To buy a new computer, or not? Forum

[livefromannarbor]

Let me quickly preface this post by saying that I am not asking WHAT computer to buy. There are a ton of those posts, and I am 95% certain that I know what I would buy if I decided to make the commitment.

My current debacle is deciding whether or not I should get a new laptop for law school. I currently have a mid-2010 15" MacBook Pro, and aside from getting a little hot occasionally, it's running perfectly (the logic board has been replaced, and a bunch of internals have also been replaced, as has the keyboard - all a couple of years ago). I can't afford to buy a new laptop outright, so I would be using my school's computer loan program. If I do get a new comp, it will be a 13" MacBook Air.

So, here's what I'm looking for feedback on: should I stick with what I've got (unless it breaks) or go for it and get the new, much lighter laptop? What would TLS do?

[09042014]

Let me quickly preface this post by saying that I am not asking WHAT computer to buy. There are a ton of those posts, and I am 95% certain that I know what I would buy if I decided to make the commitment.

My current debacle is deciding whether or not I should get a new laptop for law school. I currently have a mid-2010 15" MacBook Pro, and aside from getting a little hot occasionally, it's running perfectly (the logic board has been replaced, and a bunch of internals have also been replaced, as has the keyboard - all a couple of years ago). I can't afford to buy a new laptop outright, so I would be using my school's computer loan program. If I do get a new comp, it will be a 13" MacBook Air.

So, here's what I'm looking for feedback on: should I stick with what I've got (unless it breaks) or go for it and get the new, much lighter laptop? What would TLS do?

Keep what you've got. Law school doesn't require a cutting edge laptop. This way if you drop it or it gets stolen it's NBD.

[sundontshine]

Stick with what you have until it breaks or gets so slow that it doesn't function anymore. Just make sure you keep backups of your notes and any papers you're writing.

[Caesar Salad]

This interests me. I have an HP that I got for Christmas in 2008. Lots of use all through UG, and it has taken its toll. It is slow and buggy at times, and has some broken pieces, battery also doesn't hold charge and the cord needs to be bent in a specific way to function. TTT machine at this point, no question. I don't really want to replace the battery/charger and would love a new, light laptop but don't have one red cent to spend on it. Would taking student loan money to buy a new machine be worth it (or allowed? ) or would the move be to similarly wait for it to die and deal with it until then, backing things up etc?

[chuckbass]

This interests me. I have an HP that I got for Christmas in 2008. Lots of use all through UG, and it has taken its toll. It is slow and buggy at times, and has some broken pieces, battery also doesn't hold charge and the cord needs to be bent in a specific way to function. TTT machine at this point, no question. I don't really want to replace the battery/charger and would love a new, light laptop but don't have one red cent to spend on it. Would taking student loan money to buy a new machine be worth it (or allowed? ) or would the move be to similarly wait for it to die and deal with it until then, backing things up etc?

What I would worry most about is whether or not there is a chance that your laptop will malfunction during an exam. In your case, I'd get a new one.

[brazleton]

.

[papercut]

We have the same laptop. To the date.

No freaking way. You don't need one, and if it works perfectly just keep using it.

[Caesar Salad]

What I would worry most about is whether or not there is a chance that your laptop will malfunction during an exam. In your case, I'd get a new one.

Am I allowed to use student loan money for this purpose? I have no idea how loans work.

Edit for formatting, screwed up the quote on my phone.

[politics89]

What I would worry most about is whether or not there is a chance that your laptop will malfunction during an exam. In your case, I'd get a new one.

Am I allowed to use student loan money for this purpose? I have no idea how loans work.

Edit for formatting, screwed up the quote on my phone.

Yes. Some schools will have a separate way to get more money just for a laptop too. For instance, Harvard will increase your student budget by $2k.

[Ricky-Bobby]

What I would worry most about is whether or not there is a chance that your laptop will malfunction during an exam. In your case, I'd get a new one.

Am I allowed to use student loan money for this purpose? I have no idea how loans work.

Edit for formatting, screwed up the quote on my phone.

Loans go toward your tuition and fees first, and anything left after that is distributed to you as cash (well, cash equivalents, e.g. direct deposit). You're not technically allowed to use federal student loan funds for anything unrelated to school. Nobody is going to follow you around and make sure you only use loans for education expenses, though.

[livefromannarbor]

What I would worry most about is whether or not there is a chance that your laptop will malfunction during an exam. In your case, I'd get a new one.

Am I allowed to use student loan money for this purpose? I have no idea how loans work.

Edit for formatting, screwed up the quote on my phone.

Yes. Some schools will have a separate way to get more money just for a laptop too. For instance, Harvard will increase your student budget by $2k.

My school gives a separate, one-time computer loan, which prompted my thinking about this. Check into it - yours might as well.

We have the same laptop. To the date.

No freaking way. You don't need one, and if it works perfectly just keep using it.

Yeah, you're right (along with the others who said the same thing). I'll leave things be until/unless something in the equation changes.

I just want to point out (as someone who also prefers Mac), that if you "can't afford" a new laptop, it could be because you are arbitrarily excluding the host of great PC laptops in the $400-700 range that would be more than enough for all law school tasks. Consider it.

Eh, I wouldn't say I've arbitrarily excluded PCs. Yes, I could afford a new laptop if I needed to (in the range you mentioned), but I don't NEED it at this point, and I would want something that lasts - in my experience, PCs just don't. Most of the PCs I've had and my friends have had have been adequate, but in the first few years totally lost their battery life and became sluggish. I haven't had that problem with my mac (for example, my battery has never been replaced in the 4 years I've had it, but I still get 4 hours of battery life). That's why I would, if I bought a new laptop, get another mac. I also really like how light the air is, I'm super impressed with Apple's customer support and product quality, and I'm a shameless Apple fangirl. You're right - I'm certain that a PC would be perfectly fine for law school. I would just rather invest more (even if I have to take out a loan) to get a product that will last me 5-10 years, because I'm not being forced to make a decision out of necessity at this point. I hope that ramble made sense.

Thanks for the feedback, everyone!