Laptops and Notebooks?

[jenarelJAM]

Okay, so I'm going off to college next year, and I'm starting to do laptop research, figure out what I want to buy. I'll be (probably, unless I switch) majoring in engineering, and so will need the laptop to be usable for cad and stuff(I don't know exactly what, just whatever I need for school), as well as be able to take it to classes for notes and work, etc. I'm not interested in a desktop, and I'm also not interested in buying a separate screen to plug it into back at the dorm for a higher resolution screen.

Okay, the first thing that comes to mind is price. I don't need to keep it super cheap, ie $700. I'm thinking more along the lines of a $1500 or $2000 laptop, possibly more. My dad is "buying me a laptop," but I'll definitely be paying for what he doesn't want to, because I'll want something higher end. At this point, basically all of my income is disposable, so it's just a matter of how much I want to work extra this summer to pay for it. I'll probably end up paying everything over the $1000-1500 mark, but then again, I'll have a summer job to pay for it. It's just money I would otherwise have to spend on something else. (I don't need it for paintball, lol, I play pump now)

Oh, and price means computer + OS. Software like Office will be separate. I've already got licenses for most of it anyway.

I figure that $1500-2000 is the absolute least I'd have to pay for something with a decent screen resolution. I've got a (17" or 19", I can't remember) 1440x900 screen for my desktop at home, so that is an absolute minimum. I don't want to downgrade. I want the higher resolution for cad. 1680x1080 or 1920x1200 would be amazing. My dad also agrees that I should have pretty good screen resolution.

Intel core 2 duo is also a must. Again, I'd like to get something higher than the minimum speed, as I'm planning on using this computer for my entire college experience and want to be able to at least run programs that come out in a few years.

2gb ram also seems like a minimum, especially with vista.

I'm not an extreme gamer, but occasionally would like to be able to plug in a game. I've heard a decent video card may be required for rendering 3d models in cad? For this reason, I'd also like a decent video card, although it doesn't have to be the absolute best.

Sound doesn't matter to me.

Okay, now, screen "size"... I'd actually really like some input here. I'm not sure if I want to go with a 15.4" screen or a 17" screen. I really don't want to go lower, as the resolution is a big thing for me, but I'm going to be carrying this around with me between classes, so I'm not sure if the extra weight/size is going to be a pain with the 17". If anyone has experience with both in a college environment, it would be greatly helpful.

Finally the harddrive. Space is not really an issue. I mean, I could get by with a 40GB harddrive if I needed to. I'm not one to put tons of media on my computer, just my music, and that's ~6GB. What I'm wondering though, is would it be worth it to upgrade from the standard 5400 rpm to a 7200 rpm? I'd be paying a bit more, but I understand it would increase my boot time and time burning cds/dvds, etc?

Also, I'd like to have the little goodies like bluetooth and wireless connectivity thrown in.

Anything I haven't mentioned apparently wasn't important enough to stick out in my head, so probably unimportant.

Right now I'm looking at the Asus G1S or the G2S, the difference being harddrive space and screen size. The G2s is $100 more expensive ($2000 and $2100). http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/06/a...th-santa-rosa/ (ignore the prices on that page) The G1S just came out, and the G2S will be out soon. Do you think this is a good choice?

I won't be actually buying this computer for at least a month, maybe 2-3. My dad thinks it's a good idea to wait for more vista updates and of course, prices come down when you wait, and new technology comes out.

What do you guys know about laptops, technology, weight vs size, vista, college, that might help me?

[robnix]

Your dad is right. I've had some showstopping issues testing Vista, including mind numbingly slow tranfers over my 1GB LAN at home and blue screens. Get XP now, wait a bit with Vista.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/

The ASUS laptops are nice, but you may Look at the boutique laptops made by Clevo, that are distributed by companies like Sager.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=91510

I had a Sager 5760, which was a bit large, but was a fantastic gaming rig with a beautiful 17" 1920x1200 screen.

[Pneumagger]

I've been where you are right now. IMO, your best computing option is to get a kickass desktop for $1000, then pickup a middle of the raod laptop for $600-$700. That gives you the raw power and upgradablilty of the desktop - with mobility of a laptop if needed. The best laptops will be outdated in a year and there is little you can do to upgrade them in any capacity - whereas a desktop with the best CPU and chipsets can always be upgraded to be top of the line for much longer. Plus screens are bigger, and you get way more RAM and storage capacity.

