Depends on what you want to do. If you just gonna used it for school them. Lot of them around 500 is good. It cheap. If you want go solid computer go for apple. I look at lots of them just don’t get a celron or lesser. Don’t spend to much since pc break down often. Get a portable hard drive to back up date. Get a cheap decent one since computer are rather cheap and always change so fast. Best buy got a sony one that is 650 that is good.

I just did some comparison-shopping for my niece, now a freshman in Michigan State, unfortunately. (Go Blue!)
Her father (my brother) only had $600 to work with at the time, but I found many possible choices for a notebook computer.

Minimum specs I thought she should have as a freshman college student: 1 GB of RAM / 80 GB hard drive / combination DVD and CD burner drive / built-in wireless card //
Also important, because it prevalent in most colleges and businesses; get a Microsoft Office bundle; which should have Word, Excel, Powerpoint, among other apps.

Initially, I was looking for one that comes with XP Pro, not VISTA. Again, many choices, but almost all I found were refurbished models, in my brother’s price range. Refurb-models usually mean a 90-day manufacturer’s warranty, as opposed to most of them getting 1-year for brand new units. Some, like Sony, will allow you to buy an extended warranty, however, for refurbs, but not all allow this.
Before buying a refurb-unit, check with the manufacturer’s tech-support to ensure the retailer from whom you’re gonna buy, is an authorized-dealer, otherwise, No Manufacturer’s Warranty!

Hewlett Packard (Compaq merged with them, I believe) computers seem to be pretty inexpensive, compared to sony, Dell, and others. But, I HATE THEIR F—-ing support !! Just to get a ph# for their Extended Warranty Dept took me 4 F—-ing hours !!
I own an HP notebook and pitched-in to buy one for a friend. Pretty good pricing for pretty powerful systems. I just don’t call their support-line. Gawd, I hate them !!

Then, I found-out that Dell’s warranty is pretty good. Although, still just 1-year (I think), if they can’t troubleshoot with you over the phone, they might just send you a new computer.

If you don’t have access to any computer-geeks who will help you or your “lady” for free, buy a computer from Costco. You can choose from several recognizable name-brands there. In addition to the manufacturer’s warranty, you get an additional 2 years without additional cost! An extended warranty for 2 years could be up to $300 ! 24-hour Tech-Support is invaluable, and gets expensive if you pay by the minute, or per issue.

Most pre-configured models will automatically come with pre-bundled software; some of it useless trial apps. If you select a configure-to-order model, then you’ll usually pay aloy more than for an already configured one, but you can control some of the apps that get automatically installed.

Hope this helps.

Judging by these guys in Journalism, it would be a MacBook
http://duggmirror.com/apple/Look_at_them_apples/9489b70ab55692ffcac3ec776aa50a1f_img_6672s.jpg

Unlike desktop computers, you should also look for size apart form its configuration and weight which is very important in long run.
There are various configurations available in the market. Following will suit you the best:
intel core 2 duo processor 2.0 gigs
2gb RAM DDR
80 GB Hard-disk
DVD Combo
In-built camera and mic
These configuration are the best and will last long. Also, if you plan to work on laptops for long, seek windows XP.
With seven hundred bucks, you can have a list of choices…my advise will be to wait till Christmas..you will have the best deal; and free gifts like a free 1 gb pen drive, etc.
Almost all companies offer the same after-sale service and support. So, ideal will be to go for HP, Compaq or Toshiba.

Apple computers are the best and worth the extra money.