Best Back to School Laptop Deal?

[Baconator]

It is that time of year again for many people, so has anyone seen anything outstanding?

[JWL]

Not too much. There is this deal from Dell for $549
http://configure.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=ca&CS=cadhs1&l=en&OC=N15252V_F_1E_DOD&dgc=AF&cid=3881&lid=77903

I'm leaning towards this HP (decided on HP for its docking station)
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10107496&catid=25314&CMP=BAC-FS_hbad_t1_s1-EN

But I'd like to see some more deals. Another thread suggested back-to-school deals will start Sept 1, but that doesn't make much sense to me. Who waits until Sept 1 to get a laptop for school?

[Free Willy]

Not too much. There is this deal from Dell for $549
http://configure.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=ca&CS=cadhs1&l=en&OC=N15252V_F_1E_DOD&dgc=AF&cid=3881&lid=77903

I'm leaning towards this HP (decided on HP for its docking station)
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10107496&catid=25314&CMP=BAC-FS_hbad_t1_s1-EN

But I'd like to see some more deals. Another thread suggested back-to-school deals will start Sept 1, but that doesn't make much sense to me. Who waits until Sept 1 to get a laptop for school?
I purchased a similar HP from BB last year and returned it almost immediately because I found it would grow hot to the touch after just 1/2 - 1 hour of use. I'm still trying to determine what laptop I want to get this year. Preferably something cooler. =/

[Hanif]

get my macbook pro! I'll be selling the Santa Rosa version 2.2GHz dual core with 4GB RAM, 8600GT video card and 120GB HD for $1700

[Free Willy]

Knock off a thou and I might bite. :lol: I'm a poor, starving student. I'd rather put that money towards rent. :lol:

[linkinparkfan007]

Theres this costco deal for 1149.99 if anybody wants to pickup a new HP Quad Core very powerful.
Costco PC (http://www.costco.ca/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=10313285&whse=BCCA&Ne=4000000&eCat=BCCA|84&N=4009833&Mo=39&No=11&Nr=P_CatalogName:BCCA&cat=22493&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-CA&Sp=C&topnav=)
Heres a $300 dollar quad core barebone
TigerDirect Quad Core (http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=4086974&sku=P450-9110%20C)
Taking advantage of Hybrid SLI & a Dual Core PROC
nVidia 8200 Chipset (http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3978475&Sku=P450-9120%20B)
Theres the bonus essential pack from Toshiba
CanadaComputers Front page (http://canadacomputers.com/)
Heres a computer in a box from Canada Computers
Bundle (http://canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowBundle&cmd=pd&pid=018976&cid=170.45)

thats all i got right now up my sleeve

[redrage]

Not too much. There is this deal from Dell for $549
http://configure.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=ca&CS=cadhs1&l=en&OC=N15252V_F_1E_DOD&dgc=AF&cid=3881&lid=77903

I'm leaning towards this HP (decided on HP for its docking station)
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10107496&catid=25314&CMP=BAC-FS_hbad_t1_s1-EN

But I'd like to see some more deals. Another thread suggested back-to-school deals will start Sept 1, but that doesn't make much sense to me. Who waits until Sept 1 to get a laptop for school?


Here's a Compaq one similar to the HP at FS. Smaller hard drive, wireless b/g and a few other small differences for $100 less.

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0665000FS10107468&catid=25315&atab=3&logon=&langid=EN

[tjthemanto]

If you want a CHEAP NEW netbook ( actually its a NETBOOK , so sorry for the heading ) with a smaller screen the ACER Netbook below from FSHOP is not bad . If you are a student its a pretty good netbook for that price.

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0665000FS10109157&catid=27003&logon=&langid=EN

http://www.futureshop.ca/multimedia/products/regular/10109157.gif

Releases 12 Aug/08. For the truest road warrior, this 8.9" Acer Aspire laptop brings the whole concept of mobile computing to a new level. It's equipped with Intel's super-small Atom processor and 512MB of memory, giving you plenty of speed. And its rock solid 8GB solid state hard drive keeps data safe.

