The Ideal Law School Laptop Forum

[superflush]

Find out if will be recording your exams on dvds. Some schools claim to do this. Others use USB sticks. Check with your school.

If this was the case, then people couldn't really use netbooks for exams either.

Most slimline external dvd drives are dvd burners. (that I've been able to find anyway)

Okay, so if your school wanted burned dvds for exams, then netbook users would need to bring their external dvd burner.

[sheltron5000]

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=718516

Objection, thought you should read that thread... Apparently, the new 13 (and possibly 15) inch MBPs are capped at 1.5 GB SATA for some unknown reason (especially weird since the previous gen of MBPs was 3.0). This basically means that the computer wouldn't be able to take advantage of the speed of an SSD. I'm not that well-versed on the whole SATA thing, but you should check out that thread if you're even considering getting an SSD for a new MBP.

I'm not sure exactly what you're saying, (and I haven't hit the link), but SSD is an option when ordering any of the the new MBPs from Apple.

Right, and that option is a rip-off because the downgraded SATA speed prevents you from taking advantage of the SSD they install. Right now, only the 17 inch new MBPs have the old 3.0 speed (and thus only they can take advantage of faster SSDs).

http://www.macrumors.com/2009/06/14/13- ... interface/

So then if I'm going to get the 13" or 15" Pro, I may as well just get the standard drive and upgrade its size instead of getting the smaller SSD, right? The 500GB standard drive is about the same price to upgrade to as is the SSD 128 GB.

The SSD is slightly faster than the 7200RPM options, because apple uses an older kind of SSD. People who like to upgrade are upset because apple used an older interface for the storage drive (ssd/hdd) that can't keep up with the newest SSDs which are starting to get VERY fast. Most people won't ever notice the difference.

Go with the 500GB drive if that's what you want, I don't think most people need that much space though, 250GB is more than enough for me.

[sheltron5000]

As of now I'm leaning towards the Macbook Pro (13 or 15 inch), primarily because of battery power, reliability (most friends say Macs don't freeze up like my PCs have), standard perks (camera, mic, etc.). Moreover, I haven't been really wowed by any of the non-Mac laptops, even though they often run for about the same price (especially after getting the anti-Virus software, etc.) The only things still holding me back are OneNote and the fact that I am already very familiar with the Windows OS. Also Windows 7 (which I'm downloading now) looks fantastic.

So now my question is, if I did go ahead and get a Macbook Pro, it is possible to partition the drive so that I can run the Mac's original operating system or Windows 7 whenever I want, right? And this would make it possible for me to run OneNote on Windows 7 (or is it, as someone said earlier, actually possible/easy to run OneNote on the Mac's OS?) That same question applies to taking law school exams.

It is definitely possible, there are two options: Bootcamp (dual booting) and/or Virtualization. Bootcamp means you have to choose you OS on startup, that requires you to partition your drive, like you suggested. Virtualization uses software (VMWare Fusion, Parallels, or (opensource) Virtualbox) to run the second OS inside Mac OS. Some virtualization software can create a data package to hold the second OS and installed software on the same partition as the Mac OS (meaning you don't need to partition into multiple drives). You can also use virtualization to run an OS on a separate partition inside a window in Mac OS, meaning you can do BOTH Bootcamp and Virtualization.

The main barrier is the requirement to buy: Virtualization software and Windows, the total can add up to $300 or more.

[enygma]

what size did you get?

ha, can't believe i forgot that tidbit. 13"

[superflush]

what size did you get?

ha, can't believe i forgot that tidbit. 13"

Especially since you were like "its the perfect size for law school"

[Bama Law 2012]

As of now I'm leaning towards the Macbook Pro (13 or 15 inch), primarily because of battery power, reliability (most friends say Macs don't freeze up like my PCs have), standard perks (camera, mic, etc.). Moreover, I haven't been really wowed by any of the non-Mac laptops, even though they often run for about the same price (especially after getting the anti-Virus software, etc.) The only things still holding me back are OneNote and the fact that I am already very familiar with the Windows OS. Also Windows 7 (which I'm downloading now) looks fantastic.

So now my question is, if I did go ahead and get a Macbook Pro, it is possible to partition the drive so that I can run the Mac's original operating system or Windows 7 whenever I want, right? And this would make it possible for me to run OneNote on Windows 7 (or is it, as someone said earlier, actually possible/easy to run OneNote on the Mac's OS?) That same question applies to taking law school exams.

