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Hi there. I am considering buying a new laptop for my son. He will be starting college in the fall and doesn't have one.
I do not want to spend a million dollars and I do want a PC for him. I currently have a Dell and truthfully, I am not altogether pleased with it at all.
What is he studying? Does he need a powerful computer for graphics (etc.) or for writing papers and stuff? Budget? Will he be far away from home?
He will be starting out in community college and transferring to a four year. He is getting the basics done first and will major in Education while minoring in Computers. He lives about three hours or so from me. Budget? 500 maybe? I can go higher but not to the extreme.
Good time to be shopping for a laptop. Lota stuff on sale. Check out the Staples website.
Me? I bought a HP dm4 3050 a month ago and love it! 14 inch screen. They're on sale for about $500 on clearance. Staples is out of stock. By and large we've had very good luck with HP. The dm4 is our fourth HP.
And when you get the laptop, have it warranteed by Square Trade. Best Laptop Insurance - Laptop Warranty - Laptop Extended Warranty They even cover accidental damage in addition to other issues. With accidental coverage I insured my dm4 for three years @ $168. My daughter broke her iphone and it was replaced in one business day by Squaretrade.
Last edited by Mr5150; 06-22-2012 at 12:29 PM..
Reason: spelling boo boo.
Good time to be sgopiing for a laptop. Lota stuff on sale. Check out the Staples website.
Me? I bought a HP dm4 3050 a month ago and love it! 14 inch screen. They're on sale for about $500 on clearance. Staples is out of stock. By and large we've had very good luck with HP. The dm4 is our fourth HP.
And when you get the laptop, have it warranteed by Square Trade. Best Laptop Insurance - Laptop Warranty - Laptop Extended Warranty They even cover accidental damage in addition to other issues. With accidental coverage I insured my dm4 for three years @ $168. My daughter broke her iphone and it was replaced in one business day by Squaretrade.
Thanks for that info Mr5150........... I bookmarked squaretrade page.
Contrary to mr5150 - I am not a fan of HP laptops. My family has had two, and both required repair in less than three years of use. Several people I know have found HP to have weak power connectors (where the AC adapter plugs in). The connector has a weak solder joint.
I asked about distance because college kids often are rough with their computers. And if they break, or fail with a warranty issue, it is better if they can get local service or the vendor is known for good support.
I have been most happy with our most recent laptop - a Lenovo Thinkpad. It costs more than $500 but they have less expensive models. Two Dells in my family over the last four years have had failed hard drives (three drives total failed). But with the extended warranty - it was easy to get replacements.
I would look at Lenovo, Asus, Dell, Toshiba.
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