Suggestion on Laptop for my College kid

[ranchdog]

I need to purchase a new Laptop for my daughter that will be heading off to college soon and she needs a new laptop and printer.

There seems to be so many choices out there I would like to hear from some of you IT specialist on what to consider such as brand, processor to stay away from, options to consider etc.

I will say this and that is she is not majoring in computer science but rather biomedical so really it will just be used with MS Office tools and basic computer use. Maybe I am overthinking this but their are so many experienced IT folks on here I trust the Green Screen brain trust.

Thanks Ranchdog

[gemini2759]

When my sons went to college, we bought them both Apple laptops and cheap HP printer, although they can usually print from the college's computer labs. We chose Apple computers because that's what we have been using at the house since the Macintosh days. Also, Apple tends to get less viruses and is more secure and dependable. Just my two cents.

[ranchdog]

When my sons went to college, we bought them both Apple laptops and cheap HP printer, although they can usually print from the college's computer labs. We chose Apple computers because that's what we have been using at the house since the Macintosh days. Also, Apple tends to get less viruses and is more secure and dependable. Just my two cents.

I hadn't even thought about Apple. Thanks. I agree some days MS really makes me mad. There is always something with Windows

[Humper]

Apple has special pricing for students.

https://www.apple.com/us-hed/shop?afid=p238%7CsBRDepQfJ-dt_mtid_1870765e38482_pcrid_178322498527_&cid=aos-us-kwgo-edu--slid--product-

[texas shag]

You might look at a surface style tablet/workbook that has a keyboard and a stylus.

There are many times where it is very beneficial to be able to take notes via writing versus having to type. These are great if you are in classes where you are taking notes on equations (chemistry, calculus, physics, ochem, etc).

As for printers, find the one with the cheapest ink cartridge replacements and go with that one. A decent one can be had for $30-40 these days.

Also, she should have a printing allowance at the computer labs as a student, and might be able to get by just printing off up at school if she is good with time management.

good luck!

[Jerry Worley]

When my sons went to college, we bought them both Apple laptops and cheap HP printer, although they can usually print from the college's computer labs. We chose Apple computers because that's what we have been using at the house since the Macintosh days. Also, Apple tends to get less viruses and is more secure and dependable. Just my two cents.

That's what I bought my daughter entering her freshman year at UT. As I am typing this, 6 years later(and she will be done with PT school in April), she is sitting next to me drinking coffee and using the same computer and we have had zero problems out of it.

They are more expensive for sure, but worth every cent in book. If I remember right, Apple gave us a 10% discount because she was a student.

[Casey]

I bought my daughter a Lenovo Yoga last Christmas. It's about a $700 machine. Touch screen, small, light. I got one with a good display. It is a great machine. So far, no issues. As the IT support line in our house, I've been amazed at how little I've had to jack with it.

[thegrouse]

I purchased a MacBook air and I would buy another one within the hour if it is ever stolen. The thing flat out works all the time. I have never had the issues of every PC I have owned with the hanging and not responding nonsense. If she is a student more than likely she will get MS Office 365 through the school for no additional charge. This is compatible with the Mac. Apple has Apple Print which allows you to print from your computer to a Apple Air print compatible printer without downloading software. It is very convenient. Best Buy offers student discounts on computers. I think it will save you around $100 on a MacBook.

[txpitdog]

One thing we discovered/learned when we bought a computer for our son is how quickly the hard drive gets chewed up. We got a budget laptop for him to do his homework on, quite a bit less than what you’re looking at, but Windows and MS Office filled up the entire hard drive. For homework no big deal since much of it is online or can be stored on a USB. But he doesn’t have room to install other programs.

Just something to consider when shopping. I think a $700 computer should have plenty of room though


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[Sparkles]

I bought my daughter a Lenovo Yoga last Christmas. It's about a $700 machine. Touch screen, small, light. I got one with a good display. It is a great machine. So far, no issues. As the IT support line in our house, I've been amazed at how little I've had to jack with it.

We are big fans of Lenovo think pad
Have a couple for work and so far have been pretty great.
My wife is our IT support person so I’m not real sure what options we got.


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[Guest.1]

Apple laptop for sure

It will last four years and won’t crater when you need it


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[kdenhead]

I strongly recommend Apple. We have 5 Macbook Pros 13" laptops in our immediate family. Great machines and zero issues. There is an Apple store in the MSC @ A&M. Here is a link to a "one day" sale that happens Nov 3rd. Former students qualify for educational discount too. Good luck!

https://store.mac-resource.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=116_118_124

[BigCountry101]

I would look at Dell.. Something like this http://deals.dell.com/productdetail/ol6

It's about half of what a similar macbook would cost.

I have a macbook (personal), sony laptop (personal), and a dell laptop (work).

Macbook - Good: The hardware is great, no plastic. It has held up really well. Bad: The new ones have VERY limited ports (like USB, etc.). They also don't have a disc drive. Luckily I have an older one that still has all the ports. A friend just bought a new Macbook and then spent another $300 or so on adapters, external CD drive, ect.

Another consideration is the software available. I know my college was partnered with Microsoft and you could login to a Microsoft portal and download MS Office Suite and various other Microsoft software. Catch was, Microsoft only made the MICROSOFT versions free. I couldn't get any of the free stuff on my Mac... That will vary by school, I am sure some also have a deal where mac software is provided.

Then in a lot of my grad school courses (IT) the software we were using was only supported on MS. Hence the second, cheap sony laptop I grabbed.

Like others have said, I would get my own printer that has relatively cheap ink. In my experience the school printers were constantly out of ink, being used, broken, etc. It's no fun running across campus to 3 or 4 different school printers to finally find one that works!

[ranchdog]

I purchased a MacBook air and I would buy another one within the hour if it is ever stolen. The thing flat out works all the time. I have never had the issues of every PC I have owned with the hanging and not responding nonsense. If she is a student more than likely she will get MS Office 365 through the school for no additional charge. This is compatible with the Mac. Apple has Apple Print which allows you to print from your computer to a Apple Air print compatible printer without downloading software. It is very convenient. Best Buy offers student discounts on computers. I think it will save you around $100 on a MacBook.

I know right, I am so sick of Internet Explorer or Windows hanging forever. Sometimes I want to throw the darn thing(insert real words) off a cliff.....

[Gummi Bear]

Buy a Macbook.

Even one that is a year or two old will do great. You can do a complete wipe, and install new OS (super easy to do, tutorials on YouTube)

Apple just makes a better product, in my experience. The hardware is super reliable, and software is less prone to headache.

I'm typing this on a 7 year old Mac Book, that's never had a single issue.