UCD Laptop Deal

Donald-Duck

tywy wrote:

so you don't think I'm mad to consider this?

I don't need an Ipod either...pity, might see if a friend wants one...

I was considering it but I'll see what others are doing first!

singingstranger

Donald-Duck wrote:

I was considering it but I'll see what others are doing first!

Hehe. You'll probably have enough mp3s to merit an iPod within about three months of life in UCD. I'd be running a legal risk by saying any more, but trust me, you'll find out when you're here.

Tbh, I've had a Dell laptop for the last two years and never had any problems with it at all - granted the hard drive needed replacing last month but that was actually a problem given to it by my iPod, bizarrely enough; on a side issue, I really don't think you should buy a laptop based on its weight if you're anywhere near average physical ability - after about a week or two you'll be completely used to its weight anyway.

tywy

not true, especially if you are cycling, weight matters. My brother has a 3kg laptop and he'll leave at home if he can. I want to bring mine in as much as possible.

I had a Dell Latitude D505, it was 2.5kg and I brought it in most days in 1st year, didn't need it as much until the end of 2nd year but I'm gonna need a laptop a lot in 3rd year.

singingstranger

tywy wrote:

not true, especially if you are cycling, weight matters. My brother has a 3kg laptop and he'll leave at home if he can. I want to bring mine in as much as possible.

I had a Dell Latitude D505, it was 2.5kg and I brought it in most days in 1st year, didn't need it as much until the end of 2nd year but I'm gonna need a laptop a lot in 3rd year.

I cycled for most of last year from Stillorgan - and later walked - and I really didn't think it became too obtrusive. Pretty sure it's a D505 too. I honestly thought it was just something your shoulders got used to. Each to their own, though, I guess.

back again, sorry, but i'm just doing a thorough search cause i don't wanna be ripped off buying a similar machine for a inflated price.

Can anybody give me a reason why this would not be a good laptop at an excellent price?
http://www.pcworld.ie/productDetails.aspx?productRID=1316&image=Advent

I can see that it doesn't have the new Dual Core processor, but does that make much of a difference?

For instance, this is a more expensive, and imo less specced lappy, but with the Dual Core. http://www.pcworld.ie/productDetails.aspx?productRID=1386&image=Advent

irlrobins

Wouldn't go near an Advent personally, regardless of specs. I don't think you'd get the same quality support that you'd get by going to a proper manufacturer.

okay, good. Be harsh i need that.

how about?
http://www.pcworld.ie/productDetails.aspx?productRID=1574&image=Packard_Bell

i can see the hard drive is limited enough, but i had been planning on getting an external HDD memory dump for the house so its not that bad.

that is a lower spec due to the processor than
http://www.pcworld.ie/productDetails.aspx?productRID=1590&image=Compaq

Does the Dual Core make much of a difference for people who don't "game"?

Edit - you up the price considerably and you get both, good specs and Dual Core.
http://www.pcworld.ie/productDetails.aspx?productRID=1594&image=Toshiba

irlrobins

Packard Bell? Even worse.

@ tywy

if you're looking for a light laptop, check out

http://www.pcworld.ie/productDetails.aspx?productRID=1587&image=Philips_Freevents

Lighter than the Macbook too..


Right - I'm done scouting PC world for today. There's a couple there that i might consider though.

Chakar

Just get a Dell Zachary Wet Treble..

why? Why spend money needlessly? I've found better specs for lower prices on every site!

I don't have money to splash around, so even a €30 saving would mean a lot to me. I'm just looking to spend my money (because i have to) on a quality machine that will last the course.

tomc

Saw the specs for the laptop required by a Quinn student yesterday, dell quite pricey and an alternative would probably be an option but for the fact that they specify MS Office 2003, MS Frontpage and MS OneNote as absolute requirements. This will surely jump the price of an independently sourced laptop!
Seems a bit of a rip off considering there are alternative cheap/free options to these products.

TC

tomc, tbh the work you do after college will be done on those programs, so why not use them in college to learn? If all the businesses in Ireland changed to free alternatives, the college would use them.

jimi_t

I think I've found a pretty sweet student laptop for under e800.

