University Laptop Advice (1 Viewer)

[Brett_P]

Hey guys.

Well, most of us are attending university next year, and hopefully I will be too.

So I am in need of a new laptop. I have approximately an $800 budget for the laptop, and need it prior to December 3rd.

My requirements:
Windows
Reasonably attractive
Reasonably light/portable
Durable
13-15" screen
i5 with about 2.4-5gHz
4GB RAM +
Decent graphics card
3+ USB ports
Optical drive
~500GB HDD

I was considering buying a HP Pavillion M6 today:
http://www.jbhifionline.com.au/computers-laptops/laptops/hp-pavilion-m6-1010tx-15-6-notebook/672959

But I am unsure about the size of the laptop. Do you feel 15" is too large to be portable around a university? And is this laptop okay? I particularly like the aesthetics, and it has all the features I like, but I just don't know. My only faults with it were that the keyboard flexed in slightly, the arrow keys were configured strangely and the large size of the laptop.

I'd preferably rather buy it in a store.

Thanks for your help.

Peace

 

[Arcorn]

Hey guys.

Well, most of us are attending university next year, and hopefully I will be too.

So I am in need of a new laptop. I have approximately an $800 budget for the laptop, and need it prior to December 3rd.

My requirements:
Windows
Reasonably attractive
Reasonably light/portable
Durable
13-15" screen
i5 with about 2.4-5gHz
4GB RAM +
Decent graphics card
3+ USB ports
Optical drive
~500GB HDD

I was considering buying a HP Pavillion M6 today:
http://www.jbhifionline.com.au/computers-laptops/laptops/hp-pavilion-m6-1010tx-15-6-notebook/672959

But I am unsure about the size of the laptop. Do you feel 15" is too large to be portable around a university? And is this laptop okay? I particularly like the aesthetics, and it has all the features I like, but I just don't know. My only faults with it were that the keyboard flexed in slightly, the arrow keys were configured strangely and the large size of the laptop.

I'd preferably rather buy it in a store.

Thanks for your help.

Peace

I would go for an Asus or Lenovo.

In your price range I found these couple
http://www.onlinecomputer.com.au/pr...=9965&osCsid=5f422ede140aa0ead3c4887187f608f2
http://www.onlinecomputer.com.au/product_info.php?products_id=9455

They have a store in Sydney but I purchased one and got it sent out. Ordered it late Thursday, was here Monday.

 

[slyhunter]

I would definitely be leaning towards the Asus

 

[Arcorn]

I would definitely be leaning towards the Asus

So would I because it's cheaper. And I'm not a big fan of ATI either.

 

[Hayden Watkins]

You should check this website out.
http://www.jw.com.au/hp-650-c0r14pa-p-13199

 

[Delta Education]

If it's something you want to take to uni regularly, you definitely have to consider weight, and what you'll be using it for.

If you're doing science or commerce based subjects (or generally anything that requires drawing diagrams), it might be worth just putting up with taking hand-written notes and using a laptop effectively as a desktop computer at home. Also note here that handwriting notes can be a good way to learn about writing concisely. If you're doing subjects that require no diagrams, and just mass amounts of writing, then something smaller than 15'' would be best, because those laptops can be a bit heavy and a lot of the lighter ones are significantly more expensive than your price range.

 

[brent012]

It's already past the date you specified so any advice is uselss but anyway... I really think ultrabooks (or a macbook air) are the best option for uni - you don't want anything too big or heavy. Might be hard finding one for $800, but i think the cheapest ones could be around there.

 

[Delta Education]

Would you consider a tablet with a keyboard? Very easy to transport and fairly versatile.

 

[brent012]

Would you consider a tablet with a keyboard? Very easy to transport and fairly versatile.

That's another good idea, cheaper than an ultrabook but just as practical. I actually have an ASUS Transformer tablet, reason i didn't suggest this at first is using android just isn't the same as having windows, mac or a desktop linux distribution. That's changing though - lots of good android apps!

 

[RDX]

I bought an Asus Zenbook this week, so light, it would've been perfect for me when I was at uni.

 

[Dr_Fresh]

Asus is unbeatable in terms of value for money out of all the brands. I know hp pavilions have a lot of overheating issues.

 

[4025808]

ASUS is the best of them all imo.

IMO, get an ultraportable with SSD. You probably don't need 500gb of space on a normal HD because that would consume more battery life as opposed to an SDD. You're better off getting a 1TB portable USB 3.0 hard drive and storing all the extra stuff you need there.

I also think that lenovo is heaps good. I could suggest getting the thinkpad X230 if you have a bit more than $800, perhaps say $1k or so.

http://shopap.lenovo.com/SEUILibrar...l/ANZ/AU/Special Offers/&redir=y#.UMhKwIO1fU8

In anything, consider battery life whenever you're buying laptop for uni. IMO, try not to get core i7s because they consume shitloads of battery life (unless if you're a gamer too). A core i5 processor works just as well in normal day-to-day activities and doesn't consume as much battery life.

I like tablets too but I would prefer to get a tablet that can connect to a keyboard or has a stylus.

just my 2cs