Best Law School Laptop for the Money Forum

[sdlaw]

We're not all liberal arts undergrads, though by your statement I guess you believe otherwise. For the record I went to school for, and work in the technology field.

He decided on those choices because he's aware of what he wants to do with his laptop; otherwise he would of asked.

I actually like the dv6t construction when compared to the Ideapads; but that's my opinion.

Considering you chose these laptops, I'm assuming you're going to be gaming/photoshop/CAD?

I do some video editing...photoshop, etc. Mainly I figure if I have 1100 to spend I may as welll get the most powerful thing I can get with decent construction so it's at least still decent in 3-5 years. I wish the dv6tse had the screen and slot drive of the envy but it doesn't and I can see spending 400 dollars more for a computer with the same or less in the way of components.

[JollyGreenGiant]

3 weeks and still no word on my T-410. Grumble grumble... Starcraft 2 just came out and my current laptop is out of date for video card.. grrrr.

[JOThompson]

3 weeks and still no word on my T-410. Grumble grumble... Starcraft 2 just came out and my current laptop is out of date for video card.. grrrr.

Wishing I upgraded the graphics card on mine. I have the i7 and 4GB RAM, but the laptop slows down even on Dawn of War during max cap battles. I'm afraid to try SC2 on anything but the lowest settings.

[savagecheater]

3 weeks and still no word on my T-410. Grumble grumble... Starcraft 2 just came out and my current laptop is out of date for video card.. grrrr.

They didn't give you any grief about the NVS3100m did they? The rep argued with me for 20min today that the 2.40ghz processor was incompatible with the dedicated card, and that I should either settle for the intel HD or upgrade to the 2.55 proc.

[ApexChaser]

Comparing laptops

Lenevo IdeaPad560

System components

Intel® Core™ i7-720QM Processor ( 1.60GHz 1333MHz 6MB )
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5730 1GB
8 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz
15.6" HD Wide LED 1366x768
Industry Standard Touchpad
500GB 7200
DVD Recordable (Dual Layer)
6 Cell Lithium-Ion
Intel Wireless Wi-Fi Link 1000
Bluetooth Version 2.1 + EDR
One Year Warranty

Vs.

HP dv6t Select Edition

Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit edit
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-720QM Quad Core processor (1.6GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.8 GHz edit
8GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm) edit
FREE Upgrade to 500GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection edit
1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5650 Graphics [HDMI, VGA] - For Quad Core Processors edit
15.6" diagonal High Definition LED HP Brightview Widescreen Display (1366x768) edit
No TouchScreen (includes HP TrueVision Webcam) edit
FREE Upgrade to Blu-ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support edit
Intel Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth edit
Backlit Keyboard with Fingerprint Reader edit
50% OFF! One 6 Cell (standard) and One 9 Cell (over-sized) Lithium Ion Battery edit
Microsoft(R) Office Starter 2010

These are going to both be the exact same price for give or take 50 dollars which isn't an issue. Is the Lenevo worth going to even without nice stuff like blue-ray, fingerprint reader, backlit keyboard, extra battery, HDMI output that I will get with the HP. Everything else is essentially the exact same.

Basically what makes Lenevos so great and is the ideapad a better choice than the dv6t select edition.

Thanks

If you are seriously asking TLS for laptop advice then that system is way more powerful than you need. Drop down to a core i5, a 512mb vid card and 4gb ram and save some $$$..

We're not all liberal arts undergrads, though by your statement I guess you believe otherwise. For the record I went to school for, and work in the technology field.

He decided on those choices because he's aware of what he wants to do with his laptop; otherwise he would of asked.

I actually like the dv6t construction when compared to the Ideapads; but that's my opinion.

Considering you chose these laptops, I'm assuming you're going to be gaming/photoshop/CAD?

OP, I would probably go dv6t in this matchup even though I am not an HP fan. The bluray, extra battery, and HDMI output are nice extras at the same price.

Lenovo Thinkpads are great because of the consistently strong build due to focusing on business clients. The price premium of a Thinkpad definitely shows in case wear and tear over years of use. Lenovo Ideapads though are more consumer based and of a lesser construction. Some of the Ideapads do have the internal alloy roll cage though I think the two laptops you are considering are close enough in build quality that the HP looks like a better value.

On a separate note about components, I know folks who stress their computers with a ton of software but don't know much about component selection. Maybe it's just me, but I always up-sell if someone isn't sure what they need. You never know who runs Solidworks and Adobe Premiere.

[JollyGreenGiant]

3 weeks and still no word on my T-410. Grumble grumble... Starcraft 2 just came out and my current laptop is out of date for video card.. grrrr.

