Cant decide on screen size for new laptop.

[CrazyLSU]

Ok I gotta order a new laptop for school and my parents just told me to order what i want. I have it narrowed down to a 15 inch or a 17 inch laptop from dell. I cant make my mind up on the screen size. Just wondering if anybody has a 17 inch desktop replacement that they use in classes at college. I am an engineering major so most of my classes i can not take notes on a computer for but there are some that i will and really dont know if i wanna drop performance for a smaller screen. I will be getting a i7 for the 17 inch or a i5 for the 15 inch screen. Thanks for any input. O both computers will have at least 6gb of RAM. I do not PC game so no need to take that into account.

[H2O Proxy]

Get a MAC

[CrazyLSU]

Ok i am not paying for a mac!!! I dont have that much money. My mom just over ruled my dad on the cost :p gotta keep it under 1300

[H2O I Dont Know]

ok dont ever give up performance on a computer if u can get the i7. every 6 months to a year technology goes out of date so its better to get the newest stuff out there and as a engineer major i believe you will need later on a program called auto cad or another engineering program will you do blue prints and other things so it will be good to have the extra screen size and performance

[H2O Gin]

I have a Dell Vostro 1700 with a 17'' screen, and I've been happy with it. runs smoothly and the screen is very nice. I'de run the 17"/

[H2O Griffon]

Unless you're comfortable with it, I doubt carrying a 17 inch laptop around school would be fun. Myself, I would go for a 15 inch. 17 inch would be useful only if you have need of large amounts of space for your work(i.e. After Effects, etc.)

[Vermillion]

Personally, I'd go for the 15-inch if you plan on just taking notes with it and having a light productivity suite. Portability is key.

For most engineering/science majors, you have access to a computer lab for your heavy lifting (coding, rendering), right?

[Maxman]

ok dont ever give up performance on a computer if u can get the i7. every 6 months to a year technology goes out of date so its better to get the newest stuff out there and as a engineer major i believe you will need later on a program called auto cad or another engineering program will you do blue prints and other things so it will be good to have the extra screen size and performance
ChAoTiC is right... John! Do consider his observation seriously...

[H2O I Dont Know]

Maxman im a certified computer technician i deal with all this on a daily thing

[CrazyLSU]

Yeah I got the 17 inch with 6gb of 1333 RAM. I can upgrade to 8 when i need it plus its coming with a 500gb 7200rpm hard drive with an open bay for another one if and when i need it. I figure i wont be taking notes on it but very very rarely so ill just lug it around to do hw and such between classes. Thanks for the help guys :)

[H2O I Dont Know]

your welcome

[Maxman]

Maxman im a certified computer technician i deal with all this on a daily thing
Very nice...