New Computer (Repost from miscellaneous forum)

Hello I am currently in junior high but I am also looking for a laptop that I can use for college too. I know that portability is important if I go to college but I don't know how much is actually light or heavy.... Some people say 5 lb is too heavy while some say its actually light so... a little help? And another thing is I need a computer with pretty fast processor speed... so mayb above 2.3 gHz... or maybe that's too much? I saw some 1333 mHz ones but I was afraid it might be too slow. Another thing I do with my computer is I draw digitally. I have a wacom tablet so my hobby is drawing with my comp so I think I need a not-too-small-screen laptop... like about 14''?

I looked at Sony Vaio series and so far, they have the prettiest colors. The EA series have really high speed, like 2.8 gHz, and stuff but the bad thing is that they are 5.2 lb... is that too heavy? My friend who also uses the computer for drawing said that Vaio is pretty good but I don't know..

Another potential brand I got my eyes on is HP Pavilion dm4t series but the bad thing is that I heard they break easily..... and they don't have CD drive... I don't know how many times I will use the CD drive because of availability of downloads and USBs, but I just thought it wud b nice to have it just in case...

The third model is ASUS U36JC but I don't know much about it. It does have pretty high processor but the design looks kinda... .too professional to me.... or maybe it's just me who thinks like that.

I know people who do graphic design or something artsy like that say Macbook is good but... I heard that Macbook blocks alot of stuff (which makes it really fast so I guess it's good and bad...) and it is pretty pricey ....

so basically the qualities for my ideal computer is:

1. > 2.3 gHz
2. about or less than 5lbs? is 5 lbs too heavy?
3. 13''~14'' screen size (preferrably 14'')
4. maybe pretty colors... not required
5. maybe CD drive but I know it's not that necessary these days

Sorry for my long rant/question... I just want some advices because I have no idea. This is my first time getting my own personal laptop so I want to get a perfect one so any help is appreciated!

Reply 1 : New Computer (Repost from miscellaneous forum)

Let me share a few ideas.

1.
Do not get a laptop with the Core i7 today (except that dual core
model.) All the quad cores, even the Sandy Bridge are still getting a
tad hot.

2. I'd consider that nice http://store.apple.com/us/configure/MC700LL/A?mco=CNETBe sure to look at Amazon.com for this model too.It's well built and should hit the 4 year mark with care.

3.
The HP is OK but I'm still trying to resolve a warranty issue 9 months
later. I try to not write about that but it's tough when it's been that
long out of action on that purchase.

4. Asus is OK around here. All over the map on how tough they are. The cheaper ones do tend to break sooner.
Bob