Looking to buy a laptop for school. Willing to spend around $1k. I’m really not up to date on which laptop’s are good right now, so hopefully someone can help. Really just looking for something that is fast and light. I’ve been considering a Mac, but I’m not too farmiliar with the OS, so I’m a little hesitant. I like the fact that the Mac’s are less prone to viruses also. So in short:
Around $1k to spend.
Needs to be relatively fast.
Needs to be relatively light.
I would appreciate anyone’s help. Thanks!
---------- Post added at 01:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:24 PM ----------
Edit- Would this be better catagorized in the nerds section?
HP and Toshiba are probably your best bet. You’ll want to look for the i Series processors from intel at least an i3, i5 or i7 are even better. Most hard drives are 320GB or better now-a-days, so it really shouldn’t be a problem. If you need more for your music I’d reccomend an external hard drive like the Seagate FreeAgent (LINK) or a Western Digital My Passport (LINK) since their small and easy to move around. Also, memory ≠ storage…Memory refers to the RAM of the computer. Anything under 4GB is a waste of time, if you have 4GB or above make sure it comes with a 64-bit OS (which is should) also labeled x64. Memory can also be added at a later time if needed. The $500-$700 range should steer you away from Windows 7 Starter, but if not avoid that OS. You’ll want at least Windows 7 Home Premium or better (Professional, Enterprise, Ultimate). Please stay away from the netbooks…they may be cheap, cute, w/e but they suck ass.
Don’t bother with the warranties with any big box store, but if you can get an extended warranty through the actual manufacturer (3-5 years) I’d suggest it. Also no need for their setup services or Anti-virus…YOU DON’T NEED THESE. Microsoft Security Essentials is free, and is highly rated among the IT community for anti-virus (LINK). If your computer comes with a trial of an anti-virus usually it’s Norton make sure you uninstall it before installing MSE. If it is Norton, simply run their removal tool to completely wipe it off your system (CLICK TO DOWNLOAD IT). Make sure your automatic updates are turned ON as well. For basic programs go to www.ninite.com and select all the products you intended to use. After you do so, click Get Installer and SAVE the file to a location on your computer, just run it and the program will do the rest. Every so often you can re-run the Ninite downloaded file and it will grab the latest updates if any are available.
If you are worried about viruses, you need to modify your browsing/downloading habits. 99% of infected machines are infected due to user error, not because they are a “PC”.