100gb harddrive, 1gb of RAM, 15.4" screen, Built-in WiFi, 5 in 1 card reader, DVD±RW, 128mb Graphics Card, AMD Mobile Sempron 3200+ / 1.6 GHz and only 2.8kg.

http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=323987

Seems to me to be a very decent student laptop. Even if you buy the Edu. version of Microsoft Works with it you're still coming in at well under a grand.

For those who are trying to buy outside the Dell Offer, could someone please try and find the cheapest combination of purchasing the necessary Software? I cant surf a lot of sites cause i'm in work, and have Websense.

Also, we have the Edu Office XP at home, can that be installed on my laptop as well as the PC, or do i need my own copy?

Chakar

Okay my family got a laptop which is going to be used by me and my dad.

We got the laptop with the Tesco offer which was basically 400 euro for a top notch laptop well specced out with all the software already in the hard drive and plus a printer, scanner and fax machine all in one machine.

It was a great deal, we paid 800 euro for the laptop with the machine in the package and in November we'll get 400 euro back in food vouchers so its basically 400 euro for all as my mum will have no problem spending the 400 euro in food vouchers what with the Christmas season and that.

We went to the 24 hour Tesco in Nutgrove and got it there was probably people who went in to get it at 9 o'clock the next morning but they were all gone.

Is that a good deal or what?

stepheno

irlrobins wrote:

Well jsut tried that. Spec'd a Dell laptop (Insprion 6400) to match Mac Book (2Ghz) (same ram, HD, Graphics card, etc. Only difference was Dell had a bigger screen). Dell was 600e cheaper.

No you didn't, you up-spec'd a MacBook to match the Inspiron. The Inspiron has higher base specs. I matched the MacBook base specs (which are more than enough for most students) with a Latitude D520 (from Dell's 'value' section) and upgraded both to a gig of ram (which is a good choice upgrade for most students):

MacBook: €1219
Dell D520: €1353

• Now, thats with XP Home; but XP Professional is required for UCD Networking (educated guess)
• The Dell has a slightly bigger screen, the MacBook has a glossy screen (fair trade off IMO)
• The MacBook comes with a built in webcam
• The MacBook comes with a remote control
• The Dell comes with sponsored non-free software like trial antivirus etc
• The MacBook comes with the award-winning iLife software
• The MacBook is lighter
• The MacBook's industrial design is usually considered far superior
• The Dell's memory effectiveness will be cut due to the need for constantly running security applications such as Antivirus, Spyware/Adware guard, Firewall, etc. Not needed on the mac
• Any necessary advantages of windows (games?) can be gained on the Mac by installing a copy of XP using bootcamp

However, all of this is side-stepping a real issue: value.

The chief gain in using a Mac is that the software, hardware, and general attention to detail tend to be superior to a Windows box. This is not represented in technical specs. Therefore, even during times when a Mac works out more expensive than a Dell; the value is better. Because Apple make both the software and the hardware everything is finetuned and specific. Windows has to be tested on millions of configurations, which result in a lot of crashes and Blue Screens of Death. Finally, no-one who has seriously used OS X can deny that it is superior on a multitude of levels to Windows XP (and Vista in my experience).

This is coming from someone who has owned a dell desktop, a dell laptop, a Mac Mini, and who will own a MacBook in 2-5 days :-D

Stepherunie

Don't think you actually need Professional - most peoples systems run on home edition - mine certainly does with no problem as does a lot of com students laptops.

irlrobins

stepheno wrote:

No you didn't, you up-spec'd a MacBook to match the Inspiron.

Actually I did the reverse.

rainbow kirby

I'm going to be upgrading from my 15 month old iBook to a 15" 2GHz Macbook Pro next month. It's going to be expensive, but for me, worth it

jimi_t

stepheno wrote:

• Now, thats with XP Home; but XP Professional is required for UCD Networking (educated guess)
• The Dell has a slightly bigger screen, the MacBook has a glossy screen
• The Dell's memory effectiveness will be cut due to the need for constantly running security applications such as Antivirus, Spyware/Adware guard, Firewall, etc. Not needed on the mac
• Any necessary advantages of windows (games?) can be gained on the Mac by installing a copy of XP using bootcamp

However, all of this is side-stepping a real issue: value.

