So, I'm shopping for a laptop for college, and I'm a bit lost on where to start. I'd like to get a good price, but I also don't want a bad machine. Also, I'm looking for a Windows laptop.

Does anybody have any suggestions? It doesn't matter if they're specific, or simply places to start looking, since I'm pretty uneducated when it comes to computers. I just know that lots of RAM and processing power is good.

Thanks for all the help!

(edit from a post later in the thread): I probably won't be running newer games on it, so a super nice graphics card isn't necessary, but a fast processor is always nice. And let's say that the absolute maximum I want to spend is around 900 dollars. Ideally around 700 or 750 if possible.

What are you planning on using the laptop for? If you want to run games on it, you will need a fast processor and a good graphics card. You should also list what kind of budget you are on, so we can get an idea of what specs may be in your price range.

Get a netbook (along with a desktop if it is physically possible)

I probably won't be running newer games on it, so a super nice graphics card isn't necessary, but a fast processor is always nice. And let's say that the absolute maximum I want to spend is around 900 dollars. Ideally around 700 or 750 if possible.

You can get a new dv6t for that price that will actually perform great with recent games with 6770m GPU. if you can increase $150, then you can get one with 1080p screen.

? 2nd generation Intel® Dual Core™ i5-2410M (2.3 GHz, 3MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.9GHz
? 1GB GDDR5 Radeon™ HD 6770M Graphics [HDMI, VGA]
? FREE Upgrade to 6GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)

This looks interesting... I read some reviews though, and isn't it kind of heavy? I also read that the trackpad doesn't have a scrolling function...

Do you have this laptop?

No, I have an Envy 15, which is quite different but I think the trackpad is probably similar.

In my case, I was used to the MBP trackpad, so it took a little time to adjust, but now I like it better than the MBP trackpad after fixing the momentum glide setting, setting up tap-to-click and remapping the right-click button to the top right tap zone. the material in the trackpad that I have glides well, not sure what it is made of but the tactile feel doesn't seem cheap.

to get some reviews from people who bought it, you might want to check the dv6t owner's lounge on the http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-pavilion-notebooks/ forum