Laptops

[Newbiebrewer]

Hi all,

I'm looking to buy a laptop for uni next year, and I would like to get some recommendations on what I should get. I'm looking to spend somewhere between $500-$1000 maybe $1500 if it can be justified. I also have an external dvd so you can include netbooks.

Thanks in advance

 

[pokolbinguy]

Macbook....will solve the issues of viruses and will get you away from windows. Can run windows on it aswell if you wish...but I only use windows for beersmith only.

 

[DJR]

+1 macbook/macbook pro

Depends on what you want though - do you want a desktop replacement, something small and light, good battery life, how fast, how much ram?

If you are going to uni get one with decent battery life - nothing worse than being out somewhere all day with no access to power and a laptop with a short battery life.

The macs have good battery life and there is plenty of PC laptops with the same - particularly if you are after the netbooks. Personally i find the keyboards too small on the netbooks to be usable, something in the 12" or 13" size is a good compromise and good for trains etc

If you are looking at the Macs and you will be a full time student you can get the educational discount.

 

[adam.simpson]

Hi all,

I'm looking to buy a laptop for uni next year, and I would like to get some recommendations on what I should get. I'm looking to spend somewhere between $500-$1000 maybe $1500 if it can be justified. I also have an external dvd so you can include netbooks.

Thanks in advance

Hughesy Not sure of the exact applications you require for uni, but i just recently brought a compaq presario CQ56 from jb HI-Fi for work for about 500 bucks , use it regularly it handles all internet use i have needed and all work programs that i have had installed, use thumb drives or external hard drives to store most of my stuff. But laptops are very similar to beer and what works for me may not be to your tastes. Everyone will have different opinions, and in my opinion no one will be right or wrong is just what works for them for the money they want to spend. Anyway good luck with it.

 

[Newbiebrewer]

Thanks for the replies,

yeah I know what you mean by battery life my acer had a very short lifespan.

Asimmo: what I was asking for was a choice of about 5 different brands then I'll go to the shops and see how I like them, it would be unlikely that I would dislike all 5.

How steep is the learning curve on the mac compared to a windows based machine?

 

[pokolbinguy]

How steep is the learning curve on the mac compared to a windows based machine?

If you can use windows, you can use MacOS. Its pretty easy to learn and is nice and intuitive. Things are located in somewhat logical places and the operating system is nice and simple.

Can get all the "normal" stuff for mac as in word, excel, powerpoint etc and if their is any specialist software you need to run E.g. CAD programs then there is usually a mac version (especially if its adobe) and if not you can run windows as well as I said.

I have an older macbook and have a partitioned hard drive, about 80% of this is for MacOS and the other 20% for windows to run beersmith, do my tax and run the odd program once in a blue moon that is only available on windows (e.g. microsoft project).

If I was buying a new laptop I would buy a macbook pro, they are nicer than the normal macbook and pretty well priced these days and as mentioned earlier you can get education discount...which isnt a huge amount, you will find you should be able to get a better deal from jb/DJ's etc if you shop around.

If you want to know anything else about them just ask.

Cheers, Pok

 

[barls]

+1 for the mac. so easy to use and most importantly just about indestructible. ive had 3 now over the last 7 years and the first one is just about to die.
ive dropped them down steel steps on boats and the worst i have is a small dent in the case.
most apps you need are available and in most case they have more functionality options.

 

[pk.sax]

I use my macbook air every now and then now.... used to use a lot when I had to be mobile (uni). Like someone above said above, the compaq models are really stepping up in specs to the macs, win7 does a decent job, recently mother's lappy shat itself so got her one from officeworks el cheapo, its got nearly the same or better specs than the macbook pro that I helped a friend buy about half a year ago and about half the price apple charges, both ppl are very with their machines.

One thing to watch out with apple products is material integrity, seriously, for the $$ they charge, their plastic is ****. It cracks in the most ridiculous places and they will tell you its down to your handling! I've not had cracks appear on the body of any laptop ever except an apple product. Aluminium is a lot better but still suffers from tight tolerance design + uncomfortable to touch on a cold day. Also, with a macbook/pro - you won't get HDMI ports etc, just in case you were thinking of hooking it up to the telly. Then again, how often does anybody actually do that is totally up to the user.

My 2c -- If looking for a not that light but powerful comp -- get a compaq or something similar in quality: powerful, good construction and much cheaper
-- If looking for a light mobile device, make the choice and get a macbook air, esp with the latest HD upgrades they did, its worth it. The pro has more power, a few more ports but is heavy and less flexible in options than the competition while the Air has no real competition in its class.

PS: I've dropped the mac air a few times too, never too badly though, more like putting my backpack down hard with the comp in there, no probs ever with that. Apple plastic though is : STAY AWAY from it.

 

[barls]

if your going for the apple you might want to have a read here
http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/

 

[seemax]

Macbook is good, little overpriced, but limited to 15" screen unless you get a Pro.

