So I'm getting ready to go to colelge (August 18th) and am thinking about getting a cheap laptop just for school and only for school. I don't really want to take the family laptop because it was expensive and don't really want anything to happen to it. I've looked at the little chrome books they're making and they don't seem like a bad idea but if anyone has any suggestions, I'd prefer it to not be a notebook because i hate tiny little laptops, that would be fantastic. I'm still looking around but don't really have a price range atm :/

But suggestions or places I could look at would be a help. Just lookin for a laptop for school and only to be used for school ^_^

I'm going to NKU and studying accounting so that you people who would want to inquire me about that don't have to ask :P

See if you're school offers you any good deals through their computer store/library. I got a (then) brand new laptop with a 4 year full warranty for below its retail price so if theres a deal to be had there take it.

Lenovo makes top notch stuff. Dell's aren't half bad either, and you can usually get 'em pretty cheap.

personally I wouldnt get a chrome book. I dont consider them "Real Laptops", but thats JMHO

Find a refurbished one from somewhere. Bestbuy and DellOutlet usually have a deal. Or does New egg sell complete laptops? I'd look, but I dont get to the site from work. They ought to have a decent deal on something as well

I have been using a Chromebook for a little while now, so I can advise you based on my experience of Google's product.

I bought the HP Chromebook 11 almost as soon as it was available. It is super light, just the right size, the colors are great and the browsing experience is really smooth, as long as you don't leave 10 tabs opened. I bought the chromebook with the same mindset: school. So far, it does everything I wanted it to do: Google Docs is updating every once in a while with new stuff, I have sufficient space on Drive to store and order what I need for school, so that makes me happy. For 300$, it is worth it. It will probably not last as long as a high end laptop, but for 300$, I don't feel like I wasted any money at all if I have to buy a new one every 2 years.

The web surfing is really smooth. Unlike most of the other OS out there, you always run only a few applications at a time, the major one being: the browser. That makes watching HD videos / surfing websites a charm as you never feel like it's slowing down at any time. The whole OS is based on cloud storage. If you know you're gonna use it for school, then you shouldn't worry about lacking wifi (then again most applications work offline as well).

The major thing to consider though, is that you can't use it the same way you use any other laptops. Falcon is right when he says it's not a real laptop. A lot of different formats aren't compatible with chromebooks, which can make it really frustrating sometimes. Google Docs is not as complete as MS Office is, meaning that if you create complex Excel sheets, you might want to reconsider using a Chromebook, as you won't have access to as much features with Google Docs. Then people also complain it barely has any storage at all. That's because they don't realize it's not the point of the Chromebook. You have 15gb of internal storage, but 100gb of free cloud storage (or more if you're willing to pay). There's a few great features added to the browser regarding cloud storage:
- when you download something from a website, you can upload it right away to your cloud
- since you use Docs to write stuff, all your documents are constantly saved, and stored on the cloud, which prevents loss and lets you access them anytime you want from any other device as well. Drive has become my main storage space for anything work/school related.

If you have any question, PM me. Don't be scared to give it a shot though. It's F*CKING cheap ($300), the keyboard is top notch quality and the browsing flows like a charm. If you wanna use it just for school, I say you can't go wrong with Chromebooks as that's exactly what they're made for. I know the Chromebook 11 also comes with 3G capabilities, but it's not available in Canada yet.

Yea literally all I would get it for is school. The laptop we have is an HP that we bought from microcenter. I've never had a problem with running anything on this laptop yet, besides waiting for shit to load constantly because our internet is horrendous. But yea school is the only thing I'd use the chromebook for if I got it. I just want something that's light, affordable, and will get the job done because I have a feeling I'm going to be writing a lot of papers since I'm taking a public speaking class and a prehistoric class.

The only thing I'd be worried about though is the whole not really being able to use MS Office. I'm majoring in accounting and therefore taking computer informatics for my major and that is about using excel and power point and other MS Office applications. That would be my only thing against buying a chromebook right now


I've looked at a couple of Dell's so far but haven't really thought about Lenovo.

I'm going to be doing some more browsing in the next couple of days so hopefully I'll find something soon heh ^_^

If you depend on MS Office, then do not buy a Chromebook. Google Docs is not as complete as MS Office just yet.

If you're just using it for school, and not for gaming or anything crazy, most places like Target have cheap and reliable computers. I got mine from Fred Meyer (kroger for you midwesterners) four years ago, and it still holding together despite years of abuse and failure at CS. The other option is to check out your school's bookstore and see if they offer decently priced computers. Oregon State has really good prices for that while University of Oregon has shit for deals, so going to your bookstore doesn't necessarily mean you'll get a steal. Another option is to check out Craigslist in your area to try and score a used one. You'll have to be a little bit more weary and thorough, but you can snag a quality notebook for cheaper.

Where you going? NKU, UC, Cincy state?

My sisters going to college, recently got her a HP Envy 15....surprisingly a nice laptop.

Is she single?

She is but unless you're black and ghetto (Sorry Token and Greatness) you can't apply.

She likes huge dicks and 60'' TVs?

The last thing I had said was where I'm going lol. NKU for accounting

and swag