Best Law School Laptop for the Money Forum

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Jay-Electronica

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Re: Best Law School Laptop for the Money

Post by Jay-Electronica » Wed May 12, 2010 7:11 pm

Matthies wrote:
Jay-Electronica wrote:Just upgraded my mac to 320 GB HDD and 3 GB of Ram with a 500 GB EHDD and 2x120 GB portable EHDDs


I previously had 120 GBHDD and 1GB of Ram.

Works a lot smoother and quicker. Now time to install windows. Is vista ultimate edition ok? Are there any alternatives to onenote? If you dont use onenote are you doomed?
What are you doing with your old 120 HDD, through it in an external case and make a portable EHDD out of it
Thats what I did with it, turned it into a portable. Thanks for the tips Matthies you were a huuuge help.

Now I have to decide if I want to go through all the BS of booting up windows only for exams and notetaking.

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Matthies

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Re: Best Law School Laptop for the Money

Post by Matthies » Wed May 12, 2010 7:15 pm

Jay-Electronica wrote:
Matthies wrote:
Jay-Electronica wrote:Just upgraded my mac to 320 GB HDD and 3 GB of Ram with a 500 GB EHDD and 2x120 GB portable EHDDs


I previously had 120 GBHDD and 1GB of Ram.

Works a lot smoother and quicker. Now time to install windows. Is vista ultimate edition ok? Are there any alternatives to onenote? If you dont use onenote are you doomed?
What are you doing with your old 120 HDD, through it in an external case and make a portable EHDD out of it
Thats what I did with it, turned it into a portable. Thanks for the tips Matthies you were a huuuge help.

Now I have to decide if I want to go through all the BS of booting up windows only for exams and notetaking.
If you know which law school your going to check the law schools IT page and se what they say about Macs (the law school not any undergrad stuff cuase LS uses heavy duty lockdown software for exams). As to Vista ultimate, its a bloated OS, and I mean BLOATED, but if you have a copy already its better than paying $65 bucks for the 7 Pro deal MS has for .edu adresses

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zeth006

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Re: Best Law School Laptop for the Money

Post by zeth006 » Wed May 12, 2010 7:18 pm

Matthies wrote: Peerblock and Foxy proxy are decent so I've heard... proxy severs are hit and miss, becuase well, they don't stay up that long. FWI with Peerblock running you won't be bale to get to most sites, so turn it on when you need it, like um, when bit torrent something
Doesn't Peerblock just regulate traffic? Wouldn't my IP still be identifiable easily on a network?

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Jay-Electronica

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Re: Best Law School Laptop for the Money

Post by Jay-Electronica » Wed May 12, 2010 7:21 pm

Matthies wrote:
Jay-Electronica wrote:
Matthies wrote:
Jay-Electronica wrote:Just upgraded my mac to 320 GB HDD and 3 GB of Ram with a 500 GB EHDD and 2x120 GB portable EHDDs


I previously had 120 GBHDD and 1GB of Ram.

Works a lot smoother and quicker. Now time to install windows. Is vista ultimate edition ok? Are there any alternatives to onenote? If you dont use onenote are you doomed?
What are you doing with your old 120 HDD, through it in an external case and make a portable EHDD out of it
Thats what I did with it, turned it into a portable. Thanks for the tips Matthies you were a huuuge help.

Now I have to decide if I want to go through all the BS of booting up windows only for exams and notetaking.
If you know which law school your going to check the law schools IT page and se what they say about Macs (the law school not any undergrad stuff cuase LS uses heavy duty lockdown software for exams). As to Vista ultimate, its a bloated OS, and I mean BLOATED, but if you have a copy already its better than paying $65 bucks for the 7 Pro deal MS has for .edu adresses
Yea, just checked and my school does require mac's to run windows through bootcamp for exam taking purposes. Looks like I wont be able to avoid lumping vista in there.

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Matthies

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Re: Best Law School Laptop for the Money

Post by Matthies » Wed May 12, 2010 7:28 pm

zeth006 wrote:
Matthies wrote: Peerblock and Foxy proxy are decent so I've heard... proxy severs are hit and miss, becuase well, they don't stay up that long. FWI with Peerblock running you won't be bale to get to most sites, so turn it on when you need it, like um, when bit torrent something
Doesn't Peerblock just regulate traffic? Wouldn't my IP still be identifiable easily on a network?
Peerblock shuts your IP from being broadcast when your a peer on a torrent node, there are companies who scan those for people downlaoding stuff illegally, or to report to ISPs. Perrblock plus proxy, plus porxy are the best you can do software side to hide your anoamity. hardwire side you can run your own proxy and harware firewall and set your IPS adress to look like someome your not, or nothing at all.

