I'm seriously thinking about picking up a laptop for university. Can someone help me choose?

[Vasant56]

I'm going to take Computer Science at a fairly nice university in Canada, and I'm hoping to get a laptop to go along with my studies. Because it is CS, a lot of people suggested getting a mac because it's unix based, but I'm really not sure (never used a mac before). I've also been suggested a thinkpad, because they're rugged. What would you guys recommend for a laptop? I'm really open to any suggestions.

[shawnc]

Vasant56,

It would be helpful if you gave us an idea of whats important to you. Features, prices, etc. I think you'll find many willing to offer advice if you point us in the right direction.

[Vasant56]

Oh sorry. I guess I wasn't thinking.

I'm looking for a wifi computer, lightweight, but still powerful. Nice screen, with a dvd-rom and cd burner, good battery life, and a long lasting unit (5 years). How would doom3 play on any laptop? One reason I haven't played any macs is because of the lack of games, but by getting a laptop, will I be limiting me gameplaying anyways? I hope this is clear enough.

Is there any laptop specific features that I haven't mentioned that I should know about?

edit: It will also be my primary music and video player

[yvilla]

Suggestion: Check out the Tablet PCs. Handwritten note taking is only one of the many benefits especially well suited for college students.

The Toshiba M200 has plenty of power, and even plays games too. It's a convertible model, so can be either laptop or tablet instantly as you need. Another favorite is the Motion M1400, a slate model, nice because even lighter, but when used either with its dock or hardtop keyboard it also has all the features of a laptop. Those two do not have integrated optical drives, but a slim external drive is all you need. There are even some Tablets with integrated optical drives, like the Gateway and one of the Acer models, but at a real sacrifice, in my opinion, of extra weight.

Take a look at this thread (long) about "Student's thoughts on the Tablet PC":
http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=10028

[Vasant56]

thanks, but don't tablets cost a ton?

[yvilla]

I guess that depends on what your definition of a "ton" is. But there are some good deals out there, and even student discounts available. Also, there is the just released Averatec Tablet, at around 1,350.00. It has some pretty decent specs too.

http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=14952

Edit: It does have an integrated DVD/CD-RW too, but is thus again on the heavier side for a Tablet.

[urugoof]

You might want to check out Acer's lineup. You can get a bunch of features for a really good price on most of them.

[Vasant56]

thanks, but looking at it, I really don't see myself using the tablet part too often. Most of the notes I'll be taking will be typeable, and the writing part won't really be a neccesity to me.

[urugoof]

Just to make sure we are on the same page, the Acers are "normal" notebooks. What is the most you would like to spend? I'm from Canada too, so I speak the same money-talk you do.

[Vasant56]

my range would be around 1700-2200. Would that be an alright range?

[Fishie]

Not if you wanna play Doom3 :twisted:

[shawnc]

I would not recommend a tablet. Too pricey and gimmicky for my taste. Everything you mentioned you will find in a Fujitsu S6200. I know because I just purchased mine about 3 months ago. They have something called clear-view technology for the screen. I don't know what that is exactly other than it is the most clear screen I have ever seen. Battery life is rated higher than most (excluding the IBM's) and very lightweight at around 4 lbs. It is neither the cheapest or most expensive laptop on the market, but for my money, it was the best value.

Another one that was high on my list was the Gateway. Bigger (though not nearly as nice) screen, less expensive, but really terrible battery life.

I could go on and on but if you do a search on shawnc, you'll see a thread containing a lot of useful advice from this community. It's fairly recent so you may want to check it out.

Good luck.

[Vasant56]

I think clearview is pretty common throughout most comps. As for the comment on doom3, I guess I won't be playing it, it will just be too expensive, and I won't have time for games anyhow. I will look into the fujitsu, though.

[urugoof]

Unfortunately a laptop is a bad place to look if you intend to be playing the latest games for the next 5 years. What you gain in portability, you lose in upgradeability. Games are the probably the only thing that will bother you in this respect. For schoolwork, laptops are great!

1700-2200 should get you what you need no problem, as long as you don't get a Mac :)
I love them, but they are too pricey for me. Of course 1700-2200 would get you a way better desktop, but then you can't have everything!

