Best Law School Laptop for the Money Forum

[kalvano]

They all use the same parts from the same companies.

No, actually they don't. Dell heavily uses proprietary parts, which are much cheaper.

I've opened and torn apart a couple of Dells in the past. It's true they've been known to take motherboards made by the likes of Foxxconn and add their own crappy unique specifications. Hence the infamous audio hissing bug with the Vostro 1500. Otherwise it's all the same motherboard, CPU, RAM, hard drives, and the peripherals on the side.


Dell isn't an ODM. All Dell does is design the exterior, benchmark which parts should get packaged with the laptop and decide which parts go where.

Even Apple fanboys recognize this.

EDIT: A quick checkup shows you were probably right with the older gaming notebooks. They once used to use proprietary motherboards and PSUs for the older XPS lines. Guess they kicked that habit long ago. Strange how I never saw that with the older Inspirons and Vostros.

Yeah, it's been years since I even touched a Dell.

Honestly, if you want a really good laptop, stay away from the huge makers. You can get a good Velocity Micro for the about the same as most of the prices mentioned here, and it's a lot better built and much higher-quality parts.

[zeth006]

Honestly, if you want a really good laptop, stay away from the huge makers. You can get a good Velocity Micro for the about the same as most of the prices mentioned here, and it's a lot better built and much higher-quality parts.

I'm probably going to opt out of any offerings from Dell or HP anyway. Nothing in their product lines interests me. The closest match is Apple with their thin aluminum unibody designs and soon to be Macbook Pro refresh, but I don't wanna pay their premium for the 13" version.

Chalk it up to becoming spoiled after seeing sneak peeks of Asus' and Acer's ULV i5 releases for later this year. I'm probably going to end up with an Asus. ULV i5-520UM+Nvidia Optimus graphics+Thin design+Alright keyboard+lightweight=Me Likie. Asus is still trying to establish themselves as a respected notebook maker, which is why I intend to benefit from their traditionally lower pricing. But for warranty, I'm probably going to go with Squaretrade.

[HBK]

Honestly, if you want a really good laptop, stay away from the huge makers. You can get a good Velocity Micro for the about the same as most of the prices mentioned here, and it's a lot better built and much higher-quality parts.

I'm probably going to opt out of any offerings from Dell or HP anyway. Nothing in their product lines interests me. The closest match is Apple with their thin aluminum unibody designs and soon to be Macbook Pro refresh, but I don't wanna pay their premium for the 13" version.

Chalk it up to becoming spoiled after seeing sneak peeks of Asus' and Acer's ULV i5 releases for later this year. I'm probably going to end up with an Asus. ULV i5-520UM+Nvidia Optimus graphics+Thin design+Alright keyboard+lightweight=Me Likie. Asus is still trying to establish themselves as a respected notebook maker, which is why I intend to benefit from their traditionally lower pricing. But for warranty, I'm probably going to go with Squaretrade.

When do the new models typically come out?

[zeth006]

Honestly, if you want a really good laptop, stay away from the huge makers. You can get a good Velocity Micro for the about the same as most of the prices mentioned here, and it's a lot better built and much higher-quality parts.

I'm probably going to opt out of any offerings from Dell or HP anyway. Nothing in their product lines interests me. The closest match is Apple with their thin aluminum unibody designs and soon to be Macbook Pro refresh, but I don't wanna pay their premium for the 13" version.

Chalk it up to becoming spoiled after seeing sneak peeks of Asus' and Acer's ULV i5 releases for later this year. I'm probably going to end up with an Asus. ULV i5-520UM+Nvidia Optimus graphics+Thin design+Alright keyboard+lightweight=Me Likie. Asus is still trying to establish themselves as a respected notebook maker, which is why I intend to benefit from their traditionally lower pricing. But for warranty, I'm probably going to go with Squaretrade.

When do the new models typically come out?

No one knows. For the Asus notebooks Asus said "Not for a long time" back in March. Intel also said the ULV i5 chips wouldn't be available until summer. I may have to wait until May-July or even up to right around when class starts for it, but that's fine for me. I already have a notebook, but a heavy one. I'm a just stickler for not paying $ for 2008 technology when it's about to get discounted for the introduction of 2010 technology.

The i5-520um chips that we may find in the Asus will admittedly have less power than those found on the MBP 13. But they'll also allow for a thinner and lighter design which is what I'm aiming at.

[HBK]

Honestly, if you want a really good laptop, stay away from the huge makers. You can get a good Velocity Micro for the about the same as most of the prices mentioned here, and it's a lot better built and much higher-quality parts.

