Here's the deal:
For an undergraduate student entering in a Higher Education Institution, I'd realistically tell you to budget about $1500 for a laptop.
You get what you pay for in a laptop. There is no such thing as a "deal" on a good laptop. Especially those "slick" deals.
You will pay a premium for a laptop vs. a desktop. You will pay an expensive premium for portability, which almost no one *really* needs. 99% of laptop owners keep their laptops on their desk...as a very expensive paperweight.
Laptops are over-priced and under achievers when it comes to computing power.
I personally try to tell every student to forget the laptop, and stick with a Desktop. You will get SOOO much more computer and monitor for the same price as the laptop, that it is not even funny.
Processor speeds means NOTHING when comparing laptops to desktops. It's all about the internal parts.
Not a big deal with you, since you are just an undergraduate, but I tell a lot of students to buy what their peers are getting. It's a lot easier to share files, software, etc, with computers that are the same. You might want to wait until you are at school, have settled in, see what is up, see what people are using, before laying down the top dollars for a computer.
I tend to recommend a lot of Dell's. The main reason I use Dell is that I can specifically customize any machine to be built. I know exactly what parts are going in it, etc. I do not have to compromise when shopping for a Dell.
Things to consider when buying a laptop:
•Weight. Generally speaking, the lighter the laptop, the more expensive it will be.
•Physical Screen Size. Bigger is nicer, but heavier. 15" is the "standard".
•Pixels. The bigger the pixel number, the smaller the pixels will be. The smaller the pixels, the more you will be able to see on your screen.
•Hard Drive speed. 5400 RPM is common in laptops. If there is *any* 7200 RPM option, I'd always go for that. Never ever go below 5400 RPM on a HD.
•For an academic institution, I recommend Vista Business. Forget XP.
•2GB of RAM. Min. No exceptions.
•Vista likes/wants video power. If you play games, you will want video power. Get a very good video card in that laptop.
•Processor. Core2Duo 2.0 or higher will be OK. Just depends on how much $$$$$ you want to spend.
•DVD burners are the norm now.
•Get a 3 year hardware warranty. If through Dell, get the Dell Complete Care Warranty, because all students are hard on laptops.
•Wireless is the norm now.
Stuff that is usually optional and not necessarily needed: finger print readers, built in cameras, built in card readers, bluetooth, FireWire, etc.
For you, I'd look at the:
MacBook.
Dell Inspiron
Dell Latitude
. I am not saavy
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