[Vasant56]

how long do macs last in comparison to regular pcs? will I have to get a new one every 2 years?

[Chucky]

I just got myself an Apple iBook. I am very impressed, small size, good battery life. Being a Mac it isn't the best for games, but well as a educational device that is probably a good thing ;)

The thing that has most impressed me is the Unix backend, basically the power of Unix with the sexy UI of OSX. It's awesome if your doing a computer science degree.


I might also suggest that if games aren't a big thing for you then a second hand one might be a good idea, mine cost $600AU (600mhz G3). With the leftover money I could buy another desktop PC that would be more than capable of running Doom 3 :D

[Vasant56]

Can you do everything you can do on a pc nongame, wise? Like internet, word processing, all that stuff?

[Vidge]

I just today bought a new laptop. What I wanted was something fairly lightweight but with pretty good processing speed. As I looked around, I found some 6lb units but they all had Centrino processors in the 1.4-1.7 ghz range. The 3.2-3.6 ghz units (with hyperthreading technology) were 10 lbs and I hear they run hot. I decided to compromise: a 3.06 ghz machine weighing just over 8 lbs. So I chose this one (http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start;sid=5F0co8L804EcEYPw3DwWqI3zgfoGY-TLUfA=?ProductSKU=PCGK27&Dept=cpu_VAIONotebookComputers&CategoryName=cpu_VAIONotebookComputers_KSeries). I've only had it a few hours but I'm pretty happy with it.

[Vasant56]

I'd probably prefer a centrino, just because it's taylored towards mobility, and a 1.6 can run at the same level as a 2.4 (or so I've heard)

[Pat Logsdon]

I've got an IBM T40 - very nice machine. Built like a tank with a magnesium alloy frame, it only weighs 4.9 pounds, is 1" thick, and the 14" display is *very* nice - really crisp and sharp. Mine has a 1.5 Ghz Pentium M, built-in WiFi, a combo DVD/CD-RW drive and 768mb RAM. The keyboard is awesome (of course), and it has both a trackpoint and a trackpad so you can use whichever one you like best. I have an extended battery, so I can get ~ 7 hours out of it, maybe a bit less if I'm using WiFi heavily. I'd expect ~ 4 or 5 hours out of the standard battery. My T40 has a Radeon Mobility 7500, which is fine for older or less graphically intense games; you certainly couldn't play Doom3 on it. :wink:

Oh, it also has a cool little LED "flashlight" thingie that illuminates the keyboard in the dark. It's a stupid thing to think is cool, but it's also very useful - shows that IBM has done their homework. ;)

Here's a great review of the T40:

http://arstechnica.com/reviews/003/t40/t40-1.html

[Vasant56]

That's really nice, but a little bit more than my price range (I'm canadian). Right now I'm leaning towards an ibook, are they wireless, though?

[yvilla]

I just today bought a new laptop. What I wanted was something fairly lightweight but with pretty good processing speed. As I looked around, I found some 6lb units but they all had Centrino processors in the 1.4-1.7 ghz range. The 3.2-3.6 ghz units (with hyperthreading technology) were 10 lbs and I hear they run hot. I decided to compromise: a 3.06 ghz machine weighing just over 8 lbs. So I chose this one (http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start;sid=5F0co8L804EcEYPw3DwWqI3zgfoGY-TLUfA=?ProductSKU=PCGK27&Dept=cpu_VAIONotebookComputers&CategoryName=cpu_VAIONotebookComputers_KSeries). I've only had it a few hours but I'm pretty happy with it.

The Pentium M processor at 1.7 MHz (Centrino) outperforms a Pentium 4 M at 2.6 MHz.
http://developer.intel.com/performance/mobile/centrino_mobile_experience.htm

[Kati Compton]

I like my Thinkpad (I have a T40). As for Unix vs. Windows... Yes, some CS classes will likely require using Unix. However, if you have fast internet, you can generally ssh2 into a Unix machine to do that work. Or, you can run Cygwin on the PC, or install Linux as a dual-boot. So if you WANT Windows-based, go ahead and get it. You may want to check Linux discussion boards, though, as some laptops I think are easier to outfit with Linux than others (for driver reasons).