I'm probably going to opt out of any offerings from Dell or HP anyway. Nothing in their product lines interests me. The closest match is Apple with their thin aluminum unibody designs and soon to be Macbook Pro refresh, but I don't wanna pay their premium for the 13" version.

Chalk it up to becoming spoiled after seeing sneak peeks of Asus' and Acer's ULV i5 releases for later this year. I'm probably going to end up with an Asus. ULV i5-520UM+Nvidia Optimus graphics+Thin design+Alright keyboard+lightweight=Me Likie. Asus is still trying to establish themselves as a respected notebook maker, which is why I intend to benefit from their traditionally lower pricing. But for warranty, I'm probably going to go with Squaretrade.

When do the new models typically come out?

No one knows. For the Asus notebooks Asus said "Not for a long time" back in March. Intel also said the ULV i5 chips wouldn't be available until summer. I may have to wait until May-July or even up to right around when class starts for it, but that's fine for me. I already have a notebook, but a heavy one. I'm a just stickler for not paying $ for 2008 technology when it's about to get discounted for the introduction of 2010 technology.

The i5-520um chips that we may find in the Asus will admittedly have less power than those found on the MBP 13. But they'll also allow for a thinner and lighter design which is what I'm aiming at.

Hell, I'll probably just wait for them to come out so they'll discount the models they have out now. I don't need a lot of power, just something to take notes with.

[zeth006]

Not a bad plan. Though Asus may end sales of their UL30VT line which the UL30JT replaces. They already discounted the UL30VT down from $800 seeing how it's now $750 give or take a few clams.

I'm still debating the notebook size. Not sure whether to go 13" vs 14" vs 15." I wear glasses.

[Panther7]

got my custom lenovo T410, couldn't be happier. higher end at around 1050, but it's fast, has a loooooooong battery life (6hrs browing internet), very durable, amazing keyboard, and some really cool security features with the optional fingerprint scanner.

[zeth006]

got my custom lenovo T410, couldn't be happier. higher end at around 1050, but it's fast, has a loooooooong battery life (6hrs browing internet), very durable, amazing keyboard, and some really cool security features with the optional fingerprint scanner.

Glad to hear you like it.


Still debating. Wait for Asus UL30JT or go for a MBP 13." The T410 is starting to look great with that upgraded 6200 wifi card!


For anyone interested in Macbook Pro 13" for $1,049 after a $100 rebate that expires April 30th:

--LinkRemoved--

[burvowski]

--LinkRemoved--

Laptops with Ubuntu pre-loaded.

[burvowski]

got my custom lenovo T410, couldn't be happier. higher end at around 1050, but it's fast, has a loooooooong battery life (6hrs browing internet), very durable, amazing keyboard, and some really cool security features with the optional fingerprint scanner.

Glad to hear you like it.


Still debating. Wait for Asus UL30JT or go for a MBP 13." The T410 is starting to look great with that upgraded 6200 wifi card!


For anyone interested in Macbook Pro 13" for $1,049 after a $100 rebate that expires April 30th:

--LinkRemoved--

If you wait a month or so, they will start their summer student deal...student discount + free iPod touch + free printer is their usual deal.

[zeth006]

got my custom lenovo T410, couldn't be happier. higher end at around 1050, but it's fast, has a loooooooong battery life (6hrs browing internet), very durable, amazing keyboard, and some really cool security features with the optional fingerprint scanner.

Glad to hear you like it.


Still debating. Wait for Asus UL30JT or go for a MBP 13." The T410 is starting to look great with that upgraded 6200 wifi card!


For anyone interested in Macbook Pro 13" for $1,049 after a $100 rebate that expires April 30th:

--LinkRemoved--

If you wait a month or so, they will start their summer student deal...student discount + free iPod touch + free printer is their usual deal.

Yeah, someone on another forum just told me that just now.

The $100 off discount isn't a lot, but considering the printer rebate and a free 8gb 3rd Gen iPod Touch, I guess I can't complain too much! I can see cases where the iPod Touch would be a nice distraction *cough cough* I mean tool. I'll more than likely use their printer rebate to get a wifi enabled one and pay extra if I must. I learned long ago that with printers, you get what you pay for.

[dp73816]

I learned long ago that with printers, you get what you pay for.

