Best Law School Laptop for the Money Forum

[Mr. Matlock]

I have no idea if this will come out all right, but here are the ratings from Consumer Reports that I just got today for laptops.

Don't say I never do anything for you worthless fucking kids!!

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[Matthies]

Yea, im using ITUNES. I should have probably switched to something else long ago. I was thinking about backing up all of my music to an EHDD and deleting everything .mp3 out of my computer then putting it all back in. Dont know how that would work though.

So for everything else, pics, docs etc. It would be best to save everything to the EHDD instead of on the cpu? Anyone know where I can get a TB EHDD for cheap?

My main laptop has a 128gig SSD so I only store the program shells I need on there, everything else I put on a network or external drive. This depends, do you need access to pictures, movies, music on the go? Then you will need a smaller self powered EHDD. If not you can make your own EHDD. Do you have an esata port on your computer or just USB/firewire?

One route is to buy a an internal HDD and either a drive enclosure or a drive dock.
Examples:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822152185 plus http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817182155 or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817182196

Next would be basically the same thing but already put together for you.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822154393

I've also used 2.5 EHDD Seagate Gos with a dock, small enough to take in your backpack and you can get several of them (I have some for movies, music, shuttle, archive, ect.)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product

Plus I use an NAS. But I'm running 5 computers, a Windows Home Sever and over 12TB of storage, plus another 3TB of network storage I can aces anywhere from the net.

(Note I just used New Egg as an example, most times Amazon can beat their prices)

As for Itunes there is software out there that will help you get rid of the duplicates, or you can do it by hand in Itunes under File --- Show Duplicates then delate. Not that bad if you have 20 gigs of msuci, but with 500 gigs that way would take forver

Wow dude, you have a pretty sweet set up, I wouldnt even know where to start to set up something like that ha. Only firewire/usb. I have a smaller 160 EHDD but its not enough space. I have way too much music. I did the deleting of duplicates on ITUNES, however, they are still there if I run a search they just arent in itunes. I think I might just have to go pay the geek squad to take care of this for me because I have no clue what to do other than a complete wipe.

Thanks for all the links man, I'll def look into that. I need to upgrade my internal HDD and my OS to snow leopard.

Make sure your msuic is all stored in the intune folder (forget where you set that) then have itunes cosloidate it, then if you want to, hand delate. Search intunes help, they have like a step by sttep guide under how to move your intunes folder wjhich tells you how to consolidate

[Matthies]

egads nothing I owen (that i did not make myself) is on that list. No Dell Adamo, no Aleinware, no XPS 1330. Well the Mac is on there, i guess that something.

This is my case for the next build:

http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.a ... 19&ID=1837

Think I'm going to try one of the new six-core AMDs in it.

[zeth006]

egads nothing I owen (that i did not make myself) is on that list. No Dell Adamo, no Aleinware, no XPS 1330. Well the Mac is on there, i guess that something.

This is my case for the next build:

http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.a ... 19&ID=1837

Think I'm going to try one of the new six-core AMDs in it.

Why get depressed by what one mag article says? I give CR credit for being objective and detailed in their ratings and assessments, but as long as you're happy with your gadgets, what's to worry about?

I personally am not surprised the MBP 13 topped the 13" class list. I did my research extensively before dropping cash for it. As I learned over the years, it's not always just about the specs and raw power which people like me won't ever really use extensively. It's about how all the other less-noticed factors work together to create a user-friendly experience. I'll always have a desktop replacement notebook or a high powered desktop at home for everything else non-mobile related. Throw in a 24" monitor and I have a home theater replacement.

[burvowski]

24" = home theater? you must have some crappy theaters where you live

[barkingbug]

CR data listed here is badly out of date; anyone buying a core two processor is making a big mistake.

Make sure to look for education discounts - we all know about Apple's, but others have some similar offers. I noticed that Lenovo has a Gold Key discount, maybe I can get some of my $75 back for that otherwise worthless club.

