Laptop for a student

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mani

4 posts

Wannabe Geek

# 21572 1-May-2008 00:02

Hey all,

I'm after a laptop but I'm not too sure where to look. I've got a few minimum specs of what I'm after could anyone help me?

-2GHz processor
-2GB RAM
-120GB Harddrive
-small screen, ideally 13.3" or smaller
-under $2000

I'm just after a few recommendations. I have pretty back luck when it comes to choosing new gadgets...

Any feedback would be rather appreciated.

Cheers,
Mani

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# 127444 1-May-2008 06:28

Harvey Norman and Dick Smith have good deals going from time to time. So does other retailers like Bond and Bond and Noel Leemings, I'm afraid you would need to get your foot do the walking make sure you compare though don't buy the first thing a sales person sells you and post here your options and we'll look and tell you what to get.

tonyhughes

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# 127449 1-May-2008 07:40

A Macbook would probably suit your needs really well. You can pick up the previous model for about $1800, or the current one for about $2099.

chakkaradeep

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# 127460 1-May-2008 09:16

mani:

-2GHz processor

-2GB RAM

-120GB Harddrive

-small screen, ideally 13.3" or smaller

-under $2000

Why not get a Macbook ?

Regards,
Chaks

Desktop : Intel Quad Core Q9400 2.66GHz - 8GB RAM - 500 GB + 500 GB HDD - NVidia GeForce 9800GT - LG246WH Flatron Display - Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise with Hyper-V
Virtual Machine : Powered by Hyper-V and VMWare Workstation
Laptop: HP dv7-3004TX Entertainment Notebook PC | HP Touchsmart tx2 1119au - Windows 7 Ultimate x64
Mac: iMac 21.5" Snow Leopard
Mobile : iPhone 3GS

mani

4 posts

Wannabe Geek

# 127509 1-May-2008 11:12

Thanks for the input so far guys.

What does a macbook have over normal xp laptops? Is the OS better? More reliable?
I don't know alot about mac's but i was playing around with one the other day and i did like it heaps.

And also would you guys recommend buying from smaller stores like PB Tech and NFC? Ive found some laptops there within my price range. I've just added the links below.

http://www.pbtech.co.nz/index.php?item=NBKHNB1201
http://www.pbtech.co.nz/index.php?item=NBKLGR200B
http://www.nfc.co.nz/ProductDetail.asp?ItemID=NOTASANB1000&v=NFC&c=Notebooks+%2D+%2DAsus
http://www.nfc.co.nz/ProductDetail.asp?ItemID=HNB1246M&v=TP&c=Notebooks+%2D+%2DHP

Cheers for your help :)

Mani

zocster

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# 127513 1-May-2008 11:19

I am sure you can get things higher than a 2.0 Ghz duo core processor for that price you mentioned. Some options here at DSE

Option 1, option 2, option 3.

Do more shopping, ... smaller screen may not be good for processor speed hence upgrading may be required in not so distant future. Vista takes a lot of the system resources. Macbook is also good, depends on what you want to do with it.

davide

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# 127540 1-May-2008 12:39

Whatever you purchase, don't forget the add-ons. For example $~100 for a copy of antivirus/internet security, $~250 for a copy of MS office, $~60 for a laptop bag, $~20 for a flashdrive, $~20-100 for an external mouse... they are all pretty useful/neccesary items and could take a fair chunk out of your budget for the machine.

------------------------------------------------------
David Elsbury
Freelance Lighting, Sound and AV Technician
"Technician like ninja... live in shadow, move in silence"

mani

4 posts

Wannabe Geek

# 127547 1-May-2008 13:15

Hey,

I'm not entirely sure what you meant by:

"... smaller screen may not be good for processor speed hence upgrading may be required in not so distant future."

Do you mean that laptops with bigger screens perform better than those with smaller ones, even though the processor speeds are the same?

I don't want to go much bigger than a 13.3" screen, just because it will mainly be for uni and it'd be easier to carry around. I have a 14.1" asus at the moment which is about 2yrs old (i think) but I'm having major issues with it lol.

