Compter For College

[Vurnakes]

Hello to all, I have several questions but they all pertain to computers with college. I am about to go off to college in a few months and I am interested in buying a new computer. First of all, is it best to have a laptop or desktop? I am majoring in Biology and will more than likely go on to Med School. I would like a nice computer that could last that long. Besides school, I use computers for games like Battlefield 2 and others, music, and basic recording of my band. I currently have a laptop and desktop (both dell) that I have inherrited from my dad. Both aren't great but are ok for basic stuff (Im having to upgrade to 512kg ram for the music recording). Basically, what computer should I get. Anyone with similar college expierence, please help me out. With all the other thousands of decisions I have to make, its nice to have all of yall's advice in this matter. Thank you.

 

[thebigdintx]

Welcome to the forum! You will always get more computer for your money with a desktop rather than a laptop, so you have to decide if you really need a laptop. It's easier to upgrade a desktop also. You seem to do some gaming, so I would go with a decent graphics card, and maybe about 1 gig of memory. Many folks on here prefer AMD to Intel as far as a processor goes for gaming also.

 

[TRDCorolla1]

You can always buy a new Dell system or better yet build your own PC. You can never have too good of a PC when you go to college. Get the best you can afford, which is how much?

 

[jac006]

That would 512mb of ram... but anyways... how much do you have to spend on a labtop (yes, a labtop)? Would you rather have portability over performance or performance over portability? A dell xps or even just the inspiron ones, if equipped well enough, will last you far beyond a couple of years, depedning on how you treat it of course. Yes, you'll want a labtop. Portability is a big thing. The dell xps gen 2 is a great computer, able to play bf 2 easily at high settings. The lesser ones can still play them, just not great. I would get either one of these:
http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/xpsnb_m140?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs
or this one: http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/entnb_6000?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs
If you need helps choosing specs, post and we'll help you out.

 

[Vurnakes]

My price limit is around $2,000. The lower the better but I understand you get what you pay for. With building my own computer, I am very interested. If something happens, is there a warrenty? I am not the best at computers. I can do some small basic stuff like add memory and graphics cards. I'm guessing the build it yourself doesn't come with a warrenty, so would it be better to stick with dell and be safe but a weaker computer. And yes, 512mb or ram, sorry bout that. As far as portablity, I won't be using a labtop to take notes in class. The only thing I'd use it for would be taking it somewhere quiet to do reports and on study abroad trips.

 

[TRDCorolla1]

Parts comes with standard warranty depending on the manufacturer. 1-3 years on most parts I believe.

Dell's got some really nice price for some really nice PC. Let me see if I can find you a good one...

This XPS400 is nice, without the high price. You can configure it as you go. The more you want out of it, the more the final price tag will be.

http://www1.us.dell.com/content/pro...00?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~tab=specstab#tabtop

BUt I really like this one:

http://www1.us.dell.com/content/top...n/dimen_xps600_sp_specs?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs

More power and performance.

 

[jac006]

I'd get this comp: http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/entnb_6000?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs
It fits you. There are different models, but I would go with this one: http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&oc=i6000S3&s=dhs
It's not overkill and it will do the job well...

 

[Vurnakes]

Thanks for both of your imput. I think I'm going to start saving my money for one of those computers. So neither of you think I should consider building my own computer in my circumstance?

 

[lhuser]

For college, go for Dells. The best ones for work

 

[TRDCorolla1]

Building one would be nice for around $2,000. Getting one from Dell is fast, hassle free, and you get immediate results. Plus, free tech support. When you build your own, you are your own tech support, but you get the parts you want which is a huge plus. I'll see about getting a customized rig for you...