[Matthies]

CR data listed here is badly out of date; anyone buying a core two processor is making a big mistake.

Make sure to look for education discounts - we all know about Apple's, but others have some similar offers. I noticed that Lenovo has a Gold Key discount, maybe I can get some of my $75 back for that otherwise worthless club.

Dell has thier EEP program.

Core 2 Duo is still not a bad processor if cost is your main concern, espcially if your going to be unpluged for a long perioed of time. Core 2 Dou clock speed and power consumtion is not bad for what your doing LS wise for cheap.

[Mr. Matlock]

CR data listed here is badly out of date; anyone buying a core two processor is making a big mistake.

Make sure to look for education discounts - we all know about Apple's, but others have some similar offers. I noticed that Lenovo has a Gold Key discount, maybe I can get some of my $75 back for that otherwise worthless club.

They have the core i series computers listed. I just think these are minus the recent Apple updates. That being said, Apple stuck with the core duo on their 13" pro model:
http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2010/ ... pgrade.ars

I guess if there just wasn't enough space, perhaps it was time for a re-design?????

[Matthies]

CR data listed here is badly out of date; anyone buying a core two processor is making a big mistake.

Make sure to look for education discounts - we all know about Apple's, but others have some similar offers. I noticed that Lenovo has a Gold Key discount, maybe I can get some of my $75 back for that otherwise worthless club.

They have the core i series computers listed. I just think these are minus the recent Apple updates. That being said, Apple stuck with the core duo on their 13" pro model:
http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2010/ ... pgrade.ars

I guess if there just wasn't enough space, perhaps it was time for a re-design?????

I beat its also a heat issue, those i-5s get hot, not much rooms for fans in the 13 MBP (which i kind of like becuase my MPB is SILENT comapred to my XPS 13 with the same proc, damn fan is LOUD and runs all the time on that thing and it still gets way to hot, bad thermal design)

[Chupavida]

.

[Mr. Matlock]

Even an i3 would be an upgrade. I'm praying they do a 13" refresh before the fall.

Doubtful. The last update took over 6 months. They have a chance to do something with the base 13" macbook, but chances are they'll just bring it up to basic specs of the pro. Then again, it's Apple. Who knows wtf they'll do??

[barkingbug]

CR data listed here is badly out of date; anyone buying a core two processor is making a big mistake.

Make sure to look for education discounts - we all know about Apple's, but others have some similar offers. I noticed that Lenovo has a Gold Key discount, maybe I can get some of my $75 back for that otherwise worthless club.

They have the core i series computers listed. I just think these are minus the recent Apple updates. That being said, Apple stuck with the core duo on their 13" pro model:
http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2010/ ... pgrade.ars

I guess if there just wasn't enough space, perhaps it was time for a re-design?????

There are are a number of available i3, i5, i7 models out there that are not listed. I plan to get the Thinkpad Edge, which is comparable to the low-end MBP for $665. However, it is probably a good idea to wait until July to see what else pops up... not like we need it sooner, right?

[Matthies]

CR data listed here is badly out of date; anyone buying a core two processor is making a big mistake.

Make sure to look for education discounts - we all know about Apple's, but others have some similar offers. I noticed that Lenovo has a Gold Key discount, maybe I can get some of my $75 back for that otherwise worthless club.

They have the core i series computers listed. I just think these are minus the recent Apple updates. That being said, Apple stuck with the core duo on their 13" pro model:
http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2010/ ... pgrade.ars

I guess if there just wasn't enough space, perhaps it was time for a re-design?????

There are are a number of available i3, i5, i7 models out there that are not listed. I plan to get the Thinkpad Edge, which is comparable to the low-end MBP for $665. However, it is probably a good idea to wait until July to see what else pops up... not like we need it sooner, right?

Internet porn waits for no man, its never a bad time to upgrade

[JollyGreenGiant]

Holy hell there is a lot to sift through in this thread.

