Thank you. I don’t believe we’d be able to upgrade a Mac or replace it. It would seem more financially practical to purchase a Dell and upgrade to a newer model. What do you think?
why do you think you would ever need to upgrade? what is your kid studying? rendering full length 3D animated movies?
Forget about upgrading. You don’t need it.
Dell makes a good product. So does HP. There are quite a few decent laptops.
I don’t know the specs you are looking for and I haven’t spec’d one out at work for a few months, but you could probably get a decent one for $800 to $1000. There are cheaper ones one the market.
I would look at bumping up the RAM to at least 3 to 4 gig. You don’t need more, unless you want to run the 64 bit version of Windows.
A laptop won’t give you gamers abilities, unless you want to spend a whole lot of money. Even then, get a desktop.
The other thing with a laptop. This is the only time I consider getting the extended warranty. If a monitor goes out on a laptop, you are looking at $400 or more.
Good luck!
PS get him an ACER and tell him good luck! /sarcasm
One good Mac will last quite a while. I've used Macs for video and audio editing for years. Rarely had to upgrade the machine itself, just the software. My first Mac Pro was the Titanium laptop bought in 2000. Didn't need to get another one until 7 years later. And then I got a desktop Mac in 2005. All are still useable today, although the Titanium laptop is obsolete in regards to the video/audio software.
Get plenty of ram when you buy it and it will last a long time.
By the way, if you are considering referbs Apple also sells referbished models. You can find them here: http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac?mco=OTY2ODY3Nw