Help! Buying My First Laptop for College

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celticsharks22

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May 3, 2012
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Hello, I'm a senior in high school and I'm going to be attending college in a 3-4 months and I need help on purchasing my first laptop! The type of laptop I'm looking for is one that I can use for everyday things for college, but also be able to play some games on it. As of right now after doing a little bit of research I've come across the Alienware 17x R4 (which just came out a week ago I believe) and the HP Envy 17 3D. Suggestions, recommendations, and opinions of what I should purchase would be incredible!

1. What is your budget?

Around $1500-$1800 or a little more if necessary

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?

17'

3. What screen resolution do you want?

1080p/ Full HD

4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop?

Portable, as mentioned I will be attending college

5. How much battery life do you need?

2-3 Hours, I've heard that's how long a typical class lecture would last

6. Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games. (Low,Medium or High)?

Yes! Battlefield 3, Diablo 3, SWTOR. I would prefer to have these games run at high settings

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.)

Typical college needs and maybe some video editing

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need?

Enough to be able to put games, work from college, as well as movies and music

9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links.

None

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop?

Preferably 3-4 years

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ?

I just want to be able to play some bluray movies on it

12. Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons.

None

13. What country do you live in?

United States
 
Solution
WR2
No reason to stop looking. Hang around here for a few weeks.
I think you'll pick up enough info and knowledge to make a good choice.
Having more options and some flexibility about when you buy is a good thing right now.

Have you gone on any campus tours and looked around the lecture halls?
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WR2

WR2

Polypheme
Nov 18, 2005
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Have you handled a 17" notebook?
They call those 'desktop replacement's for a reason. They're big.

Go out and find a 17" notebook - at your local BestBuy probably - and see if that meets your definition of 'portable'.

 
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Chainzsaw

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Dec 31, 2002
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He said a 17' as in feet! lol! thats not portable! haha /joking

Anyways, if you really plan on keeping the laptop 3-4 years I would take Wisecracker's advise and wait for Trinity Laptops VS Ivy Bridge laptops.

Trinity laptops should have sick gaming (GPU) performance. Ivy bridge laptops should have a lot of CPU performance.
 
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Wisecracker

Wisecracker

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Jan 15, 2007
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The cost of the 17-foot laptop ain't so bad. It's the price of the new truck you need to haul it around that's killer. And yah might want to wear a cup.

Hopefully by July 1st Trinity/Ivy models will be out in the 'Wild' and features, impressions and performance info will be readily available for review. Are you ready for some price wars?

And it will certainly drive down prices on older stuff that might be of interest to you.

But the new stuff looks to be sweet stuff, and much better stuff, than the old, busted hot stuff.

Yahdig?

:p


 
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Chainzsaw

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I like the way this guy thinks :sol: . But really this is golden information!
 
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celticsharks22

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May 3, 2012
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Oh I didn't really know they were considered as 'desktop replacement's'. But yes I've handled 17'' notebooks before from my friends and I don't find them heavy or hard to carry around at all. But thanks for your input!
 
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celticsharks22

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May 3, 2012
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Oh really?! I've never heard of this at all (lack of tech knowledge). Do you think you have a link you can direct me to with some more information?
 
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egilbe

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Nov 17, 2011
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the laptop, no, but then add 20 or 30 pounds of textbooks, clothes, notebooks, pens papers and then it becomes a burden. If you want to lug it around, don't get anything bigger than 15". 17" is fine if you want to leave it in the dorm, locked and chained up.
 
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celticsharks22

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May 3, 2012
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Well it seems like it will be going in my favor, as I don't plan to order anything yet until around the end of the month. But when that time comes will the Trinity start becoming an option, when people start ordering laptops?
 
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celticsharks22

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May 3, 2012
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:eek: Right right, I see and understand the point. I guess I'll have a 15'' as an option as well, however I still wouldn't mind at all if I were to get a 17''. Thank you though for the opinion :D
 
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WR2

WR2

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Nov 18, 2005
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Early benchmarks are leaking out and they're looking pretty good.
AMD Trinity A10-4600M benchmarks
http://hexus.net/tech/news/cpu/38533-amd-trinity-a10-4600m-benchmarks-revealed/

If you're OK with the weight and size of the 17" models - of course get what you want.

I'm pretty sure the majority (95%) of your classmates are going to be on 15" or smaller notebooks (or tablets) while in classes. And a surprising number (mostly upper class) won't carry a notebook to a lot of the classes.

Speaking of options:
A 11.6" backpack alternative
 
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celticsharks22

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May 3, 2012
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Oh I see! Well thanks for letting me know about the Trinity. Although, I still don't know what brand of laptop I should consider buying. Or should I just stop looking at current models and wait till the new products come out with the availability of the Trinity?
 
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egilbe

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no sense rushing into purchasing now, when the tech gets better and better and you get back to school sales in the Summer. Yeah, you get tired of lugging around a heavy laptop :) You are better off buying something small to take to classes and building a desktop to play games on.
 
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WR2

WR2

Polypheme
Nov 18, 2005
27,923
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61,960
No reason to stop looking. Hang around here for a few weeks.
I think you'll pick up enough info and knowledge to make a good choice.
Having more options and some flexibility about when you buy is a good thing right now.

Have you gone on any campus tours and looked around the lecture halls?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
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