I have ~$1500 to spend. I'm going to be using my laptop to surf the web, type documents, take notes in class, and play Starcraft 2. I'm leaning towards getting the new Macbook Pro, but I've never had a Mac before and I'm a bit unsure.

Anyone got any recommendations for me?

[09042014]

Holy hell there is a lot to sift through in this thread.

I have ~$1500 to spend. I'm going to be using my laptop to surf the web, type documents, take notes in class, and play Starcraft 2. I'm leaning towards getting the new Macbook Pro, but I've never had a Mac before and I'm a bit unsure.

Anyone got any recommendations for me?

Why are you spending so much?

[entropy111]

Macs suck so bad it's funny.....

yuck. Save your money or spend the $1200+ on a PC and get more.

For the Examsoft thing: if you do have a mac, your school's IT people should be able to put windows on there (dual boot) so you can use Examsoft....double check before you buy.

Im coming up on the end of my 1L year and looking back I'm happy with my laptop purchase...Lenovo ThinkPad T series...Avoid the SL series (it's a cheap knock off made by lenovo when they took over IBM so they could make some more money on the ThinkPad name). The keyboards on Thinkpad's are the best money can buy (but this is mostly just my opinion from using it)..PLUS, thinkpads have TrackPoint (pointing mouse stick thingy between the letters "g" "h" and "b" on the keyboard) in addition to the touch-pad...some people don't like trackpoint...but i love it...once you get used to it.

PLUS, by using a PC you won't look like you're in art-school!

Avoid Netbooks like the plague...they are cool but the keyboard is too small and the screen is tiny..Really becomes a problem when you want to work with two docs side-by-side. . .

15" is best, I think. Lets you view docs real well and the keyboard is nice and roomy. Plus accessories (cases, ect..) are super cheap for 15" since they are so popular....Don't worry about weight too much... I spent SO much time trying to find a super light laptop..only to find out it doesnt really matter how much my it weighs cause I'm always lugging around 100lbs of casebooks anyways...

I'd use Cnet.com laptop ratings or Newegg.com ratings guide your choice.

Good luck!

oh yea..almost forgot....three weeks after I bought my laptop from Lenovo my step-dad bought a really nice Acer from Best Buy for waaaay less money (same specs)..i remember thinking..damn should have done that...Added benefit, you can return it easily..

[dvd]

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[Mr. Matlock]

Minnesota has mandatory laptop purchase. Last year's starting class bought the Lenovo Thinkpad T400 - I wonder what this year's class will buy.

Have fun lugging that monster around.

[beach_terror]

oh yea..almost forgot....three weeks after I bought my laptop from Lenovo my step-dad bought a really nice Acer from Best Buy for waaaay less money (same specs)..i remember thinking..damn should have done that...Added benefit, you can return it easily..

Lenovo's have some awesome features that the Acer probably doesn't. Namely the spill resistant keyboard and the roll-cage technology.

[Mr. Matlock]

oh yea..almost forgot....three weeks after I bought my laptop from Lenovo my step-dad bought a really nice Acer from Best Buy for waaaay less money (same specs)..i remember thinking..damn should have done that...Added benefit, you can return it easily..

Lenovo's have some awesome features that the Acer probably doesn't. Namely the spill resistant keyboard and the roll-cage technology.

Do all Lenovo's have the same quality keyboards? When I went on the Lenovo site and went through their questions to help pick a suitable laptop, it gave me the IdeaPad Y460. Doesn't appear to have the tracker button either.
http://shop.lenovo.com/us/notebooks/ide ... eries/y460

Opinions? I have no idea what the difference between the think or idea pads.

[Matthies]

Minnesota has mandatory laptop purchase. Last year's starting class bought the Lenovo Thinkpad T400 - I wonder what this year's class will buy.

Have fun lugging that monster around.

Dude seriously I'm looking on e-bay for one of those now just to put on my desk for the lulzs

[Matthies]

Holy hell there is a lot to sift through in this thread.

