[Adam Richards]

Originally Posted by Freddy Schurr

I want to get a laptop and would like to get some help from the CD community on what I should buy.

Here's my situation!

I am a college student looking to spend around $700 to $900 dollars. I would like to have this laptop to last for a good 5 to 7 years.

Any recommendations?

Toshiba, Dell, Sony, IBM or Apple all make good computers with good service. Apple has the best service desk of the five, followed by Dell, Sony, IBM and Toshiba. DO NOT BUY EMACHINES!

Originally Posted by Billfred

Given those parameters, I'd look at a refurbished MacBook. (Look on the lower-right part of Apple's online store--the refurbished section is a little hard to find.) Apple's refurbished gear is good as new, from my experiences; I've bought two items as such (one Mac mini, one 5G iPod), and you'd never know they weren't brand new once you hide the box.

Word to the wise: "open box" items are not the same as refurbished. If you want something that has a higher chance of working great the first time, don't get an open box PC.

Originally Posted by efoote868

well, today was the day to buy a laptop... best buy and circuit city had them on sale for $250 and $300 respectively.

They were both discontinued laptops that were really not worth buying unless you just needed a cheap temporary computer.

Originally Posted by efoote868

I would recommend (if at all possible) you wait to get the laptop until vista comes out (i don't think you could buy a mac for $700-900). If not, when making the purchase, see if they'll upgrade you to vista for free, or cheaply.

Wrong. All Windows computers purchased since mid-October from major retailers can get free upgrades to Vista, since M$ is finally giving out free coupons for something.

Originally Posted by efoote868

If you're at college (and you probably know this), don't buy any software from the computer stores until you check out what your college sells. Chances are you can get the software for free, or heavily discounted.

I have to agree. Student software discounts are much better than any price offered at a retail store. I've seen several thousand dollar software items for just a hundred.

Originally Posted by Michelle Celio

• A warranty that covers many FRU's (Field Replaceable Units)
• Make sure you get an extended warranty if you want it to last 5 years
• And just a good rule of thumb, make the hardware fit the software, not the other way around.

On a note of warranties, do not buy the warranty you find at the store (on a related note, I work for Circuit City where it is my job to sell warranties and software installations). You might get a cheaper or more effective one from the manufacturer of the computer. On the other hand, some store warranty call centers aren't located in India, so it might be a little easier to talk to the people you call up. Do not expect the basic warranty you get to cover every problem with the computer. I recommend (from personal experience) getting an accidental protection plan soon after unless the parts for it are relatively easy to replace and are cheaper than the plan itself (replacement LCD screens for laptops can be up to $300-400 each, which should be about the same as several years accidental coverage).

Originally Posted by Joe Matt

I call BS. I've worked around Macs now for 6 years doing help desk or selling work, and I can tell you for a fact that Macs are made better. Not invincible, not perfect, but better. My sister's iBook G3 that was used in the Henrico Country iBook pilot program from 5 years ago is running great without a hitch (only problem is the speakers are going out). And we're talking a high stress environment, not your typical laptop situation. At UD I'm working with our Mac labs and currently see iMac G4s that are 4 years old working great, along with old TiPB, who's only main problem is they need a replacement battery. Yet on the flip side I'm seeing PCs that are falling appart after one year of use that many students thought would be a good investment. There's a trend on campus for students to eBay their current laptops and get MacBooks, I've pesonally met a few who have done that.

If you were to compare Windows-based computers as a whole to Apple computers, Apple would win, simply due to several manufacturers making shoddy products. Many brands are better than others though. I've seen iBooks in schools go from good to terrible in a few months, slowing down to a grinding halt frequently, while their PCs have been problem-free. My school has about 60 Acer desktops. Only one has gone bad in the past three years. I saw more iBooks go bad in the same sized group at my last school. Its all based on personal experience and personal preference.

On the other hand, Apple computers can run Mac OS X, Windows XP (of course Vista too) and every flavor of Linux, which will allow for a lot more flexibility in the programs that you can use. You can't run Mac OS X legally on a standard Windows computer, since that requires reverse-engineering the software.