Laptop Forum

[hokie6260]

I'm going to be starting law school next year and will be in the market for a new laptop. I am not a Mac fan so I am looking for something other than Mac. What are the components that I should be looking for in a quality laptop that will be useful in LS?

[chuckbass]

Law School isn't really a computer-intensive affair. You just need to make sure you get something more than a tablet or chromebook or whatever that can run your school's exam software.

[03152016]

make sure to get a hi res screen so you get the best quality possible when you're watching hulu instead of studying

[NoBladesNoBows]

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[rinkrat19]

make sure to get a hi res screen so you get the best quality possible when you're watching hulu instead of studying

Would this work? http://us.msi.com/product/nb/GT80-Titan ... o-overview

Yes, a $3800 high-end gaming machine can also run Word and Firefox and isn't overkill at all.

You can get a laptop that is entirely sufficient for law school for about $500 at Best Buy. You probably want to pay a bit more than that to get something with a nice screen and decent reliability. Past that, it's just how much you want to pay and what bells and whistles you want.

[NoBladesNoBows]

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[dabigchina]

make sure to get a hi res screen so you get the best quality possible when you're watching hulu instead of studying

Would this work? http://us.msi.com/product/nb/GT80-Titan ... o-overview

That particular model is actually a bad idea because the mechanical keyboard is really loud and your classmates will want to kill you during class/exams.

[dwyf]

Think about something thin/lightweight. You're going to have three full casebooks in your bag because you are an idiot 1L who actually reads and you haven't cut your books yet.

[lacrossebrother]

Here's what you should get if you aren't on a budget:
16gb ram
Ssd
15" screen
Thin

[Auxilio]

I would really look at the just announced Surface 3 (not pro, although that is a good option as well for a bit more) as a daily driver, easily strong enough but more mobile etc. Maybe grab a separate keyboard/mouse and a big monitor if you want to set up a home workstation.

[sequins]

I see surface pros a lot, but I do want to stress one thing. Make sure you get the most reliable laptop you can. It doesn't need to be the fastest or best, but something like a thinkpad or macbook. (actually gaming laptops with high-powered components are actually bad, because they have a higher failure rate, lower battery life, more heat etc.)
It seems like a ridiculous thing to think about, but the difference between a $160,000 job and poverty is going to be getting through two weeks of finals hitch free. You want to make sure you have a laptop that you can absolutely rely on to not crap out, preferably with enough battery life to get you through a four hour exam comfortably in case of power issues, and a comfortable keyboard. Bear in mind, with softest, if your laptop craps out a week before finals - you won't be able to just get a new one and reinstall everything - you'll be past the deadline.

So don't go for recommendations for like the HPcrapbook, cuz you can spend only 500 bucks and get a 10X faster computer than that thinkpad. It's that cheap cuz they stuff cheap b-shelf parts into a chassis that'll overheat and burn out in a month, and pair it with a crappy keyboard that'll make your hands cramp 1 hour into a 3 hour final.

[chuckbass]

I see surface pros a lot, but I do want to stress one thing. Make sure you get the most reliable laptop you can. It doesn't need to be the fastest or best, but something like a thinkpad or macbook. (actually gaming laptops with high-powered components are actually bad, because they have a higher failure rate, lower battery life, more heat etc.)
It seems like a ridiculous thing to think about, but the difference between a $160,000 job and poverty is going to be getting through two weeks of finals hitch free. You want to make sure you have a laptop that you can absolutely rely on to not crap out, preferably with enough battery life to get you through a four hour exam comfortably in case of power issues, and a comfortable keyboard. Bear in mind, with softest, if your laptop craps out a week before finals - you won't be able to just get a new one and reinstall everything - you'll be past the deadline.

So don't go for recommendations for like the HPcrapbook, cuz you can spend only 500 bucks and get a 10X faster computer than that thinkpad. It's that cheap cuz they stuff cheap b-shelf parts into a chassis that'll overheat and burn out in a month, and pair it with a crappy keyboard that'll make your hands cramp 1 hour into a 3 hour final.

