Best Law School Laptop for the Money Forum

[Snoopy1216]

Mac just came out with the "buy a laptop and get an IPod touch free"! Does Mac usually come out with new versions later and the summer and this deal just goes with their old ones??

[Mr. Matlock]

Mac just came out with the "buy a laptop and get an IPod touch free"! Does Mac usually come out with new versions later and the summer and this deal just goes with their old ones??

macbook just completed updates on both the pro (shiny) and basic (not shiny) models. You won't see another update for about 9 months.

[Matthies]

Mac just came out with the "buy a laptop and get an IPod touch free"! Does Mac usually come out with new versions later and the summer and this deal just goes with their old ones??

macbook just completed updates on both the pro (shiny) and basic (not shiny) models. You won't see another update for about 9 months.

they didn't update the MPB 13 though, right?

[AnthonyNicator]

you really, really dont want a mac. i read somewhere in this thread a UCLA 1L was advised against getting a mac due to compatability issues. i've got a netbook and a HP pavilion (3 years old) and i do just fine, then again im finishing UG so who knows. go with something that will last.. if anything happens to your mac, its game over.

plus, you're tied to them for all service related issues.

[Mr. Matlock]

Mac just came out with the "buy a laptop and get an IPod touch free"! Does Mac usually come out with new versions later and the summer and this deal just goes with their old ones??

macbook just completed updates on both the pro (shiny) and basic (not shiny) models. You won't see another update for about 9 months.

they didn't update the MPB 13 though, right?

Incorrect sir! 13" got an upgrade in speed without changing to the i3/i5 processor, and a big graphics upgrade. This was for both 13" models, aluminum/white.

[Mr. Matlock]

you really, really dont want a mac. i read somewhere in this thread a UCLA 1L was advised against getting a mac due to compatability issues. i've got a netbook and a HP pavilion (3 years old) and i do just fine, then again im finishing UG so who knows. go with something that will last.. if anything happens to your mac, its game over.

plus, you're tied to them for all service related issues.

Hmmmm??? Do all the 2L and 3L's who have had macs throughout their law school experience and swear by them know this?

[wreckem]

you really, really dont want a mac. i read somewhere in this thread a UCLA 1L was advised against getting a mac due to compatability issues. i've got a netbook and a HP pavilion (3 years old) and i do just fine, then again im finishing UG so who knows. go with something that will last.. if anything happens to your mac, its game over.

plus, you're tied to them for all service related issues.

Hmmmm??? Do all the 2L and 3L's who have had macs throughout their law school experience and swear by them know this?

It depends on the school. Some schools will allow you to use their exam software in Bootcamp, others will not. This only matters with schools that use ExamSoft.

[Matthies]

you really, really dont want a mac. i read somewhere in this thread a UCLA 1L was advised against getting a mac due to compatability issues. i've got a netbook and a HP pavilion (3 years old) and i do just fine, then again im finishing UG so who knows. go with something that will last.. if anything happens to your mac, its game over.

plus, you're tied to them for all service related issues.

Hmmmm??? Do all the 2L and 3L's who have had macs throughout their law school experience and swear by them know this?

Matlock, its TLS, don't you know by now that the experience of 6000 named individuals who owned/used Macs in LS is only "anecdotal" evidence and thus can be disproved by any broad generalization made by someone who has not done/owned the thing of which he speaks?

(no offense to you Anthony, this is a running joke between me and Matlock, but if you hang around here you will see the above is the norm for advice by OLs in here about anything, especially like who/what/where/when/how actual lawyers get things likes jobs)

[Snoopy1216]

Well I'll be coming to school with a brand new shiny mac and my old dell (which works well except for a dying batter). So hopefully between the two I'll be able to work something out. Macs are amazing. They have limited problems aside from compatibility sometimes. I cant imagine the school that would shun a Mac. It's insane!

[Ronaldo]

Agree.

The law school I am going to has Exam4 or something like that. It can be used by both Mac & PC. I would guess all law schools will switch to a dual exam software in the forseeable future.

[forty-two]

you really, really dont want a mac. i read somewhere in this thread a UCLA 1L was advised against getting a mac due to compatability issues. i've got a netbook and a HP pavilion (3 years old) and i do just fine, then again im finishing UG so who knows. go with something that will last.. if anything happens to your mac, its game over.

plus, you're tied to them for all service related issues.

Meh, I have a friend at UCLA with a mac and she said it's fine and that neither she nor any of her mac using friends ever had any problems. I mean, she had to get bootcamp for finals, but after that everything was compatible.

[James Bond]

you really, really dont want a mac. i read somewhere in this thread a UCLA 1L was advised against getting a mac due to compatability issues. i've got a netbook and a HP pavilion (3 years old) and i do just fine, then again im finishing UG so who knows. go with something that will last.. if anything happens to your mac, its game over.

You're seriously saying "go with something that will last" and then suggesting a PC? Seriously?

I'm not saying that there aren't good justification for a PC...but seriously? That one?

[burvowski]

Mac just came out with the "buy a laptop and get an IPod touch free"! Does Mac usually come out with new versions later and the summer and this deal just goes with their old ones??

macbook just completed updates on both the pro (shiny) and basic (not shiny) models. You won't see another update for about 9 months.

actually, it's not uncommon for them to release minor updates/speedbumps right after the student deal ends

[burvowski]

you folks really shouldnt factor in differences in RAM when comparing laptops. you can buy RAM on newegg for like $30 and take all of 5 minutes to install

[missinglink]

Certainly a tempting alternative to the Macbook Pro. Current 10% coupon plus student pricing through May 31st, includes 3Yr Onsite Warranty + 3Yr ThinkPad Protection. Total comes out to $1544.

