I have a Dell and LOVE it. Works great and hasn't given me many problems.

My advice when choosing a computer would be to buy something you like and you'll use. That's what I did, and I'm happy with what I've got

Hm. From my expierence with computers, id say you want a decent sized laptop. 13-15 inch in reasonable. 17 inch in my opinon is too big to lug around everwhere. (but if your strong or just want a big screen/full keyboard by all means take it). 13inch may seem small to some but its alright. 15inch is average but can also become a bit heavy depending on the manufacturer and model.

After you decide what size you want, start looking at the specs. In all honesty, the specs do depend on the size of the laptop. the bigger the laptop the better the specs. this is not the case for all laptops, just most.

Now, anoter thing you decide between is windows or mac. ive used mac and didnt like it, so i stick with windows. both systems are great. even though most stuff is for windows, you can dual boot on any mac with an intel chipset.(not sure which os tho)

The specs id reccomend (these recommendations are for what i consider the minimum) for a general use laptop woud be:

-any intel dual core or core 2 duo processor
-2gb ram
-80gb hard drive
-the integrated sound and graphics card should suffice
-at least 2-3 usb ports
-wifi
-dvd burner/player
--> other minor details will not be covered

This is pretty much the basics you need to know..i know i missed a few things but...im tired of typing lol. Oh ya, i forgot to talk about warranty (dam more to type). Warranty will cost extra. Most laptops come with 1 year warranty. after that you have to purchase more. depending on your laptop, it may not be worth buying warranty. if you buy one over $1000, id recommend buying warranty, since you already invested that much. if you bough some cheap $400-500 laptop, the warranty is not worth it. the price you pay for the warranty could easily cover 80% of the next laptop you buy. but for peace of mind buy it if you wish.

I bought a toshiba satellite laptop 2 weeks ago, also got extended warranty only cause my parents didnt want to worry. it works fine and seems to be reliable.

Hope this helps...otherwise my hands are hurting for no reason =]

Originally Posted by u.yousaf

I bought a macbook last year and didn't bother with the extra 3 year protection plan. If your worried about things such as scratches than I wouldn't suggest buying a laptop because they will eventually happen whether you like it or not. I think the apple store gives you a 1 year warranty already and I haven't had any problems at all with my macbook so far. Also keep in mind that the 15" will weigh more than the 13" so carrying it around all the time may not be convenient.

Get the Apple care. I can't emphasize that enough.

My battery was faulty, I got it replaced
My hard drive crashed, I got it replaced
The white MB had a problem with part of the case cracking, I got it replaced.
One of my hinges was squeaky, they fixed it for me.

...

You've only had a macbook for a year, I guarantee that something will happen. You might regret not purchasing it.

Originally Posted by jesus

One of my hinges was squeaky, they fixed it for me.

WD-40?

Originally Posted by jesus

Get the Apple care. I can't emphasize that enough.

My battery was faulty, I got it replaced
My hard drive crashed, I got it replaced
The white MB had a problem with part of the case cracking, I got it replaced.
One of my hinges was squeaky, they fixed it for me.

...

You've only had a macbook for a year, I guarantee that something will happen. You might regret not purchasing it.

Wow.... so much trouble for a computer that costs so damn much.

Another reason why I would never purchase an Apple.

Originally Posted by Taunton

Wow.... so much trouble for a computer that costs so damn much.

Another reason why I would never purchase an Apple.

My PC at home cost more than a Macbook, and on it, I replaced literally every piece except the dvd burner, then finally got fed up and just bought a new one. Computers have problems, PC or Mac.

apple. HP has great customer support service. Toshiba should be on that list... they have great laptops and last very long and are worth every penny. Oh apple is okay... good looking.. problem free.. but really bad customer service unless you get extended warrenty but who wants to dish out the extra money for that. Dell sucks. Don't even go there. I'd say Toshiba should be your #1.. HP and if you can afford it go with an apple.

