Ejhfast

I second the Macbook suggestion. Certainly the Macs are expensive, but they function well, have excellent aesthetics, and are the most versatile of any brand. On what other laptop might one easily run Windows, Linux and OSX?

'08Holla

Don't waste your time with a Crapbook. I may still be in HS, but a year of frustrations (not to say there aren't some OSX features I like, Expose mainly) just don't justify the added price. Even though Apple finally realized that 1gb is the absolute minimum OSX needs, it's still going to cost more. Most of the programs you'll want/need are Windows, and why use up even more HD space to install Bootcamp, when you could just get a PC and save a lot of cash? Macbooks have plenty of gimmicks to make it seem worthwhile - and then it's just a poorly (hardware wise) designed laptop that has plenty of shiny effects, but is highly underwhelming. Macbook Pros are still not worth the price compared to an equivalent PC, but they are much better designed.

Dell gets most of its poor(ish) reputation because of the bloatware they install to keep their prices so low. The solution: reinstall XP with none of the crap, and you have a great hardware deal. If you want some nerd cred, dual boot Ubuntu or another distro. Hardware wise, it doesn't matter who you buy from, as long as you get some decent components. Core2Duo + 1gb + non-integrated graphics + however much HD space you need + cd/dvd burner can be found for under 1k.

UriA702

I disagree. Dell hardware is junk. They are known for having junk batteries and mother boards. Buy based on reliability/durability and regardless of how opinionated anyone may be as far as what company fits them best - apple is king, nothing will be more reliable

Morning_Theft

Uh ohhhhhh, we're gonna get into the "Pc vs Apple" debate. How about you try out different laptops, and buy the one that you like the best?

pearlygate

I don't care if it's a junk or not, I got my dell for less than $700 and it's still working alright. If this thing broke down next year or two years from now, I don't mind spending another $700 to get another dell. I won't spend $1400 for macbook pro that may or may not last for 4 years.

greenvison

i have a different concept. if you are going to buy a 2k laptop, why not buy a new laptop every summer for 800-1k for the same or even better specs! I saw a Dell XPS sell for 700, it once cost 3200. Think about it, you will probably need a laptop that can live through 4 years of train/bus commuting and other stuff. The best option would be to get a notebook which has a wide option of upgrading than buying a two year old HP. OR buy a really expensive one with an excellent warranty. not worth it though. I bought a pc 2 two weeks before the Duo core technology, it works good. but hey its still old.

chronic

well dell's use lower-end mobo's, memory, and their own crappy proprietary PSU (so you can't replace it with a better on e)

with that being said, the quality of memory a computer uses affects its performance very little (the timings on the ram are looser on cheap rams, but you're only losing a few tenths of a second at most), and the crappy motherboard and power supply run fine unless it dies

of course dell's are inferior, but they're not as bad as most people make them out to be