Laptop Next 4 years of college?

ok well so far you have a great choice of a laptop. A couple things to take into consideration when buying a laptop for school is weight, battery life and overall portability. This Asus has some beefy specs and seems to be quiet heavy on the pounds side but dont make that discourage you. I have a 7.5 Toshiba and carry it everywhere i dont like the size but you get used to it. The specs are great and will hold for a couple more years and dont forget you can always upgrade some components on a laptop. the processor is good and will hold the graphics card is the crown jewel of this machine and it looks very good. the hard drive and ram is all upgradeable so dont worry about that. the one thing the really is important is the battery life i have the same problem mine is tested for 2:13hr but i actually get like 1:37hr with little use. And some times you just cant find a place that has a power outlet (school, dorm, startbucks, etc) and that is when your dead in your tracks so always invest in a bigger or extra battery it might seem like alot of money but man i wish i bought one earlier. The screen size is perfect cause when you have a 17" it is to big and bulky, and when you have a 12-14" you always wanting a bigger screen or more features. Shelling out big $$ for a long term laptop is important dont cut corners cause in a year or 2 that will come to haunt you. Now parents that is a hard part. There is always going to be the possibility of losing or damaging something. But if you think about it and dwell on it then that is probably what is going to happen.You dont have to chain it to your leg so you know where it is at all time but just keep an eye on it and know where it is. you should put some money down for a nice bag or carry case make sure it has lots of padding and lots of room for all the Laptop accessories. Also if your thinking about if it gets stolen just look for some type of laptop lowjack or something of that nature. I know you will be happy with your choices and if you need to ask questions or anyhting just feel free to email me at tunerdude21@sbcglobal.net

I was thinking of buying that sort of laptop which is touted as a portable gaming rig. But I also found out that laptops are not necessarily suitable for gaming because they can get hot and stressed for long periods you spend playing games and also the screen is expensive to replace once it goes. 2.2 ghz is about cutting edge now or more towards the top end. I bought myself a SONY FE48 with 2 Gb RAM and a 2.0Ghz chip with an 7600 video card. It's ok in comparison with my desktop 2ghz with XP. Vista is very intensive with hardware. It might be worthwhile to find out what sort of video card is suitable for CAD applications, have a look at the software out there and see what the video card requirements are and set that as your minimum spec computer. ASUS has that 3 year warranty so that's better than most other laptop manufacturers which come with a standard 12 month. Vista is ok for a fast laptop but once you get below 2 ghz and a gb of RAM then you will suffer performance hits straight away, especially at boot time. The price of my SONY is more than an ASUS G1 but I chose it because the screen is much better and the brand and software that came with it is more useful for me. If you're happy to spend top dollar because you want a good laptop that lasts, then it's money well spent. It's a big ask for you to buy an ACER only if it means you're unhappy with it. Which is why some people buy Hyundai and not a Honda, people's values are different as for some people, cars are an extension of themselves. If you have the money, go for it. I would if in your shoes. Also, there's a possibility of theft if you forget to watch over it, that's a risk you will take with expensive equipment. I don't bring mine outside the home as the insurance to cover outside the home is prohibitive.

One very good piece of advice for you from experience - do not even think about it !!! A large number of lappies get stolen every year from colleges, dorms and digs !!! Buy an IBM Thinkpad T42 or T43 second hand on ebay from a REPUTABLE seller. About £200 for a good one a couple of years old. These machines were VERY expensive new and are aimed solely at the commercial market. They are very tough and include all metal hinges and a titanium covered lid. Quite lightweight. THE best keyboard of any laptop on the market. Wifi enabled. Above all - hugely reliable. One will last out your college years and still have a fair re-sale value when you finish.

dont be so confident that your college isnt a thieves den... i go to an ivy league school and laptops/ipods get stolen all the time

anyway, ASUS is a really ghetto brand... i would suggest Lenovo top of the line... here's a laptop buying guide for college students, made by college students:

http://collegesoup.net/saving-money/laptop-buying-...

i would suggest you look into a top of the line T61... also, you dont need an amazing GPU if you're going to game hardcore

Knowing what warranties cost, that is a decent price for that machine. You may be able to do a little better during back to school sales from the major retailers. Enjoy.