ThinkPad T410s - 1 Year Depot Warranty

Intel® Core™ i5-520M Processor (2.40GHz, 3MB L3, 1066MHz FSB)
Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64
14.1 WXGA+ TFT, w/ LED Backlight
NVIDIA NVS Switchable Graphics 512MB, Intel Core i5-520M Processor (2.40GHz, 3MB L3, 1066MHz FSB)
4 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1067MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) with Fingerprint Reader
128 GB Solid State Drive, Serial ATA
DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer, Ultrabay Slim (Serial ATA)
6 cell Li-Ion Battery
Bluetooth w/ antenna
Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 (3x3 AGN)
Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable
2901: 1 Year Depot Warranty - TopSeller

I still have a couple months, though, so I might just wait to see if prices go down some more / or hardware is upgraded. Any T410s users out there? I went to some computer stores, but the I could only find the X100 and some Ideapads.

[vexion]

I still have a couple months, though, so I might just wait to see if prices go down some more / or hardware is upgraded. Any T410s users out there? I went to some computer stores, but the I could only find the X100 and some Ideapads.

Just bought a T410s, been using it about a month now. I highly recommend it. It's thin, light, indestructible, and an all-around badass computer. You won't find it in stores devoted to mainstream consumer laptops, since it's a business-oriented model

[AnthonyNicator]

You're seriously saying "go with something that will last" and then suggesting a PC? Seriously?

I'm not saying that there aren't good justification for a PC...but seriously? That one?

haha... wellllll, okay, good point but listen, 007, i've been running pc's all my life, but i kind of have the advantage as the PC finesse runs in the family. Mac's are great, sure, but Apple makes a killer piece of hardware. I think the OS is crap. W7 baby. What are you running?


ps -- yes, installing RAM is super fast and easy and is dirt cheap. the laptop im using now came with only 2gigs, I put an extra 2 gigs in and it's pretty easy. Gives the computer a little more breathing room, but the real deal breaker should be the processing speed and/or graphics capability.

[barkingbug]

yes. for law school it's all about the graphics... who knew?

Well, after all that I ended up with a 2.66/4 MBP. Graduation gift. I know my school fully supports Mac. Compatibility is not an issue. I am not sure I would have picked MBP over ThinkPad, but there are some cool things that I am discovering... like the magnetized power cord. HUGE. My last ThinkPad died because of the power cord bending while plugged in. Same with my Dell XPS. Oh well. Now time to obsess about something else.

[SuperFreak]

Would anyone recommend a cheap IBM model?

[savagecheater]

I have a 4 year old Dell Inspiron laptop that I have painstakingly maintained. It still runs OK, it's (by current standards) kind of outclassed. I'm not one to discard something that works, but considering this fall I'll be a 1L, I'm concerned that it may break down at some crucial moment during 1L 1st semester.

Technology gurus/1L's, anyone have any input as to whether I should purchase a new machine or not? I mean, everything I've read indicates that this machine has already lived out its expected lifespan by about a year, but it hasn't failed me yet and so I'm hesitant to drop ~$800+ for something.

Also, can someone explain this, in the context of law school?

but the real deal breaker should be the processing speed and/or graphics capability.

[Iconoclast]

I have a 4 year old Dell Inspiron laptop that I have painstakingly maintained. It still runs OK, it's (by current standards) kind of outclassed. I'm not one to discard something that works, but considering this fall I'll be a 1L, I'm concerned that it may break down at some crucial moment during 1L 1st semester.

Technology gurus/1L's, anyone have any input as to whether I should purchase a new machine or not? I mean, everything I've read indicates that this machine has already lived out its expected lifespan by about a year, but it hasn't failed me yet and so I'm hesitant to drop ~$800+ for something.

At 4 years old, your laptop is getting a little long in the tooth. Like you, I don't believe in replacing things just because they are old (hell, I'm ancient compared to most TLS posters... and I certainly don't want to get replaced due to age!).

However, reliability is always a concern and laptops don't age nearly as gracefully as desktop PCs (higher heat stress, more exposure to moisture/humidity, etc...). At the 4 year point I would definitely be worried about a failure. Maybe not now, nor next week, but almost certainly at some point during your law school experience.

With good backup discipline you can probably mitigate almost all of the risk of data loss when the failure eventually occurs - but unfortunately you can't be sure that it will happen during a convenient time. Obviously, failure during an exam is the nightmare scenario. However, failure at other times could create some fairly serious stress as well. Replacing a laptop because yours died may not normally be a big deal (assuming your data is backed up) but do you really want to deal with doing that the week before finals? What if it decides to break during the write-on for law review when every hour counts?

personally, I would go ahead and replace it now, when you're not knee deep in other priorities. You're going to have to do it at some point in law school anyway, so why not minimize your risk/stress and just go ahead and do it now?

[savagecheater]

Retailers (and sites like newegg) often have back-to-school clearance sales, yeah? I might wait into August then if that's the case. I'll ride out this machine through the summer then, see how it goes.

[Matthies]

Retailers (and sites like newegg) often have back-to-school clearance sales, yeah? I might wait into August then if that's the case. I'll ride out this machine through the summer then, see how it goes.

Agree with Incono, get a new machine, keep old one as bacup or make into a media server

[nick637]

i just bought a standard macbook 2GB. Will i have any trouble running bootcamp solely for onenote?

[CyLaw]

i just bought a standard macbook 2GB. Will i have any trouble running bootcamp solely for onenote?

Not with bootcamp. Using a virtual machine may be an issue with only 2GBs, but bootcamp is no problem.

But really, I would try one of the OS X notetaking programs. Circus Ponies' Notebook is great!