<p>So I need to get a laptop for college and I’m not the most tech savvy person (I am good at using a computer, I just know nothing about good specs and such).</p>
<p>I would mainly use it for school and internet but I wouldn’t mind if it could run some games from previous generations. I don’t intend on using it for gaming just something to do if I have time.</p>
<p>It can’t be too expensive, probably under $700.</p>
<p>Well, the first thing I tell people is generally, don’t buy a netbook. They’re getting to the point where they’re similarly priced to notebooks, just with less computing power.
When selecting a computer, the main three things you’d want to pay attention to are the Processor (CPU), Memory (RAM), and the Graphics Card (GPU). Most modern processors are quite powerful, and any new PC should give you great results if you aren’t planning on any extremely intensive programs. Memory is simple, the more you have the more ease you’ll have with multitasking and memory intensive programs (think programs like Photoshop). The graphics card is what you’ll want to pay attention to for things like gaming, video rendering, and movies. Without getting too technical, generally, you can just look at the memory included with the graphics card (Usually it’s 256 mb, 512mb, 1Gb…) to get an idea of how powerful it is. If it’s not out of your price range, getting one with 512mb/1Gb should be enough to handle any previous generation games. To give you an idea, my laptop has 512 mb, and it can run Call of Duty 4 rather well.</p>
<p>One other thing I’d make sure to look into is student discounts. For example, HP has it’s [HP</a> Student Academy](<a href=“http://hp.force.com/external/hpacademy]HP”>http://hp.force.com/external/hpacademy), which should get you a pretty decent discount.</p>
<p>Get Windows 7 or XP Professional and a minimum of 2GB RAM/memory. If you can, get a 64-bit processor.</p>
<p>If you are in the business college, you will need Microsoft Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Access - so make sure to get these if needed.</p>
<p>I would recommend a basic Dell laptop; nowadays most laptops should come similarly to these specifications.</p>
<p>Also, do not forget to buy an Ethernet cable so you can connect on campus.</p>
<p>Here’s the one I bought. It has a i5 processor… second best availble. I’ve been very happy with it so far. </p>
<p>[HP</a> - Pavilion Laptop / Intel® Core™ i5 Processor / 14" Display / 4GB Memory / 640GB Hard Drive - Aluminum - dm4-1265dx](<a href=“http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+Pavilion+Laptop+/+Intel%26%23174%3B+Core%26%23153%3B+i5+Processor+/+14"+Display+/+4GB+Memory+/+640GB+Hard+Drive+-+Aluminum/1677324.p?id=1218279316701&skuId=1677324]HP”>http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+Pavilion+Laptop+/+Intel%26%23174%3B+Core%26%23153%3B+i5+Processor+/+14"+Display+/+4GB+Memory+/+640GB+Hard+Drive+-+Aluminum/1677324.p?id=1218279316701&skuId=1677324)</p>
<p>[College</a> Computers - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-computers/]College”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-computers/)</p>
<p>there’s a lot of ridiculous bickering that occurs in that forum (like everywhere on CC i guess), but it should be a good resource.</p>
<p>I also have a HP DM4 like the one ufgator18 linked and I’ve also been very happy with it. I would recommend searching around online for HP coupons too. Sometimes you can get a better deal than through their student discount program.</p>
<p>[Here</a> is a good example of the coupons available out there](<a href=“http://www.logicbuy.com/deals/hp-dm4-core-i3-core-i5-laptop/19851.aspx]Here”>http://www.logicbuy.com/deals/hp-dm4-core-i3-core-i5-laptop/19851.aspx). HP recently updated the DM4 line to use Intel’s newer “Sandy Bridge” processors, so there will probably be some deals out there.</p>
