New Laptop For College...

[hoppygirl]

Hi,
I am in the market for a new laptop, starting my BS in Computer Science this fall and really want a laptop that will last me a WHILE. I definetely want an i7 core processor, and would REALLY like around a 15 in screen for portability, but I'm worried that small a laptop would get too hot with an i7 and was wondering if I moved up to a 17 in if that would help disperse the heat better. Kinda clueless, really looking into the Dell's 1558 Studio and Studio 17, I am REALLY interested in the Studio 17 but I'm afraid I will not be able to carry it well, as I have dial up (DSL not available to me, live out in the boondocks) and most of my classes are online so I will have to carry my laptop to a wifi hotspot. I really want the works, a great processor, 500 GB hard drive, 6 gigs memory, decent video card, I'll need to run applications like Photoshop, Flash, Dreamweaver and the such. Any advice would be G R E A T.

 

[MindoverMaster]

Welcome to TF! you seem very "hoppy" (happy)

Any laptop, no matter how wide the screen, will have heat problems. Just be sure to put it on a stand, and you will be fine. Fanned ones are better. I don't think you need 6GB RAM, unless you are doing all that at once..

Get this: Newegg.com - lenovo IdeaPad Y550P(324156U) NoteBook Intel Core i7 720QM(1.60GHz) 15.6" 4GB Memory DDR3 1066 500GB HDD 5400rpm DVD±R/RW NVIDIA GeForce GT 240M

Lenovos are known for excellent battery life and lasting you 4 years and onwards of use.

 

[hoppygirl]

Ok, I'm probably going to drive you nuts but im pretty dead set on wanting an i7 740 1.73 GHz just because it ranked so much higher on the benchmark tests for CPUs (unless you have other suggestions). Also, I was concerned about the memory being 1066, somewhere on here I believe I read that 1333 MHz is a lot better for memory? Am I understanding this right? Are Dells not quality computers in your opinion, because the Studio 17 has a lot of the specs that I want (except for the size *sigh*), also I am a girl and want something pretty lol I'm all about learning (I am going into the computer field, after all) so you can teach me anything you want! lol

 

[hoppygirl]

If you had a $1000-$1600 price limit, which laptop would YOU all choose and why? Just curious.

 

[MindoverMaster]

Looking at this: Notebookcheck: Mobile Processors - Benchmarklist

The 740 is only slightly better than 720. If the 720 had a better gfx card than the 740, I would rather pick the 720.

I do not particularly like Dells. They charge you so much for a slight upgrade on parts. $100 for an extra GB, for example. I own a dell, yes, but I bought my own RAM, 2GBs, and only paid $60.

As said above, I would highly recommend an ASUS or Toshiba. Lenovo is good as well, but would not be my first pick. Please, just look around, read reviews on different laptops.

Edit: Use the Edit button on the bottom right of your posts.

 

[CalcProgrammer1]

I would recommend Lenovo and Asus, they make high quality computers. From what I've seen Dell is getting better and HP is getting worse (do NOT buy an HP, especially a core i7 one as it will get HOT! and probably overheat a lot, HP is known for poor cooling solutions and my 17" only lasted a year before it needed a new motherboard). Dell's quality seems to be going up though, so I would at least consider their laptops too.

As for a 17" I don't see a reason not to, my 17" is easy enough to carry and if you're mainly carrying it in a backpack or laptop bag it isn't any harder to transport than a 15". The only problem with 17" is that it doesn't fit well on those tiny so-called "desks" built into many college auditorium-style classrooms that hang off your seat. Then again, even 15" laptops don't fit well on those (my 10" netbook just barely fits).

DDR3 1333 is better than 1066, but if you can get it DDR3 1600 is better than both of those (I have it in my desktop but I'm not sure about laptop availability).

 

[WhiteFlare]

I think you might wana stick with the 6GB, especially if you are using windows7. Ive almost completed my AAS degree (working on BS) in computer science/IT and the computer we buy through school are decent. The only thing I would change about them is more RAM because we run lots of virtual machines (windows xp, server 2003, server 2008, DOS, and different distros of Linux) and you obviously cant put all your RAM to the virtual machine because you need some for you host computer, so they tend to drag a little.

 

[MindoverMaster]

You can personally replace the RAM, you know..

 

[hoppygirl]

I'm scared I might mess something up if I add the RAM myself.... I took a hardware troubleshooting class for my degree, we dealt only with desktops and I'm not even that comfortable working on them, much less a laptop I've spent $1000+ on...

 

[MindoverMaster]

If you don't feel comfortable doing it, ask a friend that is experienced in this do it.