They didn't give you any grief about the NVS3100m did they? The rep argued with me for 20min today that the 2.40ghz processor was incompatible with the dedicated card, and that I should either settle for the intel HD or upgrade to the 2.55 proc.

To be honest, I called and I couldn't understand what the guy was saying to me. I heard "August" and "2nd", so I'm guessing it's the 2nd week of August I'll be getting it. I have no idea why it's taking so long. Very frustrating.

Last night I was able to play a game then it lagged out after it ended. We'll see if that's a trend or not. Only my video card on my current laptop is outdated, but I don't think it matters much for a game like SCII.

[MD/JD2B]

I cancelled my order for a Dell; wanted to make one modification, and 1.5 hrs later and seven transferred phone calls, I had had it!!

Looking at the Acer Aspire 14 inch with 4GB of RAM and 500GB hard drive i5 processor. Overkill for me, probably, since I don't watch videos or play games.

[nonamebreakdown]

I got this Asus from the Costco website: http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.as ... =C&topnav=

1gb dedicated graphics card, 500gb 7200 rpm hard drive, 4gb ram, i5-430m processor. So far so good.

[el jefe]

I got this Asus from the Costco website: http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.as ... =C&topnav=

1gb dedicated graphics card, 500gb 7200 rpm hard drive, 4gb ram, i5-430m processor. So far so good.

Mannn, you can get blue-ray too for that price.

[savagecheater]

3 weeks and still no word on my T-410. Grumble grumble... Starcraft 2 just came out and my current laptop is out of date for video card.. grrrr.

They didn't give you any grief about the NVS3100m did they? The rep argued with me for 20min today that the 2.40ghz processor was incompatible with the dedicated card, and that I should either settle for the intel HD or upgrade to the 2.55 proc.

To be honest, I called and I couldn't understand what the guy was saying to me. I heard "August" and "2nd", so I'm guessing it's the 2nd week of August I'll be getting it. I have no idea why it's taking so long. Very frustrating.

Last night I was able to play a game then it lagged out after it ended. We'll see if that's a trend or not. Only my video card on my current laptop is outdated, but I don't think it matters much for a game like SCII.

Ok, but my point is that you got the i5-520m 2.4ghz processor with the Nvidia card right?

[JollyGreenGiant]

3 weeks and still no word on my T-410. Grumble grumble... Starcraft 2 just came out and my current laptop is out of date for video card.. grrrr.

They didn't give you any grief about the NVS3100m did they? The rep argued with me for 20min today that the 2.40ghz processor was incompatible with the dedicated card, and that I should either settle for the intel HD or upgrade to the 2.55 proc.

To be honest, I called and I couldn't understand what the guy was saying to me. I heard "August" and "2nd", so I'm guessing it's the 2nd week of August I'll be getting it. I have no idea why it's taking so long. Very frustrating.

Last night I was able to play a game then it lagged out after it ended. We'll see if that's a trend or not. Only my video card on my current laptop is outdated, but I don't think it matters much for a game like SCII.

Ok, but my point is that you got the i5-520m 2.4ghz processor with the Nvidia card right?

I got i7 with Nvidia

[joeshmo39]

I cracked and bought the Asus UL-80 on Amazon Sunday night. There is a new model coming out next month with a bigger HD, updated Graphics card with really similar performance, and an i3 instead of C2D, but I didn't think that model was worth an extra 150 with my needs. The UL-80-A1 is 680 on Amazon's site now.

Best Buy also sells a version with nicer specs for those interested.

[nonamebreakdown]

I got this Asus from the Costco website: http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.as ... =C&topnav=

1gb dedicated graphics card, 500gb 7200 rpm hard drive, 4gb ram, i5-430m processor. So far so good.

Mannn, you can get blue-ray too for that price.

all of the features this one included plus blu ray for the same price? maybe in an HP, but I didn't want HP. Other than that I doubt it. Let me know if you can find one.

Edit: What do you need blu ray for in law school anyway?

[sdlaw]

I got this Asus from the Costco website: http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.as ... =C&topnav=

1gb dedicated graphics card, 500gb 7200 rpm hard drive, 4gb ram, i5-430m processor. So far so good.

Mannn, you can get blue-ray too for that price.

all of the features this one included plus blu ray for the same price? maybe in an HP, but I didn't want HP. Other than that I doubt it. Let me know if you can find one.

Edit: What do you need blu ray for in law school anyway?

We're gonna need blu ray for all the flying around we'll be doing when we're recruited by vault 100 firms for starting salaries of 200 K a year plus...Right? Right??????

