Laptop for EE freshman

<p>I know its probably a bit early, but what’s a good laptop (<$1000) for an EE freshman?
I was looking at the HP envy touchsmart 14 and 15 among others, and though the 14s size and weight appeals to me, it only has an i5 processor for $800 whereas the 15 has an i7. Would that make a significant difference?</p>

<p>Also, I know the techzone is an official Apple service center, but does it also service HP/Lenovo/ Dell laptops which are under warranty free of cost?</p>