Best Law School Laptop for the Money Forum

[drdolittle]

But 2K dollar laptops aren't that much less likely to crash. A bottom of the line Toshiba is just as reliable as the top of the line Apple. You are paying 2000 dollars for better performance, not for reliability.

Paying 2000 dollars for a laptop you are just going to surf the net with, and write on is stupid.

+1

Listen to the Fox.

[09042014]

+1

Going to law school is expensive. Relocating, books, tuition, add up. Paying $1,500 for a toy is not a priority. I just need something that is reliable, replaceable (if something happened- broken, stolen, etc), and gets the job done.

Buy a high quality laptop (and by the way this !=expensive), take care of it, and in case god forbid the unthinkable happens, get insurance.

$2k on a laptop may not be a priority but the risk of it crashing in the middle of your exams is a concern.

But 2K dollar laptops aren't that much less likely to crash. A bottom of the line Toshiba is just as reliable as the top of the line Apple. You are paying 2000 dollars for better performance, not for reliability.

Paying 2000 dollars for a laptop you are just going to surf the net with, and write on is stupid.

They (the expensive/high performance ones) do last better IME, even if it's only a function of me beating it up a lot less. Or maybe the more expensive brands are less likely to turn out lemons. Oh, and back up everything like your life depends on it.

Well the very low end companies cut corners to make sub 500 laptops. But once you get over that hump there is no reason why they'd last better. A newer intel processor isn't going to fail less than an older one. A larger Western digital hard drive isn't going to fail less. A large stick of ram isn't going to fail less than a smaller one.

Buying a laptop isn't like buying a desk. They aren't putting better material into the more expensive ones.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/lapt ... -hp-fails/

[daesonesb]

Buying a laptop isn't like buying a desk. They aren't putting better material into the more expensive ones.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/lapt ... -hp-fails/

Doesn't ASUS still use vista?

[motiontodismiss]

Well the very low end companies cut corners to make sub 500 laptops. But once you get over that hump there is no reason why they'd last better. A newer intel processor isn't going to fail less than an older one. A larger Western digital hard drive isn't going to fail less. A large stick of ram isn't going to fail less than a smaller one.

Buying a laptop isn't like buying a desk. They aren't putting better material into the more expensive ones.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/lapt ... -hp-fails/

A solid state will fail less than a disk drive. I see people's laptops all the time. My 3 year old Macbook Pro feels more well-built than my friend's brand new $2k Sony. And I paid $2k for my laptop too. 3 years ago. And this thing fell 3 feet off my bed on to a tile floor. More than once.

I think it depends on the manufacturer. It's worth paying a premium for some products and not for others. Just like every other product.

[09042014]

Well the very low end companies cut corners to make sub 500 laptops. But once you get over that hump there is no reason why they'd last better. A newer intel processor isn't going to fail less than an older one. A larger Western digital hard drive isn't going to fail less. A large stick of ram isn't going to fail less than a smaller one.

Buying a laptop isn't like buying a desk. They aren't putting better material into the more expensive ones.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/lapt ... -hp-fails/

A solid state will fail less than a disk drive.

True, but a hard drive is extremely replaceable, not only in terms of cost but in terms of skill required. Anyone can replace a hdd in a laptop. Its two screws and pop out then new one in.

[motiontodismiss]

Well the very low end companies cut corners to make sub 500 laptops. But once you get over that hump there is no reason why they'd last better. A newer intel processor isn't going to fail less than an older one. A larger Western digital hard drive isn't going to fail less. A large stick of ram isn't going to fail less than a smaller one.

Buying a laptop isn't like buying a desk. They aren't putting better material into the more expensive ones.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/lapt ... -hp-fails/

A solid state will fail less than a disk drive.

True, but a hard drive is extremely replaceable, not only in terms of cost but in terms of skill required. Anyone can replace a hdd in a laptop. Its two screws and pop out then new one in.

Fair enough.

Just like cars, cellphones and everything else, some products are worth their premium while others are not.

[Thomas Jefferson]

Buy the cheapest thing you can get (in EV terms, ie, taking malfunction rate into consideration) and do all your work on the cloud.

Google Docs FTW!!!

[Sangiovese]

Buying a laptop isn't like buying a desk. They aren't putting better material into the more expensive ones.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/lapt ... -hp-fails/

Doesn't ASUS still use vista?

I bought an Asus laptop for my daughter last month and it had Win 7.

[drdolittle]

Doesn't ASUS still use vista?

No. Mine has Win 7.

[09042014]

Well the very low end companies cut corners to make sub 500 laptops. But once you get over that hump there is no reason why they'd last better. A newer intel processor isn't going to fail less than an older one. A larger Western digital hard drive isn't going to fail less. A large stick of ram isn't going to fail less than a smaller one.

Buying a laptop isn't like buying a desk. They aren't putting better material into the more expensive ones.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/lapt ... -hp-fails/

A solid state will fail less than a disk drive.

True, but a hard drive is extremely replaceable, not only in terms of cost but in terms of skill required. Anyone can replace a hdd in a laptop. Its two screws and pop out then new one in.

Fair enough.

Just like cars, cellphones and everything else, some products are worth their premium while others are not.

Agreed. For laptops it really matters what you plan on doing with it. An engineering doing CAD work is different than a law student doing facebook, word, and gmail.

[bigben]

Lenovo Thinkpad >>> everything else

At least when I was shopping two years ago. There was nothing on the market that even came close to the new Thinkpad in terms of being a good value for the money. The build quality is as high as it gets - I've never even seen a single expert review that disputed that. Apple's are nice obviously, but you're paying extra for the brand, marketing, shiny looks, etc.

