Best Law School Laptop for the Money Forum

[Mr. Matlock]

I think if anything, this story solidifies that I'll be buying my computer directly from either an Apple Store or Best Buy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anecdotal_evidence

While I appreciate the time you took out of your day to provide that useful link, my thoughts are based more on having a place to service/replace it directly instead of having to wait for delivery. But again, thank you for that very thoughtful article.

[sundance95]

I think if anything, this story solidifies that I'll be buying my computer directly from either an Apple Store or Best Buy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anecdotal_evidence

While I appreciate the time you took out of your day to provide that useful link, my thoughts are based more on having a place to service/replace it directly instead of having to wait for delivery. But again, thank you for that very thoughtful article.

Really? I thought it was the story you referenced that you based your thoughts on, given that that was what you said in your post. Thanks for clarifying.

[Tangerine Gleam]

I haven't totally given up on them...I might order another UL80vt actually but I'd like to "sleep on it" after this experience. Have you owned an Asus before?

Order another? If you were getting BSOD right out of the box then Asus should definitely replace it. Call them and don't get off the phone til they agree to do it. (In my experience with them, they are good about these types of things.) Hell, say you spilled water all over the damn thing if you have to, it has accidental damage protection for the first year. You definitely shouldn't have to purchase a second new laptop.

I misspoke, perhaps -- I'm going to send it back to Amazon, who will refund my credit card for the full amount (after confirming that it is, indeed, screwy). Asus themselves did offer to fix it (not replace it, at least not yet), but this is actually preferable, as I can re-assess what I want. And if I get the same model, I save $50 anyways, because it went on sale the day after I bought it.

[sundance95]

I misspoke, perhaps -- I'm going to send it back to Amazon, who will refund my credit card for the full amount (after confirming that it is, indeed, screwy). Asus themselves did offer to fix it (not replace it, at least not yet), but this is actually preferable, as I can re-assess what I want. And if I get the same model, I save $50 anyways, because it went on sale the day after I bought it.

Good call, and good luck.

[Mr. Matlock]

I think if anything, this story solidifies that I'll be buying my computer directly from either an Apple Store or Best Buy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anecdotal_evidence

While I appreciate the time you took out of your day to provide that useful link, my thoughts are based more on having a place to service/replace it directly instead of having to wait for delivery. But again, thank you for that very thoughtful article.

Really? I thought it was the story you referenced that you based your thoughts on, given that that was what you said in your post. Thanks for clarifying.

No worries. The story just got me thinking of the hassle and not wanting to deal with it when school starts.

I'm 99% positive I'm going 13" macpro, a 2nd monitor (with mac shit to convert it), and a hp laser printer as my Samsung is on its last breath.

[HBK]

I think if anything, this story solidifies that I'll be buying my computer directly from either an Apple Store or Best Buy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anecdotal_evidence

While I appreciate the time you took out of your day to provide that useful link, my thoughts are based more on having a place to service/replace it directly instead of having to wait for delivery. But again, thank you for that very thoughtful article.

Yeah, but then you gotta pay tax. I guess it might be worth the extra $50-80.

However, I've noticed that Best Buy doesn't carry much variety.

[Mr. Matlock]

I think if anything, this story solidifies that I'll be buying my computer directly from either an Apple Store or Best Buy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anecdotal_evidence

While I appreciate the time you took out of your day to provide that useful link, my thoughts are based more on having a place to service/replace it directly instead of having to wait for delivery. But again, thank you for that very thoughtful article.

Yeah, but then you gotta pay tax. I guess it might be worth the extra $50-80.

However, I've noticed that Best Buy doesn't carry much variety.

9.eleventybillion% state tax in CA.

[kalvano]

I'm thinking of picking up a Sony EB series (290x to be specific). I've never had or tried a sony before but my coworker keeps telling me it's a better buy and worth the premium I'd be paying for a comprable Dell. What do you guys think? All I know is that I had an HP for the last couple of years and while fun at first (it was a tablet/touch screen) it would overheat to the point of being unbearable and died a slow death. So, HP is def. out.

I'm heavily leaning towards ordering the Sony today unless there's something exceptionally better to spend my money on.

The only worse brand than Sony is Dell, so in that sense, your co-worker is correct.

[ApexChaser]

Just got my Amazon return authorization form printed out. I'm shipping this notebook back for good and hopefully getting a full refund...and then starting my laptop search all over again!

Hopefully this doesn't dissuade you from Asus overall; they're generally very solid machines. You just happen to be a lucky guy in this case.

I haven't totally given up on them...I might order another UL80vt actually but I'd like to "sleep on it" after this experience. Have you owned an Asus before?

Other than all of the horrible lemon problems, the machine itself seemed good (except for the abysmal touch pad). I might end up paying a bit more for a Lenovo T410...I have an older T60 now and it has always been an incredibly solid machine, I just need something more portable for class and travel. Either way, time for some more thinking!

Nope, I've just played around with friends' Asus laptops. All of them are pretty well built and no one has had any problems with theirs. I've only owned an Acer Aspire (cheap as dirt but total POS) and a refurb Dell XPS (good deal on an otherwise overpriced computer with fantastic support though). After seeing T and X notebooks in their nth problem-free year with friends and work, I bought myself an 12.1in x201t this time around.