WebID: 10109157

Mfr. Part Number: LU.S030A.013

Base Features
Approximate Battery Life Up to 3 Hours
Hard Drive Speed/Capacity 8GB SSD
Optical Drive Not Applicable
Processor Speed 1.60GHz
Processor Type Intel Atom Processor N270
RAM 512MB
Screen Size 8.9"

Graphics
Discrete Video Memory No
Expandable Video Memory No
Graphics Chipset UMA
Integrated Video Memory No
Native Screen Resolution 1024 x 600
Upgradable Video System No
Video Memory No

Audio
Audio Chipset Mobile Intel 945GSE Express
Audio Output Stereo
Digital Input No
Digital Output No
Hardware Volume Control No
Integrated Amplifier No
Integrated Microphone No
Microphone Input Yes
Speaker Wattage 2.0W
Speakers Yes

Inputs/Outputs
Card Reader Yes
Card Reader - Compatible Memory Types SD/MMC/MS/MS PRO/xD
Composite Output No
ExpressCard/34 Input No
ExpressCard/54 Input No
HDCP Compliant No
HDMI Port No
IEEE 1394 Input/Output No
IR Receiver No
Number of Touchpad Buttons 2
PC Card Input No
S-Video Output No
Type of Keyboard 84-Key
Type of Modem V.92
Type of Pointing Device Touchpad
USB 2.0 3
VGA Output 1
Webcam Yes
Networking
Ethernet Port 10/100
Integrated Bluetooth No
Integrated WiFi 802.11b/g

Power
Battery - Capacity 2.2mAh
Battery - Number of Cells 3-Cell
Battery Type Lithium-Ion

Computing Features
Processor Cache 512KB L2
Removable Storage No
System Bus 533MHz

Software
English/French Software Bilingual
Loaded Software 1 OpenOffice 2.3
Loaded Software 2 Aspire One Mail
Loaded Software 3
Loaded Software 4
Pre-loaded Operating System Linpus Linux Lite

Accessories
Headphones No
Remote No

Product Features
Notebook Depth 17.0 cm
Notebook Thickness (closed) 2.9 cm
Notebook Weight (including Battery) 0.995 kg
Notebook Width 24.9 cm
Warranty Labour 1 Year
Warranty Parts 1 Year


FEATURES:

* As Intel's smallest processor ever, The Atom produces impressive speeds that let you work more efficiently, while remaining compact enough to fit into a laptop the size of this Acer Aspire.
* An 8.9” widescreen LCD keeps the notebook small while boasting an impressive 1024 x 600 resolution.
* 8GB of solid state storage gives you enough room to store and travel with those important documents while keeping the data safe. With no moving parts, losing data is a thing of the past.
* The 5-in-1 memory card reader makes transferring data to and from your portable devices easy.
* Connect to the internet anywhere there’s a wireless hotspot with built-in 802.11b/g wireless connectivity.
* Weighs only 1.26 kg.
* Comes equipped with Linux Linpus Lite operating system.



Please Note: This product contains both English and French operating instructions and system software. In this context GB or Gigabytes refers to 1 Billion Bytes. The actual formatted capacity will be less.

[edgarb]

I don't know about you, but spending $100 more would be worth it to buy a real laptop! Come on, an 8 gig harddrive?

[ben_liu]

Theres this costco deal for 1149.99 if anybody wants to pickup a new HP Quad Core very powerful.
Costco PC (http://www.costco.ca/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=10313285&whse=BCCA&Ne=4000000&eCat=BCCA|84&N=4009833&Mo=39&No=11&Nr=P_CatalogName:BCCA&cat=22493&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-CA&Sp=C&topnav=)
Heres a $300 dollar quad core barebone
TigerDirect Quad Core (http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=4086974&sku=P450-9110%20C)
Taking advantage of Hybrid SLI & a Dual Core PROC
nVidia 8200 Chipset (http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3978475&Sku=P450-9120%20B)
Theres the bonus essential pack from Toshiba
CanadaComputers Front page (http://canadacomputers.com/)
Heres a computer in a box from Canada Computers
Bundle (http://canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowBundle&cmd=pd&pid=018976&cid=170.45)

thats all i got right now up my sleeve

I got no idea why your recommending barbone/desktop pc's when it's a LAPTOP/NOTEBOOK thread. haha

[bluser]

Yeah, I'm in the market for a new laptop as well! Thinking of buying a used thinkpad for around 700 bucks though. There are many to be had and thinkpads are known for their quality.

