Which Laptop is Best for a Space Physics Major on a Budget?

[Rasine]

i am looking for a laptop computer for college. i am majoring in space physics at embry-riddle.now concidering it must also be economical. i thought i'd ask the ones who would know, you. which one should i get?

 

[dduardo]

Mac or PC?

 

[Rasine]

either one.

which is better for my purpose?

 

[russ_watters]

either one.

which is better for my purpose?

Whichever is the most widely used at your school is the better one. What kind of budget do you have? ~$1500 will get you a real nice laptop...

 

[Moonbear]

What do you need to do with it? Do you just need to be able to write up reports for classes and have internet access, or are there special applications you need to use for your classes? That might change the recommendations.

Otherwise, I agree with Russ, when it comes to Mac vs PC for student uses, it's usually better to just get whatever is predominantly used on campus so you know you'll have no compatibility problems. Check with your IT help desk and see if they support both platforms or prefer one over the other.

Once the essentials are covered, since you'll be lugging it around all day as a student, I'd look at the weights of the different models that meet your other criteria and get the lightest weight one you can afford (there's usually a trade-off in weight vs. price).

 

[Rasine]

please name a few that you know of that are under $1000 but still quality

 

[russ_watters]

Most major manufacturers have decent laptops under $1000: I like HP laptops, but Dell makes good ones too.

 

[z-component]

I also like HP. I'm buying an HP dv5000 for college. The Compaqs are basically the same as the HPs except silver. I suggest searching Google for notebook reviews as well before you buy.

 

[Rasine]

thank you guys