# Buying a new laptop for college



## Virro (Sep 27, 2011)

Hey guys.

Before I start I would like to clarify that this is going to be one of those posts, where I tell you a lot about what I need in my new Laptop, and ask for your advice regarding which laptop to buy.

*If long posts like this is not your cup of tea, then you might want to leave now, I would not hold it against you *

Also I hope this is the right forum to post these kinds of things in, honestly you guys are the best of the best in my opinion so your take on this is very very appreciated.

English is not my first language, so please bear with me as I try to explain myself.

All right, thanks for sticking with me so far. Let me explain what's going on:

I´m 19 years old, I live in Denmark and I am starting university this summer in hopes of becoming a teacher.
I have an old laptop that is pretty close to being absolutely worthless at this point, mainly due to the fact that the Wi-Fi is broken.

Going into university (or college for you Americans) I figured I would need a brand new laptop able to keep up with my demands.
I do have a powerful gaming desktop running Windows 7, but I need something more convenient for class, and all of a sudden I felt my mind drifting towards a Macbook...

I've been looking at the i7 Macbook with the 15" display, here in Denmark it costs what is equivalent to about 2300$. 
I realize this is quite a lot of money, but I also believe in "Buy it right, or buy it twice" so maybe this is the right thing to buy?

Don't get me wrong, I do realize that I could get more hardware for the same, or even less if I were to buy a Windows machine, but the slick Macbook looks is quite appealing to me, and I am willing to pay for the extra bling that the Macbook offers.

I figured I'd explain my financial situation as well since we are dealing with a big chunk of money:

I currently live at home, and am slowly starting to look for my own place to move in to whenever school starts. I estimated that whenever school starts I will have about 25.000$ to get my own place and start my own life. Taking my financial situation into account would the Macbook be a bad choice?

All right, I feel that this post has gone a little rambly and I do apologize, I just want to make sure my hard earned money is spent on something that I will not regret.

So this is the part where I ask you guys; looking at the above, is this the right fit for me?

I'd like my laptop to not wear out over a year just from me typing on it, I need it to be reliable for years to come and I need it to perform exceptionally when faced with the day to day university work.
If you guys have some ideas or suggestions I would love to hear it! maybe if you have experience with both Windows and Mac.

Thank you very much in advance. I look forward hearing from you guys, anything you want to add will be greatly appreciated!

Virro


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## Headrush (Feb 9, 2005)

Although it's hard to make a direct comparison between the MacBook and all "PC" laptops, in my experience the current MacBook is top notch quality wise and easily ahead of many cheaper "PC" laptops.

A MacBook should last years without issues, but Apple does offer a no questions asked extended warranty. Although it costs $$$, it might be justified for some people when making such an investment.

If you look at online auction sites, you'll also find many Macs hold their value much more so than "PC" equivalents.
So if you find after a few years it's not what you wanted, recouping some money has a high probability.

A big thing is does the glossy screen bother you? Macs don't have a matte option.

Another plus is you can always run Windows natively on the MacBook also.

My best advice would be to test one out in a local store if possible. 
There are some things that you really need to see, feel or use to gain proper perspective.

P.S. I'm not a big fan of laptops in general myself, but the huge multi-gesture touchpad on the MacBooks is by far my favourite to use on any laptop input method.

Hope that helps.


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## Virro (Sep 27, 2011)

Headrush said:


> Although it's hard to make a direct comparison between the MacBook and all "PC" laptops, in my experience the current MacBook is top notch quality wise and easily ahead of many cheaper "PC" laptops.
> 
> A MacBook should last years without issues, but Apple does offer a no questions asked extended warranty. Although it costs $$$, it might be justified for some people when making such an investment.
> 
> ...


Hey there and thanks for your reply! Taking my financial situation into account. Would it be a foolish investment compared to a much cheaper PC?


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## Headrush (Feb 9, 2005)

Virro said:


> Hey there and thanks for your reply! Taking my financial situation into account. Would it be a foolish investment compared to a much cheaper PC?


I don't think it's foolish at all.

Interestingly my sister just finished university, teaching also, and she bought a MacBook before starting and she is still extremely happy with it.

As a student, the last thing you want is unexpected expenses. If you google around online you will find that MacBooks consistently rank as the one of the best laptops around when it comes to reliably.

P.S. Check out your university bookstore or other supply store. I know Apple itself offers education discounts, but when I went to university the bookstore itself gave education discounts for registered students on computer equipment.

You can also look at Apple's refurbished section on their online store. These machines are just as good as new, come with the exact same warranty, (and you can buy extended warranty), but can save you several hundreds of dollars. I have bought 3 different iMacs through this program and had no issues what so ever. The machines arrived indistinguishable from a new one.


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## Virro (Sep 27, 2011)

Headrush said:


> Interestingly my sister just finished university, teaching also, and she bought a MacBook before starting and she is still extremely happy with it.


That is a fun coincidence indeed 

You convinced me, I will go for the Macbook pro, I was hesitant because I wanted to make sure to have enough money to get my own little place, and I want to make sure to spend my money wisely.
But since I need a laptop anyway, this might be the wise way to go about doing this.
Oh I was wondering, wont they be releasing the new 2012 models soon? maybe I should wait for that?
I assume they will remain the same price as the current one?

Thanks in advance.


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## Headrush (Feb 9, 2005)

Virro said:


> Oh I was wondering, wont they be releasing the new 2012 models soon? maybe I should wait for that?
> I assume they will remain the same price as the current one?
> 
> Thanks in advance.


There's always a new version down the pike, and yes usually they are faster and priced about the same.

Depending when school starts, you can always wait and hope they release it before then, but also if you are new to OS X you might want to have it earlier to learn about OS X and get use to it.

Additionally most of these model updates are generally quite modest when compared to the previous version.
Spec-wise they look better than generally you'll notice in real world use. (in general)


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