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zeth006

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Re: Best Law School Laptop for the Money

Post by zeth006 » Wed May 12, 2010 7:29 pm

Matthies wrote:
zeth006 wrote:
Matthies wrote: Peerblock and Foxy proxy are decent so I've heard... proxy severs are hit and miss, becuase well, they don't stay up that long. FWI with Peerblock running you won't be bale to get to most sites, so turn it on when you need it, like um, when bit torrent something
Doesn't Peerblock just regulate traffic? Wouldn't my IP still be identifiable easily on a network?
Peerblock shuts your IP from being broadcast when your a peer on a torrent node, there are companies who scan those for people downlaoding stuff illegally, or to report to ISPs. Perrblock plus proxy, plus porxy are the best you can do software side to hide your anoamity. hardwire side you can run your own proxy and harware firewall and set your IPS adress to look like someome your not, or nothing at all.
Sounds complicated! How does hotspot shield fare?

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Matthies

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Re: Best Law School Laptop for the Money

Post by Matthies » Wed May 12, 2010 7:35 pm

zeth006 wrote:
Matthies wrote:
zeth006 wrote:
Matthies wrote: Peerblock and Foxy proxy are decent so I've heard... proxy severs are hit and miss, becuase well, they don't stay up that long. FWI with Peerblock running you won't be bale to get to most sites, so turn it on when you need it, like um, when bit torrent something
Doesn't Peerblock just regulate traffic? Wouldn't my IP still be identifiable easily on a network?
Peerblock shuts your IP from being broadcast when your a peer on a torrent node, there are companies who scan those for people downlaoding stuff illegally, or to report to ISPs. Perrblock plus proxy, plus porxy are the best you can do software side to hide your anoamity. hardwire side you can run your own proxy and harware firewall and set your IPS adress to look like someome your not, or nothing at all.
Sounds complicated! How does hotspot shield fare?
Never used it, I'll search it ans check it out though, Yea hardawre firewalls area bit complicated and really need thier own computer run well and not mess up your LAN espiclly if you plan to do funny things with your ISP adress. Also this place is fun to make links and send your techy freinds, but not your non techy freinds becuase they would clikc on it anyway http://www.shadyurl.com/

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Duralex

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Re: Best Law School Laptop for the Money

Post by Duralex » Wed May 12, 2010 8:18 pm

Regarding OneNote: I happen to be a fan of DevonThink Pro Office, myself (a Mac only product.) It's inferior as a pure note-taking application, but makes up for it in a multitude of other ways. Note, however, that the company supporting it is small, updates are infrequent, and bugs exist.

Developer's site: http://www.devon-technologies.com/produ ... hink2.html
Here's a review of an older version that will give you the gist of it: http://counsellingresource.com/practice ... index.html

OmniFocus and OmniGraffle are also nice to have, if running OS X.

Does anyone know which if any of the academic citation managers will handle legal citation? (i.e. Endnote, Bookends, etc.) And can cite-u-like scrape cites from WL or L/N?

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Re: Best Law School Laptop for the Money

Post by jacobjo1 » Wed May 12, 2010 9:32 pm

I just ordered a Lenovo T410.

It has an i3-330m processor (better than the top of the line core 2 duo processors, supposedly as good as some of the core quad processors) 4GB Ram, 320 GB hard drive, and 9 cell dual mode battery, which is rated at 11 hours.

I added the option of WXGA+ that increased the resolution to 1440 x 900 resolution. With a mother's day coupon, It came out to be $836, a little more than I wanted to spend, but still well worth it. It was originally listed at $1430.

Thinkpads are incredibly well engineered. They have airbags that deploy over the hard drive based off free fall sensors. They have drains in the bottom of the keyboard to drain spilled liquids before they cause any major damage. They have magnesium roll cages installed around the mother board to protect it as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iw78gcU713g

They legitimately have the best keyboards I have ever typed on, highly recommended.

If you're eligible for a student discount, I strongly suggest getting an L412 or something.

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/cont ... D08172A68C

You could get one with pretty legit specs for <$700, 800 easily, especially if you use the student discount.

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JollyGreenGiant

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Re: Best Law School Laptop for the Money

Post by JollyGreenGiant » Wed May 12, 2010 10:09 pm

Something I'm scared with getting a Mac.. will I be at a disadvantage for note-taking and crap like that? Also, can Macs run programs like WinZip and WinRar?

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zeth006

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Re: Best Law School Laptop for the Money

Post by zeth006 » Wed May 12, 2010 10:15 pm

JollyGreenGiant wrote:Something I'm scared with getting a Mac.. will I be at a disadvantage for note-taking and crap like that? Also, can Macs run programs like WinZip and WinRar?

