Alright, so I'm a month into my first semester at college and am just now getting a laptop. It was originally going to be for just classes and such, but since my computer is ancient (It's white, the original monitor is as thick as my arm is long, won't play decent games like Gunz because of the graphics) I figured I'll end up using the laptop more than my desktop. I was initially just going to hold off on getting a laptop and get a better desktop first, but I need a laptop for my major next semester. I've asked a lot of people for advice, but for every person that can say something good about one brand, there's a guaranteed person that hates it. I was deciding of a Windows or a Mac. After much thought, I decided on Windows. I'm used to Windows, know nothing about Mac, and will need my programs. I don't think getting Mac and then spending the extra money on Windows is worth it. Plus Windows 7 is coming out soon and both these laptops have a guaranteed upgrade. Not to mention it comes out on my birthday and I consider that a sign that God/our genetic make up/the universe/some other power above us wants me to get it. My major's Accounting so I need decent sized laptop to make sure I get a Number pad. I narrowed my choices to these two (for now): HP 17" Pavilion dv7-1261wm Entertainment Laptop PC w/ AMD Turion X2 Dual-Core Mobile ProcessorI love the look of this one. $70 more than the Toshiba, but it seems to be set up to be not just a laptop, but a main computer. So I'd be able to get rid of my desktop maybe? The base price is around 768. With two year service plan and Microsoft office and a few other things, it'll be around 1,200. AMD Turion X2 mobile processor RM-74 / 2.2 GHz (Dual Core) Hardrive Size: 500GB Ram: Installed size: 4GB/8GB (max) Also, according to the user reviews on the HP, it gets hot. Doesn't burn, but not recommended to put on your lap. I have a desk so I won't do do that. THe keys are hard to see, but I type by touch so that's no problem. Out of the reviews, it seems about a third of people are extremely disappointed. The glare and heating is the main problem for everyone else, but still recommend it. Toshiba 17.3" Satellite L555-S7916 Laptop PC with Intel Core 2 Duo T650070$ Cheaper. Pretty much only considering this because of the 70$ difference and because it has Intel. I know nothing of processors, but Intel seems to be the more popular one. However, I couldn't find a decent review on it whereas I found a ton of good ones for the HP. Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T6500 / 2.1 GHz (Dual-Core) Harddrive Size: 320GB RAM: 3 GB / 4 GB (max) Haven't found any good reviews yet so it still seems like a more of a gamble to take than the HP My budget is about $1000 (Thank God excess financial aid). So this I have to settle for one of these, and I am really leaning towards the HP. So I have a few questions for you, KHV. 1. HP or Toshiba? 2. Would the Processors make too big a difference? 3. Do you recommend any others? 4. For those of you in college, do you find it better to have a desktop AND a laptop, or does a laptop suffice for class and regular life? 5. What programs should I make sure to get? 6. Any other features I should get? 7. Any other advice on laptops? EDIT: Also, what's a good mouse? I don't really care for wireless, but I would prefer it. Somethign that works on any surface, not just mousepads.
You didnt post any stats. What GHz are your processors? assuming dual core 2.0GHz. How much RAM? Advice: Laptops overheat easily. Be careful where you use it. Laptops aren't meant for upgrades. Processors are a ***** to change. Windows vista and 7 are RAM hogs, i reccomend 3GB + Download Unlocker, its useful.
If that Toshiba is the one I think it is (and I know little about laptop technical terminology), it's DEFINITELY the worse choice. My laptop was a Toshiba Sattelite, and it SUCKED ASS. My advice, get the HP, and get extra memory. I got about 30GB for I think around $50, but I would recommend getting a bit more than that. 100GB or more, especially if you have large amounts of video files (video editing, TV series downloaded to your comp, etc), or high-end games.
What's Unlocker? I'll edit the post and put the stats. But the HP: AMD Turion X2 mobile processor RM-74 / 2.2 GHz (Dual Core) Hardrive Size: 500GB Ram: Installed size: 4GB/8GB (max) Also, according to the user reviews on the HP, it gets hot. Doesn't burn, but not recommended to put on your lap. I have a desk so I won't do do that. THe keys are hard to see, but I type by touch so that's no problem. Out of the reviews, it seems about a third of people are extremely disappointed. The glare and heating is the main problem for everyone else, but still recommend it. Toshiba: Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T6500 / 2.1 GHz (Dual-Core) Harddrive Size: 320GB RAM: 3 GB / 4 GB (max) Haven't found any good reviews yet so it still seems like a more of a gamble to take than the HP. Don't really do video editing or watch movies that much (rather use a laptop) and the games I play, I wouldn't say are high end. Pretty much something to pass the time if I have nothing to do, but the HP is definitely appearing to be the better choice. Buying computers are always a gamble. No matter what brand you get, you can still end up with the bad apple of the bunch. It isn't always the brand, but the computer specifically, that's what worries me the most.
8GB ram is only used by a 64 bit OS, which is not compatible with a VERY large number of programs. 8GB RAM is overkill, and that guy that syid get extra 30gb for 50 bucks, thats a ripoff, and he used wrong terms. Memory = ram, not HDD space. Dual Core 2.2GHz is a good processor, but would heat up extremely quickly, because of the fact that most laptops have small heatsinks and ****** fans. 4GB of ram is all that most programs will take, and is all that a 32 bit (most common and supported) operating system will register and use. Unlocker is a program that can allow you to bypass errors when trying to do things like delete files.
