A laptop for Uni?

Spirogyra

Hi about to start a Postgrad in Humanities . I'm wondering whether anyone could recommend a laptop through Currys or Dell probably ? or are Apple worth the premium? I have Dell Inspironhttp://www.dell.com/ie/p/inspiron-15-3551-laptop/pd?ref=PD_OC#secondaryContent but it's terribly heavy , and most computers of mine slow down terribly after about a year. I'm not tech savy enough to resolve this myself.

I've heard that as Apple doesn't require the purchase of any anti-virus software, that this doesn't happen? so could they be better in the longer term?. An I-Pad is not really a great idea if one is writing long assignments? Is a Netbook good enough? ( I stress being able to carry it comfortably is important)


http://www.currys.ie/Product/hp---stream-11d061na-116-laptop-pink/331547/401.0.0#video

Any advice appreciated
Thanks

slinky2000

Apple does require anti virus software, whoever told you that is mis informed. They do get viruses, there just isn't as many as PC's.

I was on the PC side of the fence for many years and said many times Apples are not worth the premium. Recently though I'm changing my mind, the build quality is exceptional, the trackpads are the best there is, the OS is great (Windows 8 just is terrible) the app store is fantastic.... I could go on.

If it's a laptop you're going to use every day I would personally get a MacBook if you can afford it.

slinky2000

If I was getting a PC I would get a dell Xps 13, they're pretty good, I've one for work I use every day. The partner also has a Samsung series 9 which is pretty good. Both are almost Mac like, fast and lightweight.

Spirogyra

Thanks Slinky, not sure what to do, but thanks

eeguy

You dont need to spend more than 500 euro on a college laptop.

If you're not pressed for time keep an eye on Hot UK Deals and you'll get a bargain there.

Ant695

Windows laptops can be just as good as macs if they are looked after. If you go windows just make sure to install decent anti virus software and try not to fill the hd to capacity. The most notable difference between windows and macbooks is the battery life from my experience. I have had a macbook for 5 years now and used it daily and the only drop off has been in battery life. It would last about 9 hours when new and now it's about 6 on a full charge. Most windows laptops seem to advertise 4-6 hours but that may be enough for your purposes and it also depends on what you are doing and if wifi etc... is on.
Also regarding weight if you don't need an disc drive then get one without. This will reduce the cost and make it lighter and thinner as well.
Personally I would say if you can afford it and you don't specifically need windows then i'd go mac otherwise go for a windows but look in store to see size/weight for yourself.

Asmooh

http://www.komplett.ie/product/zkb-01lap/80037243/lenovo-ideapad-z50-70/details.aspx


Nice laptop, I have the same but I wanted AMD because of the GPU

timetogo

I think your requirements are

1: Light / easy to carry.
2: Decent screen. I'm presuming you'll be typing assignments, doing research on it.
3: Decent keyboard. Similar to 2. If you're typing large assignments you don't want a crappy keyboard.

2 & 3 will rule out a netbook type computer but you could buy a netbook + an external keyboard / mouse + a monitor. At your work desk you could have the monitor & keyboard permanently for long periods of work then for taking notes in college it would be light to carry around with you. It wouldn't be a machine you'd want to spend hours typing at though.

If I was buying a laptop for those requirements listed above I'd get something with a 13.1" screen and I'd prefer a screen resolution of 1920 x 1080 rather than 1366 x 768.

If you go for a 15" screen they're generally a cheaper model but as you've found they'll be heavier.
The higher resolution bumps up the price a bit but if you're using a cheap laptop, typing all day at 1366 X 768 it will annoy you (well it annoys me).

I normally prefer Intel processors (I3, I5, I7) and for word processing / spreadsheets I don't care which.

For word processing / spreadsheets I wouldn't care what size hard drive the laptop had. No matter what laptop you get it'll have loads of hard drive space for that. I would budget for a USB key or external hard drive for backups though. You don't want to be 2 months into an assignment and have the laptop die with all of your work.

You'll probably need an Office program. Open Office is free and if you can use it it's fine. If you can't don't buy Microsoft Office until you join the college. Microsoft / colleges have student pricing which nearly gives away MS Office.

Memory wise 4GB and more is fine.

If you can get a laptop without a CD / DVD I think that's a benefit to weight. I haven't used a DVD in years.

Some laptops have touch screens. If that floats your boat then you can look into that. I wouldn't bother.

As for Windows / Apple. If I've gotten your requirements right then who cares? Both types of machine are very similar for the requirements I've listed. The next deciding factor will be price.

Windows machines shouldn't slow down much anymore unless you install every bit of crap you find on the internet. I've an ancient machine at home I installed Windows 8 on a couple of years ago. I use about 20 apps and it still flys. Windows 8 comes with options to blow away all of the crap if your machine slows down. Probably not for the faint hearted though.

All of the above assumes you want to use the laptop for college work, some surfing and maybe some videos. If you have other requirements (image / video editing, games etc.) then it all goes out the window

Spirogyra

Thanks Timetogo, and no game's are not important

K.O.Kiki

slinky2000 wrote: »

Apple does require anti virus software, whoever told you that is mis informed. They do get viruses, there just isn't as many as PC's.

http://www.macworld.com/article/2923022/checking-your-mac-for-viruses-wait-what.html

tl;dr
Stop clicking OK without knowing what you're clicking OK for.

Spirogyra

Have lap-top mini's/netbooks gone? didn't see any in pc world today or in dell on line? Thanks Kiki

Skerries

netbooks were never powerful enough for what they were needed for and tablets have filled that gap.

Spirogyra

are tablets any good for typing? My sole interest in Netbooks is due to light weight, I'm terribly weak, there was one with 4(g?)storage for E279 in Currys today.....

Skerries

Spirogyra wrote: »

are tablets any good for typing? My sole interest in Netbooks is due to light weight, I'm terribly weak, there was one with 4(g?)storage for E279 in Currys today.....

no, if you want something light and cheap then start looking at the lower end of the ultrabooks range
the 13" to 14" is the ideal as the 15" are too big and usually are cheap
have a look here

http://www.techradar.com/news/mobile-computing/laptops/best-ultrabook-18-top-thin-and-lights-1054355

Spirogyra

Thanks, Is two GB memory too low for my likely needs ?....