Solved! Laptop for freshmen majoring computer science

[coolrocks86]

I'm going to start my 1st semester in two weeks so I need a laptop ASAP. I'm majoring in computer science so I'll be needing a fast and reliable system, and I guess for some light gaming too. I'm going to use it for a long time.

Here's my requirement:
-7,200rpm hard drive
-dedicated graphic card (it doesn't need to be good as long as it's upgradeable)
-minimum 2gb of ram ddr3
-comes with a 6-cell battery or higher
-priced under $1500

I was thinking of thinkpad t410 i5 540m with dedicated graphic, but do you think its a good choice? I'm open to suggestions and thank you for reading.

 

[cjl]

First off, a thinkpad is a great choice.

Second, I'd get more like 4GB of RAM, as 2GB is really quite minimal for any modern system. Also, the graphics cards in laptops are very rarely upgradeable, so I wouldn't count on that if I were you. I'd get a graphics card that's good enough from the start, because even in models where it is removeable and possibly even upgradeable, laptop video cards are difficult to find and very expensive.

 

[coolrocks86]

any particular brand you would suggest?