<p>Would it be advisable to buy a laptop or lease one?</p>
<p>can you link to some leasing sites? I don’t know a single person who leases his laptop. If buying turns out to be the better option, and you want to get a PC, I advise buying a [Dell[/url</a>] Inspirion 6000 to get bang for your buck or Inspirion 700m if size is an issue.</p>
<p>Get a several year Accidental Damage Protection plan/next day on site service plan and they will replace it even if you drop it into the gorge or pour a cup of coffee on it (on purpose) as long as you tell them it was an accident, or they will show up the next day to fix it if it’s a smaller problem. It’s a pain to be without a computer so a good service plan is important, and dell holds the largest business sector share of any computer company, so they have the most expansive service infrastructure. The quality in all the different brands from Dell to Toshiba to Sony to HP to Compaq is comparable. IBM/Lenovo has a better rep but you will pay SO much more for your computer, and with a good service plan from dell you’ll only be out of a computer for or 2 days if it breaks.</p>
<p>A top of the line computer is technologically obselete within a few months of purchase, so buy as nice a computer as you can afford so it will last you until the end of college What you spend now is money you won’t have to spend later. With dell, you can get $750 or 30-40% off with coupons from <a href=“http://www.dealsea.com%5B/url%5D”>www.dealsea.com](<a href=“http://www.dell.com%5DDell%5B/url”>http://www.dell.com)</a>. The coupon changes by week, so wait until a week when a 40% coupon shows up sometime next spring or whenever you plan to buy your computer and buy as nice a computer as you can afford. Budget 1500-2000 after applying the coupon, if you can. Most important characteristics are processor/processor speed, RAM, and for me, screen quality, as i like to look at a nice screen, edit photos, and watch movies. Also, get an internal wireless feature as that’s invaluable. Biggest harddrive possible. Don’t get Microsoft office with it. It is much cheaper to [buy</a> Office 2003 Pro at the cornell store online](<a href=“http://tcop.cbs.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/webc.exe/st_prod.html?p_prodid=314&p_catid=]buy”>http://tcop.cbs.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/webc.exe/st_prod.html?p_prodid=314&p_catid=) for $75; beats $400, eh? Also don’t get virus protection. As soon as you get your NetID in june or whenever you will be able to download Symantic Client Security, which includes Norton AV 10 and a nice firewall, for free from cornell’s uportal.cornell.edu. I also recommend a [USB</a> mouse](<a href=“http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/productdetails.aspx?pid=045]USB”>http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/productdetails.aspx?pid=045) like this one. You will eventually start to hate your touchpad, and if you like gaming…well yeah, duh. Also, get a case for your laptop for travel. I got the kensington backpack/briefcase they offered, but I also ended up buying [this</a> sleeve](<a href="http://img89./img89/4103/IMG_0144.jpg%5Dthis">http://img89./img89/4103/IMG_0144.jpg) for it for when i just wanted to take it to class or something in my regular backpack.</p>
<p>nice post sparty…</p>
<p>If you’re looking to buy a Dell the Inspiron 6000 is great. Used the $750 off $2000 and everything was upgraded for under $1400. Looks great and performs great so far. I strongly reccommend it.</p>
<p>as you can see the 700m is ranked #2 and the 6000 is ranked #8 on [cnet’s</a> 100 most popular laptops](<a href=“Deals - CNET”>Deals - CNET) ranking. The fact that so many students own laptops and so few (none?) lease them would indicate to me that owning is probably better, especially considering how computers like to break randomly. Also, there are some flat out great deals from dell.</p>
<p>If you want to lug a laptop around to class or frequently (very few students do at cornell, but just in case you do, or if you plan to study in the library with your computer several times a week, a few pounds makes a big difference. My computer (700m) feels pretty light when you pick it up, but ends up still having noticible weight if i carry it around (and it’s a specifically small/light model). If you are going to carry it around a lot, get a light computer (i.e. not the 6000). If you don’t plan to move your computer around that much, for example occasionally to a friends room, home for breaks, to your bed to watch a movie, to a class or meeting for a presentation once in a while, or to the library only on occasion like for study week or an extra special all nighter, the 6000 is the best deal around, anywhere.</p>
<p>Do not buy through cornell, it will end up being more. Buy through dell.
