Which computer for my college-bound daughter?

[rainbow4321]

She is going off to UT Austin this fall...any suggestions on what kind of computer/bells+whistles would be best for her to buy? She has about $1600-$1700 available that she can spend. Is that enough $$ to get a reliable computer for a college kid or do I need to add to the "computer fund"?
There is a Campus Computer Store but I don't know if we should get it there or just get one at our local computer store.

Thanks in advance!

[RoyGBiv]

1. Ohdearlord ...

With $1600 you could get a system that would do parts of her homework for her. :-)

I build my own systems, so I have trouble recommending pre-built systems for others. But, by way of comparison, I recently built a system for someone that'll do anything anyone could possibly need for school work, excepting perhaps intensive designing using a CAD system (important if she's going to be an engineering major) and even play a few modern games fairly well, and all I charged, parts, labor, and software, was $600. That didn't include a printer, though, and she'll need one of those. Canon and HP make some good printers for under $100.

Several companies sell computers in that price range that will do what she needs.

BTW, for a college student, I would recommend a laptop. Space is limited in living areas, and the student can take it to the library. I went to college twice, once before laptops were affordable and once afterward. I had my own house and plenty of room the second time, but being able to take my laptop with me wherever I went was a tremendous help.

I would recommend a local computer store, and by local I mean not necessarily a chain store. The price is probably better, and support is almost certainly better than a campus store.

[longship]

6. Apple iBook

It's in your price range, it has WiFi built-in and will work well and give her good service.

One caveat. Make sure that you add the office apps and bump the memory to 512 Mb. The standard 256 Mb is a tad small.

I know that they are expensive, but they're good and reliable.

Alternative: IBM ThinkPad. Stable as a rock.

For a printer, I'd check out any of the Epsons (not the very cheap ones, though). For HP, I'd look at the Business Inkjet 1200d. I know it's a big anchor, but it's rugged and very inexpensive to operate (ink $ is very low). Canon printers also have low operating cost. Stay away from Lexmark or Brother. N.B. If she wants to print photos, Epson is the way to go.

[tkmorris]

2. Check if the campus has WiFi

I agree with the other poster, laptops are the way to go for most college students. If the college provides a WiFi hotspot, get her one with a wireless card for internet access.

Retailers vary quite a bit so you will need to have an idea what you want to get for her and then simply compare whatever you have locally.

[democracyindanger]

3. Check with the campus store first

At worst, their prices will be competitive. But more likely, they'll have pretty good prices for students.

[ConsAreLiars]

4. She'll definitely want a laptop.

Kids are mobile, and the campus will almost certainly provide a wi-fi connection the the net everywhere. She'll want to use it in library and the dorm and the coffee shop and under a tree.

As for what type, Apple or PC and model, check with the campus store. They often have "deals" with manufacturers that give you a good price and give her a good warrantee and convenient support services. It's worth shopping around, but the campus store price - they likely have a web site - is a good starting point for comparisons. This was was the case when I did the research when one of my kids entered grad school at UC-Berkeley.

[cprise]

5. Apple iBooks are excellent for the money

They're quite durable, not to mention free of viruses and spyware/adware.

http://apple.com/ibook

[reprobate]

7. I have to add a third vote for the iBook, I have one now and gave my ....

windows notebook to my step daughter, who has just one computer for the family. BTW, the iBook now comes with 512 meg of memory, wi-fi and bluetooth built in. Apple has educational discounts and MS is running rebates on their Office suite, I think it was $150 less a $100 rebate for the student and teacher qualified. Office is the only MS product I would buy, and that only with the S-T discount.

So you can get a 14" ibook, with Office and a decent printer for well under your stated budget. And she'll have the advantage of a computer to carry with her anywhere, and one that you won't have to worry about viruses or spyware or adware with. And the one big advantage with Mac computers is that they JUST WORK!

I should add that I bought a Courrier style notebook bag with a sleeve for the iBook for $43 from Small Dog Electronics. Nice accessory and I highly recommend it.



http://www.smalldog.com/product/12653829