Best Laptop to Buy for a college student?

musicetime365

I am planning on buying a new laptop..What can you guys recommend that I buy?
Laptops with
-built in camera
-lots of memory
-lightweight (I'm tiny so I want to carry something small and handy)
-fast
-not too expensive

My friend recommend this black friday sales: http://blackfriday2009sale.info/inde...aptop&store=10 @ bestbuy

what should I watch out and which one should i choose?

Please help. I am clueless about buying laptops.

Dustpuppy · 11-20-2009, 18:49 | posts: 1,796 | User is Offline

Budget? Those laptops range from $300 to $700

Games or not?

If you don't want games, just grab the cheapest you can find with a decent warranty. If you do want games then try to find something with a Radeon 4650M or better.

superweapons · 11-20-2009, 23:03 | posts: 288 | User is Offline

You might consider getting a lightweight netbook and a high-performance desktop with the remainder of the budget.

musicetime365 · 11-21-2009, 23:44 | posts: 68 | User is Offline

My budget is about $500 bucks, and i don,t need netbook. Sometimes I play some common games like chess!

TonyR

I would get a cheap ACER.

You could probs end up saving 100$ if you did.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834200027

Best one on there for 500$

aircool

With that budget, get a dell from eBay?

I don't regret doing that

Omagana · 11-22-2009, 04:27 | posts: 849 | Location: Scotland | User is Offline

Have a look at the Samsung Nxxx series netbooks, my Ex has one and there pretty cool.

Small, weigh next to nothing and have good built in cameras/mic's. Can add extra RAM and i know for a fact they can run Windows 7 flawlessly.

musicetime365 · 11-22-2009, 17:25 | posts: 68 | User is Offline

I am considering the Toshiba 16" Laptop listed in that link, what do you think?

Norvekh · 11-22-2009, 20:08 | posts: 2,001 | Location: Ohio | User is Offline

16" will not be lightweight by any stretch of the imagination. If weight is an issue you probably want something in the 13-14" range. Anything larger, especially for smaller people, gets horribly unwieldy.

That said, the most reliable laptops are going to be ASUS or Toshiba with HP and Gateway being the worst. In your price range you'll have to compromise on your options though. If you don't mind it being unwieldy, a 15+" can be had for cheaper than a 13" but part of that is to make up for poor battery life and poor portability for such a large unit as well as the overall unpopularity of units over 15". You're likely talking about 250-320 GB of storage and 2-4GB of memory. You can configure a Dell Inspiron 14 to your liking for $500 or less, but you'll have to give up some things to do so due to the very conservative pricing. Still, that way you can get exactly what you want.

Dustpuppy · *Last edited by Dustpuppy; 11-22-2009 at 21:03.*

At that price I'd try to snag a netbook instead of a laptop I think. http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2034940772%204802&bo p=And&ActiveSearchResult=True&Order=REVIEWS
If you want to play games you'll want the nvidia ion platform instead of intel chips.

For $50 more you can improve your selection of laptops massively Toshiba T4300 with Radeon HD 4570 will let you play any game on low settings with smooth rates. The downside to the bigger laptop is battery life / bulk.

If you can afford it go with something with Windows 7 as it prolongs battery life due to its increased efficiency over vista.

eta: bear in mind with a netbook you'll need an external dvd/blu ray drive.

musicetime365 · 11-23-2009, 17:23 | posts: 68 | User is Offline

But i won,t get netbook, for most netbooks are not that good.

WillC · 11-23-2009, 17:59 | posts: 100 | User is Offline

Quote:

Originally Posted by musicetime365

But i won,t get netbook, for most netbooks are not that good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCjaoEFOoRg

F1refly · 11-23-2009, 18:14 | posts: 5,703 | Location: muncie,indiana | User is Offline

Quote:

Originally Posted by musicetime365

My budget is about $500 bucks, and i don,t need netbook. Sometimes I play some common games like chess!

i play chessmaster gm edition and majestic chess on mine. even most emulators like Mame,nestopia, N64...etc. except dreamcast, not sure about PSX

Netbooks are actually fairly powerful in my experience, at least with casual gaming. i modded mine with a touchscreen and PS3 controller software.

Windows 7 runs terrific (2gigs ram) and apps..etc run fine. I think netbooks are a bit mis intrepreted by most reviewers when they say its good only for internets. i can do most stuff i normally do except 3d games less its pretty old.