Daughter going to college - Need to buy her a laptop…please help!

[PredatorSlayer]

Want to get my daughter a laptop for college. I am out of the loop when it comes to that stuff. My agency buys us dells, outside of that I am not sure what I should be looking for, what specs, manufacturer etc. Hoping some of you techies out there can point me in the right direction. I am guessing its like buying glass, the law of diminishing returns applies after a certain point. Would like to get her something that would at least last all 4 years of her undergrad. My wife is a teacher and I work for the feds. I am guessing between gov, teacher and student discounts I can find something for a decent price.

Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[5MilesBack]

We bought all three daughters Dell laptops from Costco when they were on sale......at different times. They're all still using them and my oldest is 24. So she's gotten 7 years out of hers and it still works great. We got the 2 in 1's with Intel Core i7 processors on at least the first two, can't remember for sure on the last one. They were all in the $600 range, and if you have a educational Coverdell IRA or 529 for her, you can pay for them out of those accounts.

 

[Tony Trietch]

Had a handful of Dells and no issues but the current is my first Lenovo and I do like it. I think it is four years old and zero issues.

 

[eamyrick]

MacBook Pro. They just seems to work much more seamlessly, never struggle as much with viruses and malware. Presentations and document editing are very easy to use. With that said I use all Dell for work, always some issue. My wife is all Mac and zero problems. The Mac machines also hold value if she wants to upgrade in the future.

Edit: wife says a MacBook should be fine unless she is getting into photo editing then she should grab the pro.

 

[Bubblehide]

Don't forget about software-programs that your daughter will need.

 

[sjwfarms]

First thing I'd check is what the school recommends. Different schools use different software depending on the program she'll be in. Was in the same boat as you 2 years ago. Went with a Mac book, can't remember which one but it should easily get her through her time there. Apple has some decent student/school use discounts as I'm sure the other PC based manufacturers do. Good luck.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Macbook

 

[Ferrulewax]

Ditto on figuring out what school programs she needs, as well as her major. Mac is a no brainer for creative types. I was always anti-apple computers because they seemed overpriced but my wife's macbook air is still going strong from 2016, while my dell is circling the drain I bought around the same time.

If you are just trying to get 4 years out of the computer and don’t have any real speed/processing needs honestly any decent computer on sale from costco is probably fine. If she is into music/videography/video editing a more powerful computer will be necessary.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

MacBook Pro. They just seems to work much more seamlessly, never struggle as much with viruses and malware. Presentations and document editing are very easy to use. With that said I use all Dell for work, always some issue. My wife is all Mac and zero problems. The Mac machines also hold value if she wants to upgrade in the future.

Edit: wife says a MacBook should be fine unless she is getting into photo editing then she should grab the pro.

That is what we got the grand daughter, she picked it out. She loves it, going into her sophomore year at UOP. She is working on pre dental.

 

[Snowhunter11]

HP or Dell laptops. Intel processors, nvidia graphics, ssd(almost everything is online now you don’t need huge hard drives. At least 16gb of ram(more if you can get it) Microsoft home.. Microsoft office student. Spend 1000-1500.. you kids phone probably costs this much as well. My 2c

 

[Venom One]

My coworker bought a fancy Macbook because he's an Apple guy, then found out that it's a bitch trying to use Microsoft SW with an Apple. He eventually got so frustrated with the issues he bought a Windows based laptop. Something to think about.

 

[Snowhunter11]

I agree if she is in some form of design mac are very good. Prices will blow your mind! My wife has all of the Mac products..

 

[Fire power]

I’m currently using a Dell xps 2020 model. Slim, lightweight, touch screen. 8 gig ram. And it’s a 2 in 1. Super fast and easy to use. And it has about ten hour of battery life.

 

[roadrunner]

What's her major? If it's STEM (or related) do not go with Apple products.

Got mine Dell's a couple years ago and they're still using them just fine. About $600 each if I remember right.

Processing speed and memeory is what you're after.

 

[kpk]

It depends if she needs specific software for her program whether to get Mac or PC. Some of the software being used in programs won’t run on Mac. Macs are awesome if it’ll run everything she needs. That being said, I went Lenovo after my MacBook Pro got outdated.

 

[digger]

A lot of colleges have great deals on laptops. My daughter just graduated vet school. I bought her a Mac from Davis when she started

 

[PredatorSlayer]

She is looking at Psychology for her major. So no graphic design etc.

 

[roadrunner]

She is looking at Psychology for her major. So no graphic design etc.

Then a Mac is adequate, especially if her phone is an iPhone.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

I’m currently using a Dell xps 2020 model. Slim, lightweight, touch screen. 8 gig ram. And it’s a 2 in 1. Super fast and easy to use. And it has about ten hour of battery life.

Should I be looking at something with a touch screen or 2 in 1?

 

[Bubblehide]

She is looking at Psychology for her major. So no graphic design etc.

She will need excell, and a good word processing program, see if the university-program uses Google docs, as coments, corrections, and suggestions are built in and makes group written assignments easy. She may also need a good statistics program as stats is a huge part of experimental design... I also suggest getting her a APA writing style book, and guides-cheat sheets. If she wants to work in the psych field (professionally) she will need a graduate degree or a Behavioral Intervention Case Manager (BICM) certificate (BICM post bachelor's) otherwise options are limited.

By the way, most program companies give educators a significant discount, and districts that purchase use of programs have programs set up for employees to get the programs at no cost.