For example, [url=<a href=“http://ecomm.dell.com/dellstore/popups/popup_sys_details.aspx?item=c244f12d-dee4-4d98-bba2-3db3ff1719d2”>http://ecomm.dell.com/dellstore/popups/popup_sys_details.aspx?item=c244f12d-dee4-4d98-bba2-3db3ff1719d2</a> ]this top of the line inspirion 6000<a href=“literally%20maxed%20out%20with%202.13GHz%20Pentium%20M,%202GB%20RAM,%20100GB%20Harddrive,%20128MB%20ati%20video%20card,%20DVD%20and%20CD%20burner,%20nicest%20screen%20possible,%20larger%20battery,%20audigy%202%20ZS%20soundcard-7.1%20surround,%20XP%20pro%20w/%20backup%20CD,abg%20wireless+bluetooth%20and%204%20year%20on%20site%20service%20with%20acidental%20damage%20protection”>/url</a> is only $1943.80+tax&shipping (Ignore the listed price of $2600/3000-something, there was no 40% off coupon available this week.) The only additional requirements for the computer would be:
printer (under $150 for a nice basic laser)
surge protector (under 50)
MS office ($75 from cornell store)
Antivirus (free from cornell uportal)
case/bag (under $50)
recommended: mouse (under $50)</p>
<p>The computer is garunteed to last you until you graduate, because 1, it’s top of the line and will stay current for years to come, and 2, if it breaks, dell will give you a brand new one for free because of accidental damage protection.</p>
<p>Also, this price may look high to some of you, but if you round the costs to $2300, that’s only ~$570 per year to have literally the nicest configuration available with completely garunteed service/functionality for all 4 years, and that’s assuming your computer only lasts 4 years. Also, most students won’t configure a computer as nice as that and your cost will be much less. As I said, dell has some really great deals. </p>
<p>The equivilant computer and service/warranty package, with far inferior equipment (differences: 1.6 pentium M, 1.5 GB RAM, 60GB harddrive, no advanced sound or video card) from Lenovo/IBM, the ThinkPad R, would cost over $2800, and your chance of receiving a discount like the dell one is one in a million!</p>
<p>Also, I can’t stress enough how much better a laser printer is than an inkjet. Unless you print in color often or print photos regularly, get a laser. For the occasions you do need a color printer, you can use a friends or the library, and if you print photos, a regular inkjet is not good enough and you should get a photo specific printer anyway. While your inkjet is struggling through page 2 or 3 of text after a minute, my BOTTOM OF THE LINE laser for $150, a comparable cost to an inkjet, will be blowing you away at a page of text every 4 or 5 seconds.</p>
<p>Like I said, if you print in color a lot, you might want an inkjet, but if you primarily print papers (that IS what you will print the most in college), an inkjet is a big time saver when you are on a deadline and want to edit or run to class. If you print photos a lot, even though it’s easier and more professional to get them done online at places like <a href=“http://www.kodakgallery.com/[/url]”>www.kodakgallery.com/</a>, get a photo printer and a laser, as getting an regular inkjet will leave you in a bad place, straddling the area in between the two.</p>
<p>Also, lasers are more economical. my cheap laser is rated at over 2000 pages to a cartridge, and the cartridge is not much more expensive than an inkjet’s cartridge.</p>
<p>Laser’s just don’t break as often, and are cheaper. I have an old hp laser printer in my room, and it’s awesome because it’s fast, reliable, and prints A TON of pages per cartridge - i replace maybe once every 8-9 months and I do a lot of printing. Also, don’t lease, I think it’s just a bad decision college-wise. Pretty sure leasers can screw you over too sometimes.</p>
<p>sparticus800, so is the best deal the 40% off? Seeing a “600 off 1900” seems great until a better deal arrives the next week. </p>
<p>Another possible site is slickdeals.net, but that is more multipurpose, but there is a forum so users discuss the merits of each discount (e.g. whether it’s good, or you’re better off waiting for another.)</p>
<p>the best deal i have seen is 40% off, and I’ve seen it several times. If you want a mid-range performance machine, the $750 coupon is fine as you won’t save much of a difference between 750 and 40%, but if you want to max out your machine wait until you see a 35 or 40% discount.</p>
<p>Also, why buy now, unless you need a new computer right now. Wait until spring when today’s technology may have come down in price. My advice is if you see a 40%, buy, because I don’t know how frequently they show up, but if you’re wallowing in 30%s and $ off, wait.</p>
<p>600 off 1900 is about 32%, which is less than 40%. I sure hope you aren’t doing Engineering or Math…;).</p>
<p>Sparticus is right, as always, about everything. There’s one thing I’d like to add, however. For software, you could just DL off DC++ whats required…and it almost always works fine.</p>
<p>I was talking about the $750 discount. </p>
<p>For a $1900 computer:
$750 gives you $1150
40% gives you 1140.<br>
The $10 savings don’t make it worth waiting it out for the “big” discount.</p>
<p>However, if you max your computer like the one I linked to and it costs around $3000:
$750 gives you $2250
40% saves you a whopping $450, giving $1800.</p>
<p>Even in your example, the difference in savings is only $160 between $600 off and 40% off a $1900 computer.
take that!</p>
<p>and yeah, you’re right tower, but I bought my MS Office because I’m a good boy. But yeah, all kinds of programs are available on DC++, ranging from fun like GTA San Andreas to productive (and fun!) like Autodesk Architectural Desktop.</p>
<p>hmmm…do all dorms have internet access
i have a Presario 2200 note-book…will that be enough, ur do i have to get a PC???</p>
<p>presario is a PC…</p>
<p>all freshmen dorm rooms have a blazing fast ethernet connection</p>
<p>r u allowed laptops in class…to make notes, or plain note-book and pen???</p>
<p>sparticus…its a Presario 2200 laptop, says so on the body
and a laptop i see in it…hehehe</p>
<p>you can have laptops in class, but you will find in almost all classes a notebook and pen will be easier.</p>
<p>Once tablet PCs become more prevalent that may change.</p>
<p>hmmm…so do u advise me on buyin a PC or just use he Laptop for all needs?</p>
<p>sorry in america most of the time PC means PC as in IBM/windows operating system as opposed to apple computer/Mac OS.</p>
<p>so yeah PC vs. Mac</p>
<p>and then “Laptop” or “Notebook” versus “Desktop,” the former two meaning the fold up computer you are describing, and the last meaning the kind of computer that are towers that sit under a desk.</p>
<p>Laptops are fine, and 99% of students have laptops as opposed to desktops. The convenience is great not only for on campus portability, but most importantly for taking the computer home on breaks.</p>
<p>The dell inspiron 6000 seems very interesting… I was originally planning on getting a powerbook or alienware.</p>
<p>powerbook is an excellent machine, but if you want a PC get the 6000 or 700m</p>