College Discussion - View Single Post

joemama · 04-18-2006, 12:03 AM

For $500-600 you can get a Toshiba, Acer, HP with a very capable Celeron or AMD processor, 15-inch screen, 40 Gig hard disk, 256 RAM and wireless internet. It will do most everything you need to do (in fact, there is probably nothing in your coursework that will demand more) and since you didn't spend thousands--like you could--you won't worry about it. At this price, it will come with WindowsXP and a few minor utilities only, so you'll need some application software...

If you go to an computer superstore, you can get a STUDENT EDITION of Microsoft Office with a great Word Processor, Excel Spreadsheet and Powerpoint for presentations for only $150. It comes with a license for 3 machines, so get two of your friends to kick in and you just got the best suite of applications for about $50./each. Sweet!

I bought a laptop like this for myself, and a friend did the same. The machines have been PERFECT over the last 3 years. I didn't buy a warranty. If something goes wrong--hasn't happened yet and don't expect it to--I'll buy a new machine rather than get it repaired.

In my experience, you don't have to spend a lot to get everything you need. Happy to hear other points of view.

Edit: This level of machine is probably underpowered for a student deeply involved in image creation or retouching or film/animation.

04-18-2006, 12:03 AM	#4
joemama Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Threads: 17 Posts: 546	For $500-600 you can get a Toshiba, Acer, HP with a very capable Celeron or AMD processor, 15-inch screen, 40 Gig hard disk, 256 RAM and wireless internet. It will do most everything you need to do (in fact, there is probably nothing in your coursework that will demand more) and since you didn't spend thousands--like you could--you won't worry about it. At this price, it will come with WindowsXP and a few minor utilities only, so you'll need some application software... If you go to an computer superstore, you can get a STUDENT EDITION of Microsoft Office with a great Word Processor, Excel Spreadsheet and Powerpoint for presentations for only $150. It comes with a license for 3 machines, so get two of your friends to kick in and you just got the best suite of applications for about $50./each. Sweet! I bought a laptop like this for myself, and a friend did the same. The machines have been PERFECT over the last 3 years. I didn't buy a warranty. If something goes wrong--hasn't happened yet and don't expect it to--I'll buy a new machine rather than get it repaired. In my experience, you don't have to spend a lot to get everything you need. Happy to hear other points of view. Edit: This level of machine is probably underpowered for a student deeply involved in image creation or retouching or film/animation. Last edited by joemama : 04-18-2006 at 12:21 AM.