<p>The truth is you really do get what you pay for. I just bought a Sony Vaio Z for $2k and it’s honestly worth every penny. Excellent build quality, huge battery life, incredibly lightweight, and extremely powerful. Kind of like a netbook on steroids. But if you truly can’t afford a computer beyond $700, then you’re kind of limited to HP, Toshiba, and Dell.</p>
<p>
That’s overpriced. You can get [comparable</a> RAM on Newegg](<a href=“Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, LED LCD TV, Digital Cameras and more - Newegg.com”>Crucial 2GB 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Laptop Memory Model CT25664BC1067 - Newegg.com) for 35% less, and it has great reviews.</p>
<p>
No, not any ThinkPad. However, it would work on all of the latest models (any of the *00’s), since they all use DDR3 RAM. I believe the 60’s and 61’s use DDR2, but you’d have to check on that.</p>
<p>HP is a garbage company. Get an Apple, Lenovo, Dell, or Sony (Vaio).</p>
<p>well i used to have a dell laptop… and it was crap… never going to dell side again… i think every company has its pros and cons. Some people might like hp and some people might not. it really depends on individuals. I like hp and lenovo. and hate macs… and sony is too expensive and it’s mostly for the look. (my opinion)</p>
<p>What about Toshibas? I also heard HP wasn’t good, but not sure about Toshibas</p>
<p>Toshibas don’t have the best build quality in the industry. My dad used to have a Toshiba but it always had to go out for repairs, so he stopped using Toshibas. But you can usually find really good deals at Best Buy or something like that. </p>
<p>Cheap Sonys also have bad build quality (aka the basic models that Best Buy sells) and poor battery life … but I’ve heard great things about their top-of-the-line computers, like the Sony Vaio Z and SR series. But the Z really is overpriced (imo more expensive than the 13" MBP) … the SR starts at around $1099 without the student discount … yes Sony offers student discounts up to 10% off.</p>
<p>In the past Dell has made very great laptops. However in the last few years build quality has dropped because they’ve tried really hard to cut costs so that they can better compete with HP and the other companies. </p>
<p>All in all, I think it’s okay if you buy an HP or a Dell if you’re in the sub-$700 market because not everyone can afford expensive laptops in this economic environment. Every company out there is good in some respects but crappy in others.</p>
<p>And yea Newegg has the best deals around for computer upgrades and they’re pretty reliable.</p>
<p>just bought a hp dv4-1465dx for S from best buy - DEF bought the service plan because he’s going far from home and while you may want to count on campus IT, sometimes bringing it back to to the store gets best results. Plus I know he’ll be visiting the mall where he is. 
AND you can pay a bit more and get it covered for dropping it or spilling things on it, which we did. We did this with oldest and it’s been great, five years later!</p>
<p>(D2 has - expensive! - Mac - finding service is a pain, stores aren’t near her school, and her hard drive has died TWICE! So much for Mac dependability! She loves it, but…) Best Buy will replace the battery any time the life wanes under this plan - that pays for the plan all by itself. S LOVES comp - loved that it came loaded with Office even though he could have gotten that from school - it’s still a pain.</p>
<p>Main reason we chose this comp was more than 5 plus hours of battery life. D1, the one with the PC, said most important thing to her was battery life - and she’s on year five with her laptop, also from Best Buy - and has received a new battery twice, new motherboard - all under service plan.</p>
<p>So this is a strong yes for Best Buy service plan (for laptops and Ipods anyway!) and a so-far, so-good for the HP laptop with the super-dooper battery. Good luck!</p>
<p>same tier. between the two i would go HP.</p>
<p>not sure why this discussion is so long. HP is not a bad manufacturer, period. pavilions dont have the build quality of apple, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to break down a month after you buy them.</p>
<p>moral of the story is: dont buy an acer and get an extended warranty and you’ll be fine</p>
<p>I’m not a fan of Dell, or Apple actually. Yeah, Macs are good computers, but I really don’t like them as well as I like PCs. If I wanted a Mac, my parents would probably buy me the basic even though it’s way more…but that’s just because you can’t get one for the price range they set for a PC.</p>
<p>By the way, I work at Best Buy, and I get Black Tie Protection on everything because it’s worth it. And I’m really glad that it now covers accidental damage!</p>
<p>SingDance, I work at Best Buy, too!..but in computers</p>
<p>We just got that HP in a couple of weeks ago. While I myself am an apple person, I definitely would NOT mind having that HP…AT ALL. It’s a very solid computer with great features and a compact size and HP is definitely the second best manufacturer of laptops (first probably being Sony). Don’t get Dell. I don’t know about your store but ours gets a hell of a lot of returns on dells and they’re just built poorly.</p>
<p>I say tell your parents to get you that HP as its perfect for college students. Definitely a good amount of bang for you buck.</p>
<p>And yes…get your BTP and help your store out!</p>
<p>I actually ended up getting a Dell. It’s basic, and doesn’t have the most up to date tech specs, but it was $500 and I was told by a bunch of my coworkers that it would work just fine for what I want. I did get the BTP and the GS Optimization.</p>
<p>Personally, I hate my HP. I converted to MAC saturday night and am so glad I did it. I have a dv9000 and have had nothing but problems. The power cord didn’t work when I took it out of the box. I also have had problems with the screen going out. I had to get both replaced</p>
<p>I bought this exact model and I love it. It is easy to use, very light weight, and pretty durable. If you are rough on things I would strongly recommend getting Best Buy’s accidental protection plan. I only bought the extended warranty and wish I had gotten it. My dog has chewed the power cord and now broken one of the keys. The power cord alone was another $80. Good luck on your purchase!</p>
<p>Well, I’ve had my computer for a month, and I love it. Yeah, it’s a cheap Dell (Inspiron) that’s outdated in some ways and isn’t even sold anymore because of that…but that’s the thing. I wanted cheap, but something that would last 2-3 years. In all honesty, even if I got some super high quality thing, it would probably be dead in 3 years anyway because I’m rough on things…so, I did get the Best Buy Black Tie Protection w/the accidental coverage, so if something does happen to my laptop, I can get a new one. And since this one isn’t sold anymore, it’ll be an upgrade. Yeah. I’m smart.</p>