I went through 3 laptops through my 4 years of college, and I never really NEEDED a laptop. Looking back, I wish I would've went with a powerful desktop and a midrange laptop. Remember, dorm rooms are small - get something that can have the tv tuner built in to save room and to watch tv on an lcd screen. Also, most colleges have great savings on computers through their technology webstores - my college does and I'd be willing to share my webstore info.

A sweet Dell lattitude back in '03 that was $1600.
A $1000 Small G4 iBook in '04 because I wanted to give a mac platform a trail.
A $400 HP (Best Buy thanksgiving sale) Laptop, that I still have - I couldn't stand the mac.

All three of my laptops ran CAD just fine and every other program I've wanted to - even my $400 laptop that has 512MB memory and shared video memory (no video card) runs solidworks 2007 great. For the record, my '06 $400 HP laptop is more powerful than the '03 $1600 Dell was on all fronts except the video card. Laptops technology gets outdated real fast and they can't really be upgraded. Keep this in mind.

[Warwitch]

Yeah, I have to say having a laptop is more of a pain in the arse than its worth. I have a decked out IBM G41 and I would much rather have my home as the powerhouse. I agree with Pneumagger, get a nice desktop and a mid-range laptop to do your word processing.

[neppo1345]

I agree 100% with pneumagger.

Get a nice desktop and a cheaper laptop.

Laptops are lose-lose.

If you get something to use as an everyday computer; you want a big monitor, but then it gets heavy and you lose portability.

If you get something to use thats super portable its going to be small and not something you want to strain to look at on a daily basis.

You also lose scaleablilty.

If I had to do it again, I would build a desktop and buy the smallest laptop I could find.


However, if you still decide to get nothing but a laptop, heres some things I've learned:

You will end up buying external speakers or nice headphones.

HDD size will matter. You might have 6 gigs of music now, but you'll go to school and discover TONS of new music. Your taste will change. You're also an engineer so you'll be downloading lots of porn. You'll be studying while everyone else is getting laid.

You won't do half as much cad work on your computer as you think you will.

There will be at least one occasion when something hits/breaks/destroys/spills on your machine. Get something with a replacement plan (IE Dell).

You will forget your charger. Get an upgraded battery or multiple batteries.

I'll add more as I think of them.

[Pneumagger]

Your taste will change. You're also an engineer so you'll be downloading lots of porn. You'll be studying while everyone else is getting laid.

OH my god - lol, we need signatures. Neppo is wise beyond his years.

[jenarelJAM]

However, if you still decide to get nothing but a laptop, heres some things I've learned:

You will end up buying external speakers or nice headphones.

HDD size will matter. You might have 6 gigs of music now, but you'll go to school and discover TONS of new music. Your taste will change. You're also an engineer so you'll be downloading lots of porn. You'll be studying while everyone else is getting laid.

You won't do half as much cad work on your computer as you think you will.

There will be at least one occasion when something hits/breaks/destroys/spills on your machine. Get something with a replacement plan (IE Dell).

You will forget your charger. Get an upgraded battery or multiple batteries.

I'll add more as I think of them.

I 'd so hard...

HDD space, I can always get an external. They were selling 500 GB drives at fry's yesterday for ~$110 iirc. I'd rather just have a faster drive for booting. And BTW, I wasn't actually planning on only having 40GB. The G1S 7200 HDD is 100GB I believe.

Speakers... maybe. I find it more likely headphones though. Maybe speakers for my dorm, but then again, I'm really not enjoying the idea of leaving stuff in my dorm. I really want portability.

For all who are saying desktop, I understand what you mean. I realize that laptops become obsolete almost the moment you buy them, and have virtually no upgradability. Maybe I'll need to buy a second laptop (or third) before I graduate. I'm more willing to do that than deal with finding the space (dorm rooms are small) for a desktop, and I also really don't like sitting at a desk. I want to be able to use it on my lap, on the bed, etc. Part of the reason I'm looking into the nicer screens is because I really don't want to have a second monitor left behind in the dorm. I'm not really worried about people stealing it, I just want everything in one.

