<p>how much does it cost to ship a computer crosscountry?</p>
<p>One asset of laptops that D pointed out during some power outages at her LAC was that she could continue to work even when the power went down. A lot of her friends with desktops lost their information, but she just received the message that her laptop had begun running on battery power. That gave her enough time to complete and save her assignment(s).</p>
<p>Transportation can be a major issue. We drove our D to college with a 3 year old desktop and also a small refrigerator. It was very difficult to fit everything into an SUV. Within a couple of weeks, she called to let us know she needed a laptop. It turned out the main reason was so she could sit in the quad and work on nice days. I would guess this means emails and IMing.</p>
<p>During campus visits, we noticed very few students carry laptops. They are not practical for taking class notes, especially in my D’s area of math and physics. She could take it to the library but she can more easily use the library computers and carry around her files on a USB jump drive.</p>
<p>We will probably end up replacing the desktop, mainly due to the transportation issue. Based on the research I have done it is clear that a new laptop will not have the speed or features of even her 3 year old bargain-priced desktop. It also appears that the cost will be considerably higher than someone suggested above. The low cost processors are not only slow, but use up battery life quickly. An upgrade to a Pentium M seems important. Many programs are memory hogs and an upgrade to 512 Mb or 1 G RAM also is all but essential. It seems that a good price for a basic system is more like $800-$1000. The warranty is another major cost. Several people have warned me about the relatively high frequency of major repairs and costs for replacing a broken screen. Extended warranties start at around $200, but figure about $400 for a complete warranty covering the screen and accidental damage. The Dell plan through her school starts at $1400 for a mid-level system with a 4 yr warranty and access to a loaner. At a certain point I wonder if it would indeed be better to buy a cheap unit and know that it would need to be replaced at least once in the next few years.</p>
<p>Definitely get a warranty…you may or may not need one with a desktop, but you are more likely to need one with a laptop; i was too cheap to purchase the extended warranty (it was about $200 or so) and I ended up needed it later…well, actually, the guy on the phone cut me some slack and I was able to get a free repair outside of my warranty, but I will not take that chance in the future…get the warranty because your laptop will <em>conveniently</em> go out on you after your 90 day to 1 year limited warrantly expires.</p>
<p>I have also been told to be careful about the details of the extended warranty. Some do not cover screens and some do not cover accidents and “abuse.” I was warned to get a comprehensive warranty and that would avoid disputes about what is covered.</p>
<p>I would also be interested in opinions on screen size. The 17" wide screens may be nice but at that size the unit is almost not portable. Is a 15" a good compromise or would 14" be adequate and more portable?</p>
<p>When it comes to an extended warranty, always purchase it from the manufacturer. Never purchase one from the store; I have proof that Circuit City’s is a scam in reality, and I’m sure Best Buy’s is just the same.</p>
<p>You may want to see how “wired” your campus of choice is before you buy. My son loves having a laptop, although he never takes it to class.</p>
<p>EDAD - you may want to consider the schools laptop program - for many reasons - the warranty is a good one - the loaner program is a huge benefit - they take the laptop back to an on-campus place for updates/repairs/etc… - figure it over the whole 4 years and it is not a bad deal at all. We did the school program - they have figured out the appropriate needs for their students - and software that might be needed later is at a drastic reduction than from other sources. The security of knowing that if something goes wrong and the fix is a walk across campus makes life alot easier than maybe having to ship it or other options.</p>
<p>Our DD is far from home - we don’t have to worry at all about her computer issues - she is able to take care of them herself at the bookstore computer center - no problems at all. Piece of mind for us for sure as she is not real computer savy for the most part. And the warranty covers the accidental stuff as well thru the schools program.</p>
<p>17 inch screens are nice to have - tho the laptop is usually quite a bit heavier - is still portable - just heavy to carry around - and most college kids leave them in one place for the most part -unless campus is well wired and a nice day to sit under a tree.</p>
<p>14-15 inch screens are nice size for the most part - actually the wide screen ones are nice and comfortable - our preference anyways. There are choices between ‘‘standard’’ laptops - 6-8 lbs or lite’s which are around 4-5 lbs or so - a 17 is more a pc replacement type - and can have substantial wt. It also depends on other options that you want - a gaming computer is usually a bit on the heavier end.</p>
<p>It also may depend on ones major as well - some majors actually demand certain specific specs - so one has to think of that also - but for the average student - a ‘regular’ laptop will be find.</p>
<p>At my DD’s school - they now have 15 majors that demand freshman have laptops - and more are to come - laptops are easier to maintain and manage - the schools IS departments don’t make house calls at schools now a days - like the used to - now the student has to bring computer to IS for fixing/programing, etc…</p>