[Janak Parekh]

That's really nice, but a little bit more than my price range (I'm canadian). Right now I'm leaning towards an ibook, are they wireless, though?
Some iBook configurations have wireless preinstalled, others need a card along with purchase. You can check which is which on Apple's site. The nice thing is that the card is installed "internally" and uses antennas wired through the lid, so it doesn't have any parts that stick out.

In short, as you can guess from the huge variety of responses, there's no one answer. I personally don't find the tablets that gimmicky (I carry a Toshiba Portege 3505 right now), but that boils down to if you are going to drag your tablet to class; seeing as how I don't take classes anymore, it's a non-issue. ;) I really like Apple's UNIX approach, myself, and would have bought one of those, except my next laptop has to be under 3 pounds, preferably under 2 pounds, and Apple doesn't sell any of those. :( Also, what platform does your prospective school use?

Another variable you should consider: many universities offer academic discounts for incoming students. You can really score some nice deals with those, and may want to use that as a guideline for choosing the right unit.

--janak

[Janak Parekh]

Can you do everything you can do on a pc nongame, wise? Like internet, word processing, all that stuff?
Yes, you can. Note that Word for Mac is a different package than Word for Windows, so you'll have to factor in the costs of purchasing it. Again, academic discounts often help in this regard.

--janak

[arnage2]

For a budget buyer, try to pick up an emachines m6805 from bestbuy. Its only like $1200-1350, and has amd 64 3000+, ati 9600 64mb, ac 97 sound, 60gb, wireless g, u name it.

Its an unbelievable value for a great gaming notebook as well as productivity machine. You can get 3hr out of the battery. pick up another $130 battery, and ur good to go for 6 hours.

[Rob Alexander]

Since you're concerned about the Mac vs PC vs Linux thing, why not give a call to the CS department where you're going and see if they strongly favor one over the others. If so, then give serious consideration to using the same operating system your professors will be using. If not, then suit yourself.

It's hard to imagine that you could go wrong with a Windows system, given that there's virtually nothing out there that you can't find a version of for it. And as Katy said, you can always dual boot Linux on it if you need Unix. But if it turned out that they were a rabid den of Mac users :wink:, then it might make a difference. Similarly if they didn't have a Mac in sight, then you might find yourself missing out on little free utilities and stuff if you're the only one with one.

[Vasant56]

The comps in the labs were all macs, so that's probably an indication.

Would I be ok going for a

14" 1.0 ghz ibook with 512 ram and airport express

or should I move up to the 1.2ghz, down to the 12", or just wait (are the ibooks getting upgraded?)

[Badandy]

Sorry I responded so late in the thread, but I do have something to contribute. I recently bought a Dell 600 M. Mine was pretty expensive, but it is very reasonable. I have a 1.7ghZ centrino processor with a second battery that gives me 6 hours of non-stop operation. I recommend it very highly,and it is blazing fast. I have the hi-resolution screen and the thirtytwo mb graphics card, a sixty four is avail. I also have a gig of ram,which makes it very fast.Sorry I responded so late in the thread, but I do have something to contribute. I recently bought a Dell 600 M. Mine was pretty expensive, but it is very reasonable. I have a 1.7ghZ centrino processor with a second battery that gives me 6 hours of nonstop operation. I recommend it very highly, and it is blazing fast. I have the hi- resolution screen and the thirty two MB graphics card, a sixty four is avail. I also have a gig of ram, which makes it very fast.

[Chucky]

I got the 12" model, just because its small enough to take everywhere. However if mobility isn't really an issue go for the 14", I looked at one in the store today, very nice and the extra space would be really appreciated when programming.

As for CPU, well if you want to game, then go faster, UT2004, Doom 3 and heaps of other games are either out or coming out for Mac, but they are not going to be smooth - any boost in CPU would make most games much more enjoyable.

[poshdaphne]

Vasant56,

What school will you be attending? I'm at University of Toronto and we have a discount with IBM and Dell. It's pretty substantial. Let me know and I'll send you the link. Or maybe check with your school if you aren't going to UofT and maybe they have a similar loyalty discount program.

[Vasant56]

I'm going to the University of Waterloo, it's in Kitchener. I will contact them, however. If I get a discount, I may as well just go with an IBM. BTW, what kind of discount did you get?