P.S- Don't go with HP --> Horrid customer service and their laptops run REALLY hot.

[Crimzaelus]

Yeah, I'm in the market for a new laptop as well! Thinking of buying a used thinkpad for around 700 bucks though. There are many to be had and thinkpads are known for their quality.

P.S- Don't go with HP --> Horrid customer service and their laptops run REALLY hot.

It's true, I'm using a HP right now, the white one and the area around the touchpad gets really hot after 1 hour.
So I got a cooling pad just in case.

[zoltorg]

Get a dell. You only really need note taking power and storage and decent battery life. Paying a lot for an HP or Mac may not be financially worth it.


Full disclosure, I didnt take this advise, bought a Macbook last year, Love it but could have easily done with a 500 dell.


Size matters, small is amazing. I heart macbook size!

[Rishi]

Size matters, small is amazing.
Never heard that one before! :cheesygri

[firefly767]

hp sucks, the screen hinge broke after 1 year and i cant carry it anywhere (or close it) :evil: looking for a new laptop


how is LG?

[Dark-Colonel]

I bought the XPS M1530, awesome laptop. If size matters, get the 1330. Its cheaper than the equivalent macbook and you don't have to use their crappy software :D

Nah j/k mac software rocks, but if price is a big importance then macs are not the most price friendly laptops. They are configured for the premium audience, it is because of their proprietary and pre-installed software that makes macs more expensive than an equivalently configured windows laptop.

If I were you, I would wait until the end of August for Staples, Futureshop, and Best Buy to get their back to school specials going. Usually they include MS Office Student & Teacher version for free, with a free printer (that most of the time requires a mail in rebate to be filled out to make it free).

[Keetla]

hp sucks, the screen hinge broke after 1 year and i cant carry it anywhere (or close it) :evil: looking for a new laptop


how is LG?

I have the LG P300 and I absolutely love it.
Quiet (you get to control the fan), very light and quite powerful - Dual Core 2.4Ghz with its own dedicated nvidia graphics card. It's a bit more pricey than the average laptop but it cleans the floor of most ultraportables in terms of raw power.

The battery is also quite good.. I'm currently taking 3-hour classes (I usually have Outlook, OneNote/PowerPoint and sometimes Excel open) and I still have up to an 45 minutes to an hour of battery life left at the end of the lecture.

[VmanAK47]

I have the LG P300 and I absolutely love it.
Quiet (you get to control the fan), very light and quite powerful - Dual Core 2.4Ghz with its own dedicated nvidia graphics card. It's a bit more pricey than the average laptop but it cleans the floor of most ultraportables in terms of raw power.

The battery is also quite good.. I'm currently taking 3-hour classes (I usually have Outlook, OneNote/PowerPoint and sometimes Excel open) and I still have up to an 45 minutes to an hour of battery life left at the end of the lecture.

Thats not a deal though so doesn't help. Also don't you have a place to hook your laptop up to charge?

[Keetla]

Thats not a deal though so doesn't help. Also don't you have a place to hook your laptop up to charge?

I was answering the person's question about LGs, not saying that it was a deal. :)

Yes, I have a place to hook it but it's certainly more convenient for me not to carry it back and forth from home to school knowing that my laptop will not die on me for that period.

[strangeepiphany]

Don't go with HP --> Horrid customer service and their laptops run REALLY hot.It's true, I'm using a HP right now, the white one and the area around the touchpad gets really hot after 1 hour.

I agree. My HP laptop gets ridiculously hot, and it takes forever to start up as well. And I just noticed yesterday that the release latch for the battery is stuck, so I can't take it out. So irritating. Am now looking for a new laptop.

[Silent Xenocide]

Yeah, I'm in the market for a new laptop as well! Thinking of buying a used thinkpad for around 700 bucks though. There are many to be had and thinkpads are known for their quality.

P.S- Don't go with HP --> Horrid customer service and their laptops run REALLY hot.

