If I buy a PC now, Will it become outdated when i go to college?

[polkfg]

I am planning to buy the Samsung NP-R580-JSB1US. I think its about a month old. my only concern is that if i buy it now, will it become outdated when i go to college in 4 (I start in Late August). Also, are there better laptops out there? My budget is around 1000

PS i plan to play a few games with it.. such as mw2 and l4d2.. is it good enough for that?

 

[Ambushed]

No should be fine for just general college use. - PS welcome to the forums, you can introduce yourself here if you like: http://www.computerforum.com/95759-official-welcome-introduction-thread.html

 

[polkfg]

i plan to play a few games with it.. is it good enough for that?

 

[deanj20]

It all depends on what you mean by "outdated".

Look at the computer in my signature. I still use that thing, and I'll bet that it would work fine for college courses, save for any graphics or memory-intensive programs. It can run MS Office and the latest browsers flawlessly - what else do you need?

Sure, it might be a little bit embarrassing toting around an older lappy, but it would work.

What are you planning to major in? Do you have any idea what sort of programs you might be using?

 

[polkfg]

Im gong to be majoring in economics.. or planning to at least

 

[polkfg]

Im planning on majoring in economics.. by outdated i mean will newer better lapptops come out by then

 

[deanj20]

The computer is "outdated" in the sense that better technology is available before you ever get your new computer out of the box. New technology is developed and implemented all of the time.

I would say that a computer (such as the one in my siggie) becomes obsolete somewhere around 5-7 years.

But I love older computers. If you perform routine maintenance on your machine, there's no limit on how long it will last. Of course, just like automobiles, parts can and do wear out and you'll have to replace them, and at some point it's no longer feasible to replace/repair parts because it costs more to fix than the computer is worth. I would venture to say that this happens somewhere around the 7-10 years mark.

It all depends on what you want to use the machine for. I like the specs on the Samsung you've posted. I prefer AMD over Intel, and you might want something with better graphics capabilities. I would definitely shop around before you settle on this one. I've always been a fan of HP computers myself. Excellent customer support/resources. If you want to post more potential buys, many users here will be happy to compare them for you.

But, in short, the computer you have linked to should be fine for an economics major who wants to play games with average requirements...