The chief gain in using a Mac is that the software, hardware, and general attention to detail tend to be superior to a Windows box. This is not represented in technical specs. Therefore, even during times when a Mac works out more expensive than a Dell; the value is better. Because Apple make both the software and the hardware everything is finetuned and specific.

I'm not a PC fanboy or anything, and I've been using Macs since OS 6 (MultiFinder anybody ) but a lot of your points are flawed or just plain inaccurate.

XP Professional a prerequisite for networking in UCD? Utter tripe! In fact, Apple computers are notoriously difficult to use in UCD. There's been so much anecdotal evidence of the UCD IT people simply refusing to assign MAC addresses or configure settings to accomodate Apple users - if you look a few threads down, there's even a story about how a girl last year had to sell her brand new Apple lappy (making a large loss) simply because the IT people told here that she had to have a PC (bull****, but what is the average user going to do?)

A "glossy screen" on the macbook?? I'll take the bigger screen personally tbh

The "memory effectiveness" of the DELL being cut? Run AVG Free (best anti-virus software imo) and see how much memory/processor load it uses. In terms of firewalls, OS X needs a firewall just as much as XP.

To gain the necessary advantages of XP you have to purchase a copy of it (over e100), partition the boot disk (AFAIK) and configure a lot of different things within bootcamp. This is WELL beyond the scope of the average user and is very buggy as driver support goes.

As for your point regarding the Mac Hardware? From my own experience these things are built like absolute tanks - besides the AIO Beige G3s and some old PPC Powerbooks, Apple computers have by far the best track record of any mainstream consumer computing company. I still have a 14 year old Powerbook that works perfectly - PSU/HD/Floppy drive and Greyscale screen . How many users could say the same about a 386/486 lappy? I've heard that the TiBooks had some battery problems and other faults, but these macbooks seem to be very well designed.

But your comment that "Because Apple make both the software and the hardware everything is finetuned and specific." is a bit misleading. Apple make the software because, compared to the PC, there is a huge difference between the amount of 3rd party developers working on their platform and they have to fill in the gap for some high level apps (In terms of Audio, Reason and Protools are supported, by Logic Audio et al. were necessary DAW software that wasn't being produced by 3rd parties.

stepheno

Ok, lets play it that way then.

The Inspiron has, as a special case offer, a free harddrive upgrade and a free double memory. Let's count then, the €84 promotional discount I received in my email for any apple computer; and the standard educational discount or €50--both special case offers. And if I feel like getting an iPod, I can also get a €160 rebate.

The dell comes to € 1,226.88, with a Core Duo 2GHz, 120gb Harddrive, 1gb Ram, Wireless, Bluetooth. No webcam or remote/IR are included, but lets allow say €75 for a decent remote and a webcam.

Therefore the Dell comes to €1300.

The apple, upgraded to match the Dell's Harddrive and Memory comes to €1,419.00 (Can't see where 600 yoyos came from)
Let's then take away the €84 discount lying in my email and the standard €50 discount and that comes to €1285.

And If I find a friend looking to buy an iPod I can pass on the €160 rebate to myself--or lets say I'm nice and give them a €60 discount--and the price drops to €1185.

Personally, I would never upgrade at the apple store because it's quite expensive. So if I upgrade the memory at crucial.co.uk and fit it myself (dead easy with macbook), the price falls to €1150. (I'm not going to upgrade the HD outside of apple in this example because that can be tricky for an average student. If you're happy, like me, with a 60gb harddrive then the Apple drops by €250 to €900)

To sum up: Dell = €1300 (or €1225 without extras); Apple = €1150 (or €900 with 60gb harddrive)

Still believing that Apple's are a rip off? No. They just don't cater for the bottom of the market like Dell do. If you want a very cheap, not so good, new laptop--by all means get the €479 Dell Laptop that exists.

However, if you want a modern; focused; built-to-last; well-reviewed solution, the MacBook is in my opinion the best way to go.

If you're going down the PC route, consider buying an Acer. I've heard good things, but they will be pricier than a Dell €479er!

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote:

For those who are trying to buy outside the Dell Offer, could someone please try and find the cheapest combination of purchasing the necessary Software? I cant surf a lot of sites cause i'm in work, and have Websense.

