New College Laptop

[vettelovr1124 10+ year member]

Well, it's that time of year again and I have to do some back-to-school shopping. This time, I get to purchase a new laptop required by the engineering department. The specs needed are as follows:

Processor/Processor Speed: * Intel Pentium-M (or equivalent processor) with a clock frequency of 1.80GHz

Operating System: Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2 (SP2)

Memory: 1 GB RAM

Hard Drive: 60 Gigabytes

Video Card: 64 MB or greater

Optical Device Options: DVD/CD-RW (Optionally device can be a DVD+R or DVD-R drive)

Network Card: 10/100 Mbit Ethernet Card and 802.11g Wireless Interface

Modem: 56 Kb Modem that uses the V.90 Standard. Winmodems are not acceptable

Input/Output USB: 2.0

File System: NTFS

I'd like to buy something in the $1800 range or even less. Weight and size isn't really an issue, but I don't want the thing to be ubelievably loud or hot. I think I might just end up using it exclusively in the dorm anyways. And besides the occasional RA2 (or some other old RA game), I wouldn't be using it for gaming.

Right now, I'm looking at ibuypower.com (primarily the Battalion G-600 or ML-Turbo). They seem pretty nice for the money, but I'm not sure the reliability.

Since I'm not much of a computer guy, I'd like to know what others are using and perhaps any recommendations regarding the computer I need.

Click to read more...

 

[Loudrango112 10+ year member]

im selling a laptop that meets every one of those requirements expect the 1 gig of ram.. only 256... but you could upgrade it?

Only being sold for 700

 

[albarran9 10+ year member]

**** they some picky bastards. which ever laptop you get just make sure to get some sort of insurace or tech support cuz shit dose break down. i got a sony vio and it's been great, only diff is the hadrd drive size in a 40 gig. i'd build my own if i was you, but maybe you can get some one to build you one for cheap.

 

[TheBigDu 10+ year member]

Hey man,

I just bought an Asus W3V for school, etc. Asus makes very high quality products, and the specs of that computer are definitely what you're looking for.

It was $1699 after a $200 rebate until about three days ago. Now it's back to the regular price of $1899. BUT, go through certain Asus authorized dealers and you can get a student discount of up to 3%. (http://www.starpcs.net)

Best place to look is http://www.notebookreview.com. And go to "discussions" at the top. They have a pretty good forum over there. Also, the reviews they do are nice.

-Brian

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

And besides the occasional RA2

RA2 kicks ***.

**** they some picky bastards.

Welcome to a serious tech school - they want you to have something that will still run CAD programs and advanced math stuff four years from now...

Just avoid any Dell machine built on the larger chassis if portability is a concern...I have an XPS, and "laptop" is a misnomer. It should be marketed as a "portable desktop". As in, you can pack it in a briefcase, and it'll run on a battery - for about a minute or two. And it's as loud as a desktop. And weighs 9 and a half pounds. But, I've got an 80gig HD and 3.4GHz of processor //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

I think I might just end up using it exclusively in the dorm anyways.

That's usually what I did. The only time I had the will to lug the brute across the Drillfield was for poly sci class, because McBryde has a really nice Wifi node and it gave me something to do for those afternoon lectures //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[vettelovr1124 10+ year member]

Yeah...I don't want something as loud and hot as the XPS, or usually any laptop (or portable desktop) running a Pentium 4 processor. Although I do like 3.4 Ghz of speed on a "laptop".//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

And yes, RA2 = absolute good

 

[vettelovr1124 10+ year member]

Just to put some closure on the thread, I'll be getting the ibuypower gl-600 because it can surpass my needs at a cheaper price (they have a 5% discount now). I pondered going for a p4, but shrugged it off after remembering that I didn't want to burn my lap or think twice about taking it to class due to weight or noise. So that basically led to my decision. That is...unless someone says something to completely change my mind real soon.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[lspin01l 10+ year member]

I just bought a new compaq x6000 series notebook.

Windows XP Pro

P4 @3.4 ghz

1gig of RAM

17in Briteview Monitor

80 GB Hard Drive

DVD RW/CD RW

256 MB ATI Radeon X600 graphics card

Wireless network card....dunno what kind

i payed 1600 for it, and it comes with a free printer (HP 1410)

I love it so far, the screen is a little big, but I will be keeping it in my dorm most of the time

EDIT....eh, I didnt read the whole thread and didnt see you previous post....ah welll