Laptop suggestions for college freshmen

[jimmy40]

taking a couple basic courses and I'm not sure he'll stick with it so I don't want to break the bank.

 

[trickblue]

Get a Netbook...

I have one for a backup and I can efficiently run Photoshop on it... MS Office is a breeze...

I started with an HP... turned it in for an Acer... doubled the RAM and it runs great...

$299 at Costco...

 

[Meat-O-Rama]

Get a Netbook...

I have one for a backup and I can efficiently run Photoshop on it... MS Office is a breeze...

I started with an HP... turned it in for an Acer... doubled the RAM and it runs great...

$299 at Costco...

True.

 

[kmp77]

taking a couple basic courses and I'm not sure he'll stick with it so I don't want to break the bank.

If all he needs it for is internet, word processing etc, you don't need a powerhouse. ANY laptop nowadays will run those things. All this duo/quad core precoessors and 8 gb ram etc is so overboard for 90% of the people. So go cheap but read reviews and just find the best one for durability. Online reviews are your friend. Sites like newegg.com is a good resources to find reviews from people who bought it.

 

[TheCount]

taking a couple basic courses and I'm not sure he'll stick with it so I don't want to break the bank.

What're your needs? What will you be using it for and do you have a computer at home? (I would assume so, since you're posting).

If you have a home rig, then a netbook might be a good bet, just make sure to get one with extended battery life (a 6+ cell battery vs a 3 cell).

I've had a Dell Mini 9 with OS X installed as my only mobile laptop now for almost a year and I find it suits almost all my needs. Only thing I hate is the tiny keyboard and trackpad. I'd never type out a paper on it.