Compaq/Dell/Acer et all ... all suitable and probably come with Windows 7 (yuck).

Decide on your must haves then go from there - screen size? weight? battery life? speaker quality? etc etc

 

[pokolbinguy]

Also, with a macbook/pro - you won't get HDMI ports etc, just in case you were thinking of hooking it up to the telly. Then again, how often does anybody actually do that is totally up to the user.

Easily fixed with a $5 adapter off ebay...

 

[lespaul]

https://www.pcdiy.com.au/index.php?cPath=28...5a1b9ee042a33d1

no affiliation, but looking at getting one from there.
bought stuff from them before and they are really good, and so much cheaper than your usual electronics store.

 

[Rurik]

I quite like my Aspire Net book for Uni. throw it in the bag, it is light, can fit it on the small desk or balance on my lap in lecture theatres, good battery life and my uni is fully networked with wireless so can access the net any wear on campus. I can type for a while in the library, tutes etc. but if I am settling in for a major essay writing session I will use my desktop. I think it comes down to how you want to use it, I find the net book perfect for how I use it but I also have a desktop.

 

[Newbiebrewer]

yeah actually I had an acer aspire myself but the battery conked out and to replace said battery it costs about a third of the price of a new netbook:S

 

[Airgead]

If you don't want to go for apple, the latest reliability surveys show Asus and Toshiba as most reliable. My personal preference if for the Asus. Apple is down in the middle of the pack reliability wise. I used to recommend dell but not for notebooks any more. The quality of the last batch I got through was terrible.

Unless you want it for gaming, I'd go for a netbook. Perfect for carrying around uni all day (carrying a full sized notebook, especially one of the bigger ones) gets old real quick. Get an external mouse, keyboard and monitor for use at home. For basic browsing/uni assignments/etc it will do the job just fine and for around $4-500. Not so good if you want it for processor or memory intensive stuff though.

Cheers
Dave

 

[newguy]

Take this with a grain of salt as I'm an engineer and (according to me), there is no better brand than HP. I bought a $450 refurbished 15.6" laptop this spring and it's the best laptop I've ever been issued or owned. For the price, it simply can't be topped. I bought my wife a brand new HP 17" i5 for $800 a few months ago and it's also very sweet.

In my experience, HP is very good. I also own a Toshiba laptop and it's the worst piece of crap I've ever owned. And when I bought it, it cost $2500. <_<

 

[Airgead]

Take this with a grain of salt as I'm an engineer and (according to me), there is no better brand than HP. I bought a $450 refurbished 15.6" laptop this spring and it's the best laptop I've ever been issued or owned. For the price, it simply can't be topped. I bought my wife a brand new HP 17" i5 for $800 a few months ago and it's also very sweet.

In my experience, HP is very good. I also own a Toshiba laptop and it's the worst piece of crap I've ever owned. And when I bought it, it cost $2500. <_<

I've had some really bad experiences with HP machines in the past. I suspect though that you can get a lemon from any brand. 99% of laptops of any brand that you buy will work fine. Its the 1% you have to watch.

Cheers
Dave

 

[Bizier]

I have used macs and PCs daily in roughly equal proportions, and nothing is without fault. Mac people just overlook them (sorry, I had to take a jab). I think they are both flawed.

I think if you are looking for an awesome laptop with no budget concerns, a macbook pro would be a great choice, but if you are thinking of more value for your money, I would suggest a PC based laptop. Sorry, I can't suggest brands, I am in the same boat, just holding out until it is a dire need.

Can I suggest Open Office from Sun as a very good free alternative to any office suite. I have a problem with paying Microsoft for their sloppy products.

 

[Airgead]

Can I suggest Open Office from Sun as a very good free alternative to any office suite. I have a problem with paying Microsoft for their sloppy products.

+1 on the open office. Fantastic suite of programs.

 

[pk.sax]

I had a toshiba, my first laptop ever so I enthusiastically bought the top of the line satellite, my investment into uni. Worked fantastic until it sucked in too much dust and choked itself. Fan design was crap and caused the gfx card to burn up. Still, loved that one. I threw everything at it and it took it all in it's stride.

My dad got a toshiba against my advice, he still has weird problems I can't make head or tail of and I usually do the dumbest fixes for him. I hate his toshiba. Mom bought a Dell latitude d505 ages ago, elfin fantastic battery life. Lasted abt 6-7 years before being replaced, only Dell comp I've ever liked.
Dad bought an hp netbook, worst piece of crap, can't do jack on it. Hangs itself on word processing. Bought that compaq for mom, fantastic. Basically what to look for is that the model you buy has good specs throughout, needs not be spectacular in anything but have them all line up and not be bottlenecks, you rarely upgrade laptop parts ever. Also, should have good heat flow. Poorly ventilated computers crap out, no matter how good the specs otherwise.

I happen to be an engineer too, and not a computer person, so, yes I get pissed off when the comp ***** itself.