<p>JeepMom: Thanks, sounds like very good advice.</p>
<p>We have a required laptop program through the school, and the easy repair comes in very handy. Since we bring our laptops everywhere things get broken pretty often, and it’s nice that a loaner/fixed laptop is only a 3 minute walk away.</p>
<p>evanescenteuphoria, get an “extra large box” from uhaul and put the desktop and lcd monitor inside. it becomes a checked article. worked with my tower case and 19" lcd.</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>I just saw the title of this threat and I knew I had to comment:</p>
<p>YES it’s worth the small difference in price.</p>
<p>I take it to my classes to take notes, and since most people type significantly faster than they can write, it means you can take much more thorough notes and never have to cross anything out or waste precious seconds fumbling with the eraser.</p>
<p>And I have yet to find a notepad that has spellcheck or that I can make backups of, both online and stored in my iPod.</p>
<p>My sister at Bryn Mawr College got a desktop as a freshman. Now she’s screaming for a laptop as a sophomore. Draw your own conclusions.</p>
<p>It won’t get stolen unless you’re stupid or careless (knock on wood)</p>
<p>Oh and a piece of advice besides “get a laptop”</p>
<p>-Get a LIGHT one because you’ll be carrying it. Do you REALLY need a 17" screen and uber 3d graphics? No, unless you’re doing hardcore CAD or something. My computer is more than 3 years old, has a 667mhz processor, and is still more than fast enough for running Office, iChat, iTunes, etc.</p>
<p>-Get a Mac. It’s just easier, and the student discounts are sweet ;-)</p>
<p>My school gives every student a laptop, it is part of this program we have, but I never take mine to classes. But that is just me, other students seem to integrate them into the classroom. My only suggestion would be not to get a PC, macs are so much better. I can’t stand the laptops my school gave us, and mac is just…better.</p>
<p>While I am aware of the advantages PCs provide in the “real world,” here in college, Macs are definitely the way to go. The support exists in college (most of the professors got Macs in the 1980s and have forced the university to support them ever since)</p>
<p>Macs CAN
-run Microsoft Office (MS makes a Mac version)
-run AIM (Apple includes its own awesome AIM client called iChat)
-run MSN Messenger
-support your iPod (duh)
-access wireless networks
-work with Windows file sharing
-work perfectly with the web and email
-use Skype (and unlike most Windows machines, Macs come with built-in microphones)</p>
<p>But it CAN’T get Windows viruses! (darn)
-College computer networks are an absolute hotbed of viruses and hacking. It’s so bad that the Ethernet port has a piece of paper blocking it that says not to plug your PC in until it’s been certified by a tech person. Macs are immune to Windows hacking and viruses. The LAST thing you want is for a virus to wipe our your precious schoolwork.</p>
<p>The only thing it can’t do is games…and you shouldn’t be playing those in school anyway!! :-P</p>
<p>I just switched to a laptop for my last year of college. It is so nice to have all this room on my desk now. The best part is, I got this ibook for $950 from an apple store. You can get them pretty cheap nowadays.</p>
<p>Nobody has mentioned Tablets yet. My son has an IBM Thinkpad X-41 Tablet PC, but there are many others to choose from. He loves it. He is 100% paperless and ALL his notes are organized and can be accessed instantly. He takes all his math and bio and chem notes on it because you just write on it, as you would on a sheet of paper. If you want you can convert this to text but he doesn’t bother. I was skeptical that the Tablet could accurately convert his rather sloppy handwriting to accurate text, but it does an excellent job. The math notes are as easy to write on the Tablet as they are on paper. You can highlite, import images, copy the Profs slides. Here is a quick demo to view: <a href=“http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/tabletpc/evaluation/tours/default.mspx[/url]”>http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/tabletpc/evaluation/tours/default.mspx</a></p>
<p>He has a docking station for his room, so at the end of the day he just plops his Tablet into the dock and works right on his wireless keyboard and an old 17" monitor. Pretty nice setup and NO PAPER. A daily back-up and he is in business.</p>
<p>I just have a desktop, and I kinda wished I had bought a laptop, especially when I had to move from one place to another. It’s a hassle to connect all of the wires of the desktop, and desktop really does take a lot of space if you are not living at your home. </p>
<p>But that’s probably the only bad things about desktop that I can think of. Honestly, I don’t like using laptop. I’m an old fashioned guy, and find that using regular mouse and keyboard is FAR more convinient than using those of laptops. </p>
<p>Beside, by the price you can get a half decent laptop, you would get an almost top of the line PC with a printer.</p>
<p>"I’m an old fashioned guy, and find that using regular mouse and keyboard is FAR more convinient than using those of laptops. "</p>
<p>Yikes! If that’s old fashioned I must be aincient.</p>
<p>LOL, I’m just saying that I don’t like using the mouse and keyboard that come integrated with laptops. I don’t know, but I just find them not nearly as convinient as the regular mouse and keyboard.</p>