[zeth006]

I cracked and bought the Asus UL-80 on Amazon Sunday night. There is a new model coming out next month with a bigger HD, updated Graphics card with really similar performance, and an i3 instead of C2D, but I didn't think that model was worth an extra 150 with my needs. The UL-80-A1 is 680 on Amazon's site now.

Best Buy also sells a version with nicer specs for those interested.

Which model is the new one? UL80JT? Don't worry about the 310M. It's not much faster than the 210M. Just think of the 310M as a 210M but with the ability to switch between GPUs automatically. For basic law school stuff, the 80VT should be fine. The i3-UM processor isn't much to write home about either.

[JollyGreenGiant]

I got this Asus from the Costco website: http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.as ... =C&topnav=

1gb dedicated graphics card, 500gb 7200 rpm hard drive, 4gb ram, i5-430m processor. So far so good.

Mannn, you can get blue-ray too for that price.

all of the features this one included plus blu ray for the same price? maybe in an HP, but I didn't want HP. Other than that I doubt it. Let me know if you can find one.

Edit: What do you need blu ray for in law school anyway?

We're gonna need blu ray for all the flying around we'll be doing when we're recruited by vault 100 firms for starting salaries of 200 K a year plus...Right? Right??????

I needed blu ray for the sitting around at home while unemployed. Yes!

[ResolutePear]

all of the features this one included plus blu ray for the same price? maybe in an HP, but I didn't want HP. Other than that I doubt it. Let me know if you can find one.

Edit: What do you need blu ray for in law school anyway?

We're gonna need blu ray for all the flying around we'll be doing when we're recruited by vault 100 firms for starting salaries of 200 K a year plus...Right? Right??????

I needed blu ray for the sitting around at home while unemployed. Yes!

Blu-ray combo drives are usually better for burning DVDs and CDs. Higher speed, newer tech.

[primusux]

Did anyone get a T410s over a T410? If so what was your deciding factor? Just the weight? Seems hard to pass up the extra battery life on the 410....

[beach_terror]

I don't really understand this emphasis on battery life. 3 hours will be more than plenty. You should have a plug at every seat in your law school, and a ton in the library/around the building as well.

[primusux]

I don't really understand this emphasis on battery life. 3 hours will be more than plenty. You should have a plug at every seat in your law school, and a ton in the library/around the building as well.

Battery life for me is in regards to non-law school purposes. i.e. - flying across the country.
I'm sure 3 hours would be fine while IN the school for sure. Think the weight difference of 1 lb is worth the extra money?

[ResolutePear]

I don't really understand this emphasis on battery life. 3 hours will be more than plenty. You should have a plug at every seat in your law school, and a ton in the library/around the building as well.

Battery life for me is in regards to non-law school purposes. i.e. - flying across the country.
I'm sure 3 hours would be fine while IN the school for sure. Think the weight difference of 1 lb is worth the extra money?

3 hours is fine in most cases; chances are if you're traveling *that* much, you'll have multiple batteries as well regardless. That alone will change your choice because of the difference in extra battery prices among manufacturers.

On that note, I would try to get 3rd party batteries if available.

[savagecheater]

Did anyone get a T410s over a T410? If so what was your deciding factor? Just the weight? Seems hard to pass up the extra battery life on the 410....

The T410s apparently has significant heat problems, as in, melting.

[primusux]

Did anyone get a T410s over a T410? If so what was your deciding factor? Just the weight? Seems hard to pass up the extra battery life on the 410....

The T410s apparently has significant heat problems, as in, melting.

link?

edit - found a couple forum posts but nothing about melting

[anonym1202]

quick question since I literally have the pc in my cart ready to buy it ..

I am buying a 13.3 inch computers b/c it is lighter and I just like the portability but it does not have an optical (cd drive). How does the law school exams software work? do I absolutely need one? Don't recommend an external b/c as of now I can't afford one so maybe later in the year i am just curious if a law school student needs an optical drive every time he/she takes a test

[ResolutePear]

quick question since I literally have the pc in my cart ready to buy it ..

I am buying a 13.3 inch computers b/c it is lighter and I just like the portability but it does not have an optical (cd drive). How does the law school exams software work? do I absolutely need one? Don't recommend an external b/c as of now I can't afford one so maybe later in the year i am just curious if a law school student needs an optical drive every time he/she takes a test

I haven't messed around with that software - but I'm pretty sure you can rip the CD into an .iso and use Daemon Tools or a similar program to load the iso as a virtual CD-drive. This assumes you have a desktop or a friend with one to rip it for you. Sending it - you can use torrent or transfer it over AIM or something. If it's a CD-ROM, it can't be larger than 700MB, 4.7GB for a DVD. Both will work with this method since DVD .iso's are the same as CD-ROM iso's - except, you know, bigger.