Laptop for University

[nikkis]

I need a laptop that isn't going to bankrupt me but will stay relevant for the next 4 years.

Criteria:
4 USB Ports - I use all of them regularly
15.6 " screen - Don't want to commute carrying a huge laptop
No intel graphics card - I use photoshop a bit and do a lot of light gaming (League of Legends)

Budget:
0-$600

Thanks

[Jon Lai]

I need a laptop that isn't going to bankrupt me but will stay relevant for the next 4 years.

Criteria:
4 USB Ports - I use all of them regularly
15.6 " screen - Don't want to commute carrying a huge laptop
No intel graphics card - I use photoshop a bit and do a lot of light gaming (League of Legends)

Budget:
0-$600

Thanks

Good luck. I bought a T400 for $1200 over 4 years ago and it's been irrelevant for at least 2 years already.

[gnuman]

$600 and integrated graphics? It's not going to happen well unless you get an AMD A10 but then performance is on par with an i3

[kingofwale]

I need a laptop that isn't going to bankrupt me but will stay relevant for the next 4 years.

Criteria:
4 USB Ports - I use all of them regularly
15.6 " screen - Don't want to commute carrying a huge laptop
No intel graphics card - I use photoshop a bit and do a lot of light gaming (League of Legends)

Budget:
0-$600

Thanks

15'6 isn't a huge laptop???

First of all, your budget sucks. Sounds like you haven't used a laptop forever (or a loong time), so you might get flamed.

secondly, You can still use photoshop with intel graphics. or else you need to up your budget.

look for Asus, Acer, Thinkpad. If you want to have a 'budget' pricing, be prepared to get a budget PC.


P.S. "Stay relevant" how?? It's no musican, you know. It will work, probably won't work well.

[_Allan_]

It's got a 1st Gen Core i3, but an excellent Radeon 5470. (http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=710_577_821&item_id=028014) and is WELL below $600 - so just buy a Belkin 7 port USB hub and be happy.

OR

Sencond Gen i3, nVidia GT520m (http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=710_577_367&item_id=040923) for $599.98.

That's the best you'll find for the price.

NOW, to keep you 'relevant' for 4 years? You'll need to up the specs.
$849.99 - Asus K55DV (http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=710_577_369&item_id=048622)
Intel Core i7-3610QM (2.30GHz, Quad-Core) Processor
- 15.6" HD (1366x768) Display
- 6GB RAM
- 750GB HDD
- NVIDIA GeForce GT 610M 2GB Graphics
- Wireless N
- Webcam
- DVD-writer
- HDMI
- 8-cell Dura Battery
- Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
- 1 Year Accidental Damage Warranty, 2 Year Global Warranty

[Musiq Soulchild]

Laptop for university is overrated. You don't need anything exotic just a basic laptop that can do simple browsing/word processing or programs like autocad etc if your in engineering. I've been using a Lenovo X200 and its been solid to say the least. Very reliable and does the job. Had it for about 3-4 years now.

[AlexDiFi]

I think I have just what you need. PM me

[Aznsilvrboy]

You dont need one at all. I didn't need a laptop through 4 years and everyone else who brought a laptop to class just ended up going on Facebook, MSN.

[easylistener]

A cheap laptop, like the one you've outlined, is probably the best bet for a university student without loads of disposable income. My current laptop cost me $800, but I was gunning for something with long battery life, so a little premium was necessary. You could definitely make do with any of the cheap laptops that sell for $500-$600 at BB/FS. Visit one of their stores and just walk around the showfloor and see if there's anything that catches your attention.

You can get an 15 inch laptop with an i5 processor for under $600, there's one advertised on bestbuy's front page even. If you hate Intel processors for some reason, you could try a laptop that has an AMD Fusion processor.

[DavidY]

NCIX.ca has a couple of Acer notebooks with either a 540M graphics or 630M graphics...both are i5 CPUs....in the $6xx range. Acer and HP are among the laptop brands with the worst reliability however.

4 USB ports might be tough to find...Acer above has 3 (2 USB2 and 1 USB3). The other Acer has 2 USB. If you need 4 or more, you probably need to carry a USB hub.

Dave

[nikkis]

Thanks for your help guys.
My university program REQUIRES me to have a laptop for certain classes (with 3 hour battery life for exams) and my current HP is 4 years old, so I was looking for a replacement. By the way when I said relevant, I meant that it would not be stone-aged in 2 years. :P

[Mark77]

Good luck. I bought a T400 for $1200 over 4 years ago and it's been irrelevant for at least 2 years already.