I've had my MacBook for a few months now, it hasn't frozen once. When I use a desktop PC, or worse yet at laptop, it reminds me how much I love how nicely everything works on a MacBook, especially the track pad.

I use Boot Camp to run windows (you need a valid windows license). I use that to run Office 2007 and OneNote and it works very well. There are ways that most would consider better to do this such as parallels, but Boot Camp force me to open up a separate partition that I haven't put any distraction on so that when I open OneNote I won't get drawn away by Photoshop, AIM, games etc... I of course have the internet set-up, but no bookmarks. There a multiple options you could use to open OneNote without using Boot Camp and a separate partition which requires restarting. Just keep in mind you will need a copy of the windows operating system you want to use, OneNote and may need to purchase the MAC program to load the windows OS depending on what route you go.

[enygma]

what size did you get?

ha, can't believe i forgot that tidbit. 13"

Especially since you were like "its the perfect size for law school"

seriously. i must be really distracted right now.

[dbt]

Thanks for the responses.

[GCabot]

Find out if will be recording your exams on dvds. Some schools claim to do this. Others use USB sticks. Check with your school.

The exams will be large enough to not fit on a regular CD-R and require an entire DVD?

[Objection]

http://www.anandtech.com/storage/showdo ... i=3531&p=1

Great SSD article for those trying to understand it. I'm going with the 160 GB X25-M.

[HAZMAT]

Did you read the links I supplied, Objection? The SSD is not a good deal on the new MBPs (at least currently). They don't take advantage of the speed. I'd wait a while, just in case Apple announces a firmware update that will return the SATA to 3.0... Otherwise, the SSD will be a waste of money.

[Objection]

Did you read the links I supplied, Objection? The SSD is not a good deal on the new MBPs (at least currently). They don't take advantage of the speed. I'd wait a while, just in case Apple announces a firmware update that will return the SATA to 3.0... Otherwise, the SSD will be a waste of money.

I read the links, and the understanding right now is that

1) there will be no noticeable effect on every day usage.
2) It's a firmware rather than a hardware problem

Random read/write performance actually contributes to your system feeling fast more than anything else. These are the sorts of transactions that happen when you’re launching applications or searching for files. Sequential read/write transactions happen when you’re copying large files to/from your drive. The latter is less common than the former for most users but that’s why you don’t see the 1.5Gbps issue really impacting real world performance on the new MacBook Pro.

All three of the SSDs in the table above would be interface limited on the new MBP because of their high sequential read speeds. If you were copying large files from the SSD in your MacBook to a similarly fast device, the transfers could take longer. I doubt the performance difference would be significant or noticeable in real world notebook usage, but it doesn’t change that there’s no reason to take a step backwards like that. In the coming years we’ll see more drives that can consistently break 150MB/s; Apple artificially limiting performance today would just hinder progress.

So the noticeable bottleneck is when you're transferring large files from the SSD to another device that supports speeds above 1.5 gbps. At least that's how I'm reading it. Now much of a concern for me.

http://www.anandtech.com/mac/showdoc.aspx?i=3582&p=2

[absworkoutplan]

Ok, so I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice.

I was wondering if anyone knew a good laptop I could/should customize and purchase with these specifications:

6 GB or more of RAM (I want to be able to have a TON of shit open and running concurrently)
a very good dual core, or a quad core processor (this is probably too expensive)
512 MB video card (or more, but that's rare from what i've seen)
14-16 inch screen size (i'm used a 17-inch dell so I dont want to go too small).
should last all 3 years of law school

I want to use the laptop for law school, but also for gaming during winter/summer (Starcraft II/ Diablo III/others on high settings). I have a budget of around $2,000, but it can be a bit higher. I was also wondering if packing in that much performance would kill the battery life quickly (but i've heard there are sockets almost everywhere). I would appreciate some feedback.

[bigben]

Ok, so I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice.

