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Knowledgeable laptop people plz help!

Okay, my first year in college is just around the corner and I'm looking for a laptop. I really have no clue what to look for or what all the "techy" terms mean. I heard somewhere that an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor is a good thing to have?!?! Please help me!! I need some people who know what they're talking about. I'd really appreciate it and what do you all think about this laptop....Gateway's M-6866? I'd give you the link but I don't know how to do that lol! Here's its info: Processor- Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor1 T5750 (2.00GHz, 667MHz, 2MB L2 cache)1 Operating System- Genuine Microsoft® Windows Vista® Home Premium (64-bit) SP1 Memory- 4096MB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (2-2048MB modules)6 Hard Drive- 320GB 5400RPM Serial ATA II hard drive with 8MB cache (1-320GB)4 Chassis- Chassis w/ Integrated Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 with up to 384MB of Dynamic Video Memory and Intel® GM965 chipset External Ports- (3) USB 2.0 Ports, VGA Connector Color- Pacific Blue Adapter- 65 Watt AC Adapter Application Software- Microsoft® Works 9.0, Microsoft® Money Essentials & Microsoft® Office Home and Student 2007 (60-day complimentary trial period) Backup Media- Cyberlink Power2Go Battery- Primary 6 Cell Lithium Ion battery w/ 1 Yr. limited battery warranty Bluetooth- Bluetooth® 2.0 EDR7 Digital Media Manager- 5-in-1 Digital Media Manager (Memory Stick™ (MS), Memory Stick™ Pro, Multi Media Card™ (MMC), Secure Digital™ (SD), xD-Picture Card) Dimensions (Box)- 17" (H) x 13" (W) x 6" (D) or 432mm (H) x 330mm (W) x 152mm (D) Dimensions (System)- 1.1"-1.50" (H) x 14" (W) x 10" (D) or 28-38mm (H) x 356mm (W) x 254mm (D)8 Display- 15.4" WXGA Ultrabright TFT Active Matrix (1280 x 800 max. resolution) Expansion Slots- One ExpressCard™ Type 54 Expansion Slot Finished Goods- Brushed-metal precision-touch multimedia control panel, featuring smooth-cut keys and touch-sensitive volume adjustment. Finished Goods- Cyberlink Label Printer for Windows Vista Integrated Modem- 56k ITU v.92 ready Fax/Modem (RJ-11 port) Integrated Network- 10/100 Mbps Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 port) Keyboard- Integrated Keyboard Keyboard and Mouse- Full-Size Keyboard, Touchpad with Vertical Scroll Pointing Device and Dedicated Multimedia Panel Memory Capacity- Maximum 4GB Operating System Backup Media- Microsoft® Windows Vista® Home Premium Media (64-bit) Optical Drive- 8x Multi-Format Dual Layer DVDRW with DVD-RAM featuring Labelflash™ Technology Security Software- Norton 360 All-in-One Security™ 2008 (60-day trial with live updates) Warranty- 1 Year Parts and Labor Limited Warranty9 Web Camera Integrated 1.3 Megapixel Web Cam Weights- 6.29 lbs. (2.85 kg) system unit only / 10.28 lbs. (4.66 kg.) box10 Wireless Network Integrated- Intel® 802.11a/b/g/Draft-N Wireless Networking Is there anybody else out there with some suggestions? Okay Rick... I heard Windows Vista still has a lot of bugs in it and is a pain in the butt. What makes it different from XP? Be specific if you can plz.

Public Comments

1. I wouldnt use vista. its too slow for my liking but hey i edit websites and use flash and stuff like that so my compy needs to be fast... i dont know maybe vista would be good for you but everything else is good on your computer that you want to buy
2. I'm not a fan of Gateway, but those are very good specs.
3. Been doing PCs for twenty-five years... so here's my advise. The laptop you mentioned is fine for going to college. Any brand name (Gateway, Dell, etc.) will do. Almost all have the same hardware (e.g. DVD R/W, large hard drive, 802.11g, etc). The important thing is to get the MS Office full version software installed as opposed to the trial. You will ALWAYS pay more later if it does not come installed at the factory. Uninstall the Symantec-Norton software as soon as you get it and install something like free AVG by Grisoft (Norton/McAfee et.al., are simply redundant and tend to bog the pc down). Keep off of the questionable sites, do not use bit-torrents (bearshare, kazaa, etc) and you will not have issues. I do recommend an extended warranty with next day service if you can get it as laptops that get used WILL break sooner or later. One last note. Vista is quirky and brings nothing to the table! Try to have Windows XP installed and your system will be much more stable. MS has extended the support timetable for XP due to Vista's shortcomings, so it's a good move. Good Luck!
4. Hello Jonas, I see you are considering a new laptop, that’s a great update. My name is Rick and I work with the Windows Vista Team and would help you answer any questions/concerns you may have about Windows Vista. We are working on putting out more information about Vista! Do you have any specific questions or concerns about Vista?