Hey, I do tech support for these notebooks and my customer service is not horrid. But they do get pretty hot.

[bluser]

Haha! No offence man! I had to wait like a month and a half to get mine back from repairs! It was supposed to take 7 days :confused:
I kinda wanted my money back! lol
Eh I told the notebook eventually... no more HP laptops for me!

[sPiKyAZN]

I ordered a Lenovo R61 off the EPP site. Check hot deals for that. I wanted something that's literally "built to last" for my four years so I figured the thinkpad was the way to go. Normally they're pretty expensive but the EPP deals pretty much put it in line with Dells and the other laptops out there.

[Takada]

I ordered a Lenovo R61 off the EPP site. Check hot deals for that. I wanted something that's literally "built to last" for my four years so I figured the thinkpad was the way to go. Normally they're pretty expensive but the EPP deals pretty much put it in line with Dells and the other laptops out there.

Yup, I just received the SPC e-newsletter and got a link to Lenovo's SPC EPP website. With the CAEAUGSALE code, the prices actually seem pretty good since Dell upgrades are so dang expensive. The Dell Vostro 1310 and the Lenovo X61 actually configured to the same price - $950! I don't trust Dell anymore after my Vostro hinges broke so quickly, so I'll be going with the Lenovo build quality.

[Billwill]

Dell should have their new deals tomorrow.

I'm thinking of going with Lenovo unless Dell brings up something very special.

[dshiu]

Not too much. There is this deal from Dell for $549
http://configure.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=ca&CS=cadhs1&l=en&OC=N15252V_F_1E_DOD&dgc=AF&cid=3881&lid=77903

I'm leaning towards this HP (decided on HP for its docking station)
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10107496&catid=25314&CMP=BAC-FS_hbad_t1_s1-EN

But I'd like to see some more deals. Another thread suggested back-to-school deals will start Sept 1, but that doesn't make much sense to me. Who waits until Sept 1 to get a laptop for school?
that hp laptop would be a great choice for normal school work and web surfing... but if u plan on playing ANY games with it.. i suggest you get another laptop. i just got one about a week ago and it has similar specs and video card... that intel video card is horrible.. i kinda regret buying this cuz i do play games

[Busta]

i used to have a toshiba satellite laptop then the hinge broke, but it was still operable so i stuck with it until i found another laptop ... currently using an asus F8P christmas edition ... and i love it, it has everything literally, only bad thing is that the battery gives you an hour to hour 30 ... but then again they gave me an extra battery ... plus in lectures i put it into lecture mode, basically it turns off bluetooth, wifi, reduces processing power and reduces lighting of the screen ... but then i turn it off actually, no need to look at the screen when taking notes, with onenote (best program ever), all that gives me about 2,30 to 3 hours of juice no need for the other battery no more ... plus every lecture hall has a convenient power plug so yaa

good luck on your search

[Code of Conduct]

http://www1.ca.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx?c=ca&cs=cabsdt1&id=vostronb_1310&l=en&s=bsd

Vostro laptops for 699^

[slickrick101]

any deals for good laptops that can play games as well as do work. Also is it better to get a desktop for a dorm or a laptop

[inmyturret]

The best discounts I have ever gotten have been through my school's computer store.

I got a Toshiba tablet for $2000, that is $1000 off. They also have some pretty awesome bundles. Currently my school is offering a macbook, IPod Touch, and a three year apple care all for $1475.

They also have a Lenovo X61 (very portable business style laptop) with a docking station and DVD burner for $1595.

I would also check when buying a laptop where it can be serviced. I only buy laptops that my school's tech centre can service. Less hassle than having to go to Future Shop for repairs. My school usually gives you a loaner laptop too if they are repairing yours.

One thing to know about buying from a university is that the prices on the web site are usually not the right price. The companies don't allow them to publish the student discounted prices. For example, there was a laptop I was looking at from Lenovo that was listed as $2500. When I called them, they told me it was actually only $1800. That is a significant difference.