<p>Also, don’t forget that Microsoft is giving away Xbox360’s to people buying new computers for school. [“Microsoft</a> has a new back-to-school promotion: starting May 22, college students buying a new Windows 7 PC can also get a free Xbox 360 4GB console. That’s right, free – as long as your new computer cost at least $699 and came from Redmond or one of its partners, including HP and Dell.”](<a href=“http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/19/microsoft-offers-free-xbox-360-with-back-to-school-pc-professor/]"Microsoft”>Microsoft offers free Xbox 360 with back-to-school PC, professors shake their gray, uncool heads | Engadget)</p>
<p>Don’t buy Microsoft Word/Excel/Powerpoint/ect. just yet. UF will sell you all of that software for only $15 with a special deal they have with Microsoft. It’s available for Windows or Mac and you can buy it at Preview after you have your student ID card.</p>
<p>Look for something with…</p>
<p>1.5+ GHZ Processor
2+ GB RAM
250+ GB HD</p>
<p>The rest is up to you.</p>
<p>My laptop died after my sophomore year (2 years ago) so I went the refurbished route on the advice of a friend and its worked out great. I found mine at CheetahDeals. It’s honestly worked out better than my original did when I was a freshman (I do some gaming) and it has a full warranty on it now. It’s just over two years old but its still going strong and I don’t see why I couldn’t go more than four. Heres the link if you’re interested: [Great</a> Deals on Refurbished Computers and Accessories - CheetahDeals Education](<a href=“http://www.cheetahdeals.com/v/vspfiles/templates/CheetahDeals/education.html]Great”>http://www.cheetahdeals.com/v/vspfiles/templates/CheetahDeals/education.html)</p>
<p>Hopefully this helps, good luck in the fall.</p>
<p>I would urge you to save an extra $300 and buy a MacBook. I have a Pro and its phenomenal. Then again I’ve never owned a Microsoft/PC product, so I can’t draw a comparison. Doesn’t UF (and a lot of other schools) offer some kind of financial aid for computer purchases? I could have sworn I read that some where. In any case, you could use your student discount to lower the price on the entry level MacBook as well.</p>
<p>Hope I successfully converted you, good luck!</p>
<p>‘computer costs’ are part of expected coa, so in that sense they are basically covered by financial aid if you get it.</p>
<p>APPARENTLY YOU DID NOT READ THE " REQUIRED LAPTOP" MEMO</p>
<p>Alienware M18x</p>
<p>SYSTEM COMPONENTS
Alienware M18x
Space Black Anodized Aluminum, Genuine Windows® 7 Ultimate, 64bit
Unit Price
$8,076.98
3 years of McAfee SecurityCenter for the price of 2!</p>
<p>View Details </p>
<p>Catalog Number: 29 DKCWKU2A
ModuleSpace Black Anodized Aluminum Operating System Genuine Windows® 7 Ultimate, 64bit Processor
Intel® Core™ i7 2920XM Overclocked Turbo Boost to 4.3GHz (8MB Cache)
Memory
32GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz (8DIMMS)
18.4-inch WideFHD 1920 x 1080 WLED Video Card
Dual 4GB GDDR5 NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 580M – NVIDIA® SLI® Enabled
Hard Drive 512GB RAID 0 (2x 256GB) Solid State Drive SATA 3Gb/s
AlienFX Quasar Blue Adobe Reader Acrobat SW Adobe Acrobat X Reader
Optical Drive Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BR-ROM, DVD±RW, CD-RW) with Roxio Creator 2011 Sound Internal High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound Audio
Wireless and Bluetooth
Killer™ Wireless-N 1103 a/g/n 3x3 MIMO for Gaming & Video and Bluetooth 3.0
Office Productivity Software Microsoft® Office Professional 2010 Hardware Support Services 4 Year Advanced Plan Datasafe 4 Year North American Phone Support by Your Tech Team Pre-Installed Software Steam and Portal™ Factory Installed WirelessHD
Internal 60GHz WirelessHD Transmitter and VIZIO XWH200 Universal Wireless HD Video and Audio Kit Standard Nameplate Trigger Standard Nameplate Buyback Plan Tech Forward Guaranteed Buyback® Plan for your new PC</p>
<p>I just bought a dm4 at Staples for $486 (after $200 in rebates)</p>
<p>6 GB Ram/ 640 GB Hard drive, i5 and sandy bridge</p>