[ApexChaser]

Sonys are a mixed bag in my experience. Some VAIO models are nice, some are wonky. They tend towards non-standard components, and generally can't be worked on easily if something fails, if you care about that. There also used to be a fair amount of Sony lock-in effect: nonstandard connectors for PSUs and some peripherals, etc. Not sure if that's still true. From what I see on Sony's site that series looks nice enough. I'd configure it like this or better:

*
Intel® Core™ i5-520M processor (2.40GHz) with Turbo Boost up to 2.93GHz
*
Genuine Windows® 7 Professional 64-bit
*
Gunmetal Black
*
No Skin
*
320GB hard disk drive (7200rpm)
*
8GB (4GBx2) DDR3-SDRAM-1066
*
ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 5470 GPU (512MB VRAM)
*
No Intel® Wireless Display Adapter
*
Blu-ray Disc™ player
*
No Fresh Start
*
Adobe Bundle
*
Microsoft® Office 2010 Starter
*
Norton Internet Security™ 2010 (30 Day Trial)

Comes out to around $1400 on Sony's site. Note that you can buy an Apple for that kind of money, but you probably already know that.

I'm not incredibly tech savvy, that's the same spec I picked minus the ram, I just went with 4gb. What will be the major difference between the 4gb and 8gb exactly? I obviously don't plan on gaming on it, but for basic law school stuff, do you think it would even matter?

It simply makes accessing things faster. I don't know how 64bit W7 works with ram but Vista64 showed negligible differences between 4gb and 8gb and XP64 couldn't even recognize 8gb. I don't see a need for 8gb unless you plan to do massive video editing, gaming, or something intensive of that nature. If you're running Office suite, this is really a non-issue; we're most likely talking fractions of a second differences here for $300.

[budafied]

It comes with a trial version for Office 2007, but no OneNote installed. MIcrosoft is now offering free upgrades from 2007 to 2010 versions of their Office products, but I can't figure out what the cheapest way to get Word, OneNote, and Outlook would be.

For those interested, students (or anybody with a .edu email address) can get Microsoft Office 2010 full suite for $80. Link:

http://www.microsoft.com/student/office ... fault.aspx

Includes: OneNote, Word, Outlook, Excel, Powerpoint, Publisher, and Access all for $80.

[Harry Ballsogna]

It comes with a trial version for Office 2007, but no OneNote installed. MIcrosoft is now offering free upgrades from 2007 to 2010 versions of their Office products, but I can't figure out what the cheapest way to get Word, OneNote, and Outlook would be.

For those interested, students (or anybody with a .edu email address) can get Microsoft Office 2010 full suite for $80. Link:

http://www.microsoft.com/student/office ... fault.aspx

Includes: OneNote, Word, Outlook, Excel, Powerpoint, Publisher, and Access all for $80.

Thank you for posting. That is a great deal considering the standard Microsoft "Home and Student" is $150, and you only get Onenote, Word, Powerpoint and excel.

I figured that office would pretty much be mandatory in law school.

[Bustang]

After reading tomshardware, notebook review, laptopmag, online forums, watching videos, etc etc I finally pulled the trigger on a Lenovo T410. Cost me right under 1500 with the 3 year ThinkPad protection+on-site warranty.

Intel Core i3-330M Processor (2.13GHz, 3MB L3, 1066MHz FSB)1
Genuine Windows 7 Professional 6412
14.1 WXGA+ TFT, w/ LED Backlight (WWAN antenna)
Intel HD Graphics
4 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1067MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)8
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) with Fingerprint Reader
250 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm with Disk Encryption4
DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer, Ultrabay Slim (Serial ATA)5
9 cell 2.8Ah Li-Ion Battery - Dual Mode60
Bluetooth w/ antenna
Intel Centrino Advanced-N + WiMAX 625010

[Mr. Matlock]

After reading tomshardware, notebook review, laptopmag, online forums, watching videos, etc etc I finally pulled the trigger on a Lenovo T410. Cost me right under 1500 with the 3 year ThinkPad protection+on-site warranty.

Intel Core i3-330M Processor (2.13GHz, 3MB L3, 1066MHz FSB)1
Genuine Windows 7 Professional 6412
14.1 WXGA+ TFT, w/ LED Backlight (WWAN antenna)
Intel HD Graphics
4 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1067MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)8
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) with Fingerprint Reader
250 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm with Disk Encryption4
DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer, Ultrabay Slim (Serial ATA)5
9 cell 2.8Ah Li-Ion Battery - Dual Mode60
Bluetooth w/ antenna
Intel Centrino Advanced-N + WiMAX 625010

It would definitely be my PC of choice. Well done.

[yinz]

After reading tomshardware, notebook review, laptopmag, online forums, watching videos, etc etc I finally pulled the trigger on a Lenovo T410. Cost me right under 1500 with the 3 year ThinkPad protection+on-site warranty.