[Dark-Colonel]

Futureshop has a Dell Inspiron going for $599.99 right now:

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10107988&CMP=BAC-FS_hbad_t1_s1-EN

[Bincent]

Futureshop has a Dell Inspiron going for $599.99 right now:

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10107988&CMP=BAC-FS_hbad_t1_s1-EN

That looks like a pretty decent price for what you get...
Any comments on if there are any other laptops out there that can beat this combination at the same price range?

[alv077]

Ehh... spend a bit more for a better processor.

That thing is going to be useless in months.

[play_b3yond]

Futureshop has a Dell Inspiron going for $599.99 right now:

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10107988&CMP=BAC-FS_hbad_t1_s1-EN

best buy has an acer with similar specifications $599, best buy gives u a free printer with any laptop purchase

i'm gonna wait 1 more week and then make a decision ... hopefully by then a 50 dollar price drop on $599 laptops :D

[help_questions]

I am going to by the Acer Aspire One, or the Asus EEE.

[masta_mindz]

this is what i went for http://www.staples.ca/ENG/Catalog/cat_sku.asp?CatIds=82%2C83%2C84,4232&webid=752577&affixedcode=WW

combined this with coupon codes here found on RFD and got a pretty decent deal on it. liking the machine so far.

if you're looking for smaller, they have a nearly identical system in 14 inches for the same price, no bluetooth however.

[maebach]

I need a laptop as well. Just movies and homework will it be used for. D deals get better closer to school, or worst because they know your desperate?

[VmanAK47]

this is what i went for http://www.staples.ca/ENG/Catalog/cat_sku.asp?CatIds=82%2C83%2C84,4232&webid=752577&affixedcode=WW

combined this with coupon codes here found on RFD and got a pretty decent deal on it. liking the machine so far.

if you're looking for smaller, they have a nearly identical system in 14 inches for the same price, no bluetooth however.
shouldve gotten vostro 1310 cheaper and better.

[masta_mindz]

shouldve gotten vostro 1310 cheaper and better.

umm i wasn't even considering a vostro for a few reasons:

13 inches is a little too small for me.

pretty ugly machine.

i got mine for $770 after coupons and i doubt you can get me my hardware in a vostro for cheaper.

[lebanesekid]

this is what i went for http://www.staples.ca/ENG/Catalog/cat_sku.asp?CatIds=82%2C83%2C84,4232&webid=752577&affixedcode=WW

combined this with coupon codes here found on RFD and got a pretty decent deal on it. liking the machine so far.

if you're looking for smaller, they have a nearly identical system in 14 inches for the same price, no bluetooth however.

Greay choice. I got the same one from FS for 749.00, with a bigger HD but with an integrated video card (because I wanted the extended battery lkife)

[ji_hyun_jun]

Consider getting a laptop from your school. Often Universities have discounts or promotions. I know my school offers discounts with Dell, and we also get a free ipod touch with the purchase of a macbook. =)

Another thread suggested back-to-school deals will start Sept 1, but that doesn't make much sense to me. Who waits until Sept 1 to get a laptop for school?

It's actually a decent idea to wait till school starts to get a laptop. My laptop was something like $300 cheaper in September, and I bought it in August while it was on sale. You really don't NEED a laptop for school, you should be able to go without it for the first 1-2 weeks while browsing around.

and as for the netbook idea... it's honestly much better to just buy a laptop for $100 more.. at least it'll have like 20x the hard drive among.. everything else.

Also.. HP laptops aren't that bad. They're pretty cheap for what you get, screw customer service though. Just clean out all the crap that comes installed with it using programs such as PC decrapifier (http://pcdecrapifier.com/), and use a tuneup program such as Tune Up Utilities 2008 which actually improved the performance of my HP laptop by quite a bit. I'm sure you know how to get your own (il)legal copy of it. :) I believe most of the laptops should come with ~2gb of ram, which should run vista smoothly compared to the minimal vista requirements of 1gb laptops last year.

[maebach]

Any new deals? Im getting worried that I'll have to panic buy at the last minute

[bluser]

Thinking about a thinkpad... or a Vostro... for some reason I like the vostro... I was playing around with one the other day and they're not bad for the price point and they look sleek.