Also, we have the Edu Office XP at home, can that be installed on my laptop as well as the PC, or do i need my own copy?

anybody managed to find prices for me? i wouldn't mind ordering a non-dell tonight if i could get a price on the software.

stepheno

jimi_t wrote:

XP Professional a prerequisite for networking in UCD? Utter tripe!

My bad. I'm actually only incoming to UCD, but a friend in Commerce was told he needed to upgrade to pro because of the lack of Domain Networking features in Home and MCE. I did say this was an educated guess, but I accept my wrong

A "glossy screen" on the macbook?? I'll take the bigger screen personally tbh

The glossy screens make photos and videos spectacularly better in my experience. I'd personally take that, but I guess if you want a bigger screen then that's personal preference.

The "memory effectiveness" of the DELL being cut? Run AVG Free (best anti-virus software imo) and see how much memory/processor load it uses. In terms of firewalls, OS X needs a firewall just as much as XP.

I use AVG on the PC and it can be up to 10-15megs regularly for the base process, plus the time it takes filtering emails, plus the time it takes keeping definitions up-to-date. I also have the Spybot S&D running which takes up a few more megs. The way Windows works, the impact on system performance can be more than just ram taken up.

I think this point stands.

To gain the necessary advantages of XP you have to purchase a copy of it (over e100), partition the boot disk (AFAIK) and configure a lot of different things within bootcamp. This is WELL beyond the scope of the average user and is very buggy as driver support goes.

That's fair enough, but if you have a copy of windows lying around Bootcamp or Parallells (80 dollars in fairness) are viable solutions.

As for your point regarding the Mac Hardware? From my own experience these things are built like absolute tanks - besides the AIO Beige G3s and some old PPC Powerbooks, Apple computers have by far the best track record of any mainstream consumer computing company. I still have a 14 year old Powerbook that works perfectly - PSU/HD/Floppy drive and Greyscale screen . How many users could say the same about a 386/486 lappy? I've heard that the TiBooks had some battery problems and other faults, but these macbooks seem to be very well designed.

I totally agree, apple hardware engineering is top notch.

But your comment that "Because Apple make both the software and the hardware everything is finetuned and specific." is a bit misleading. Apple make the software because, compared to the PC, there is a huge difference between the amount of 3rd party developers working on their platform and they have to fill in the gap for some high level apps (In terms of Audio, Reason and Protools are supported, by Logic Audio et al. were necessary DAW software that wasn't being produced by 3rd parties.

You mistook my point. I was referring to the OS. Making both the OS and the hardware it runs on is a major advantage.

stepheno

stepheno wrote:

The apple, upgraded to match the Dell's Harddrive and Memory comes to €1,419.00 (Can't see where 600 yoyos came from)
Let's then take away the €84 discount lying in my email and the standard €50 discount and that comes to €1285.

sorry could you do me a favour and take a screen shot of the price with the same specs as the dell? i have gone through it and gotten €1,568 as the price with the matching specs.

stepheno

You're right, just did it again and got 1568.

Hopefully my point will still stand

tywy

so will I be able to use wireless in UCD with a Mac? No?

I used my Dell last year in UCD without bringing it into the Laptop Centre in UCD...

EDIT: Just phoned UCD Computing Services in the Daedalus to ask if they'll configure a Mac for the wireless network in UCD and they said "Yeah, no problem, just give us a ring and we can do it over the phone with you if you want."

That doesn't seem too unhelpful does it? :P

mloc

oh, this thread has turned intoa an apple vs. pc thread... never seen that happen before.

but seriously, I mean you can argue about it all day. The final decision ultimately comes down to personal choice... which laptop will suit you better in actual use? I've considered getting the MacBook, and while it's a fine machine and I find OS X and it's related apps to be well thought out and implemented, I didn't like the keyboard and a XP working environment is important to me. Others will find it perfect, and be very happy with it.

I mean, whatever, really.

irlrobins

tywy wrote:

so will I be able to use wireless in UCD with a Mac? No?

Yes, and you can also use it on the wired network too. You will need to register it for wired access.

Blowfish

irlrobins wrote:

Yes, and you can also use it on the wired network too. You will need to register it for wired access.

heh, you don´t actually, i´ve never registered my laptop, I just steal an ip from a group, that the desktops are usually assigned to.

.