Whaaaat? Throw a SSD into that T400... WTF you doing on it anyways?

[xalex0]

Thanks for your help guys.
My university program REQUIRES me to have a laptop for certain classes (with 3 hour battery life for exams)What kind of computing power do these classes require? i.e. would your 4 year old laptop be enough (with a new battery if necessary)?

[Jon Lai]

Whaaaat? Throw a SSD into that T400... WTF you doing on it anyways?

It's a Core 2 Duo... slow... just doing normal processing work on it. Granted I don't have SSD, but I've been meaning to upgrade in the next year or so anyways...

[Mark77]

It's a Core 2 Duo... slow... just doing normal processing work on it. Granted I don't have SSD, but I've been meaning to upgrade in the next year or so anyways...

Well, quick, throw a SSD in there -- no wonder you're dissatisfied!

[change4gas]

LoL is pretty light on graphics. You could probably opt for a Llano processor (A8) with integrated 6620HD Radeon graphics (everyone will quote the hierarchy, but realistically, if it plays the game, you're good). The processing power isn't the best, but the power efficiency and low running temperature means you'll be able to go to classes, library, or to group projects without too much hassle.

Personally I got a 14'' MSI i5-2430M, 4gb RAM, GT540M 2gb, and 500gb (7200RPM) for $685 (taxes inc.) last week. Good luck :)

[M1K3Z0R]

You dont need one at all. I didn't need a laptop through 4 years and everyone else who brought a laptop to class just ended up going on Facebook, MSN.

This is very true, for the overwhelming majority of people. However, it does come in very handy when you are stuck on campus between classes or on late night library study binges and want to study in your own preferred space.

OP, are you sure integrated graphics are that terrible for your needs? and what do you consider stone age? After the core 1/2 series procs, IMO there is not much noticeable improvement for general everyday tasks (unless you need the thread crunching power). You might be better off getting a some cheap laptop from BB/FS and investing in a SSD and larger battery.

To put things in perspective, my core 2 HP bought in 2007 could handle things decently while packing 7 hours of juice on a 12 cell battery. It's still ticking in fact, and does everything I need it to do and at a satisfactory pace.

[ConsoleWatcher]

You kids are so spoiled nowadays. Back when I was in school we didn't have all these fancy netbooks and tablets and things-all we had was our 14.1 inch laptops, and things we called "PDAs", dangnammit! :D

Personally, if you're not going to be doing any gaming or heavy processing while at school, I would buy a regular desktop computer for school and a cheap netbook (or tablet with add-on keyboard) for doing your notes/exams.

[M1K3Z0R]

You kids are so spoiled nowadays. Back when I was in school we didn't have all these fancy netbooks and tablets and things-all we had was our 14.1 inch laptops, and things we called "PDAs", dangnammit! :D

Personally, if you're not going to be doing any gaming or heavy processing while at school, I would buy a regular desktop computer for school and a cheap netbook (or tablet with add-on keyboard) for doing your notes/exams.

LOL. I remember expecting instant productivity with my Casio BE-300. OS tweaking ensued, gameboy emulator was installed, no productivity was gained:lol:

[Jon Lai]

Well, quick, throw a SSD in there -- no wonder you're dissatisfied!

It's not quite yet slow enough to kick my lazy rear end to reinstall Windows quite yet :) (x86; if I get SSD it's a logical phase in time to get x64)

[BUGNUT]

You're better off with a new laptop. You get the latest OS and a full warranty. A new good quality high capacity battery and a new SSD will cost you almost half of what you would spend on a new laptop. Check out Tigerdirect, NCIX, Canada Computers and The Source in person and you'll find lots of new demo laptops at reduced prices.

[Mark77]

You're better off with a new laptop. You get the latest OS and a full warranty. A new good quality high capacity battery and a new SSD will cost you almost half of what you would spend on a new laptop. Check out Tigerdirect, NCIX, Canada Computers and The Source in person and you'll find lots of new demo laptops at reduced prices.

Whaaat? Brand new battery for my Dell Latitude D830 is $35, and a good SSD is $100. Don't think you're really gonna buy much laptop for $250 these days, even at those (junky) retaillers that you mention.

[coolspot]

I prefer a name brand laptop - something with good onsite or depot service. Laptops go through a lot if you carry it to school each day. Dell and Lenovo are pretty good for repairs. Apple as well, especially with AppleCare. Everyone else, not sure.