Yeah I specifically got a new macbook before starting this year even though my other one was just a few years old and ran fine because I wanted to be as confident as possible that I wouldn't run into any problems with this shit.

[Mack.Hambleton]

Here's what you should get if you aren't on a budget:
16gb ram
Ssd
15" screen
Thin

unnecessary amount of ram

[sequins]

make sure to get a hi res screen so you get the best quality possible when you're watching hulu instead of studying

Would this work? http://us.msi.com/product/nb/GT80-Titan ... o-overview

That particular model is actually a bad really good idea because the mechanical keyboard is really loud and your classmates will get distractedwant to kill youduring class/exams.

There fixed it for ya.

[lacrossebrother]

Here's what you should get if you aren't on a budget:
16gb ram
Ssd
15" screen
Thin

unnecessary amount of ram

They said the same about 8gb 3 years ago brah. Can't imagine going back to 4 today.

[iguazu]

Is there any merit in having a dinky laptop for class and a nice, big screen set-up at home? Or is it important to have a good laptop for exam-taking?

[lacrossebrother]

Is there any merit in having a dinky laptop for class and a nice, big screen set-up at home? Or is it important to have a good laptop for exam-taking?

There's no need to have a good laptop for exam taking because the software locks everything down except the testing app (simple word processor). I think that might be not the case at like three schools but idk even in those cases I can't imagine there being an advantage to screen real estate. Not having a shitty keyboard could be nice though.

But I don't get it also. At home you can have a dock and a big dual monitor setup to put your good laptop in.

[nealric]

I'm going to be starting law school next year and will be in the market for a new laptop. I am not a Mac fan so I am looking for something other than Mac. What are the components that I should be looking for in a quality laptop that will be useful in LS?

If it is in good working order, has a full size keyboard, and was made after circa 2005, it has everything you need for law school. Everything else is just luxury features (thin, long battery life, etc.).

[Barbaroix2]

On a somewhat related note, I sometimes read on here that exams can be a bit of a time test.

Do you need to be able to type very quickly to do well, or is an average typist OK? I'm also looking at getting a new laptop, and I am just wondering if I should prioritize models with full-sized keyboards to maximize my typing speed.

[rinkrat19]

On a somewhat related note, I sometimes read on here that exams can be a bit of a time test.

Do you need to be able to type very quickly to do well, or is an average typist OK? I'm also looking at getting a new laptop, and I am just wondering if I should prioritize models with full-sized keyboards to maximize my typing speed.

Yes, get a computer that doesn't handicap your typing, especially if you're not a particularly fast typer. (How many wpm do you describe as "average"?)
Some people can type fine on a smaller keyboard, but that is a serious handicap to some. So it's not that small keyboard = bad, it's how it affects you.

[Barbaroix2]

On a somewhat related note, I sometimes read on here that exams can be a bit of a time test.

Do you need to be able to type very quickly to do well, or is an average typist OK? I'm also looking at getting a new laptop, and I am just wondering if I should prioritize models with full-sized keyboards to maximize my typing speed.

Yes, get a computer that doesn't handicap your typing, especially if you're not a particularly fast typer. (How many wpm do you describe as "average"?)
Some people can type fine on a smaller keyboard, but that is a serious handicap to some. So it's not that small keyboard = bad, it's how it affects you.

I think I'm generally around 50-55 wpm.

[lacrossebrother]

That's slow. My gwam is north of 100

[orangecup]

Buy a cheap laptop for a class (400-500) and a nice desktop for home (1000) with nice peripherals like mechanical keyboard and dual monitor.

[Auxilio]

Buy a cheap laptop for a class (400-500) and a nice desktop for home (1000) with nice peripherals like mechanical keyboard and dual monitor.

I think the better way of spending 1500 is on a good laptop (~1100) and then a couple monitors/keyboard/mouse to use as a dock at home.

[Serett]

Small, fast, and cheap. Find an ultrabook for $1k or less. Shouldn't be difficult to find a good deal before school starts if you start keeping an eye out now.