I was wondering if anyone knew a good laptop I could/should customize and purchase with these specifications:

6 GB or more of RAM (I want to be able to have a TON of shit open and running concurrently)
a very good dual core, or a quad core processor (this is probably too expensive)
512 MB video card (or more, but that's rare from what i've seen)
14-16 inch screen size (i'm used a 17-inch dell so I dont want to go too small).
should last all 3 years of law school

I want to use the laptop for law school, but also for gaming during winter/summer (Starcraft II/ Diablo III/others on high settings). I have a budget of around $2,000, but it can be a bit higher. I was also wondering if packing in that much performance would kill the battery life quickly (but i've heard there are sockets almost everywhere). I would appreciate some feedback.

lol, why don't you just get a desktop for your gaming and a minimal laptop for school. It would probably be cheaper than this, and so much better because you could have a bigger screen and much better hardware for your gaming.

[sheltron5000]

Ok, so I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice.

I was wondering if anyone knew a good laptop I could/should customize and purchase with these specifications:

6 GB or more of RAM (I want to be able to have a TON of shit open and running concurrently)
a very good dual core, or a quad core processor (this is probably too expensive)
512 MB video card (or more, but that's rare from what i've seen)
14-16 inch screen size (i'm used a 17-inch dell so I dont want to go too small).
should last all 3 years of law school

I want to use the laptop for law school, but also for gaming during winter/summer (Starcraft II/ Diablo III/others on high settings). I have a budget of around $2,000, but it can be a bit higher. I was also wondering if packing in that much performance would kill the battery life quickly (but i've heard there are sockets almost everywhere). I would appreciate some feedback.

lol, why don't you just get a desktop for your gaming and a minimal laptop for school. It would probably be cheaper than this, and so much better because you could have a bigger screen and much better hardware for your gaming.

credited.

Decen't gaming desktop @$1200, cheap lappie @$400.

[malagueno]

Just got my 13" Macbook Pro. It's gorgeous!

[jadedV]

Just got my 13" Macbook Pro. It's gorgeous!

I'm really close to buying one. I've had a 13" White macbook for 4 years but I dont think it will last through the next three years.

I just can't decide if I want the 13" or the 15". Ugh...

[malagueno]

Just got my 13" Macbook Pro. It's gorgeous!

I'm really close to buying one. I've had a 13" White macbook for 4 years but I dont think it will last through the next three years.

I just can't decide if I want the 13" or the 15". Ugh...

After attempting to carry around a 17" laptop through a year of graduate school I decided that size was extremely important.

[KristaLyn]

The T-400 (base model) says it ships in more than four weeks. Did anyone else buy it when it said 4+ weeks? I am worried 4+ weeks might mean four months. Should I risk it?

[sheltron5000]

Apple's pricing plan for Snow Leopard upgrades is out! $9.95 (incl. shipping) for everyone who buys after June 8th and release, $29.95 (also incl. shipping) for all other Leopard owners. Full version hasn't been released yet, but it'll probably be $129.95 just like Leopard.

[vut]

The T-400 (base model) says it ships in more than four weeks. Did anyone else buy it when it said 4+ weeks? I am worried 4+ weeks might mean four months. Should I risk it?

I think they most likely exaggerate the shipping dates. In my case, I received my T400 2 weeks before it was supposed to leave the factory.

[superflush]

I just can't decide if I want the 13" or the 15". Ugh...

I'm guessing this will be one of my conundrums when I buy next year.

[superflush]

Apple's pricing plan for Snow Leopard upgrades is out! $9.95 (incl. shipping) for everyone who buys after June 8th and release, $29.95 (also incl. shipping) for all other Leopard owners. Full version hasn't been released yet, but it'll probably be $129.95 just like Leopard.

I am not sure if there will be a "Full Version." Who would need that, people with Tiger, I guess.
Snow Leopard is only for Intel Macs, so I guess people with much older macs can't use it.

[hoffb86]

Does the new macbook already have the new version of snow leopard on it? (sorry prolly a stupid question)....or, if i buy it now, will i have to pay for that upgrade?


Anyways, I went to the apple store, and tried one out for awhlie, and I think I'm going to be getting one.

Do they have these ready to go in-stock at the stores? thinking that may be the way to go, as opposed to ordering one online. Thoughts?

[deadatheist]

Just got my 13" Macbook Pro. It's gorgeous!

oohh, jealous. can i ask how much you paid approx, if that's not too inappropriate here? i'd like to go mbp... but i can't decide if the 13inch size is worth the $500 or so savings... thoughts so far?