Thread: computers

i am about to buy my computer...
does the school's rec. for computers serve everyone well, or do you guys have a better recommendation, or just anything to add that was not mentioned in the orientation guide?
thanks.

What was the school's recommendation?

I personally bought a tablet PC from Averatec. Now, the thing works great, but their warranty sucks down here because you have to send it to the states to be worked on, plus it takes 3 weeks. www.averatec.com (the C3500). I love the power and storage on this thing tho (80GB) and the price online at www.tigerdirect.com was $800. So, just something to keep in mind.

Everyone has their own personal favorites... the one they bought! Just pick one you think is going to be reliable.

Good luck,
Nagy

Honestly-- use what you want. I have seen a lot of variety in the make and model and size of the laptops being used at school. You can use Macs too (I have a PowerBook). You will still be able to connect to the notes drive, and view lectures as long as you have PowerPoint.

Other suggestions:
1. Try to get a USB memory key. 512mb is a good size, but they have 1 Gb ones now-- useful if you want to share songs or transfer large amounts of data. You can transfer files on these pretty easily. To have it work quickly, make sure the computer you get has USB 2.0, as it's MUCH faster than 1.0.

2. Try to get a wireless network card. The school offers free access to students, and you can get good reception on campus (sans some lecture halls). Make sure it's Wireless G.

Other than that, just figure out what you want-- something ultra-portable (12" and smaller) or a desktop replacement (17"). Try to compare the battery life when you are shopping. CNET.com is a good place to start.

i like my sony vaio 13 inch widescreen---it is great cause i can be in class all day and dont have to have to plug in

skipper