+1 - Replacing my $50 cheapie with a nice Kodak...tired of paying $30 for ink cartridges

If you go to CNET.com, you can actually compared computers side by side; very cool and useful feature. Right now, I think I have it down to an Lenovo IdeaPad U450p 3389, Asus UL30A-X5, Acer Aspire Timeline 4810TZ-4474, or one of the Toshiba Satellite series. Just cant see the reason for shelling out all that $$ for a Mac.

Of course, all of this could change with summer deals and new models...

[zeth006]

I learned long ago that with printers, you get what you pay for.

+1 - Replacing my $50 cheapie with a nice Kodak...tired of paying $30 for ink cartridges

If you go to CNET.com, you can actually compared computers side by side; very cool and useful feature. Right now, I think I have it down to an Lenovo IdeaPad U450p 3389, Asus UL30A-X5, Acer Aspire Timeline 4810TZ-4474, or one of the Toshiba Satellite series. Just cant see the reason for shelling out all that $$ for a Mac.

Of course, all of this could change with summer deals and new models...

Ummm....for the printer part, I've been using a Canon MX330 and refilling the very stock cartridge that came with it for dirt cheap for over a year. It's just a matter of figuring out how to reset the page counter chip that's inside the cartridge or in the case with Canon, turning off the chip sensor inside he printer. For Canon, you just hold cancel for like 10-15 seconds so that the page counter gets deactivated.

Most cartridges require a little drilling and injecting the ink. I've ended up saving so much money over the many pages my bro and I print.

The Mac--The reason I'm going for it the weight, build construction, and support. Remember, you're going to need your laptop for the long term. If poop ever goes south with my laptop, I'd rather that I have a place to go to for servicing. Plus the MBP's got one of the best screens I've seen in the entire laptop industry. I've only come across maybe 3-4 laptops in my lifetime that had equally good or better screens.

[dp73816]

I learned long ago that with printers, you get what you pay for.

+1 - Replacing my $50 cheapie with a nice Kodak...tired of paying $30 for ink cartridges

If you go to CNET.com, you can actually compared computers side by side; very cool and useful feature. Right now, I think I have it down to an Lenovo IdeaPad U450p 3389, Asus UL30A-X5, Acer Aspire Timeline 4810TZ-4474, or one of the Toshiba Satellite series. Just cant see the reason for shelling out all that $$ for a Mac.

Of course, all of this could change with summer deals and new models...

Ummm....for the printer part, I've been using a Canon MX330 and refilling the very stock cartridge that came with it for dirt cheap for over a year. It's just a matter of figuring out how to reset the page counter chip that's inside the cartridge or in the case with Canon, turning off the chip sensor inside he printer. For Canon, you just hold cancel for like 10-15 seconds so that the page counter gets deactivated.

Most cartridges require a little drilling and injecting the ink. I've ended up saving so much money over the many pages my bro and I print.

The Mac--The reason I'm going for it the weight, build construction, and support. Remember, you're going to need your laptop for the long term. If poop ever goes south with my laptop, I'd rather that I have a place to go to for servicing. Plus the MBP's got one of the best screens I've seen in the entire laptop industry. I've only come across maybe 3-4 laptops in my lifetime that had equally good or better screens.

Ya...see, thats way too much time and work to put into a printer. I want to hit a button - and have a printed page come out. That's about it. The Kodaks have the cheapest ink refills in the market, and the new ESP 7250 is supposed to be awesome.

And I get what you mean about Macs - I'm just afraid of biting the bullet on something I will carry with me literally 7 days a week. I've heard nothing but good things about ASUS customer service, and I could buy two of them for the price of one mac.

[beach_terror]

For those interested in Lenovo's, there is a great sale going on with their Thinkpad Edge right now. You can get a 14' (the smallest size that has a CD drive) with 2gb ram/2.13 i3/6 cell battery for like 620$ with the 5% off Edge coupon + the current sale. I think I'm going to be ordering one soon.

PS. They're still doing free shipping.

[shepdawg]

I have been looking at this Asus UL80. Light, thin, and performance all in one. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6834220602

Should I wait until July to buy one though, so I can get newer technology. Or, should I just buy it now because most new technology is released in Jan.?

[dlac]

I have been looking at this Asus UL80. Light, thin, and performance all in one. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6834220602

Should I wait until July to buy one though, so I can get newer technology. Or, should I just buy it now because most new technology is released in Jan.?

That laptop is pretty heavy, the Asus UL30VT is way better for the price right now. --LinkRemoved--

If you know how to do bing.com cashback, it comes out to around $700 shipped w/o tax in most states.

