QOTD: What's the Best Computer for a Student?

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RooD

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[citation][nom]jitpublisher[/nom]kind of a dumb question. Most students don't need a PC at all. Since when was browsing the internet or playing games a requirement for college?[/citation]

Get a really good notebook, 5 subject lots of storage and very customizable.
 
Zelanni, you have a point about finding out what the college requires, and taking into account their recommendations. Some of your other remarks are rather off-base. For the OWNER (not merely "user") of a PC to not have Administrative privileges makes zero sense. Policy restrictions and security software requirements when logged into the campus domain, certainly, but no privileges, even to install / configure personal software (e.g. printer drivers) ? Nonsense.
 
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If you are an engineering or your major requires a lot of photo manipulation or animation, horsepower is essential and sufficient cooling is vital.

You can run simple Solidworks stuff on an average laptop or desktop (I was emailing my Prof. my Solidworks homework from the Philippines off my old Compaq Presario 2715 a couple of years ago but it was basic stuff). You try to run COSMOS FEA or run large assembly animations and it will hangup until the end of time (and maybe burn itself up in the process).

If you are really burning the CAD 3-D graphics, you'll a full tower with 600+W, AMD QUAD or Core i7, 6GB Ram, RAID, and likely a business professional video card (or 2-way SLI Crossfire at a minimum) AND GOBS of cooling capacity - along with ensuring you have good airflow thru the case. A 22" monitor is likely too small - although 2 will work okay.

I've seen custom machines bust a gasket running 16 hour FEA models on steel deformation in a jet-turbine part so you HAVE to have the machine to run this stuff.
 

billin30

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I had a $2k laptop back in 2003 when i went to school. I was so uneducated in computers back then, wish I could have gotten the prices available nowadays on laptops. I would have gotten a cheapo laptop to do presentations on and a desktop to game. I could do that easily for 2k these days. I never took notes on my laptop in school, only ever used it for presentations in class, and that was less than 5 times. The desktops in our computer labs were better than my $2k laptop and still better after I fried it and got a nicer one back from my warranty. Everyone plans on bringing a laptop to take notes, but I just never felt like haulin mine around. They are a lot lighter these days though and more and more schools are expecting students to bring computers to class. I still prefer just getting a study guide or something and filling it out. Much easier to read a paper than on a screen.
 

masop

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I picked up the Toshiba Satellite L355 model with a 17" screen and 3GB of memory for $348 plus tax at Walmart last Sunday (8/16) just a couple hours after they opened. Talking about a sweet deal, much better than any netbook. The only exception is if a 17" screen is too big, as some people require a smaller screen. The only thing it didn't have (essentials wise) was a webcam, which many laptops have.
 

jasperjones

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I'd say my average student nowadays goes for a thin-and-light, around ~14" or so. Some get something bigger and heavier, some get something even more portable (e.g., MacBook Air). Even saw a few netbooks last year.

I think any size notebook is fine. A netbook shouldn't be a student's primary machine, as it's not powerful enough to run some required apps (only speaking for my field, finance). My recommendation to students is to buy a high-spec laptop. Invest $1000+. The reason is that most students buy a laptop as a freshman but don't buy another one until their senior year. Some even stick to their laptop throughout college. So, for most students that laptop has to last for a number of years. Buying something decent hence reduces the probability that you have a severely underpowered machine by the Spring of your junior year.
 
If mom and dad are buying it then I'd say a gaming laptop.
If you have to buy it then I would stick with a desktop for low cost reasons. Sure it's not portable but it's cheaper to build and easier to upgrade.
Personally I took a self built PC and just upgraded it as needed. Today I still have the same PC, it just has completely new components.
 

tlmck

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A dual core AMD laptop with with ATI 3000 series graphics, 4gb ram, and 13-14" screen. This will handle most of the school work, and the invariable games that college students like to play.
 

theLaminator

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I agree that it comes down to the persons major. As an engineering major I personally run a 15.4", 2.5Ghz C2D, 2GB ram, and FireGL graphics. We have to attend labs for almost every engineering course, and are required to bring our laptops and work the lab on the laptop. A good friend of mine uses a tabletPC(not sure of the specs) for these labs. It worked fine through our programming classes using Visual Studio C++, but when we started using Xilinx ISE his machine would take forever to compile, hang, or bsod. I never had an issue running Xilinx ISE (other than the fact that I don't find it to be user friendly). This is just an example in my opinion of how what laptop to get for school really depends on the major. Do some research see what classes you are required to take and find out what software is required if any for these classes. You may find that a cheap netbook is the way to go or you may run into an issue where you need to spend a bit more. However I would not recomend spending over $1000 to any major, or buying a Mac to anyone in engineering. Just my 2 cents.
 
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Do not buy a 15" laptop for a student. I would recommend something under 15". I've had several friends with a 15" laptop and they hate lugging that big thing around (may seem small to some but compared to the 12.1" and 13" notebooks out on the market it is big). Students need something small that they can travel with. I have the first generation HP Pavilion tx1000 which is a convertible tablet laptop with a 12.1" screen. All of my friends commented on how small it was and one even made the mistake of calling it a netbook.

