Reply #8: I've always found

[canetoad]

Toshibas are steady machines and give a lot of bang for your buck.

Of course they still come with a payload of shitty proprietary garbage but it's not half as bad as HP.

I'd be searching for something with a 17' screen. Your student will likely be learning CAD programs and the extra screen real estate is handy for all the menus.

Whatever machine you select, chances are it will come with a pre-installed operating system. Immediately search for the utility that enables you to burn system backup DVDs or ensure there is a recovery partition.