To Buy Or Not To Buy?

[Matt]

So I got a call from my father today. We were talking as usual, and then all of the sudden he throws in something I wasn't expecting. "Would you like me to get you a laptop for Christmas?" As you can imagine I was a bit surprised. Anyway, both my parents have already told me that once I get ready to go to college, they were going to get me one. Well, right now I'm a junior in high school, so I guess that's not too far off

My question is, is now a good time to buy a laptop that should last me all through college, or should I wait about another year? With Vista so close, and the fact that technology changes so quickly, I don't want to go for something that's gonna be outdated while I still need it.

Vista is my primary concern. If I get one this December, it would still have XP on it. Although it would probably be Vista Compatible (based on the version of Vista we're talking about), that's another chunk of money I (or someone ) would eventually need to fork out. On the other hand if I waited another year, and Vista ships with it, am I going to get a buggy new OS when I could have had a stable XP laptop?

And are there any other concerns about this I'm not aware of?

Thanks for your opinions

Matt

[Bubba Bob]

Of course we can't tell the furture. The next 6 years may be flat or their may be another leap in performance.

I guess it depends on what you need it for. Right now, even a 10 year old laptop would do everything you'd need it to do for college (office apps, internet browsing, etc) Do you play games?

IMO i see no reason not to go ahead and get one now. Just don't cheap out and you should be set for the next 5-6 years.

EDIT:

Also, for college you may want to put Linux on it anyway. Why even bother with Vista?

'

Edited November 16, 2006 by Bubba Bob

[Matt]

I do intend to duel-boot it with some form of linux. The only reason I think that I may need a high(er)-end computer (and laptops only get so high-end) is because I plan on majoring in Computer Science or a similar field. I haven't done much research on this, but I'm guessing schools will probably have preferred apps and most likely Windows, yes?

Matt

[Besttechie]

Personally, I'd wait til next school year.

Intel is going to be releasing quad-core stuff soon and pretty soon after that laptops will be running on it. You'll have all new mobile chipsets and everything will be newer and faster. When you get it, just slap on XP and get rid of Vista.

That type of machine will definitely last you for a while.

Enjoy the new laptop when you get it, Matt.

B

[shanenin]

If you want a laptop to use now, go for it. If you truly want one for college, wait. In a years time you will be able to get a much nicer one.

[blim]

Lucky you! I have a feeling it's going to be a coin flip, but with two in college right now, I'd lean towards a higher end idiot box with XP.

We all know XP is stable and works well, which is something we can't say for Vista yet. You don't want to be monkeying around with a buggy computer when you have schoolwork to do (trust me, Daughter's computer took a dump 2 weeks into the school year and it cost both kids hours fixing the computer that they could have used doing homework.... or shopping....or eating out....or going to the movies....or goofing off....college kids, you know! ) If you get a computer that will be upgradable to Vista in a few years, then put Vista on it when all the cooties are exorcised out of it.

And if there are projects at school that you can't possibly do on XP (which I highly doubt, Son took a half dozen computer classes and the projects were geared for 98, many could even be done on 95!) you could always do those few projects at the school library and toss it on a flash drive.

AND the fact that y'all KNOW computer prices are going to jump big time once Vista is installed on them. You can still get a beefy computer for a reasonable price now, what will happen to prices when everyone is buying extra hard drives and Ram to make their current computers Vista compatable---supply and demand! Ram and hard drive prices will go up, therefore a total computer package price will go up once Vista is the only OS available.

But you're so computer savvy, you will make the right choice whatever you do. Make sure to tell your parents how much you appreciate their wonderful investment in your future. Most of all, do well in school!!

Liz

[TheTerrorist_75]

Wait until your senior year. Pick up a laptop that has the updated hardware. Make sure you can install 2 large HDDS. I would setup a triple boot of XP Pro, Vista and 'nix. Make sure the laptop is light and has a good battery life. Once you have the laptop and OSes installed and running great install any recommended apps needed for the studies you will be taking. Once everything is stable and the way you want it ghost the drives so you can quick restore it back if something happens (get an external hard drive for backups). You don't want to experience long down times while in college because of a minor/major glitch.

[garmanma]

I agree with the Terrorist, plus an extra battery would be nice in the old backpack. They're not cheap

Mark

[shanenin]

I really like my cheap $500 toshiba laptop with one big exception, and that is battery life. Next time I buy a laptop, that will be a big factor. I am just backing up what other members said.

[Honda_Boy]

wait. Definitely. I'm kinda lucky in my situation. My dad bought me a cheap $400 HP laptop off eBay for right now since I'm at a community college and living at home. Lucked out too cause it wasn't even 8 months old and had all the discs which included a full Windows XP Home SP2 disc and it had the charger, good battery and a laptop bag to boot. All I need it for is notes and minor entertainment, for when I'm not in class, ain't got nothing to do, and am not going home. That entertainment would be music, *ahem* anime *cough*, emulators, DVD's, Counter-Strike: Condition Zero and Half-Life. When I go off to a university he told me he's getting me $2000 laptop. Can you say Alienware?

Right now I'm happy enough that I even have a laptop. It's great for notes. If you absolutely wanted a laptop but would rather have them buy you a good laptop later, then just get something really cheap off eBay.

Oh yeah, second battery is a plus. Mine only has about a 2 - 2 3/4 hour battery life depending on a few things. And that's on a Mobile Sempron 2800 with an ATI Radeon Express 200M.

[thesidekickcat]

The only thing I can add after all the good advice given so far is this: If your folks do decide to go ahead and give you one this year, have them get it at a store that has a deal with Microsoft for a free or nearly free Vista upgrade cd to have on hand if you do decide to upgrade it later. That would save you some money down the road. Of course they should be careful of what they get so that it is up to Vista requirements too. I have noticed some of the stores are offering not only the free or nearly free Vista upgrade cd but also listing which of the computers/laptops are Vista ready... and to what degree...such as 'Vista premium' etc in their Sunday newspaper ads.

Pat

God bless everyone.