I have ~$1500 to spend. I'm going to be using my laptop to surf the web, type documents, take notes in class, and play Starcraft 2. I'm leaning towards getting the new Macbook Pro, but I've never had a Mac before and I'm a bit unsure.

Anyone got any recommendations for me?

Why are you spending so much?

LOL I'm a cumputer snob, but $1500 for a laptop I would classfiy as 'cheap"

[beach_terror]

oh yea..almost forgot....three weeks after I bought my laptop from Lenovo my step-dad bought a really nice Acer from Best Buy for waaaay less money (same specs)..i remember thinking..damn should have done that...Added benefit, you can return it easily..

Lenovo's have some awesome features that the Acer probably doesn't. Namely the spill resistant keyboard and the roll-cage technology.

Do all Lenovo's have the same quality keyboards? When I went on the Lenovo site and went through their questions to help pick a suitable laptop, it gave me the IdeaPad Y460. Doesn't appear to have the tracker button either.
http://shop.lenovo.com/us/notebooks/ide ... eries/y460

Opinions? I have no idea what the difference between the think or idea pads.

The Ideapads are geared toward gaming/media more, whereas the Thinkpads are geared toward business people. The Ideapads don't have the features I mentioned above. If that's your price range, and you just want it to be a computer for law school (and it'll be more than fine for casual gaming and any media you play) I'd go with the Thinkpad T410 series. They were just on sale, and you could get one for less than 800$ that was souped up pretty nice. I don't know much about the keyboards, but they aren't the chiclet style Mac keyboards. However, the Thinkpad Edge series has those type of keyboards.

[09042014]

Holy hell there is a lot to sift through in this thread.

I have ~$1500 to spend. I'm going to be using my laptop to surf the web, type documents, take notes in class, and play Starcraft 2. I'm leaning towards getting the new Macbook Pro, but I've never had a Mac before and I'm a bit unsure.

Anyone got any recommendations for me?

Why are you spending so much?

LOL I'm a cumputer snob, but $1500 for a laptop I would classfiy as 'cheap"

Not when you going into a lot of debt for law school. Unless someone else is paying for him that 1500 will be earning interest for a long time.

He can buy a laptop that will do everything he wants for under 1000.

What are you doing that makes a 1500 laptop 'cheap'? Gaming? Video editing? 3D CAD?

If you are spending 2K on a laptop to surf the net, write docs, and watch video you are wasting a lot of money.

[Matthies]

Holy hell there is a lot to sift through in this thread.

I have ~$1500 to spend. I'm going to be using my laptop to surf the web, type documents, take notes in class, and play Starcraft 2. I'm leaning towards getting the new Macbook Pro, but I've never had a Mac before and I'm a bit unsure.

Anyone got any recommendations for me?

Why are you spending so much?

LOL I'm a cumputer snob, but $1500 for a laptop I would classfiy as 'cheap"

Not when you going into a lot of debt for law school. Unless someone else is paying for him that 1500 will be earning interest for a long time.

He can buy a laptop that will do everything he wants for under 1000.

What are you doing that makes a 1500 laptop 'cheap'? Gaming? Video editing? 3D CAD?

If you are spending 2K on a laptop to surf the net, write docs, and watch video you are wasting a lot of money.

Computers are my hobby, and my sideline biz. I have 2k laptop that is a dedicated ripper/utoornet machine running 24/7, a work laptop Dell Admao (its cute OK), a MBP that's a second work laptop for when I do stuff for lawyers who use mac, a third older laptop that's a proxy sever/firewall, an older HP 311 netbook, a Windows Home Sever machine, an HTPC, and a primary/gaming rig that cost more than some new cars. I run SSDs as my primary HDD on all my computers and then 12TB of HDDs. I tend to buy bleeding edge and upgrade every six months or so and repurpose the old ones. I'm on my computer pretty much solid 12+ hours a day doing work of some type, and most are on 24/7 doing something else when I'm asleep so I demand allot from my systems.