[zeth006]

For those interested in Lenovo's, there is a great sale going on with their Thinkpad Edge right now. You can get a 14' (the smallest size that has a CD drive) with 2gb ram/2.13 i3/6 cell battery for like 620$ with the 5% off Edge coupon + the current sale. I think I'm going to be ordering one soon.

PS. They're still doing free shipping.

Link? If it's a great deal, it'll kill the agony of deciding. Damn Microsoft never took care to make a Mac version of OneNote!

EDIT: Found it. I'll have to think about it, but probably not.

[zeth006]

I learned long ago that with printers, you get what you pay for.

+1 - Replacing my $50 cheapie with a nice Kodak...tired of paying $30 for ink cartridges

If you go to CNET.com, you can actually compared computers side by side; very cool and useful feature. Right now, I think I have it down to an Lenovo IdeaPad U450p 3389, Asus UL30A-X5, Acer Aspire Timeline 4810TZ-4474, or one of the Toshiba Satellite series. Just cant see the reason for shelling out all that $$ for a Mac.

Of course, all of this could change with summer deals and new models...

Ummm....for the printer part, I've been using a Canon MX330 and refilling the very stock cartridge that came with it for dirt cheap for over a year. It's just a matter of figuring out how to reset the page counter chip that's inside the cartridge or in the case with Canon, turning off the chip sensor inside he printer. For Canon, you just hold cancel for like 10-15 seconds so that the page counter gets deactivated.

Most cartridges require a little drilling and injecting the ink. I've ended up saving so much money over the many pages my bro and I print.

The Mac--The reason I'm going for it the weight, build construction, and support. Remember, you're going to need your laptop for the long term. If poop ever goes south with my laptop, I'd rather that I have a place to go to for servicing. Plus the MBP's got one of the best screens I've seen in the entire laptop industry. I've only come across maybe 3-4 laptops in my lifetime that had equally good or better screens.

Ya...see, thats way too much time and work to put into a printer. I want to hit a button - and have a printed page come out. That's about it. The Kodaks have the cheapest ink refills in the market, and the new ESP 7250 is supposed to be awesome.

And I get what you mean about Macs - I'm just afraid of biting the bullet on something I will carry with me literally 7 days a week. I've heard nothing but good things about ASUS customer service, and I could buy two of them for the price of one mac.

The price part is perfectly understandable for sure. But the ink? Pretty hassle free beyond occasionally getting ink on your fingers. It's just a matter of drilling a hole in the cartridge and injecting a little black ink every month or so for dirt cheap.

[03121202698008]

The price part is perfectly understandable for sure. But the ink? Pretty hassle free beyond occasionally getting ink on your fingers. It's just a matter of drilling a hole in the cartridge and injecting a little black ink every month or so for dirt cheap.

I bought a commercial grade color laser off of craigslist for $200. According to it's internal page count, it's printed less than 200 pages (normal life is 200k+). Toner is pricey but considering I get 2-3K per, it works out to a few cents per page. Way cheaper then even the cheapest ink jet and it looks more professional come time for resumes and cover letters.

[zeth006]

The price part is perfectly understandable for sure. But the ink? Pretty hassle free beyond occasionally getting ink on your fingers. It's just a matter of drilling a hole in the cartridge and injecting a little black ink every month or so for dirt cheap.

I bought a commercial grade color laser off of craigslist for $200. According to it's internal page count, it's printed less than 200 pages (normal life is 200k+). Toner is pricey but considering I get 2-3K per, it works out to a few cents per page. Way cheaper then even the cheapest ink jet and it looks more professional come time for resumes and cover letters.

Hmmm, looks like laser's getting competitive, eh? Wasn't the case about 5 years ago. A few pennies a page make it a close match. I'll take a look at it again later. But honestly for the parts involved in making laser toners and inkjet cartridges, the burden's on laser toners. I can get bottles of black ink for a few bucks on fleabay. They may not last for a 1,000 pages. But they're sure damn cheap!

[daviddel03]

hey guys, i'm a bit of a newb when it comes to computers, but what do you all think of the lenovo G550:

--LinkRemoved-- ... 6834146706


Thanks!

[Luis Gomez]

hey guys, i'm a bit of a newb when it comes to computers, but what do you all think of the lenovo G550:

--LinkRemoved-- ... 6834146706


Thanks!

Your link doesn't work.

[daviddel03]

ahh sorry about that:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6834146706

in case it still doesn't work it's a lenovo G550(29583RU) NoteBook Intel Pentium dual-core T4400.

thanks again

[daviddel03]

anyone?