computer purchase for son leaving for school

cobrat
Sat, 13 Aug 2011 15:01:54 +0000

colorado_mom:

I just bought my Dad a laptop. $500 buys a lot of laptop at Best Buy (far more than he will need). The extended warranty and support for 2 yrs added another $259 lot, but very necessary in his case. We opted not to get Microsoft Office, but students would need to.



Make sure Best Buy services any problems in a timely manner. They’ve been quite hit-or-miss from what I heard from friends and clients. Plus, I recalled a lawsuit because Best Buy sat on a laptop sent in for warranty repair and then tried to charge the client because the time they sat on it just happened to exceed the warranty coverage on it.



bookworm:

I think carrying laptops around all day shortens their life.



Depends on how it is carried and whether the laptop’s build quality is good to begin with. With the exception of that crappy first notebook I had in college, every other laptop I’ve had is still running fine…even the one I picked up in the late '90s despite heavy daily usage and carrying it around everywhere. I used a Fed-Ex bubblewrap envelope as a protective cover around my notebooks before I placed it in my backpack without issues.



Olipond:

Shell: first of all, you can get a decent laptop from Craigslist for about 200.00. Say, an IbM thinkpad which is sturdy and reliable. (no bells and whistles but…sturdy) I would do this.



I’d only advise going that route if you/your student is able and willing to serve as their own tech support…including feeling comfortable spending time to troubleshoot problems and completely disassembling the notebook to repair/replace parts as needed.

Though I am able to do so, I valued my time as a student/professional enough that if I have to pay money, I’d rather buy a high quality notebook new with warranty.

Better that than to deal with the hassles of supporting older notebooks/possibility of getting a lemon with no warranty support. If the notebook is more than 3-5 years old…the only way spending on replacement parts is worth it IMHO is if the notebook came as a free hand-me-down and you’re prepared to use it for another 3+ years.

Even then…the ROI is debatable if you factor in wear & tear and greater possibility of further component problems/failures down the line.