For carrying, the G1S/G2S, at least, come with a backpack. I don't know what all I'll need for my classes, but I assume I'll be able to significantly cut down on the number of physical binders I take to class, leaving my backpack almost exclusively for my laptop. Maybe I'll need to bring a small folder as well, and some pencils/pens. I write (type) much faster on a keyboard, so would definitely use it for notes. Bye bye notepaper.

I think I'll maybe get an external power source, not a spare battery. My dad has one, works pretty well, and then I can just leave that in my backpack and plug my laptop into it if I need to.

Comes with a 2-year warrantee, I'd look more into that when it comes time to buy the computer.

The problem is that nothing comes with XP anymore. It's pretty much Vista... or... Vista. I'm sure that in a few months, Vista will be a lot more solid. XP had the same sort of problems when it first came out, and then it was patched, and patched, and patched, and now it's pretty good.

Let me take a look at the Sager notebooks, I've heard them mentioned before too...

[Pneumagger]

I just bring my same 5 subject notebook, a pencil, and laptop to all my classes in a medium size laptop carry case w/ shoulder strap. If your doing engineering (and plan on actually attending class) I recommend never taking your lappy to class.

a) Technical lectures involve lots of equations/diagrams. Although you can type fast, equations are always difficult to type succinctly and diagrams are darn near impossible unless your the ascii-picasso phenomenon.

b) www.addictinggames.com will own your soul. Lectures are boring and often unnecessary.

If your dead set on a nice laptop, the HPs and toshibas have great bright screens. Typically, the smooth glossy screens are much nicer than the matte lcd screens, especially outside in the sun. Screens larger than 15" widescreen start to become very not fun to carry around. Resolution is way more important than overall size. In fact, I'm sure you already know this, but a very large screen with average resolution will look very crappy as the size only magnifies the average resolution. Be sure to get a laptop with a fullsize keyboard, you will loathe those goddamned micro sized keyboards. Mouse trackpads are better than point sticks - dell comes with both. And the replacement plan dell offers is totally awesome - dell once replaced my lappy no questions asked. Other than that, as long as it's a centrino dou core powerful and has a nice videocard, it should be very nice.

for $1900, our school has a dell lattitude d820 with the core2 Duo 2.33GHz 4MB L2 Cache processor , 3GB RAM, 8x DVD burner, 160GB HDD, Gigabit ethernet card (1000Mbit/sec), and top of the line 512MB NVIDIA Quadro graphics card with 15.4 WUXGA LCD. The computer will rape everything (as well as your wallet). Depending on what options you want though it can be as cheap as $1400 through my school. Lemme know if want to purchase it through my college.

[geekwarrior]

I would reconsider what has been mentioned already....nice desktop, mid laptop. With flat screen monitors, a desktop doesn't take up much room. And that way if one of your machines goes down, you have the other one to work on.

I and everyone I knew in college who had a latop used there laptop for pretty much everything but academic purposes. Maybe taking notes here and there.....which as pnuemagger said, normally ended up as notes/pocket tanks.

[WaffleBaron]

You'll be studying while everyone else is getting laid.

Pffft... engineers are slackers too. So the correct phase should be "You'll be *insert inane task here* while everyone else is getting laid."

[jenarelJAM]

*insert inane task here*

Actually getting to know, respect, and love a woman, while everyone is having mindless sex with a flesh and blood blow up doll?

(no hard feelings)

[Pneumagger]

Actually getting to know, respect, and love a woman, while everyone is having mindless sex with a flesh and blood blow up doll?

(no hard feelings)

dude, your going to fail at College with that sort of crappy attitude.

[bornl33t]

CAD+taking notes in class leaves you with 2 options. A wall outlet or serveral batteries. High end laptops ALL have low battery life. You can't have both, period.

[billybob_81067]

Pffft... engineers are slackers too. So the correct phase should be "You'll be *insert inane task here* while everyone else is getting laid."

*dicking around with equipment in the machine shop*

[Warwitch]

dude, your going to fail at College with that sort of crappy attitude.

Dont worry, beer will change his tune