[VmanAK47]

umm i wasn't even considering a vostro for a few reasons:

13 inches is a little too small for me.

pretty ugly machine.

i got mine for $770 after coupons and i doubt you can get me my hardware in a vostro for cheaper.



Oh rly? vostro same proccesor and ram with nvidia 8400 gs is 778 or you can go with the graphic card they give and have 3gb ram and 7200 rpm and btw the vostro actually looks really nice.

[maebach]

Would anybody recommend buying a used laptop from RFD in the BST section or kijiji or something? I dont know anybody who has bought a used laptop, so I dont know if I should take the plunge. I've bought electronics before, but Im still not completely confident.

[blizzah]

Problems with used laptops may be that if it messes up, you have no warranty often times and you are out of luck. Also, the battery may not be strong but that is replaceable.

I'm going to be better the HP tx2524 from Futureshop or the equivalent from Costco soon. I think the tablet will help, along with the small size.

[bluser]

Would anybody recommend buying a used laptop from RFD in the BST section or kijiji or something? I dont know anybody who has bought a used laptop, so I dont know if I should take the plunge. I've bought electronics before, but Im still not completely confident.

In all honesty if you're going that route, go for a thinkpad T61, you can find one for around 700 bucks and it should have a warranty on it as well. Not to mention good specs and reliability.

[masta_mindz]

Oh rly? vostro same proccesor and ram with nvidia 8400 gs is 778 or you can go with the graphic card they give and have 3gb ram and 7200 rpm and btw the vostro actually looks really nice.

do vostros have hdmi out? and the staples website is wrong, my laptop actually has 3gb ram, check it out on the toshiba website.

[Takada]

For those planning to get a Dell, try calling them first or even using the online chat service to see if you can get a discount by saying that you are on the fence about going with a competitor. I got a $55 discount on a Vostro by doing just that. For my config, that was an 8% discount on top of the current $699 sale going on right now.

[yuwing8]

Having recently graduated from uni, i have some experience with laptop selections for undergrads.

if you're on commute, the most important factor for you is size - the smaller the better. In this case, I would recommend anything between 13.3" to 8.9" notebooks/netbooks. find the smallest notebook/netbook you can type comfortable with (or you think you will be able to adapt to), and buy that. I have small fingers, so the netbooks with squished keyboards are okay with me. also, have AT LEAST 5 hours of battery life so you can get through the day without recharge.

Laptops i would recommend for commuters are:
- netbooks with 8.9" screens: acer aspire one, eeepc 901
- netbooks with 10" screens: MSI wind, eeepc 1000
- notebooks with 12" screens: Lenovo X61, Lenovo X200
- notebooks with 13" screens: Lenovo X300 (forgot if it is 12" or 13.3"), dell XPS1330, apple macbook



if you're going to live in rez, the most important factor for you is comfort. since it will most likely be the only computer you will work with (other than provided desktops at the campus library), so anything with good screen estate - 13.3-15" is good. also a comfortable keyboard is must!

unfortunately, since i'm a commuter, I don't have much to recommend. but brands I would recommend are Lenovo, Apple, and Dell (upper premium selections only).

If you wish to have a tablet, the HP TX2000 series is the best and most affordable! In fact, i have one! but it's a bit on the heavy side and the battery that it comes with only has 3 hour of battery life. I would get a larger battery. I use this at home for drawing and surfing and for assignments.


WHY DON'T I RECOMMEND ANY ASUS LAPTOPS?

Before, they were good. They are still good in build quality. but they don't have think about battery life. anything less than 4 hours is bare minimum for university and the most recently released asus laptops dont' even have that. so I would stay away from asus this year.

[maebach]

Can anybody else vouch for Lenovo? Im thinking of getting the T61, but Im not sure. Im only going to listen to music and watch movies, so its either the T61 or an HP laptop. Perhaps a dv2000 or something. I dont know anybody with a Lenovo so I dont know how their build is or anything. I read 1 review that said it was a good laptop.

How about Sony laptops? I've found a few good deals on used sony laptops, but how are they in terms of build?

[blizzah]

Can anybody else vouch for Lenovo? Im thinking of getting the T61, but Im not sure. Im only going to listen to music and watch movies, so its either the T61 or an HP laptop. Perhaps a dv2000 or something. I dont know anybody with a Lenovo so I dont know how their build is or anything. I read 1 review that said it was a good laptop.