My suggestion is either a netbook or a similar-sized notebook like the HP Touchsmart tx2 (multi-touch tablet screen)
 

walt526

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After a number of years in the workforce, I went back for my MA last year. At first, I tried to use a netbook, but I could never get used to the smaller keyboard and I quickly found that I needed something that could run Stata. So I found a deal on an off-lease Dell Latitude D630 for around $450 and it's been great. 1.8GHz Core2Duo, 14.1" screen--good enough to run Fallout 3 occasionally. I upgraded the RAM to 4gb and just had to buy a new battery, but otherwise no problems. And the truth is that I could easily get by with something less powerful.

I second the idea that a student (particularly an undergrad living in a dorm) should just get whatever the cheapest model that will get the job done--nothing more. The chances of it getting stolen or damaged are very high, so investing in a really powerful gaming laptop is foolhardy. A netbook is fine a second computer for traveling, but I really think that a student will ultimately want the full features of a laptop.
 

chedrz

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When I started school as an engineering student, I had an old crappy laptop that wouldn't last longer than an hour on the battery. My second year, I built a desktop, and still use it. Last fall, though, I bought into the netbook trend. It's a great combination: take the netbook to class, use the desktop at the apartment, and use online file storage for anything I need to access from both computers.
 

tenor77

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Hard for me to say cause I was building my own back then and I can't imagine using anything else. I suppose a windows laptop would be best since those dorm rooms are so freakin small.
 

stromm

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Don't spend more than $500. The only reason you need something more expensive is to play games. The advantage of a 15" screen is that it supports standard web page widths and 100% document width. Seems funny, but it's amazing how much time can be saved by not needed to scroll left/right or deal with 80% views.

Also, for a student, there is NO reason to need Vista or Win7. Get a machine with 1GB and run XP. And I say that as an MCSE/MCT IT instructor. Sure, it's nice to have them and they do have better security, but XP is fine and it runs much better on lower end hardware. I run it on a few older PCs still (P3-700 to P4 2.8). They're great for web browsing, document management, music/video, testing, older games.

The simple truth is that most K-12/College students don't need even a mid-level system. They want it, but they don't need it. Maybe this is a good time that they learn not everything is handed to them on a silver platter.
 

wm_brant

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Note-taking is best done on paper.

A student will be best served with a decent desktop computer with good keyboard and mouse and a decent printer for those late-night paper writing marathons. One of my kids with to school with a desktop computer without Office and survived just fine using OpenOffice. My current kid in school has Office, as she took my old desktop system.

Make sure they have -- and know how to use -- an inexpensive thumb drive. That allow they to take presentations to class and allows them to work on their assignments at any computer lab system.

I picked up a new $90 Brother laser printer for her room, as the cost-per-sheet for laser-printed documents is much cheaper than inkjet-printed documents.
 

raabscuttle

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1) Just say NO to all the Newegg shills on this thread

2) Seriously, have you ever tried to type on a netbook for an extended period of time.

3) plenty of new and more powerful refurb lappies under $500

4) Just remember, an Atom 1.6 is SLOWER than a celeron 900MHz or a Pentium III 1.0GHz (since it was designed for MIDs, cell phones and third world computers)...
 

JimmiG

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It really depends on how you use it.

For just taking notes and writing shorter texts, a netbook is perfect. I've got an Aspire One 8.9" with a 9-cell battery. It's very lightweight and easy to carry around, the battery lasts literally all day so I don't have to scramble for a power outlet after 90 minutes, and I can leave it in standby when not using it so it boots virtually instantly. However it requires that you at least have a full size keyboard and monitor and home, if not an entire desktop system. Typing 5-10 pages on it might be okay, but not 30+. It was cheap however, so you could easily fit a low-end desktop system into the budget - you can buy no less than eleven Aspire Ones for the price of one 17" Macbook Pro....

For using the laptop as a primary system, writing longer texts or doing more serious stuff, a mid-range 15" model is required. I would prioritize ergonomics and battery life over CPU or GPU power - unless you're a gamer, any modern dual-core processor from Intel or AMD is enough and even low-end laptops come with 3GB RAM and big enough hard drives. I would only choose a 17" model if I did something that really required a big screen, like web design or photo retouching. Even then, the cheap 17" screens are probably poor quality so the money is wasted anyway. 17" systems are too heavy and bulky to easily carry around.
 

Yoder54

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Depends on the major: engineering, hard sciences, and business then you need a Windows machine. Graphic Arts/Design, video production, and some music then you would do well with a Mac.

After years of Windows domination, the K-12 sector is starting to readdress the value of having Apple's in the classroom. The everyday student box is a funky Dell, but you get to your photography, graphic design, art, video classes and they are being packed with Mac's.

I just set-up a new lab of 32 iMac's. Apple actually cut us a much better deal than advertised. It seems that Apple is taking on a price war...good news for the consumer.
 

Yoder54

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[citation][nom]stromm[/nom]Get a machine with 1GB and run XP.... Maybe this is a good time that they learn not everything is handed to them on a silver platter.[/citation]

Pure Bull Shit. College students should be learning cutting edge technology...and I say that as a educator of technology for 21 years! You cannot run crap with 1Gb...how you gonna do graphics, design, CAD, etc. This generation is not running BASIC or scripts, they are running real apps that are being taught in their classes.

Don't know where this "silver platter" shit comes from, but I paid for my education by going to Vietnam, and am paying for my daughters college now...what they don't get in scholarships. Don't assume that all who attend college are spoiled little rich kids...they are not.

Technology is evolving and is great, we should embrace it, encourage our children to use it, and model how to use it appropriately.
 
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