I've got my hand on the gun, but not the trigger. I've heard a few voice concerns about the shoddy (read: filmsy plastic) keyboard covering and the subpar display.

[Bustang]

After reading tomshardware, notebook review, laptopmag, online forums, watching videos, etc etc I finally pulled the trigger on a Lenovo T410. Cost me right under 1500 with the 3 year ThinkPad protection+on-site warranty.

I've got my hand on the gun, but not the trigger. I've heard a few voice concerns about the shoddy (read: filmsy plastic) keyboard covering and the subpar display.

Display isn't MBP quality (boo) but I haven't read anything negative about the keyboard aside from the flex on the ESC key. The main concerns for me were i3/i5, battery life, under 1500 dollars, and solid design. The T410 fulfills those the best imho. I tried/wanted to like an Asus but they felt flimsy and cheap to me when I demo'd them at bestbuy. Apple was too expensive and OneNote is awesome. When I receive my laptop I'll do a mini-review.

[yinz]

Display isn't MBP quality (boo) but I haven't read anything negative about the keyboard aside from the flex on the ESC key. The main concerns for me were i3/i5, battery life, under 1500 dollars, and solid design. The T410 fulfills those the best imho. I tried/wanted to like an Asus but they felt flimsy and cheap to me when I demo'd them at bestbuy. Apple was too expensive and OneNote is awesome. When I receive my laptop I'll do a mini-review.

Preciate it. Did you buy direct from levono?

[Bustang]

Display isn't MBP quality (boo) but I haven't read anything negative about the keyboard aside from the flex on the ESC key. The main concerns for me were i3/i5, battery life, under 1500 dollars, and solid design. The T410 fulfills those the best imho. I tried/wanted to like an Asus but they felt flimsy and cheap to me when I demo'd them at bestbuy. Apple was too expensive and OneNote is awesome. When I receive my laptop I'll do a mini-review.

Preciate it. Did you buy direct from levono?

Yes, I also used the Bill Me Later service so I can pay for the laptop when I receive my student loans.

[lonerightly]

I am trying to decide between Asus UL20A-A1 and an Asus UL30Vt-A1

I am leaning towards the smaller 12.1" cheaper UL20A but I've seen a lot of discussion about the UL30Vt on here and am wondering if there are significant advantages to having the larger UL30Vt?

I want a very portable machine 12-13" that still has good processing power. Battery life is not as important as long as it is above 6hrs (which both are although UL30Vt has much more battery life.) Both machines run the same processor but the larger version has double the ram, but I've read that it is very easy to upgrade the ram on the smaller version to 4gb so I don't think that is a big issue.

I am I missing something is the 13.3"worth the $100+ or is the 12.1" just fine?

[missinglink]

12.1" can start to feel quite cramped after a while. I would go with the 13.3", which is still very compact and light.

That extra bit of screen real estate would make working on it more enjoyable I think.

[ApexChaser]

I am leaning towards the smaller 12.1" cheaper UL20A but I've seen a lot of discussion about the UL30Vt on here and am wondering if there are significant advantages to having the larger UL30Vt?

I am I missing something is the 13.3"worth the $100+ or is the 12.1" just fine?

A possibly significant benefit of the UL30 is the inclusion of an HDMI port.

Going on screen size alone, you have to make a personal call. I think 12.1 is great for portability. At the same time, I have a 22in external for home use.

[Mr. Matlock]

Yes, I also used the Bill Me Later service so I can pay for the laptop when I receive my student loans.

????? Did you have to put anything down?? I've never heard of this. Is Lenovo the only company that does this?

[Bustang]

Yes, I also used the Bill Me Later service so I can pay for the laptop when I receive my student loans.

????? Did you have to put anything down?? I've never heard of this. Is Lenovo the only company that does this?

Nothing down. Bill me later is quite popular. Lenovo is running this pay nothing for 6 months until 6/30. My friend bought his acer not too long ago with this same strategy. As long as you pay off the total $ amount you incur no interest.

[shepdawg]

For those interested, students (or anybody with a .edu email address) can get Microsoft Office 2010 full suite for $80. Link:

http://www.microsoft.com/student/office ... fault.aspx

Includes: OneNote, Word, Outlook, Excel, Powerpoint, Publisher, and Access all for $80.

Awesome. I needed Outlook too. I just need my school to give me an email address.

[shepdawg]

I am trying to decide between Asus UL20A-A1 and an Asus UL30Vt-A1

I am leaning towards the smaller 12.1" cheaper UL20A but I've seen a lot of discussion about the UL30Vt on here and am wondering if there are significant advantages to having the larger UL30Vt?

I want a very portable machine 12-13" that still has good processing power. Battery life is not as important as long as it is above 6hrs (which both are although UL30Vt has much more battery life.) Both machines run the same processor but the larger version has double the ram, but I've read that it is very easy to upgrade the ram on the smaller version to 4gb so I don't think that is a big issue.

I am I missing something is the 13.3"worth the $100+ or is the 12.1" just fine?

My UL30vt has the same size keyboard as the UL80vt, shich is the 14" version. Worth it enough. But having the extra video card is a major bonus too.