xiggi:
one has to comparison shop veerrry carefully to make sure that a online version from a vendor matches the college computer. One thing to particularly look at is the extended warranty which can add a few hundred dollars to the cost (well worth it, IMO for a college laptop), and which may automatically be included in the college price but is an option from a vendor. The other thing to think about is onsite support while at college. If most kids at the school have an HP or Mac for example, the school's tech support will be well versed in trouble-shooting those models and fixing them immediately. But, showing up with a new Vaio may require the student to obtain tech support direct from the manufacturer (taking several days). Another advantage to buy thru the school is that all network sw is preloaded, which makes it easier for the technically-challenged to be online immediately.
But, to answer your question, in my son's case, the college computer (for the exact same configured model) was slightly cheaper if for no other reason than the state had no sales tax.