No, yes, and yes. Crossover can run Office '07 seamlessly though it's not free. The only disadvantage I see here is that it'll be a long time after the July release before we see Office 2010 usable via Crossover.

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kalvano

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Re: Best Law School Laptop for the Money

Post by kalvano » Wed May 12, 2010 10:16 pm

Why do people act like getting a Mac suddenly makes the vast majority of the computing world unavailable to them?

What you lose is trivial.

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JollyGreenGiant

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Re: Best Law School Laptop for the Money

Post by JollyGreenGiant » Wed May 12, 2010 10:20 pm

kalvano wrote:Why do people act like getting a Mac suddenly makes the vast majority of the computing world unavailable to them?

What you lose is trivial.
Because I've never had a Mac before and that is the perception I have received.

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kalvano

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Re: Best Law School Laptop for the Money

Post by kalvano » Wed May 12, 2010 10:25 pm

It's not that different, really.

You'll pick it up in about 3-5 days, maybe less.

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Jay-Electronica

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Re: Best Law School Laptop for the Money

Post by Jay-Electronica » Wed May 12, 2010 10:26 pm

jollygreen, I was just like you before I made the big switch a few years ago. I have not looked back not once. I read up on everything that I could pro v con and I made the switch. I couldnt be happier and have not found myself limited whatsoever.

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Duralex

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Re: Best Law School Laptop for the Money

Post by Duralex » Wed May 12, 2010 10:48 pm

What you lose is nothing, since you can run Windows, or Windows apps on the OS X desktop.

What you gain includes the Darwin subsystem (so to speak), a full BSD-like UNIX, just for starters. Which even if you're not a huge geek benefits you by allowing developers to easily port or create numerous useful apps and utilities. You pay a 15% (guessing) premium on hardware, but it's arguably better designed and supported.

Note that I'm talking about OS X on laptops. When it comes to OS X on desktops, hardware has become irrelevant due to OSx86. But I'd still generally rather run OS X as my primary OS, even if I've got 4+ OSes installed. (i.e. SL, XP, 7, Ubuntu, XenServer, etc.)

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Re: Best Law School Laptop for the Money

Post by Tangerine Gleam » Wed May 12, 2010 11:03 pm

Any reasons not to get one of the Asus 13" models like this? It seems like a great pick.

http://www.amazon.com/UL30Vt-A1-Light-1 ... pd_cp_pc_1

I simply want a PC laptop that is reliable, light, and smooth-running with a reasonably-sized screen. $800 max. Will be doing nothing but word processing, internet, and lots of travel.

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Duralex

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Re: Best Law School Laptop for the Money

Post by Duralex » Wed May 12, 2010 11:23 pm

The processor seems a little underpowered to me, but it will probably be fine for the uses you describe. Will this be your only computer? Writing papers and working with multiple windows on a 13.3" screen can be a little frustrating. My laptop is that size, and if I didn't have a desktop I think I'd be inclined to replace it. If portability is paramount, however, it's a good buy. The slower CPU will increase battery life.

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zeth006

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Re: Best Law School Laptop for the Money

Post by zeth006 » Wed May 12, 2010 11:47 pm

Tangerine Gleam wrote:Any reasons not to get one of the Asus 13" models like this? It seems like a great pick.

http://www.amazon.com/UL30Vt-A1-Light-1 ... pd_cp_pc_1

I simply want a PC laptop that is reliable, light, and smooth-running with a reasonably-sized screen. $800 max. Will be doing nothing but word processing, internet, and lots of travel.

It's great for wta your'e going to use it for. I hear it can also run StarCraft 2 no problems.

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JollyGreenGiant

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Re: Best Law School Laptop for the Money

Post by JollyGreenGiant » Thu May 13, 2010 12:01 am

Alrighty, looks like I'll be diving in to a MacBook Pro! Probably a 15"

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/s ... KPRO-INDEX

The only difference I see between the 2.4ghz and 2.53 is the slightly faster processor and the extra 180 gigs of hard drive (320 to 500).. but surely that isn't worth the extra $200, is it?

Also, does anyone typically know when the school discount/ipod whatever thing happens? It's not the reason I'm getting a Mac, but I might as well wait for that.

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Re: Best Law School Laptop for the Money

Post by Tangerine Gleam » Thu May 13, 2010 12:10 am

Duralex wrote:The processor seems a little underpowered to me, but it will probably be fine for the uses you describe. Will this be your only computer? Writing papers and working with multiple windows on a 13.3" screen can be a little frustrating. My laptop is that size, and if I didn't have a desktop I think I'd be inclined to replace it. If portability is paramount, however, it's a good buy. The slower CPU will increase battery life.
I have another Laptop (2007 Lenovo T60) and a Mac desktop, both of which are all-but dedicated to music production at home. The Lenovo could serve as a back-up, but it's pretty heavy and has a big screen (15+"), not to mention is a bit sluggish and with poor battery life, so I'd like to leave it at home. Perhaps it would be good for paper-writing indeed.

