New Laptop.

[*Faith*]

I don't know how to choose one, I've been fidgeting around on Amazon and PC World but I don't know what is best. I want something with good sound quality, 320GB+ hard drive and a good battery life. Can anyone make any suggestions?

[Crimsonkin]

I would go with the Macbook Pro 13inch if you can afford it! ($1200) Great battery life 500gb hardrive 4gb's of ram. Core i5 processor. Great sounding laptop too I have had mine for about 2 years now and i love it! Best of all after 2 years i have not seen even one sign of the computer going out on me.

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/hom...co=MTM3NjU5MzU

If you cant afford that go with an HP.

Something like this will meet your needs!

http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/sh...21-143671408-2

[JoshS]

i have a HP-pavilion dv6-3236nr i got on sale at staples one day, it meets all your requirements with 4gb of ram, 320gb hdd. dual core i3, awesome battery life around 5-6 hours.

[Amember]

One thing I wouldn't go for, an Apple product. Way too much money to be wasting, secondly I don't go to PC World for computer needs because I believe they over price their products. Your best bet is Amazon, or any other computer shops that don't fall under the PCWorldCurrysDixions (them three are run by the same top dogs). Just look around for any possible place for prices, that way you can have a guestimate as to what to spend. Acer's are not recommend, HP are good in my opinion, And possibly some others but I can't recall their names since I'm not a laptop fan.

One thing that needs to be pointed out, try make sure you go for a laptop with at least an i3 (anything below it ie. Pentium, Celeron, Duo Core) is old and will gradually become slower (especially the celeron). i3 and upwards are the new Intel family, but um, if you go for a AMD laptop then I wouldn't know what to suggest because I don't observe AMD.

I'd also like to recommend these two stores to you since you also live in the UK, I've bought parts from both places and out of the two, eBuyer is possibly cheaper.

http://aria.co.uk
http://ebuyer.com

[Elizabeth]

I have a Levono ThinkPad E420. I LOVE IT! It is SUPER lightweight. The battery life is about six hours if you are on fb or writing a paper, about three hours if you are watching youtube/movie. Webcam is average, but nothing to complain about. The keypad is very easy to type on. The arrow keys are rather small, but I don't use them often. It has a wide track pad, which means it takes less effort. It never overheats. It stay VERY cool even while playing Sims 3 or watching a movie. It has a nice bottom bar and a great volume control.
Downside : It only has two USB ports. I'm used to having four so I bought a cooling pad that had six additional ones. Other than that, it is PERFECT!

[Crimsonkin]

Originally Posted by Amember

One thing I wouldn't go for, an Apple product. Way too much money to be wasting,

In my opinion you are paying for better quality with apple products. I cant stand laptops that have to much plastic. I like a laptop that feels sturdy and like its not a kids toy. The macbook pro is all aluminum and it has survived alot of abuse. I have dropped it off the couch its been stepped on and it still works like the day i got it. They last forever and the customer service is top notch. They last forever too. I mean if you looking for a laptop thats not going to dies on you in 2-3 years (Like my previous laptops have) Then get an Mac.

[how.we.operate.]

I think it really depends on what you are going to use it for.
PC vs. Apple is always going to be a really big debate because everyone sees it differently. Yes Apple is expensive, but it is worth it and it lasts. Apple isn't for everyone just like PCs aren't for everyone.

Well Faith, one question would be Mac or PC? General use or are there specific things that you do that you'd need to have enough of x for (as in gamers need specific specs)? Is there a specific brand that you like or a brand that you want to avoid?
It really depends on what you want...

[udontno]

I'm typing this from my new MacBook Pro, so I might be a little biased. I'd strongly suggest one of those. I haven't even had my hands on this thing a full day yet and I love it. I've used them before at school, I've used Windows for years... and I just prefer Mac.

[loveme_x]

Walmart is your best bet lol I got a great acer laptop from there yesterday

[Imagine]

I agree, walmart has great deals on computers. So does Best Buy.

[Cabron]

I'm on my new Macbook Pro and it is my best friend. No viruses, it's extremely sturdy as it has an aluminum casing as opposed to a plastic one (which many other types of laptops have) and the sound quality is phenomenal for a laptop. I have the 13 inch and I find it to be very portable and light. Not to mention its pretty spiffy-looking. I love love love their customer support too. I haven't had to call them yet as just about any question you could have is answered on their website. It's fast, too and I've so far downloaded all my music (which is quite a bit) and the rest of my considerable amount of data and it hasn't slowed it down one bit. I'd say go for the Pro. They're well-worth the money.

[Elizabeth]

Don't buy your laptops at Walmart. My friend got one. WORST QUALITY EVER!
Breaks in a month.

[udontno]

Originally Posted by Cabron

I'm on my new Macbook Pro and it is my best friend. No viruses, it's extremely sturdy as it has an aluminum casing as opposed to a plastic one (which many other types of laptops have) and the sound quality is phenomenal for a laptop. I have the 13 inch and I find it to be very portable and light. Not to mention its pretty spiffy-looking. I love love love their customer support too. I haven't had to call them yet as just about any question you could have is answered on their website. It's fast, too and I've so far downloaded all my music (which is quite a bit) and the rest of my considerable amount of data and it hasn't slowed it down one bit. I'd say go for the Pro. They're well-worth the money.

