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Best College Laptop

10 years ago

Hi All,

Need to get laptop for college bound "freshman"....

any and all suggestions would be great....

would like to stay around $6-700 if possible, will go higher if need be....

TIA

Comments (7)

zep516
10 years ago
Hi sprtphntc,

I'm just going to supply a link for you. It contains a wealth of information and even some that you might have not even considered asking.

Here is a link that might be useful: should-i-buy-for-college
jean001a
10 years ago
Check with the school before you buy. Some places have general requirements, others require that the computer must be purchased through the school because of the necessary software.
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The term "build your own" can apply to almost any brand of computer if you go to the web site of the manufacturer and select the components that you want. Then you can order it directly from the manufacturer's store or go to a big box store and match the specs as closely as possible and probably get a much better price. As for avoiding HP because of their corporate actions, I do not think that will be a problem. HP computers will be around whether the same company continues to produce them or the computer division is sold to someone else. Don't forget, these are nearly all built in China anyway. They will stand behind their products for whatever warranty period you have. Also, I would not be in too big a hurry to make this purchase for the next school year anytime soon. Electronics change, and upgrades are made so often, you might be better off waiting until after Christmas to make the purchase, and save money also.
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sprtphntc7a
Original Author
10 years ago
thanks for your replies....

great link zep, so much info
jean, good suggestion, i will look into it...

thanks again !!

if anyone else has suggestions, keep them coming....

TIA
breenthumb
10 years ago
The computer guru's on the radio here (soundbytes.org) always suggest that buying locally, near the college, gives access to local warranty help. May not apply if buying from big box retail though.
john_wc
10 years ago
I would put reliability at the top of the list. Consumer reviews have become almost useless due to sabatogue by those who are overly-loyal to a particular brand.

Rescuecom publishes a reliability report. It measures the number of support calls it receives for each brand and then compares that to the relative US market share of each brand to derive a reliability index. It is not a perfect measurement but at least it's based on objective data. Rescuecom's 2013 ratings are as follows:

1. Samsung (648)
2. Asus (332)
3. Lenovo/IBM (228)
4. HP (124)
5. Toshiba (118)
6. Apple (76)
7. Dell (60)
8. Sony (54)
9. Acer (28)

This post was edited by john_wc on Thu, Jul 18, 13 at 15:26
sdelafuente
10 years ago
I have been in the field of computer repair for almost 10 years. I would recommend Samsung, Acer, Dell, Apple, and Lenovo. The brand I don't not suggest is HP. They have the tendency of giving out right after the warranty. Also try to get it with an Intel processor. AMD run really hot.

Good Luck
sprtphntc7a
Original Author
10 years ago
thanks everyone for your input...great info!!!

i was already shying away from HP...
and set on intel processor vs. AMD...

2 decisions made....

anymore help would be great....

TIA

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