My computer is so broken

Nope, I don't play computer games at all. I'll do that if I have time, but I'll probably just put up with this computer being crap till I get a new one.

What do you use all that space for!?

 

oh just collecting files of all sort but yeah, do you care about battery life, the weight and screen size much? My lecture halls have outlets to charge laptops so I dont really have to care much for it in my case.
oh and after 5 years of bringing my laptop to lectures, i've gotten used to it but it is quite heavy sometimes lol

 

If your parents insist on buying you a new computer.....

get a Mac. Any of them.
They may be a bit pricier than Windows platforms, but they are extremely stable, and you wont need to worry about being a computer nerd to operate one. You dont have to worry about hardware/software issues either.
Get one with at least a 4year warranty, or you can buy an extended warranty later on and you're set for as long as you own it.

 

Windows 7 is fairly user friendly and stable, its what Vista should of been lol
The reality with Macs is that you pay an "apple" tax as with all Apple products. Although in recent years their configurations and pricing has become a lot more competitive thus I grabbed a macbook aluminium, for that price, it was well speced and it also allows me to compile programs under terminal without having to dig out a linux virtual machine.
OSX nonetheless is very graphically user interface orientated and user friendly. Hardware/software issues, you actually do need to worry about as not all hardware has OSX support (although many nowadays do) Software, you will need to find the OSX equiv. depending on what software you use, wont be hard but could be impossible if you have some special CAD software.
Printers are probably least of your concerns because OSX handles em in probably one of the most primitive ways as possible lol.
Warranty wise, I do recommend getting Apple Care if you do get one cuz once mac breaks, they can get expensive although it applies to every other laptop out there as their logic boards are all different but in general, there are less parts out there for macs than for other laptops.
Nonetheless they have become more serviceable over the years and my macbook aluminum has yet to go haywire after 1 year (the plastic one had degrading plastic problems). but having said that, they're going backwards again with the new macbook pros cuz u cant change battery yourself anymore.
Also as with all Macbooks you will need to buy Mini Display port adapters to output to VGA/DVI/HDMI (no sound unless using a muxing adapter)
So yeah, Macs in general really are for 2 ends of the spectrum of users. The programmers and the average joe who wants something simple.

One thing i have enjoyed on OSX is the cheap software bundles that people put up tho. I mean 12 apps for 50 bucks is a steal =p

Oh and if you're going into Arts, get a Mac cuz it comes with iMovie thus u can edit your own movies on the cheap (one of the reasons why some high schools have macs for media/drama classes)

 

Agreed, buy warranty on ebay tho! Saved me $200! and its just a code anyways.

iMac- awesome, any of them are great! If you want more savings go with refurbished (same thing, flawless condition, pretty much new! Apples refurbs are best in the biz, and come with the same warranty etc.

Mac Mini- Just dont... Unless you already have a very nice monitor

MacBook Pro, Macbook, Macbook Air- all great, just pick which one fits your lifestyle and use best.

Mac Pro- HAHAHAHA, yea, this thing is serious! Also seriously expensive.

You really cant go wrong. Snow Leopard is a great OS, great UI and easy to use and very stable. It stays the same speed (more or less) as the day you bought it!

 

very true, we sell Dell and Lenovo laptops to customers, I lost count on how many Dell's i had to repair, but the lenovo's never came in for repair, unless it was obvious user damage (dropping it, smashing it, etc.)

The optiplex we sell also are not any better, components are cheap, power supply they use is a joke, and they will eventually have problems.

 

My computer lives! I'm quite proud of myself, as I've never done anything like this with a computer before. haha.

Anyway, I really don't want a Mac. They're weird and I really don't like using them. Battery life...I want something decent, but it doesn't have to be crazy or anything. I've talked to friends at the college I want to go to, and they say that no one even brings their computer to class with them. Screen size...something around 14 or 15 inches, I've got a 15" now and I'm fine with it.

 

i'll do some research for you after tuesday when my finals are done, but for now, have a look at the Dell XPS line and their Studio lines. They are pretty bang for the buck if u ask me. Despite all the comments, my old roommate's XPS still works after 5 years.

 

Sony EB series laptops might also be in range. Personal experience with Sony laptops have been quite good for being durable. They are however a bit more expensive but it also seems to offer student discounts.

 

Yeah hunny, I think you're right to say so. What about the dell and hp things?

 

Figured I'd update. I got a new computer for Christmas...it's a Toshiba Satellite. I forget the exact model. So far though I love it, it's got 500GB of hard drive space which should be good for me, but what I really like is the battery. It's got an extra battery on it, so the laptop kinda sits up at the back which I prefer to it sitting flat anyway, but more importantly an impressive battery life. I have yet to kill the battery on it.

 

TOshibas are nice

I know alot of people dont like dell, but ive never had an issue. I bought a XPS 17, my computer got a virus that basically killed it. Plus it was 5 years old. (xps600) anyway......

Congrats!

 

the only problem with Toshibas are their power adapters, which are badly OEMed and heat up like a bitch

Dells are a hit or miss, they can be awesomely durable if you're lucky

HPs goes along those lines as well but more unlucky than lucky most of the time lol