Im looking into buying a laptop for first year but I'm stuck as to which one to get .. I'm going into social sciences so im going to be writing a lot of essays .. and i don't know yet how much ill be using it to watch tv shows/movies.. right now im looking at

Toshiba 15.6" Intel Core i3-350M Processor 2.26GHz Laptop (L655-02G)
HP Pavilion 15.6" Laptop featuring Intel Core i5-430M Processor (DV6-3058CA)
They're both basically the same other than HP has i5, and 640gb hard drive.. which also makes it 150$ more. and im pretty sure the HP has better graphics too.
The only thing i've found is that the keyboard on the HP is way harder for me to type on.. but would it be easy to adjust to it ?
I want this laptop to actually last at least a year without having problems.. so which one do you think is better/will last longer?
thankssss

They will both last long.. they don't sell laptops that die in 1 year, lol

They are both more than enough for writing essays and watching shows/movies/etc. The HP is better.

If you plan to game, they will both fail since both graphics cards are terrible.

I hate HP. Everyone I know who has a HP, including myself, has constant issues. Whether it's with tht insanely short battery life, or OS issues. There's always update issues and it crashes all the time. I regret getting a hp more than anything.

Originally Posted by etoilex3

I hate HP. Everyone I know who has a HP, including myself, has constant issues. Whether it's with tht insanely short battery life, or OS issues. There's always update issues and it crashes all the time. I regret getting a hp more than anything.

All these companies mass produce laptops.. so they don't really care exactly how good it is.

Look at stores like TigerDirect and CC for better quality laptops.

But again, the laptops kirs posted are more than enough (actually, way too overqualified) for just video viewing and writing essays... you can probably get a laptop for those things at like 400$

Doesn't Toshiba require you to go to specific stores in order to have your computer checked out if there are any problems? My roommate had to do that and it was quite annoying since there wasn't any close to McMaster.

Get toshiba. I've had one, my gf has an hp. I've never had an issue, while she spends 75$ every two months for adapters. Her battery is also shot. I've never had a good experience with hp.

For service, you OBVIOUSLY go to the place you got it from if it's on warranty. If not, I'm not aware of any restrictions for repairs. I wouldn't know cause I never had a problem with my toshiba.

I would not get HP. I have an HP Pavilion dv2600 Special Edition and after a year it started to give me problems. The back light used to flicker and then one day the motherboard just died and I had to get it replaced (took 3 weeks during the school year). Also the battery life is horrible. HPs *might* look better but thats it.

I used to have Toshiba and it caused me a lot of troubles (such as overheating).
It is better to go with something else. I don't think HP is a good option either but I certainly think it is better than Toshiba.

There was some discussion a while ago about laptops here: http://www.macinsiders.com/showthrea...ing-28001.html

I see you are in social sci, but some things would still be relevant.

I like to show people this:
http://gizmodo.com/5406415/laptop-re...ome-out-on-top

Originally Posted by adrian

I like to show people this:
http://gizmodo.com/5406415/laptop-re...ome-out-on-top

I was just about to post this. HP pretty much blows in all experiences that I've had with them.

You should shop around a bit more, the specs on that Toshiba aren't the greatest, you could definitely do better for $729, assuming you're looking at the one from Futureshop.

Hmm.. ive had my HP for over 2 years now and not a single issue... i dont know what you guys do to your laptops, lol.

when's the best time to buy a laptop? now or couple of weeks before school starts
I want to try to get the best deal possible

I think sometime in August for Back to School deals.

I would avoid HP for the time being. I have an HP TX2500 that I got just before first year, and since then I've replaced the adapter (with a third party one... screw buying the same shitty adapter again), and the motherboard. The motherboard breaking was actually my fault (punched my computer in a fit of rage), but it was only because the thing would completely lock up when I plugged in a USB anything, regardless of OS and how many BIOs updates I did.

On an interesting note, Acer's quality has gone up dramatically :o.