Selecting a Notebook

edcentric

So, my daughter is going off to college in the fall.
She will need a computer. She wants something portable so that she can 'study at the library', and we all know what that means.
The most demanding work will be music downloads and watching video. Though I am sure that she will get some work in somewhere.

Criteria: Not too big, but mid sized. Say 15-15.5" screen
Low power usage (no P4)
1GB ram or more
dedicated graphics (even low end will be an improvement)
interated wifi
optical burner

I am looking at a ThinkPad Z60m, comes to about $2k with maint agreement.

Any other thoughts?
What are you using?

NiGHTS

I used hpshopping.com to configure my V2000 the way I wanted it. I have a desktop that I use for most applications and games, but still wanted a notebook I could take to class and type notes out on (I write muuuuuch slower than I type.)

In the end, the configuration I came up with was just what I wanted - a very cheap solution to my laptop problem. I spent ~$750 on this:

Compaq Presario V2000
AMD Turon ML-32
40GB HD
768MB ram (256 from Compaq, spent $50 on a stick of 512 from newegg.com)
X200 w/productivity ports (firewire, USB, and a SD/MS/Pro/MMC/SM/XD card reader)
1080x768 resolution on a 14' widescreen monitor (I find helpful for multiple windows in class) 15'' would not fit on the desks on campus, too large of a base
8x DVD

You can customize all of the solutions I came up with above, a burner was ~25$ more at the time of my purchase, and Presario's come with something like 4 different screen options. In the end I'm very happy with my purchase, I got the extended battery which gives me about 6.5 hours with wifi turned off, and 5.25 with it on during a single charge, perfect for my long plane rides home.

It might not really answer your question, but just in case you were looking to do it for a little less than Lenonvo does, I'd recommend Compaq to any of my friends. For a more 'chique' look, HP would probably be the better bet, they have some interesting optoins on their laptops too (watching dvd's without turning the computer on, and using a remote to navigate the dvd itself.)

The build quality may not be up to Thinkbook par, but if properly cared for I see no reason why it couldn't last 3 years strong at least, despite me carrying it everywhere.

Esso

Here is one that you don't want to get ...
Dell Charges $49 to Remove Their Own Spyware

lemonlime

Esso: Haha, that was a good read! Hard to believe it has come to this now :shakehead

edcentric: I've had very good luck with thinkpad notebooks in the past. I've had three different models in the P3 era that were bulletproof. I've also worked with Dell Latitudes, and I can tell you that the IBM's are superior machines. They usually lack in the 'frills and multimedia' department a tad, but for solid reliability and business/school use they are great.