College Laptop?

[sh33t_0f_p4p3r]

my dell laptop was allmost 2k.... LOL

[Futurepr3]

get a black macbooooook! its right in your budget and its mega baller.

mac>>>pc anyday.

[firmhonda]

Originally Posted by wetwily555

eh what can i say i love my mac, and im a graphic designer, guess it fits the part

Hey man, more power to you. The two main things that I don't like about macs are the price and the fans. Other than that they are very viable options. If I were worried about viruses and whatnot (which are easy to avoid if you make educated decisions) I would get a dell laptop with 2 gigs of ram and at least a 120 gig hdd and just dualboot fedora & xp. That way when I surfed the web I could just hit up fedora and be safe on that end, but if I needed to run any microsoft programs I can just boot to xp. :)

I would just say that 9 times out of 10 a windows machine is better for college students because of the broader software compatability. The only thing that you don't want to do is get a cheap dell or hp.. Those define the saying that you get what you pay for. I paid about $1100 for my latitude and it's been great. I use it for hours and hours on end and haven't seen any problems out of it yet. The only complaints that I have are how hot it gets after hours of use (and I mean hours) and the battery life isn't that great. The battery problem is my fault mostly though because I never turn off my network card and I never dim my monitor so I'm basically doing nothing to prolong it, but that's neither here nor there.

[firmhonda]

Originally Posted by Futurepr3

get a black macbooooook! its right in your budget and its mega baller.

mac>>>pc anyday.

We just went through this..

[NcA]

ASUS laptops FTMFW!! Solidly built, awesome components (they don't skimp on things like mobo FSB speeds like Dell). The upper end models come with high-end laptop graphics cards (nVidia is best ATM). And in all honesty... If you're worries about 'security', re-partition and install Ubuntu, Install Wine, and emmulate windows, Steam works pretty much flawlessly with the newest versions, not to mention there's a plethora of software and it's all free.

[firmhonda]

Originally Posted by NcA

And in all honesty... If you're worries about 'security', re-partition and install Ubuntu, Install Wine, and emmulate windows, Steam works pretty much flawlessly with the newest versions, not to mention there's a plethora of software and it's all free.

Honestly the only reason that I never recommend ubuntu is because I've personally never used it. I know that fedora is good because I've played with it quite a few times so I just say screw it and recommend fedora.

either way, linux FTMFW if you're worried about security.

[NcA]

Ubuntu's worth a try if you're looking for home use. it runs X and Gnome for it's GUI, which is actually very stable, it's based on Debian, and it's the fastest growing distro out there, hell, Dell are now offering it instead of Windows (although you actually have to call up and request it when you order ). I'm personally running Ubuntu Studio, which is a modified version of Ubuntu with a custom low-latency kernel, pre-loaded with Video/Graphics/Sound editing software. When it comes to professional Linux use, it's all about Red Hat and Fedora though!

/end threadjack

[hamerad]

MacBook

[nayilsi]

Originally Posted by wetwily555

thats how you look when your glad? looks more like an ashamed head turn, wishing he got a mac...

he is turning his head to search for sane people......cause he definately made the wrong decision in chosing school.

[nayilsi]

Originally Posted by hamerad

MacBook

Alienware

[hamerad]

Originally Posted by nayilsi

Alienware

MacBook = Honda Accord EX V6 Coupe
Alienware = Lincoln MKZ
or a more fair comparison: MacBook Pro = Mercedes S550

sorry had to hate on PCs haha

[BlaqkAudio]

I plan on getting a black Macbook for college, but I don't want to be grouped together with the "Ohmigosh, Apple is God!!!!111!!1 LOL!" fanboys and the "I bought a Mac to look cool" posers.

Two of my friends have Macs (one has a Powerbook, the other a black Macbook) and I honestly like OS X much more than XP, although I will use Bootcamp (for occasional gaming) and Parallels (for running non-intensive Windows-only software). Yes, I am aware the Macbook is not a prime choice for gaming, but I'm used to running games on lowest settings anyway.

[Special Ringpop]

After playing with Vista, I can honestly say I'd rather have OSX any day of the week.

I am by no means a Mac fanboy, but I do like my MacBook.

[firmhonda]

Originally Posted by Special Ringpop

After playing with Vista, I can honestly say I'd rather have OSX any day of the week.

I am by no means a Mac fanboy, but I do like my MacBook.

Well DUH. I'd rather use Windows any day of the week, but I'd chose OSX over Vista too. I hate Vista, what a mistake. There's a theory that Vista is just the beta version of the next windows that is supposed to be out sometime in the near future, I hope that's true.. but I won't hold my breath.

[nayilsi]

Originally Posted by hamerad

MacBook = VW Beetle (chick car)
Alienware = Bugatti Veyron
or a more fair comparison: MacBook Pro = BMW Z4 (chick car)

sorry had to hate on MACs haha

corrected

[Spud387]

Originally Posted by firmhonda

Honestly the only reason that I never recommend ubuntu is because I've personally never used it. I know that fedora is good because I've played with it quite a few times so I just say screw it and recommend fedora.

either way, linux FTMFW if you're worried about security.

I have very limited knowledge of Ubuntu as well. When it comes to Linux I use Fedora. Version 9 just came out

Originally Posted by nayilsi

corrected

Haha I like your style. I personally love the Alienware laptops.

[trogers8]

I love my MacBook Air./

[shadedream]

OMGsomeoneelsehasamacwhichmakesthemcoolsodontgeton eoryoullbeaposerwithamacZOMG! Seriously, that argument gets old. Sounds like a bunch of kids just hating on the mainstream as usual (and possibly the DUMBEST reason to base any sort of large investment into something like a computer/car/etc).

Honestly, get what you want that will suit what you do. Most of the Anti-mac arguments in here have been garbage from the misinformed, or those with little experience on the platform. If you want to game, you're probably better off getting a PC on the cheap end. If you've ABSOLUTELY no interest in touching Mac OS X, then get a PC. If you dont care, a Mac will run both Mac OS X and Windows natively, so you can run apps from both operating systems.

As said above, find out what your school recommends for your program. Depending on the program they may tell you to get a Mac because of the applications used. Really just depends on your program and what you're comfortable with.

[skiddy]

Originally Posted by shadedream

Seriously, that argument gets old. Sounds like a bunch of kids just hating on the mainstream as usual .

Mainstream....

[NcA]

Originally Posted by shadedream

....If you want to game, you're probably better off getting a PC on the cheap end....

Wrong.... If you want a PC for gaming look at paying $1000 and upwards, anything cheap and you'll be disappointed. And for the love of GOD... Dells are NOT built for gaming.