Need laptop for University

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murdocsvan

Web Programmer
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This year (starting october) i'm going to university and i need a laptop. I was thinking something small just for typing on that's fast but not too pricey. I'm doing a Web Development course, but they have so many computer labs there, i'm not going to need to do practical work on it.

Here's a list of my prefered specifications:

  • Windows XP Home or Pro
  • At least 1GB of memory
  • At least 80GB harddrive (for music)
  • At least 10 inch display, no smaller

If anyone could recommend me a decent, small laptop i'd appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.
 
In terms of netbooks, I'm not aware of many manufacturers who are shipping them with Vista - just Linux and Windows XP from what I can see. I don't think most will transition to Vista any time soon either, rather, I think they'll transition to Windows 7 Starter when it comes out.

...I was thinking something small just for typing on that's fast but not too pricey. I'm doing a Web Development course, but they have so many computer labs there, i'm not going to need to do practical work on it...

What is your price range?

If you buy a netbook, are you only going to use it to surf the Internet, listen to music and read documents etc...? Do you have another laptop of desktop PC of your own which you're going to use at University as well?

I ask this because I am a University student myself. I bought a 10" Eee PC to use for my studies, but shortly afterwards I sold it on eBay, then got a HP 2510p 12" ultraportable. The reason? While it had excellent battery runtime and was very light and compact, the screen was too small, and the performance was not good enough for me to be able to work productively - tasks including coding, researching and typing essays & reports.

However, not long after buying the 12" 2510p, I sold that on eBay as well, and bought a larger and faster 14.1" Thinkpad T400. The reason? The same again - the 2510p's lack of performance was hindering my productivity.

Perhaps hopping across laptops is an illness of mine, because just a few months after buying the T400, I stopped using it and bought an aluminium Macbook! :freak:. Anywhoo, my advice is to purchase a full size laptop. If you choose to buy a netbook, then I suggest getting one with a 12" screen, like the Samsung NC20 or the Dell Inspiron Mini 12 (configured with a 6-cell battery of course). It's worth noting though, that top end 12" netbooks approach the prices of full size laptops, so think about it.

Whatever you decide to get, Laptops Direct is a great place to get cheap laptops.
 
Yeah i just want it for really basic things like web surfing, typing documents, email, IM etc. I don't want to be using it for practical work, because they have so many computers at the uni im going to i won't need a fast PC or anything.

The idea was that i would use it for lectures, instead of playing around on.

I also just want something light and small i can pop in my bag, instead of carrying round a case. The one i linked to weighs only 1.1kg or something.

My price range is anywhere up to £400 really.
 
Yeah i just want it for really basic things like web surfing, typing documents, email, IM etc. I don't want to be using it for practical work, because they have so many computers at the uni im going to i won't need a fast PC or anything.

The idea was that i would use it for lectures, instead of playing around on.

I also just want something light and small i can pop in my bag, instead of carrying round a case. The one i linked to weighs only 1.1kg or something.

My price range is anywhere up to £400 really.

I see. If you haven't seen a 10" netbook in person before, I suggest going down to PC World, Comet, Dixons or Currys just to have a play around, and for a true feel as to whether you'd be happy using one at Uni - just want you to be super sure about size and performance, unlike me when I bought my Eee PC :laughing:.

Just for the added info, you can purchase a Dell Inpiron Mini 12 (12-inch 1280x800 display) for £399 with a 3-cell battery and for £438.99 with a 6-cell battery (the 6-cell being worth the investment) at Dell.co.uk, if the larger screen entices you. The Inspiron Mini 12 is also thinner than the Asus Eee 1008HA, and has a full size keyboard.
 
+1 for the MSI Wind. I have had one for 6 months and couldn't be happier with it. The build quality is great and it has one of the best displays I have ever seen on a laptop.
 
Asus EEE EPC1000HE-BLU002X FTW. I'm a big fan of the Wind, but this one has a 9.5hour battery life plus everything else the wind does.

Buy a vista laptop, install XP on it, put 4gb of memory in it, put a 7200RPM drive in it. I wouldn't touch a mac personally, but thats my opinion. If you dont want to run windows then use Ubuntu.

I picked up an abused dual core laptop for 25 bucks here on tech-forums (no harddrive). Threw 4gb of RAm into and a 320gb hard drive and the thing absolutely flys.
 
Buy a vista laptop, install XP on it, put 4gb of memory in it, put a 7200RPM drive in it. I wouldn't touch a mac personally, but thats my opinion. If you dont want to run windows then use Ubuntu.

Lol you seem to of completely missed the point i made in the first post. A) I want something SMALL and light and B) It doesn't need to be powerful (i.e. doesn't need 4GB).
 
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