Thanks,
Mani.

zocster

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# 127548 1-May-2008 13:19

Well what I meant was that generally smaller laptops has their graphics card on board etc etc, smaller form factor will only be able contain so much hardware. Just my two cents worth.

pebbles

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# 127576 1-May-2008 14:11

Hey... just another point checking failure rates on laptops is always a good idea! I know that lower end acers did have quite a high one from my experience at DSE for example. As for MS office and all those things www.lapshop.co.nz offers cheaper microsoft software to students. Always good to know as its much cheaper than retail.

gehenna

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# 127625 1-May-2008 15:42

A Macbook is the way to go, for sure. With a Mac you have a lot of freedom:

1. Secure OS. While there's been the odd flaw here and there, OS X is more secure than Windows by far, plus the number of viruses isn't even worth mentioning. You can feel comfortable running it with no antivirus software, but there are inbuilt security features that can lock you down completely - just depends on how you want to run it.
2. Virtualisation: Mac's are the only platform that will let you run OS X (legally) and Windows side by side. You're essentially getting two laptops for the price of one. Parallels or VMware Fusion will let you install Windows (or Linux, etc) and run it virtually inside OS X. Both Parallels and Fusion have a feature where you can run the Windows and Mac apps side by side, making this a seamless way to run two operating systems on one laptop should you need to. Both of those apps cost around $85, plus you need a license for Windows.
3. Speed. The Macbook has enjoyed some great benchmark results, and the latest models sport the most up to date processors. The ram and hard drive are user-upgradable, but come in large capacities out of the box.
4. OS X - It's just a pleasure to use. There are so many features that you get out of the box. The joy is, you can use your laptop as simply, or as technically as you want - it just depends on how far into it you want to get. The more technical aspects seem to open themselves up to you as you get more and more used to using OS X, or, you can live your whole life on it ina simple but extremely functional environment.
5. Price - For what you're getting - the Mac is a great deal. iLife + OS X really do make up 75% of the apps you'll ever need imo. There is a great open source community creating functional and visually stunning apps, plus the commercial range of apps is 2nd to none. Games are getting up there too - slowly but surely. However, running Windows in Parallels or Fusion will give you a good platform for running Windows games as with each iteration of the software they are implementing more and more ways to take advantage of the mac hardware in a virtual environment.
6. Experience - I've watched my GF move from a HP Windows laptop in her first year of Uni, to a Macbook for the last two years. When I ask her what kind of laptop she'll get when it's time to upgrade, she says she'll absolutely get a Mac. The versatility is unbelievable. There's either a Mac version of any windows program you want - or there is a comparable solution in some open source or commercial form. I reckon you can't go wrong as a student if you choose a Mac.
6. Support - I've had a couple of support issues with hardware over the years and found Mac support to be fantastic -as long as you have Applecare there is not much they won't fix or replace asap.

I hear people mention that Macs don't a good upgrade path, or are not easily user-upgraded. My question is usually how often do you replace your laptop graphics card or cd drive? All I've ever known people to do to their laptops is upgrade the RAM and/or hard drive - the Macbook makes this really easy - all you have to do is take out the battery and remove 3 screws, and there are your ram slots and hdd bay. Mac OS X also makes it simple to transition all your data from one drive to another, etc. I can't rate them highly enough, as someone who uses a very highly spec'd Tecra C2D daily, I would hate having to use a computer at home if I didn't have my iMac and Macbook to play with.

rant over, hope it helps you though.

knoydart

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# 127630 1-May-2008 16:08

From what I remeber when last looking at laptop shopping, dont students get 5% discount on apple products? That might help on the extra's front.

chakkaradeep

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# 127649 1-May-2008 17:08

knoydart: From what I remeber when last looking at laptop shopping, dont students get 5% discount on apple products? That might help on the extra's front.

There is always a special discount for students and staffs from Apple. One such Apple Store giving discounts is StudentIT. There is currently an offer where you get an ipod nano 4 GB free with every purchase of iMac/Macbook/Macbook Pro. I got my Macbook/iPod in the same offer

gehenna

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# 127811 2-May-2008 09:34

I was a little off on my pricing of VMware and Parallels - VMware is $140NZD and Parallels is $145NZD. Of the two I'd go with VMware personally.

chakkaradeep

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# 127821 2-May-2008 09:56

gehenna: I was a little off on my pricing of VMware and Parallels - VMware is $140NZD and Parallels is $145NZD. Of the two I'd go with VMware personally.

Me too

GamerOC

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Ultimate Geek

# 127825 2-May-2008 10:15

Hi there, I would not recommended buying a Toshiba brand laptop specially from Harvey Norman. I just bought one because had some wicked spects with even dedicated graphics card and a nice bundle and of course Cash price... but it all turn to castid when I took the computer home and start it to play up same night and since. Harvey Norman technician can't find the fault some how and his conclusion is must be software installed that is uncompatible with Vista, mate it played up before i even installed anything, their service is shockinly unprofessional and may me wonder of their expertise when comes to not find the fault.
So please save your self a hassle, be carefull with Harvey and Norman and their Toshibas with the black screen of death.

Lew

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