Planning on Purchasing a College Laptop

My budget for the new computer is:
Less than 900 dollars.

What are the primary uses for this computer (IE: mail, web browsing, programming, games, etc)?
Schoolwork and games.

What software do you intend on using on the computer?
Basic office programs for schoolwork as well as games.

Do you play games? If so, what type of games?
Yes, I play games a lot. CounterStrike Source, Team Fortress 2, Starcraft, Company of Heroes, Mass Effect 1/2, Dragon Age Origins, League of Legends, Crysis, etc... I am perfectly content with playing games at low or medium settings provided performance is good.

Do you tend to have a lot of programs running at the same time, or do you close every program when you are done using it?
I close down programs not in use.

Do you store a lot of pictures or music on the computer?
A decent amount of music but not so much for pictures.

What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?
Varies, bigger than 11' but smaller than 17'

What screen resolution do you want?
Any is acceptable.

Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop?
Either.

How much battery life do you need?
Battery life is not that important to me.

How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need?
500 GB is suitable.

How long do you want to keep your laptop?
Four years, it must last me through college.

Also, should I purchase now or wait until the August/September back to school rush before purchasing?

Any help/advice is greatly appreciated, thank you!

Edited by AlphaSheep, 16 March 2011 - 09:58 PM.

Asus

Thank you So much for your advice... I will sure keep in mind all this thing while purchasing my laptop..
Technical Support

What's up with that Technical Support link?

Do you play games? If so, what type of games?
Yes, I play games a lot. CounterStrike Source, Team Fortress 2, Starcraft, Company of Heroes, Mass Effect 1/2, Dragon Age Origins, League of Legends, Crysis, etc... I am perfectly content with playing games at low or medium settings provided performance is good.
You'd probably want a decent mid-range graphics card included in the specs. HD5670 or higher.

Do you tend to have a lot of programs running at the same time, or do you close every program when you are done using it?
The Core i5 processor is sufficient

Do you store a lot of pictures or music on the computer?
A decent amount of music but not so much for pictures.
A 500GB hard drive is standard these days.

What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?
Varies, bigger than 11' but smaller than 17'
That's a wide range. You need to be very clear on this.
> 15" - Ideal for desktop replacement
<= 15" - Ideal for mobility

In your case, I would suggest a 13" -15" display range.

What screen resolution do you want?
Any is acceptable.
Well, given your gaming needs, choose a standard(common) resolution.

Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop?
Either.
You need to be clear on this. They are two different categories with various options.

Also, should I purchase now or wait until the August/September back to school rush before purchasing?
If you find a good deal now, nothing like it.

Check out some options here.

Edited by ReviverSoft, 17 March 2011 - 05:40 AM.

Do you play games? If so, what type of games?
Yes, I play games a lot. CounterStrike Source, Team Fortress 2, Starcraft, Company of Heroes, Mass Effect 1/2, Dragon Age Origins, League of Legends, Crysis, etc... I am perfectly content with playing games at low or medium settings provided performance is good.
You'd probably want a decent mid-range graphics card included in the specs. HD5670 or higher.

Do you tend to have a lot of programs running at the same time, or do you close every program when you are done using it?
The Core i5 processor is sufficient

Do you store a lot of pictures or music on the computer?
A decent amount of music but not so much for pictures.
A 500GB hard drive is standard these days.

What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?
Varies, bigger than 11' but smaller than 17'
That's a wide range. You need to be very clear on this.
> 15" - Ideal for desktop replacement
<= 15" - Ideal for mobility

In your case, I would suggest a 13" -15" display range.

What screen resolution do you want?
Any is acceptable.
Well, given your gaming needs, choose a standard(common) resolution.

Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop?
Either.
You need to be clear on this. They are two different categories with various options.

Also, should I purchase now or wait until the August/September back to school rush before purchasing?
If you find a good deal now, nothing like it.

Check out some options here.

That's what i did when i was searching up the laptop