Best laptop for school
 

College is starting up soon and never purchased a laptop for myself... Ive always seemed to have the best luck with HP and Apple is a little out of my budget at the moment... I was thinking about the HP Envy or HP Split 2X. I like the idea of a tablet and laptop in one maybe get some books on the tablet. On the other hand I don't think the app stores are the same such as for an apple ipad. Little heavier but battery lasts longer because there is two separate batteries... The envy line seems very fast, slim, reliable, and an all around good pc. Any suggestions between the two? I wouldn't mind touchscreens I would use it if I had it but if I don't not the end of the world. I will be doing my Bachelors and have normal classes such as writing, ect. Not to sure about flying software and study software but always an option!

Well for regular and frequent road travel the iPad seems to be the thing to have these days, you just can't beat the weight and convenience. That would be my first recommendation. But I still have the same HP G60 bought 5 years ago which works great with Vista, it was a Consumer Reports "best buy" and has been worth the money for sure ($600). PCs are somewhat more susceptible to viruses, malicious advertising, trojans and other crap, so you need to install AVG or Kaspersky, avoid suspect websites and do regular scans and so on. It is not hard to protect to a reasonable level. I did have to wipe the hard drive and reinstall the OS from the partition but I take credit for that because I downloaded some software without being careful about the source one time.

If its for school does it need to be a high end model with lots of features like touchscreen? Wouldnt it be better to buy a decent quality lower end model that performs all the functions you require for your coursework and save some $$$?

Obviously this wouldnt apply if you required a lot of computing power for your classes, CAD, Video editing etc

Macbook Pro is great and has lasted for many years. I think the next one will be a Macbook Air. It weighs a fraction of the Pro but unfortunately it doesn't seem to cost any less.

I wouldn't recommend an iPad if the intended purpose is for school - while convenient you really do not want to be typing papers and doing multi-tasking research on an iPad. Now if it's for "school" in the sense that you plan to download netflix, listen to music, and play angry birds then it could be a good companion to a work laptop

I am not so familiar with tablets. The big question: Can you do what you want to with a tablet, or not? The best tablet is ipad, and if you can't afford a new one, I would get a refurbished one from Apple.

I know about laptops: If you need a laptop, and want a bargain, or if you can't afford a tablet, here is the deal:

Mac is the best, but for budget guys like me they aren't worth the money. Dell used to be great, but now they are run of the mill, they have proprietary hardware, like apple, so they are too expensive to buy and too hard/expensive to repair.

Toshiba and Sony make great laptops, but they cost more. If you can afford them, then get an Apple, as apple is better. (If your company is buying your laptop and you don't want Apple, I would go with Toshiba or a "gaming" laptop....many of the gaming laptops have great performance and are decently priced for what you get)

I buy a generic PC. It doesn't matter if it's gateway/hp/Acer/whoever (I am not a Lenovo fan). Any of these inexpensive hardware will work.

Look at what you are paying for a CPU and the Video chip. Here are two resources to compare them:
PassMark - CPU Benchmarks - List of Benchmarked CPUs
and
PassMark Software - Video Card Benchmark Charts - Video Card Model List

The only cards not on their lists are brand new ones....and they will be added soon. These websites have virtually ALL the chips, and you can compare them relative to each other. The verbiage on the consumer websites that explain how great the chips/video cards are are just crap.

When you are comparing CPU and Video cards, you will see that often that two comparable computers, with about the same pricing, and about the same specs (RAM, harddrive, etc) will often have much different CPU and/or Video cards....it is easy to get ripped off and pay too much and have a crappy CPU or video card.

RAM is the easiest thing to upgrade...it is cheap and easy to do yourself, or cheap to have someone else do it, so don't pay for RAM. I think it is best to spend more money on the CPU/Graphics card and have not much ram...then upgrade the RAM to max on your own. It IS good to look for the max ram a computer can handle. If two computers have 4 RAM, but one is maxed out at 8 RAM and the other can handle 16 RAM, buy the one with more RAM potential, as long as they are about the same price.

Next easiest is the Hard Drive. It is relatively inexpensive and easy to replace your had drive...I don't spend a lot for a bigger hard drive...I upgrade that myself after a year or so.

With a laptop, the cheaper computers will have an "integrated" video chip...this means you can't upgrade it. If you can afford a laptop with a separate/stand-alone video card, then you can upgrade it later if you want. Good video cards have at least 1GB of dedicated video ram. Many cards now have 2 and 3 GB of dedicated video ram, and the higher end laptops sometimes have 2 video cards.

Operating system: I personally just bought my wife a laptop with W7 and W8. I don't like W8, but down the road it may be better. You can get computers with W7, W8, or both. I also would not pay for a touch screen laptop. If I wanted a touch screen, I would get a tablet.

I recommend Tiger Direct and NewEgg. I looked at both websites, and bought a laptop off of Tiger Direct. We have used TD for our last 4 computer buys. They both have LOTS of computers (new and used) with a lot of search options, so it is easy to narrow down your choice preferences, vs. having to look at a list of 1000 computers....too much to try and compare that many!

Also, screen size. 15.6" is the cheapest/most availability. 17" (which is what I will be getting next) is more expensive as the screen is bigger. 14"/13" and smaller is more expensive, as they have to cram all the stuff into a smaller space. Weight: Not every computer is the same. My wife's 15.6" laptop is 1/2 pound lighter than several of the other 15.6" ones I looked at.

If you have more questions, PM me.

cliff
CVG

I can do just about everything on my Nexus 7... it's not as big as an iPAD but it does wonders

I wouldn't consider anything other than a Mac.

College and budget go hand in hand; Apple sells refurbished models and a substantial discount.

Go with a 13" screen. Less likely to get damaged, easier to transport and put in your backpack or case, less obtrusive, and all around handier.

Go with Apple. Great support and far fewer crashes.
And the refurbs are a great deal: MacBook Air 11.6" = $679, MacBook Pro 13" = $999.
Refurbished Mac Computers - Refurbished Notebooks & Desktop Computers - Apple Store (U.S.)

Although I am not in school, I was looking for much of the same features I think.

I picked up a Lenovo Yoga 13. It gets you a new processor, 8GB RAM, and the ability to use it as a touch screen and tablet as well.

Since you're going to school, you also can get Office 365 for free I think. Check it out.