Ditto. I'm typing this from my MBP, which I believe is well worth the money. I think this machine will definitely last me throughout college (I want to do a five year bachelor's & master's combined program).

[MysteriousSwede]

I would reccomed either a MacBook Pro or a HP DV6.

[Crimsonkin]

If you are looking for deals on laptops try these sites first

www.newegg.com
www.tigerdirect.com

[Honey Badger]

Eh, I am not a fan of Apple's computer products. I am becoming more and more familiar with them, and I am not liking what I see. Depending upon how long you want your laptop to last, will really make the difference in how much you pay. If you want a cheap throw-away laptop, and don't need anything special, and, you'll be fine with a netbook. If you want something that's a real powerhouse, or, desktop replacement, expect to pay a lot more, and to have a heavy laptop. What are you intending to do with it, and, what are your plans for your future?

If nothing else, the biggest reason to NOT by an Apple computer, is simply put, cost. You pay a lot more for not more power, more features, or anything of the sort, you're paying for the name.

Dell has excellent laptops, at reasonable prices, and, you're getting what you're paying for, rather than, with Apple, getting less than you're paying for.

If you want to save even more, shop at tigerdirect or newegg. Amazon is sketchy, since you may be dealing with individuals rather than companies, should you help, they may not be willing to help you.

[how.we.operate.]

I don't think you'd want to get a computer from Walmart unless it is directly from the company that made it (ie make sure that a Toshiba computer they sell is coming directly from Toshiba).
Brand of computer...that is just based on Faith's preference.
Seller--avoid eBay of course. Newegg is a good website, I've ordered from there before. Amazon, it just depends--always look at the seller's ratings, see if they have gotten bad reviews/for what, read the fine print of what they are selling. You can always look into sales and discounts for students.

Apple vs PC...honestly it is based off of preference. I have had many friends switch to Apple from PC and they love Apple. My boyfriend is a PC user/Apple hater, but after I have taught him many of the tricks, he is okay with Apple. Of course the price is a huge thing...but I honestly feel it is worth it. My 2nd laptop has lasted many years, my parents currently use it and it has been in use for at least 4 years. My current laptop is 2-3 years old and I have had no issues what so ever. You get great customer service for what you are paying for, great support, and a lot more. I am biased to say that most PC companies aren't exactly the best--my friends have come to me saying how X is wrong or that their computer has crapped out after a year of use and how X company can't help. That or they have taken their computers in and it doesn't get fixed.
So really that debate is really based on what brands you are comparing, based on your experience, and based on your opinons.

[Honey Badger]

People are the biggest hazard for a computer. People do things that they don't understand, or, download something they shouldn't have, or installed a toolbar, and so on and so forth. If you know what not to do, you more likely than not, will not have any problems with their PC at all.

Also, keep in mind that any new Apple computer you buy actually is a PC, and has been for quite a few years now, since they are using the same exact components as non-Apple PCs.


The true difference comes down soley to taste in operating systems. If you like Apple's OSes, great. If you like Windows, great. If you like Linux, great.

Personally, I am a Windows fan, because it's what I use, it's what the majority of others use, and, it has the most functions and features that I need.

If your friends are having problems with their PC's, and, they have taken them in for service, and they still do not work properly, it is likely something that your friends did to the computer, and sometimes the only practical fix is to reinstall the operating system, which means unless everything is backed up, they'll lose all data.

[Crimsonkin]

I must argue apples side here. The big thing everyone talks about is cost. Well i gota say 1200 for a laptop that lasts twice some times even 3 times as long as a pc that you would pay 600-800 dollars for. Lets face it if you want a good laptop your going to have to shell out some cash.

As for Dell i have had nothing but trouble with them. There customer service is horrible. I had a top of the line dell XPS paid like 1300 for it. Loved it for the first week then it started crashing all the time. So i sent it in for repair and didnt get it back for 3 weeks. They lost my computer at the repair depo (or so they say) When i got it back it worked great for like 3 months then the motherboard died. So at that point all i wanted was my money back. Well that was easier said then done. After hours on the phone they finally agreed to refund my money. The check took a month to get to me. I was not happy cuz i was out of a computer. So i finally got the money back and went to the apple store and got my Macbook Pro. I have had a few problems with it but Apple does not give me the run around like Dell did. They had it fixed and sent back to me within 4 days.

Apple has to be doing something right they are the most valuable company in the world now.

[Nicole!]

I don't know all that much about laptops, but I have had Dells my whole life and while they work, they have plenty of glitches. I have never been fond of Apple, they are basic and I've heard a lot of programs don't work with them. I'd go with an HP, I hear mostly good things about them.

[Revolution]

I have the Dell Inspiron 15r, and I love it. Windows 7 FTW.
Very little glitches on this one, none that I have found, but it's still fairly new (six months)

[Crimsonkin]

Maybe Dells have goten better since the last time I had one! No matter though after using my macbook for so long i dont think i could go back to using a windows machine again (at least not for my main computer) Windows annoys me now to no end.