my parents want to buy my lap top soon but before making a commitment i want to make sure i purchase the right one. should i expect info about suggested brands that work with the campus wireless system? what do you guys suggest...thanks for any input!
I'd recommend buying one from the college- either the Dell Latitude or Mac. Not only does it come installed with everything you need for being on campus (blitz, kerberos, sidecar, etc.) but it's a good deal and you get on-campus tech support (BIG PLUS).
I second RaspberrySmoothie, unless you are very technically inclined, or need to save every last possible penny, it is much easier to get it from the college. Literally it will be plug and play, and some of the gear and software needed for the school is a little out of the ordinary, plus the tech support is supposed to be quite good. maybe some other current students will chime in.
I bought my Dell Latitude through the college and it works just fine for me. I don't know all the tech terms, but it does come with both a rewritable CD and DVD drive. The Dell has a full-sized keyboard, a well-designed touch pad, and two USB ports. The biggest downside to the Dell is that it only has a battery life of 2 hours, but most places have an outlet where you can plug in the cord. Unless you are a hard-core gamer or computer science major, the computers offered through the college are more than sufficient.
A lot of my friends who got macs through the college are also very happy and carry them around everywhere. On the other hand, my roommate decided to buy a cheap Emachine and it broke down just a couple of weeks after she got here.
The college will send you a brochure about buying a computer through them, so you might want to wait until you check that out before making a final decision.
wait for the college and info and buy it from the college ..it will save you lots of aggravation and down time if anything is wrong
also it is a sight to see during orientation ..a tent with
a thousand boxes of laptops and printers!!!
Mac is for communists and hippies. Go with Gateway, they have exceptional computers at low cost.
thank you..I actually laughed out loud...you are wrong on 2 counts..mac is not only for communists and hippies (although I sense redundancy there..), it is also very popular with the design crowd. And Gateway..well..Gateway has never made anything worth owning...
My personal choice would be to go with a Lenovo/IBM, you get superior build and a nice serious look, along with performance...but I don't know what deals you might get on campus, so your best bet would be to find out about those things.
If you're techy enough, you can buy just hardware with BIOS, and install win XP which you can get at Thayer school for $25. That will save you lots of money.
Over the summer you will get information from the school regarding computers. The campus has an authorized Mac and Dell service center on campus. If you wish you can order your computer through the school, it will come fully loaded, you will pick it up on campus on move in day, plug in and go (blitz- dartmouth e-mail, wireless, applications and everything will already be set up. Note- if you are bringing your own computer and you have Windows XP home, you will have to upgrade to the professional edition).
We used this option Daughter converted to MAC purchased a 12 in pwerbook and she loves it and is joined at the hip to her computer. It is light weight she slips it in any of her book bags and goes.
Although there is green print (community printers on campus, the location of the printer may not always convienent or if you are a night owl you may not feel like walking up.downstairs, etc. for a printer. You can order your printer through Dartmouth with your computer or you can bring your own (D started out with her own printer then sent it home because she never used it). In addition, you have an allocated number of prints (b/w and color on your green print account- you go over , you get charged)
Supported Hardware
Apple Macintosh Computers
iBooks (with processor speed of 400 MHz or greater)
iMacs (with processor speed of 400 MHz or greater)
eMacs
MacMini
Macintosh G5s (desktop models)
Macintosh G4s (desktop and PowerBook models)
Macintosh G3s (with processor speed of 400 MHz or greater) (desktop and PowerBook models)
Dell Computers
OptiPlex models
Latitude models
Precision models
(We do not support Dell Inspiron or Dimension models or any non-Dell Windows computers.)
Printers
Epson and HP inkjet printers
Xerox and HP laser printers
(Pitney Bowes and Imagistics printers are supported directly by Imagistics.)
Modems/Networking
Apple and Dell factory-installed internal modems and networking cards
Apple external USB modem
3Com and Xircom PCMCIA Ethernet/Modem Combo cards
3Com and Xircom 10/100 Ethernet cards
Cisco Aironet 350 wireless LAN adapter cards
Dell TrueMobile wireless cards
Apple Airport and Airport Extreme wireless cards
(Apple Airport base stations are not supported and are not allowed on the campus network, but may be purchased for home use.)
Monitors
Flat Panel Displays manufactured by Apple and Dell
CRT monitors manufactured by Apple and Dell
Storage Devices
Iomega Floppy/Zip drives
USB Flash drives (also known as pocket drives, jump drives, or memory sticks)
LaCie AIT, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW (USB and FireWire)
frenchie06 - the problem is not even so much what works with the campus wireless system as much as what the campus computer service will repair. They will send you a list of laptops they recommend, one a dell and one an apple and they will suggest a moderate and more expensive version for each. You can probably find on the website the suggestions from last year - but that does not mean those will be the suggestions for this coming year. they were different from the year before. if you buy from the school the laptop will come preloaded with everything. they will tell you that if you buy something different they will give you what you need to make it compatible. so if you found the laptops they recommend for less you could get it where ever you want and then install their programs. but they can only repair certain limited computers on campus. so if you buy something they do not recommend, even if you make it compatible, if you have a problem you will have to worry about repairing it on your own. which is probably a BIG hassle. and you would be without your computer for some time. definitely wait for their list before you buy anything.
thanks a lot everyone...so after reading all of these posts i think my best bet will be to wait it out...i'll most likely buy one during orientation...i'm not the slightest bit computer savvy so on-campus tech support sounds perfect.
You will be mailed computer information over the summer which is when you will order your computer. Your computer will be ready for pick up on move in day.