How about Sony laptops? I've found a few good deals on used sony laptops, but how are they in terms of build?

Generally, Lenovo has the best quality of laptops, then the rest are generally the same, but keep in mind, you get what you pay for.

[sPiKyAZN]

Can anybody else vouch for Lenovo? Im thinking of getting the T61, but Im not sure. Im only going to listen to music and watch movies, so its either the T61 or an HP laptop. Perhaps a dv2000 or something. I dont know anybody with a Lenovo so I dont know how their build is or anything. I read 1 review that said it was a good laptop.

How about Sony laptops? I've found a few good deals on used sony laptops, but how are they in terms of build?

I can totally vouch for Lenovos...I have an R61 and its built like a friggin tank. I love it. The only thing you might find is the screen is not glossy so its not quite as impressive as other screens. I guess there's less glare so thats the upside. The hinge on my R61 is rock solid as well, does not have any play whatsoever.

If you plan on connecting your laptop to a TV you might want to look for one with an HDMI port so you can output nice HD video.

[darkprince]

Buying Laptop / Computer for Back-To-School (http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=627459)

[onexeyed]

Having recently graduated from uni, i have some experience with laptop selections for undergrads.

if you're on commute, the most important factor for you is size - the smaller the better. In this case, I would recommend anything between 13.3" to 8.9" notebooks/netbooks. find the smallest notebook/netbook you can type comfortable with (or you think you will be able to adapt to), and buy that. I have small fingers, so the netbooks with squished keyboards are okay with me. also, have AT LEAST 5 hours of battery life so you can get through the day without recharge.

I agree. The smaller the better. I don't mind recharging the battery mid-day since the plugs were readily around the buildings but not so much in the classrooms. For those who have 10-15 hrs. of class a week, I didn't need 5 hrs. of battery a day.

I also just graduated and using a 15" laptop is way to heavy and bulky. 5.5lbs. doesn't sound that much but if you're walking all over campus, 5.5lbs. can feel like 10lbs. or ruin your back, especially during the winter because you're probably carrying the power bar/cord or laptop lock (very recommend) with you too increasing the weight by half a pound to a pound.

I bought an ASUS Eee PC 701 last December and I got an average of 4 hrs. from battery without a recharging. My prof was so inspired by my Eee PC, he bought one too! The eeePC lasted me all day. It only weighed 2lbs. but some days even those 2lbs. can feel heavy, especially if you're running a lot of errands on campus.

For those looking to buy a Macbook, Apple has the "university" (but also open to colleges too) education package:

- $100 off a Macbook, or $200 off a Macbook Pro, or $100 off the Macbook Air.
- Either: Free 8GB iPod Touch or free 8GB iPod Nano (after mail-in-rebate).
- Free optional laser engraving on the iPod Touch/Nano.
- $100 off any printer (after mail-in-rebate). There's an Epson photoprinter for $99.95. So after mail-in-rebate = Free.

http://store.apple.com/ca/browse/campaigns/back_to_school?mco=OTUwODAx

I think the Macbook deal off their website is a better deal than the package offered at Futureshop unless you need iWorks/AirPort/Printer.

SO, ff you're still undecided and want more "expert" feedback on your laptop choices, I'd recommend going to the forums at http://forum.notebookreview.com/. This site was the most helpful in narrowing my notebook choices because there are expert reviews or if you need help with notebook issues (for most models or similar models).

[DeimosBeros]

Lenovo T400. With a 9 cell battery, you'll get almost 9 hours supposedly with a kick ass processor.

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/webca/LenovoPortal/en_CA/catalog.workflow:category.details?current-catalog-id=12F0696583E04D86B9B79B0FEC01C087&current-category-id=EA9FF8465DFE45ED847C7CAF8F79F973

[maebach]

If there were 3 laptops with the same specs, 1 HP, 1 Dell and 1 Toshiba, and the price was close, which 1 of the 3 is best?

[DLFB]

I got an hp tx2000 back in April.

http://www.tabletpcreview.com/assets/4323.jpg