Laptop for college student

Greetings fellow blades. I am heading off to college in the fall so I am currently in the market for a laptop. I have some ideas of what I want to get based on pricing and other specifications. Keep in mind I don't know much about laptops so this is what I managed to compile...

Price range: $800-$1100
Processor: Core i5 or i7
Storage: 3-6 GB
Screen size: 13-14 inch

Most important aspects: good battery life, fast processor, hdmi capable
Least important aspects: storage space, brand name

I found two laptops that I thought would satisfy my expectations.

HP Folio 13 Series
HP Folio 13 Ultrabook Review | Laptop Reviews | HP Business Notebooks

ASUS Zenbook UX31-RSL8
ASUS Zenbook UX31 Reviewed | Ultraportable Reviews | Laptop Reviews

Comments, criticism, recommendations, and other advice welcome

Thanks in advance

-JR

asus eepad transformer


-16gb
-detachable keyboard turns it into a tablet
- HDMI out
-micro sd slot
-sd slot
-two usb
-flash support
-fast
-customizable
- looks stunning
-front facing camera
-rear camera

etc


check it out man, mine only costed $368 but i got a bunch of discounts and shit, they retail at $500

(taken from the site)

NVIDIA® Tegra™ 2 1.0GHz dual-core CPU for excellent multitasking & 1080p video playback Android 3.0 Honeycomb O.S. with Adobe® Flash® 10.2 support* 2

Full QWERTY keyboard, touchpad input with Polaris® Office® for mobile productivity 16* 1 hours long battery life for all day computing with docking station Brilliant IPS panel with ultra-wide 178 viewing angle made from scratch resistant and super tough glass One year of Unlimited ASUS WebStorage, two USB ports, SD and Micro SD card readers for easy sharing & storage expendability 3D stereo with max bass response with SRS premium sound

Edited by 420rowdyguy, 18 February 2012 - 07:09 PM.

asus eepad transformer


-16gb
-detachable keyboard turns it into a tablet
- HDMI out
-micro sd slot
-sd slot
-two usb
-flash support
-fast
-customizable
- looks stunning
-front facing camera
-rear camera

etc


check it out man, mine only costed $368 but i got a bunch of discounts and shit, they retail at $500

(taken from the site)

NVIDIA® Tegra™ 2 1.0GHz dual-core CPU for excellent multitasking & 1080p video playback Android 3.0 Honeycomb O.S. with Adobe® Flash® 10.2 support* 2

Full QWERTY keyboard, touchpad input with Polaris® Office® for mobile productivity 16* 1 hours long battery life for all day computing with docking station Brilliant IPS panel with ultra-wide 178 viewing angle made from scratch resistant and super tough glass One year of Unlimited ASUS WebStorage, two USB ports, SD and Micro SD card readers for easy sharing & storage expendability 3D stereo with max bass response with SRS premium sound

That is pretty cool looking and it definitely is a steal for that price. I'm looking for something a little more conventional as opposed to the tablet style though.

I have not used the one you posted but at work we always use ASUS, they usually have something on offer all the time and they are uauslly better then the other brands and machines at the same price IMO

Personally, I'd stay the hell away from Hp.

I like Asus and Lenovo(IBM)

If you want to keep the thing for a while you may as well go with an i7 since your budgets is in the range.

Best bet is to build your own on the manufacturer's website and go from there. TigerDirect and Newegg are good resources in finding the best deal. Also, don't ever buy from best buy....they are idiots and their shit comes with bloatware.

Edited by Bushwookie420, 22 February 2012 - 01:53 AM.

asus eepad transformer


-16gb
-detachable keyboard turns it into a tablet
- HDMI out
-micro sd slot
-sd slot
-two usb
-flash support
-fast
-customizable
- looks stunning
-front facing camera
-rear camera

etc


check it out man, mine only costed $368 but i got a bunch of discounts and shit, they retail at $500

(taken from the site)

NVIDIA® Tegra™ 2 1.0GHz dual-core CPU for excellent multitasking & 1080p video playback Android 3.0 Honeycomb O.S. with Adobe® Flash® 10.2 support* 2

Full QWERTY keyboard, touchpad input with Polaris® Office® for mobile productivity 16* 1 hours long battery life for all day computing with docking station Brilliant IPS panel with ultra-wide 178 viewing angle made from scratch resistant and super tough glass One year of Unlimited ASUS WebStorage, two USB ports, SD and Micro SD card readers for easy sharing & storage expendability 3D stereo with max bass response with SRS premium sound

Do NOT BUY AN ASUS! There customer service is absolutely horrible! They will also not sell you parts if you need to fix your laptop. I have an ASUS g71gx and its been nothing but trouble! The motherboard fried because of this cheap glue they use on the inside. It took ASUS 4 months to fix it! They sent it back to me twice broken!
The fools didn't see the large burn mark on the fucking motherboard and just kept giving me new goddamn chargers! Even as i speak I am having problems with the power adapter or socket or motherboard havent figured it out yet. If its the motherboard AGAIN then I am just going to break down and sob. I spent so much money on the goddamn thing and it just keeps having problems and my warranty has run out so I am fucked.

Laptops don't make you a more productive college student,they will just distract you. Keep that pen and paper rolling and stick to a desktop when you need to type something. Latops are a bad investment unless you absolutely have to have one. They heat up so much that components just don't last.

I cant tell you how many people sit there in class with their laptops and piss around on youtube while not listening or learning anything.

That being said, I havent had any problems with asus products or their customer service and I know lenovo is also a very good brand. But seriously decide whether you really need a laptop, or just want one, because desktops are always superior

Edited by SeanyCash, 22 February 2012 - 10:13 PM.

Laptops don't make you a more productive college student,they will just distract you. Keep that pen and paper rolling and stick to a desktop when you need to type something. Latops are a bad investment unless you absolutely have to have one. They heat up so much that components just don't last.

I cant tell you how many people sit there in class with their laptops and piss around on youtube while not listening or learning anything.

That being said, I havent had any problems with asus products or their customer service and I know lenovo is also a very good brand. But seriously decide whether you really need a laptop, or just want one, because desktops are always superior

I need portability man... a lot of college work is done on laptops, and I want the option to work on the go.

Laptops don't make you a more productive college student,they will just distract you. Keep that pen and paper rolling and stick to a desktop when you need to type something. Latops are a bad investment unless you absolutely have to have one. They heat up so much that components just don't last.

I cant tell you how many people sit there in class with their laptops and piss around on youtube while not listening or learning anything.

That being said, I havent had any problems with asus products or their customer service and I know lenovo is also a very good brand. But seriously decide whether you really need a laptop, or just want one, because desktops are always superior

Yah sure, you dont necessarily need a laptop in class, but I would still definitely buy still buy a laptop over a desktop machine. There isnt any computer that will be a good investment. I think a macbook probably might have better resale value just because of the apple brand, plus a lot of people in school use em.

I used to be a Lenovo fan, but Ive had two of their products fail on me recently so I am done with them.

Of those two options Id probably get the Asus.

Edited by IceCreamKidd, 26 February 2012 - 06:53 AM.