Laptop for College

[Legendish]

I will be starting college in the Fall of 2012 and need a new computer. I'll be a Computer Science major and will need a good laptop. Gaming isn't too necessary as I will be bringing an Xbox for that. Light gaming on the laptop would be nice.

Thanks in advance.


What is your budget?
$700

What country will you be buying this in?
USA

What size notebook do you prefer?
Thin and Light (13 - 14-inch screen)
Mainstream (15 - 16-inch screen)

Would you consider a refurbished laptop?
Yes

What are the primary tasks you need this notebook for?
Web Surfing, Office and Productivity Software, Computer Programming, Movie Streaming and Viewing, Output Video to TV or Large Monitor, Casual Gaming

Where will you be using this laptop?
Will be used different places and Will stay on desk

How many hours of battery life do you need?
6

Will you be buying online or in store?
online

Which OS do you prefer?
Windows 7

List the screen resolutions that interest you:
Standard Resolution (1366 x 768)

Do you prefer a glossy or matte screen?
Matte is fine

Is the laptops design important to you?
No

Approximately what date will you be buying this laptop?
Around 08/07/2012

How long do you want this laptop to last?
2 years

How much storage capacity do you need?
320 GB

Are you interested in SSD for storage?
Maybe

Do you want a built-in optical drive, what type?
DVD Burner

[pepper_john]

Thinkpd E430. I have an E420 and I love it.

[Legendish]

Yeah I've heard good things about thinkpads, I'll definitely consider it

[maverick1989]

Yeah I've heard good things about thinkpads, I'll definitely consider it

With your budget, in the 430 you could go i5 and up the RAM. You'd be stuck with a iGPU but if that doesn't bother you, the 430 is definitely worth thinking about. The series 5 from Samsung isn't bad either. And the HP Compaq line. They have some good reviews, especially ease of typing. And you said you'd be doing programming etc.?

[Legendish]

With your budget, in the 430 you could go i5 and up the RAM. You'd be stuck with a iGPU but if that doesn't bother you, the 430 is definitely worth thinking about. The series 5 from Samsung isn't bad either. And the HP Compaq line. They have some good reviews, especially ease of typing. And you said you'd be doing programming etc.?

Yeah was definitely gonna get an i5 and ram upgrade. And yes I will be typing a lot. Ill check out your suggestions as well.

[Jarhead]

Typing a lot --> an actual Thinkpad (X or T series, not Edge). I find the traditional keyboard style to be better due to the longer key travel, though Lenovo seems to be switching this line over to island keys as well...

If you're going to program a lot, you'll need a higher resolution display that 1366*768, at least 1600*900, but 1080p would be better (but probably out of your budget). With that said, you could browse around Lenovo and/or Lenovo outlet for a Thinkpad T420 with the 900p display for around $700.

Depending on the type of programming you plan on doing, you probably don't even need to upgrade your CPU; an i3 is fine for most cases. And I'd not buy extra RAM from the OEM, but instead buy it aftermarket and install it yourself for much cheaper (a 4GB stick is about $15 currently). Your priorities need to be aimed towards getting a better display, which is something you'll notice much, much more than a tiny bump in CPU speed or RAM size.

[pepper_john]

I am a professional programmer and did a fair amount of C++ on my E420 without any problem, though its battery lasts only 3 hours, which is one of the major reason I am shopping for my next thinkpad.

[Legendish]

Typing a lot --> an actual Thinkpad (X or T series, not Edge). I find the traditional keyboard style to be better due to the longer key travel, though Lenovo seems to be switching this line over to island keys as well...

If you're going to program a lot, you'll need a higher resolution display that 1366*768, at least 1600*900, but 1080p would be better (but probably out of your budget). With that said, you could browse around Lenovo and/or Lenovo outlet for a Thinkpad T420 with the 900p display for around $700.

Depending on the type of programming you plan on doing, you probably don't even need to upgrade your CPU; an i3 is fine for most cases. And I'd not buy extra RAM from the OEM, but instead buy it aftermarket and install it yourself for much cheaper (a 4GB stick is about $15 currently). Your priorities need to be aimed towards getting a better display, which is something you'll notice much, much more than a tiny bump in CPU speed or RAM size.

The thing is I will be buying an Asus 1080p monitor for my xbox and will connect my laptop to it as well when I am in the dorm. So the only time I'll be using the laptop's display will be outside of my dorm, which would probably be in class taking notes or in a study center.

[Jarhead]

The thing is I will be buying an Asus 1080p monitor for my xbox and will connect my laptop to it as well when I am in the dorm. So the only time I'll be using the laptop's display will be outside of my dorm, which would probably be in class taking notes or in a study center.

It's still a good idea to have a higher-res display than 768p. Typically, not only do you gain more workspace, but panel quality (colors, blackness, etc.) are better with those high-res panels. 768p panels are cheap, and cheap for a reason.

[Legendish]

It's still a good idea to have a higher-res display than 768p. Typically, not only do you gain more workspace, but panel quality (colors, blackness, etc.) are better with those high-res panels. 768p panels are cheap, and cheap for a reason.

So what do you think? At least 900p screen resolution?