not IBM. Some Universitys are Thinkpad Universities and give each student a Thinkpad. You could check on that as well.

The standards I set at our univeristy for PC notebooks consists of using a Thinkpad 2623-DAU with a 1GB RAM upgrade. This also includes a 3 year warranty.

In reference to Tablet PC's. Lenovo just announced the Thinkpad X60. But truthfully the smaller you get the more cumbersome and less performance and expandability you will have. I would not get anything less than an X60 with a 1.83GHz processor and 2GB of RAM.

Tablets range about $1,800 to start. I just bought 12 Tablets for faculty and really other than handwriting recognition which is still a sort of manual process, there's not any point to them.

If you want the Tablet to be very mobile you have to select the 12" screen (very small). A 15" screen makes the Tablet too heavy.

IBM\Lenovo Thinkpads are very study and built for excessive use. They may cost a little more but it is well worth it. You can also get Thinkpad Protection which is insurance against accidental spills and screen damage.

You can also research reviews on PC World.

Anyone answering your question (myself included) is not necessarily going to know which notebook is best. You'd have to be a prodcut specialst and have used notebooks from various manufacturers.

Answer 2

I am not a Med student but I will try to answer your question with a little help from you... surprised? :)

College students are best helped with lower end laptops were basic functionality only is desired. A lot also depends on your field of study or interests. My field of study was programming but my interests were multimedia and 3D. Since that would require running graphic intensive applications I knew the laptop would be double the cost of an average laptop if not 3 times. So here's what I did.

I bought a simple seconds hand laptop that would take care of my college related work and used a new PC with all the high end specs @ home for the rest. So less than half the amount I would have incurred in a high end yet unsatisfying laptop I was able to solve my problem.

For you; the question is, what kind of applications do Med students usually use. If you have applications that run lots of 3D simulations , etc. then you need a bare minimum with graphics accelerator card. If thats not the case then just select your favorite brand by whatever your criterion for that is (for me its warranty and customer support). Then ask the retailer for a low end "business/office application' purpose laptop. They can assist you from there. Almost all manufacturers provide 100% Windows compatible laptops unless otherwise mentioned. I will list down a simple spec sheet for you, but I advise getting an external portable hard disk for backing up documents and multimedia files as space on laptops will always be limited.

minimum spec:
Intel Centrino or P4 or AMD equivalent (not Celeron)
512 MB RAM
60 or 80 GB HDD
DVD 8x RW (good for saving backups every month in dvd)
If not "centrino" then another wireless card inbuilt
ports: Lan, 2-4 USB minimum, Firewire, Card reader, Video out
(these things are usally present but wouldn't hurt to double check)

Optional:
Bluetooth

Depending on your choice the screen maybe 12" to 15". I recommend smaller for ease of lugging around in school.

estimated price: US$1200 or less.

If you have anymore doubts you can always reach me by YM or emal.

Good luck.

Answer 3

Either Dell or HP will be your best bet. Dell has had tons of problems with their laptop batteries, so this would make me lean toward HP. Additionally, HP's financials have been better than Dell's over the past couple of years. Colleges are geared to work with Windows PCs, which would make me shy away from a Mac. Minimum specs:
Intel Core Solo Processor
1 GB RAM
80 GB Hard Disk
Integrated 802.11g wireless
DVD Writer
Windows XP Professional Operating System

Answer 4

I have owned 3 differnent laptops toshiba dell and hp and beign a computer tech the dell and the toshiba were JUNK had to be sent in 3 times for servicde and last 16 months and dell was just as bad the fan would not cool it and i could barely sit it on my lap and the hard drive also had to be replace lasted 2 years now i got a hp verry good quality and no problems so far

Answer 5

try getting the compaq or the gateway they both come with the all the new features with lowered price
and as you said which kinda computer then you are looking for the one when you can see videos download musics and videos and ofcourse play game on it. if you have a good budget then the best will be the dell XPS with geforce1024 thats the best for college perfect time pass with the perfect work efficient

Answer 6

whilst you're in an engineering course a sturdy pc could be a center i7 microprocessor from Intel. whilst you're in a organisation course the main suitable desktops may be the time-honored Intel middle i5 microprocessor based pc or an Apple Macbook. additionally, another laptops that are sturdy for college are Dell Inspiron Laptops, HP Pavilion laptops, Toshiba satellite tv for pc Laptops, or Sony VAIO Laptops.

Answer 7

Dell laptops are the best

Answer 8

Dell Inspiron is a good choice for you.

Answer 9

i just baught a sony viao myself the reviews for it are very positive you being a collage student i would buy one of the tough notebook computers that are built to withstand the everyday commings, goings and roughness of collage life