SurvivingInfidelity.com^®

Tred- that's what I customized when I was looking a bit ago! But I don't see a way to change it to Windows 7. So, this is a good one?

I checked HP too and didn't see any 1TB hard drives. BUT, I could get a purple laptop there So do I trade functionality for aesthetically pleasing color?

Rye- yes, I will need a fast internet connection for sure.

Mama- Thanks! This is good info, and eliminating those helps me narrow the field.

Hopefulguy- my classes are online with some skills labs thrown in. I will be using my laptop for schoolwork probably on a daily basis.

But I will need some pens, highlighters and binders too! Thanks for reminding me!

Oops. I was looking at RAM. HP totally has some 1TB hard drives. Off to see if I can find purple.

I don't hear a need for a lot of speed, so the Core i7 sounds unnecessary. Core i5 should take you through 3-5 years.

What about mobility? Are you going to be carrying this to and from class and the library? If so, I'd want a screen smaller than 15".

I'd go for a business-level machine like the Lenovo T or X series or the equivalent HP, Dell, etc series. They're usually identifiable by coming with 3 year warranties (NOT 1 year plus an extended warranty, unless you buy from the vendor's website). The business machines cost a little more and have fewer bells and whistles but tend to be more robust and are therefore more reliable. Also, the biz machines tend to have a lot less junk software included, so they run cleaner longer.

For regular papers, you don't need MS Office - you just need to save stuff in MS Office formats. The free OpenOffice and its variants allow you to save papers in MS's 'doc' or 'docx' format. OTOH, the academic prices can be pretty low.

Good luck in school!

That link is for a Win7 computer (on the left side of the screen is the checkbox for which OS you want).

What internet connection do you have at home? 802.11n is the latest (right now), but direct ethernet connection is faster - wireless isn't as fast. I don't think it will be that big of an issue as long as your ISP is decent (at least cable, not DSL or Satellite).

sisoon- I assume I'll be carrying it a lot. I work full time so I can take it to work and do schoolwork on my lunchbreaks. I might take it at times to various places on weekends as necessary.

Tred: We have a wireless hotspot thingy from Verizon.

What about this one?

http://www.shopping.hp.com/en_US/home-office/-/products/Laptops/HP-Pavilion/C4G55AV?HP-Pavilion-g6t-2300-Select-Edition-Notebook-PC

I don't remember the full specs of my laptop but it has a 17 inch monitor with an Intel core i7 with Windows 7. If you look up the model information (HP Pavilion m7-1015dx) it will give you more specs.

The most I can "geek out" about my laptop is "she's really pretty and has backlit keys."

Or this?

http://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-17R-i5-3210M----Purple/dp/B00B97Q368/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1369336648&sr=1-1&keywords=purple+laptop+computer

Oh, it's purple! I like it!

Here's mine

http://www.technostall.com/hp-pavilion-m7-1015dx-notebook-review-specs-features-and-price/

Both are Windows 8, but the Dell has a better monitor, more memory, twice the storage, and is Purple...I'd go with that.

Simply: I know! I love purple.

Tred: So the Dell wins over the HP, but does THIS Dell win over the one you linked?

Thank you all for your advice and support so far! I appreciate it greatly!

abby,

Both seem to be decent enough to do what you want. The HP is 1.5 pounds lighter than the dell from amazon. If you are carrying that thing all over its something to think about. But the Dell is purple

Rye- so the awesome purple Dell will work?

Yes it will, but only because it's purple jk

Seems like a solid choice to me.

YAY!!!!!

I'm about to order the darn thing! Thanks EVERYONE for your help.

Yeah, the purple one will be fine . The one I linked to has a bit more horsepower, but is more expensive.

Awesome, Tred. I don't mind spending a little more, but if this will do what I need it to do, I'm okay with it. Plus, I love the color.

Thank you. You were very helpful.

My second choice was a Lenovo UT310.

This was my first choice and I got one. I like it but can't stand Windows 8, so I set it up to dual boot Ubuntu and Windows 8. I use Ubuntu a lot more than Win 8 but need Windows for some of my work (I teach online).

Unless you are doing video editing or gaming, the extra high specs are just not necessary and most any ordinary laptop (even the under $600 ones) will meet your criteria easily. I do video editing and so my desktop happens to have i7 core. The laptop I mentioned is i5 and it is fine, even for video editing even though I don't use it for that.

To make Windows 8 more palitable, I put a program called "Classic Shell" on it (free download). It makes it more like the Windows we are familiar with.

I also bought an external CD/DVD burner for my laptop because it does not come with one. That would be the one thing I would suggest: either pick one that has a built in CD/DVD burner/player or you might end up having to get an external one. The ultra book is thin and light and when I'm on the go I know most of the time I won't need the CD burner, but I like having it so when I am at home, I can easily install software from a CD, burn tunes to CDs, or rip tunes from CDs to the computer (for ipod or whatever).

Yes, I'm a bit of geek. I have a Ph.D. in a technology management related field, but I am also a realistic person and so see no reason to recommend the highest specs to typical online college students (or traditional college students). Most people do not need expensive high end computers. I have taught online for several schools and most of my students do not have the newest or greatest computers. Internet speed is a greater concern for most, and that is going to depend on your Internet provider, not the type of computer you get.

Be sure to let us know what you think once you get it.

Enjoy!!

Thanks Rye! I will.

Bobbi Sue- I have no idea if I'll need a CD/DVD burner. But I think it's included in the one I picked.