Laptop for college

[darkop16]

Hey,

Im looking to get a laptop for college, since I just found on the college of engineering in my university requires a laptop (grrrh another grand...college is expensive no doubt). I have never owned a laptop (you get so much more out of a desktop), so Im not familiar with the good brands and the different hardware available for laptops right now.

Anyways, Im not going to be gaming on it, but Im going into an engineering field and will probably have to use CAD and other such 3D programs on this laptop.

I think I want to go with either of these two by looking at their specs and the savings new egg has on them right now:

Newegg.com - Gateway M-6851 NoteBook Intel Core 2 Duo T5550(1.83GHz) 15.4" Wide XGA 4GB Memory DDR2 667 250GB HDD 5400rpm Dual layer DVD Burner ATI Mobility Radeon HD 2600 - Laptops / Notebooks

Newegg.com - HP Pavilion dv6936us NoteBook Intel Core 2 Duo T5750(2.00GHz) 15.4" Wide XGA 4GB Memory 250GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS - Laptops / Notebooks

I would like to keep this below or right at a grand and no higher.

Thanks,
darkop

 

[ngreenwood6]

Out of those 2 laptops I would go with the Gateway just for the simple fact that I work on laptops everyday and I see way more HP's than I want to see. I would recommend a Dell over any computer that is out there though just for the fact that I see less of them and the ones I do see can be repaired rather than scraped like hp's. Never used to be a dell fan until I started working on their laptops everyday

 

[maroon1]

HP is better based on my experience.

 

[Naphtali14]

Ya I would look into a dell if I were you. They cost a tad more but it will be worth it in the long run.

 

[Yek]

I'd go for the Dell Latitude series, pretty robust and no fancy **** with em

Cheers,

~ Tkey

 

[CalcProgrammer1]

I have an HP and it's great, but the Compaq branded ones have pretty bad quality. My friend had an HP Compaq laptop and both hinges broke within a few years.

 

[darkop16]

Thanks for the replies

I checked out the Dell Latitudes, but the best graphics option was a 256MB NVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M. I'd rather have a ATI HD 2600 or 8400gs. I also tried the XPS series since I could get a 8400gs and 8600gt, but I lost alot of HDD space and system memory for exactly $1000 (w/o shipping). I don't doubt dell is a good brand but their kinda expensive. I used to use a HP pavilion desktop when I was younger and didn't know how to build a system yet. I was pretty happy with it once a put an agp ati 9600xtx in it for gaming.

I hear you about the compaq brands, but I trust the pavilions since thats what I used for desktops.

I think Im going with the Hp, but Im up for anymore suggestions since I prob won't buy it till next monday.

Thanks,
darkop

edit. oh yeah, I did take a closer look at the HP and I don't think I like the design too well, but Im not complaining since its a good price. I could always spray paint black or something

What do you guys think about acer:

Newegg.com - Acer Aspire AS5920-6574 NoteBook Intel Core 2 Duo T8100(2.10GHz) 15.4" Wide XGA 3GB Memory DDR2 667 250GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT - Laptops / Notebooks

or ASUS:

Newegg.com - ASUS F3 Series F3KA-X4 NoteBook AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-60(2.00GHz) 15.4" Wide XGA 3GB Memory DDR2 667 250GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi ATI Mobility Radeon HD 2600 - Laptops / Notebooks

 

[CalcProgrammer1]

Dell's Inspiron and Vostro line have 14" and 15" laptops that you can get the 8400M GS in.

 

[darkop16]

OK, if you guys really want me to get a dell, I was able to get both Inspiron and Vostro with decent hardware and under a grand:

Inspiron:

PROCESSOR: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T5750 (2.0GHz/667Mhz FSB/2MB cache)
OPERATING SYSTEM: Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1
DISPLAY: Anti-glare, widescreen 14.1 inch display (1280x800)
VIDEO CARD: 128MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8400M GS
MEMORY: 4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667MHz
HARD DRIVE Size: 120GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE: CD / DVD writer (DVD+/-RW Drive)
WIRELESS NETWORK CARDS: Dell Wireless 1395 802.11g Mini Card
BATTERY OPTIONS 56Whr Lithium Ion Battery (6 cell)
SOUND OPTIONS: High Definition Audio 2.0

Total: $949

Vostro:

PROCESSOR: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T5670 (1.8GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
OPERATING SYSTEM: Genuine Windows Vista® Home Basic, Service Pack 1
WARRANTY & SERVICE: 1 Year Basic Limited Warranty plus 1 Year Mail-in Service
LCD PANEL: 15.4 inch Widescreen WXGA LCD Anti-Glare Display
MEMORY: 4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz, 2 DIMM
OPTICAL DRIVE: 8X DVD+/-RW with double-layer DVD+/-R write capability
VIDEO CARD: 256MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ 8400M GS
HARD DRIVE: 160G 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
WI-FI WIRELESS CARD: Dell Wireless 1395 802.11g Wi-Fi Internal Card

Total $979

Alright, I got some dells that look good and are not too expensive. I just hope their shipping isn't anymore than what new egg charges. I guess the Vostro would be the best since it's a larger screen and slightly more HDD space. I know it will be the same resolution as a 14" but it might be nice if I need to show someone whats on my screen and they're sitting away from me. One thing im concerned about, what is the difference between vista basic and premium. I want the 64-bit edition since I will have more then 2gb of memory.

 

[CalcProgrammer1]

I wouldn't go for the Dell just because it's a Dell, I'd go for whatever is the most cost effective. If you can get an HP 15" with the same features cheaper than the Dell, by all means go for it! Remember that a T5500 and 8400M GS work the same whether they're in a Dell or HP case, so you'll be getting essentially the same PC (of course comparing specs).

Looking between the Newegg HP and the Vostro, the HP looks like a bit better deal. It has a T5750 (2.0GHz) instead of the T5670 (1.8GHz). Both have the 8400M GS and 15" screens. Both have 4GB memory. The HP has a much bigger hard drive. The HP has Home Premium 64 instead of plain old Home Basic 32. Looking at both, the HP looks like the winner here and I'd say go for the HP.

I only mentioned Dell because their laptops are worth looking at before making your final decision. I have a dv9700t (HP) and love it, the dv6000 features a similar design so I think it'll be good too.