[TheCommish]

Toshiba Satellite T135, $600
No optical drive, but what do you need one of those for anyway?

[traficante]

Lenovo Thinkpad >>> everything else

At least when I was shopping two years ago. There was nothing on the market that even came close to the new Thinkpad in terms of being a good value for the money. The build quality is as high as it gets - I've never even seen a single expert review that disputed that. Apple's are nice obviously, but you're paying extra for the brand, marketing, shiny looks, etc.

Pretty happy with my Lenovo Ideapad as well. I have an S-12 and upgraded the RAM. Keyboard layout is great and it is light enough to always have it on me. I do get a bit of CPU lag, but for the price (400 and change after upgrade) well worth it. If I didn't already have a second computer at home I'd be going with the Thinkpad, myself.

[Dostoevsky]

When i got to Cal I bough a 2k VAIO. Endless problems between vista and then eventually the hardware. I restored every 6/7 months. Then I got an HP netbook. It's a good go, can't beat the portability. Slow for a multitasker though.
The latest is a 13" mbp. Love it (even though I said I wouldn't). Windows is easy enough to install and run with parallels or bootcamp, imho.

[kalvano]

For anyone interested, the Toshiba 305-series Netbook comes with a full size keyboard, and the Velocity Micro Netbook comes with a 95% keyboard. Both are under $400.

[joekim1]

get sager/clevo hehehehehe

slightly more serious, if you want some portable power, i'd go for either the vaio z or alienware m11x, though they say the fan on the vaio z is a bit loud at times.

[daisuki]

Has anyone mentioned getting a Thinkpad yet? Good workhorse laptops, thoughtful design and engineering. You can get a solid Windows 7 notebook for under 1000, look into Lenovo (formerly IBM) Thinkpads...

[Sogui]

Sorry to do this, but 13" MBP > all.

+1

He's asking "best for money" not "I want to blow hundreds of extra dollars on a designer brand"

Unless Apple changes their entire company model, it will never be known as the "value" company for computers and laptops.

[Sogui]

For anyone interested, the Toshiba 305-series Netbook comes with a full size keyboard, and the Velocity Micro Netbook comes with a 95% keyboard. Both are under $400.

I'll look into that. I need a laptop with a full size keyboard, that's really about it. I plan on only using it for notes and net browsing, tried a netbook keyboard and hated it. If it has a full sized keyboard then after that all I care about is $$$.

[legalease9]

Sorry to do this, but 13" MBP > all.

+1

He's asking "best for money" not "I want to blow hundreds of extra dollars on a designer brand"

Unless Apple changes their entire company model, it will never be known as the "value" company for computers and laptops.

Yes. This is why Apple never beat out PC in the computer wars. Apple makes a better product, but they charge a ridiculous amount. Love my Ipod though!

[dlac]

Buying a laptop isn't like buying a desk. They aren't putting better material into the more expensive ones.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/lapt ... -hp-fails/

Thanks for that link, Desert Fox.

Looks like the battle of Taiwan computer companies (Asus v. Acer) has been decided for me.

Seriously I was hoping this thread would be about laptops that actually cost $500-800 (based on the OP's stipulation).

All this talk about Macs is moot.

[JohnWild]

http://www.logicbuy.com/deals/asus-ul80 ... 16096.aspx

Too big to use for school? I've always heard 13 as a maximum, but would 1 inch make that much of a difference?

[Chupavida]

.

[existenz]

About five months ago I bought a used MacBook Pro off craigslist for $800. 2.2ghz processor, can run both OS X and Windows 7, 250gb hard drive, 2 GB Ram, beautiful 15" screen. A very solid piece of equipment with the best OS in the world - Snow Leopard.

This will be my law school laptop for the next three years. I actually upgraded the HD to a 500gb for just over $100, and I may have to upgrade the battery at some point (currently it holds 2 hours of power).

But if you are a Mac person, this is fantastic and a great deal. Craigslist ftw. Just make sure you inspect any laptop carefully before buying. Some people try to sell stuff with cracks in the display, dead keys, etc.

Edit: Desert Fox may believe that any $500 PC is just as good as any Apple laptop, but that's like saying my 2005 Blackberry is just as good as my new iPhone. They both make calls and send text messages, right?

I happen to care about ease of use, not having to deal with viruses or malware, and not being pestered by constant Microsoft b.s. Using Windows 7 (rarely) on my MBP is painful enough as it is. I'm glad to pay a small premium to make sure Windows is not my everyday experience.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2352798,00.asp

But, if you like Windows then go for it. I'm just glad we have a choice.

[09042014]

Edit: Desert Fox may believe that any $500 PC is just as good as any Apple laptop, but that's like saying my 2005 Blackberry is just as good as my new iPhone. They both make calls and send text messages, right?

I happen to care about ease of use, not having to deal with viruses or malware, and not being pestered by constant Microsoft b.s. Using Windows 7 (rarely) on my MBP is painful enough as it is. I'm glad to pay a small premium to make sure Windows is not my everyday experience.

I didn't say as good as for all purposes. But for the OP's purposes, it is. Apple components are the same as PC components. Apple does to a better job at making their laptops visually pleasing, but that isn't something I'd care about.

If you hate windows then maybe buying a mac makes sense, but I'd rather have the OS that has the better software catalog. Though I'd probably just install linux.

Apple computers are very overpriced. If you think OSX is worth the extra money then go ahead, but it is far from an objective better computer.