I, too, was wondering if the Asus processor was a bit slow -- will that affect things like start-up time and the ability to run many programs at once? I will not be doing any gaming or production or any of that shit -- truly just planning on writing papers, doing work, surfing the web, listening to music, and maybe occasionally watching a DVD while traveling. Also, the warranty sounds pretty decent for the price?

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Tangerine Gleam

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Re: Best Law School Laptop for the Money

Post by Tangerine Gleam » Thu May 13, 2010 12:13 am

P.S. I suppose I would be open to something with a screen bigger than 13", but I don't want to compromise too much in terms of battery life, weight, and/or price.

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Re: Best Law School Laptop for the Money

Post by Emma. » Thu May 13, 2010 12:16 am

JollyGreenGiant wrote:Alrighty, looks like I'll be diving in to a MacBook Pro! Probably a 15"

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/s ... KPRO-INDEX

The only difference I see between the 2.4ghz and 2.53 is the slightly faster processor and the extra 180 gigs of hard drive (320 to 500).. but surely that isn't worth the extra $200, is it?

Also, does anyone typically know when the school discount/ipod whatever thing happens? It's not the reason I'm getting a Mac, but I might as well wait for that.
That free iPod thing is usually at the very end of May or start of June. I'm definitely picking up a 15" MBP, probably the 2.53 with the antiglare screen. I actually think that processor bump and bigger harddrive is worth it, but I also know I'm pretty much bathing in the Apple kool-aid.

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Re: Best Law School Laptop for the Money

Post by JollyGreenGiant » Thu May 13, 2010 12:26 am

emrose wrote:
JollyGreenGiant wrote:Alrighty, looks like I'll be diving in to a MacBook Pro! Probably a 15"

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/s ... KPRO-INDEX

The only difference I see between the 2.4ghz and 2.53 is the slightly faster processor and the extra 180 gigs of hard drive (320 to 500).. but surely that isn't worth the extra $200, is it?

Also, does anyone typically know when the school discount/ipod whatever thing happens? It's not the reason I'm getting a Mac, but I might as well wait for that.
That free iPod thing is usually at the very end of May or start of June. I'm definitely picking up a 15" MBP, probably the 2.53 with the antiglare screen. I actually think that processor bump and bigger harddrive is worth it, but I also know I'm pretty much bathing in the Apple kool-aid.
I see the competition begins early in Chicago. You always gotta one-up me, emma.. dontcha? :lol: :wink:

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Re: Best Law School Laptop for the Money

Post by burvowski » Thu May 13, 2010 12:29 am

Tangerine Gleam wrote:
Duralex wrote:The processor seems a little underpowered to me, but it will probably be fine for the uses you describe. Will this be your only computer? Writing papers and working with multiple windows on a 13.3" screen can be a little frustrating. My laptop is that size, and if I didn't have a desktop I think I'd be inclined to replace it. If portability is paramount, however, it's a good buy. The slower CPU will increase battery life.
I have another Laptop (2007 Lenovo T60) and a Mac desktop, both of which are all-but dedicated to music production at home. The Lenovo could serve as a back-up, but it's pretty heavy and has a big screen (15+"), not to mention is a bit sluggish and with poor battery life, so I'd like to leave it at home. Perhaps it would be good for paper-writing indeed.

I, too, was wondering if the Asus processor was a bit slow -- will that affect things like start-up time and the ability to run many programs at once? I will not be doing any gaming or production or any of that shit -- truly just planning on writing papers, doing work, surfing the web, listening to music, and maybe occasionally watching a DVD while traveling. Also, the warranty sounds pretty decent for the price?
That's the laptop I'm looking to get. I have a gaming PC that I also use for photo editing and it also serves as a HD TV media center.

Concerns: There is no optical drive, which (correct me if this 0L is wrong) is a requirement for taking exams with it. That said, it isn't hard to find an external dvd drive from a friend, or just bought one for $30 or so. Other than that, the battery life (I've heard 6 hours of HD video playback) are a serious pull. I'm definitely considering it.

If it were your only laptop, I would just advise for a MBP (it comes out to about the same when you factor in the free ipod touch), but since you (and I) already have capable machines at home, I think this is a good purchase for law classes. It will get over 10 hours of typing and browsing (and don't worry, the processor is fine if it can handle 1080p playback) and it is very, very light. The aluminum casing is really durable too

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