Originally Posted by patelp

Dell sucks. Don't even go there.

I disagree wholeheartedly. I've been using Dell products for years and have never had any problems. All the machines I have dealt with through Dell have worked like charms, and once your warranty is up, you can open them up and upgrade them yourself (unless you buy a notebook).

Dell is definitely worth looking at, especially since they often have some great deals and specials going on.

Originally Posted by Taunton

I disagree wholeheartedly. I've been using Dell products for years and have never had any problems. All the machines I have dealt with through Dell have worked like charms, and once your warranty is up, you can open them up and upgrade them yourself (unless you buy a notebook).

Dell is definitely worth looking at, especially since they often have some great deals and specials going on.

I also use a Dell and have had 0 problems with it over one year so far.

Originally Posted by jesus

Get the Apple care. I can't emphasize that enough.

My battery was faulty, I got it replaced
My hard drive crashed, I got it replaced
The white MB had a problem with part of the case cracking, I got it replaced.
One of my hinges was squeaky, they fixed it for me.

...

You've only had a macbook for a year, I guarantee that something will happen. You might regret not purchasing it.

I just bought an iMac. I can purchase the Apple Care anytime right, so whenever I have the money this year I could just buy the Apple Care for my iMac? It already has a one year warranty but the Apple Care isn't too expensive and sounds good for extended coverage. I didn't get the Futureshop extended warranty b/c I know those are a rip off.

Originally Posted by sew12

I just bought an iMac. I can purchase the Apple Care anytime right, so whenever I have the money this year I could just buy the Apple Care for my iMac? It already has a one year warranty but the Apple Care isn't too expensive and sounds good for extended coverage. I didn't get the Futureshop extended warranty b/c I know those are a rip off.

You can buy it any time within the first year of ownership. And if you buy it from the Apple Store Online, or call Apple and tell them you're a student, you get a discount of $60 for the iMac Applecare.

And since you mentioned the futureshop warranty....I just got a call today from a lady with a Macbook (I work for Apple's tech support). She was dealing with a repair under the Futureshop warranty, and they told her to call us, get some kind of proof that the problem was something Apple's warranty would cover (if she'd had it), then go back to the store, have them verify the info, and if it checked out, they would do the repair under their warranty. Sounds like a lot of work for coverage.

Originally Posted by reeves

You can buy it any time within the first year of ownership. And if you buy it from the Apple Store Online, or call Apple and tell them you're a student, you get a discount of $60 for the iMac Applecare.

And since you mentioned the futureshop warranty....I just got a call today from a lady with a Macbook (I work for Apple's tech support). She was dealing with a repair under the Futureshop warranty, and they told her to call us, get some kind of proof that the problem was something Apple's warranty would cover (if she'd had it), then go back to the store, have them verify the info, and if it checked out, they would do the repair under their warranty. Sounds like a lot of work for coverage.

That does sound like a lot of hassle. I never buy the in-store extended warranties.

Thanks for the student tip. I'm definitely going to buy the Applecare a some point soon and I'll be glad to get a discount.

Originally Posted by sew12

That does sound like a lot of hassle. I never buy the in-store extended warranties.

Thanks for the student tip. I'm definitely going to buy the Applecare a some point soon and I'll be glad to get a discount.

Just make sure if you buy it online that you log in to the Education Store, found on the left hand side of the page, and choose the right school.

Originally Posted by reeves

Just make sure if you buy it online that you log in to the Education Store, found on the left hand side of the page, and choose the right school.

Thanks!

I just got an HP it's really nice but I mean I JUST got it so I havent experienced any problems with it yet and I hope I don't but with the price that I got it for and everything and like 3 year warranty guaranteed it's really nice and good to travel with and use too
All my friends have different laptops and recommend the one they have obviously, but I found the Toshiba to be really good also and my boyfriend has a Dell laptop that actually works really well and never gave him any trouble and he's had it for three years now, so really it's up to your personal preferences but good luck!