2010 Laptop discussion

Hey, what were the specs for your laptop build? I plan on purchasing the x201 but am having trouble getting it priced at under $1000. Is there a deal/coupon you used? Please let me know when you have a chance.

Thanks.

Before you buy any consumer electronic retail/new, always google "the brand coupon" i.e. "lenovo coupon". You'll probably find a lot of codes.

This got me some points at work, since I instantly saved my boss 15% on his new laptop. Unfortunately, I didn't get to pocket the difference!

I ordered through the lenovo.com/spp website, which is free to register for. From inside, they had a 10% off coupon as well.

thanks for the help...

my favorite of this bunch is the Acer 3820T. the gf is also looking for a new laptop for school, and that's the one i'm recommending she get. i dont expect the lack of a dvd drive to be an issue; at worst just buy an external one and keep it in the bag

Have to agree on the 3820T. It's without a doubt my next purchase unless Acer comes out with a better model in the near future. They can be had for US$650 these days, though I can't find an i5 model for the life of me. Negligible business application performance difference, and at that price you can't argue at all.

i would wait till xmas season where there will be tons of laptops on slickdeals... i got my Lenovo Ideapad 550 last Dec with great specs for 1/4 of the cost. Laptop is really not that expensive unless you start wanting great graphics cards and bluray..

slickdeals has a core i7 Lenovo X201 for $877 right now.

is an optical drive even needed for Bschool?

just picked up Toshiba r705. this thing is really light.

I am starting an MBA program at the end of january and needed a laptop. Since I paid for tuition out of pocket, im going to try and save where i can... so i decided to use my work laptop - a lenovo x200s - for school. it's a generation old and came with a 160gb drive which i swapped out for an intel 80gb ssd drive. this machine boots to the desktop and is ready to use in 24 seconds, goes to sleep in 5 seconds and resumes from sleep in about the same amount of time. i can run from one class to another and be up and running pretty quickly with this setup. i also plan on getting a security cable so i can attach it to my bag in case i have to run out of the class or something. added security...

additionally, i bought a sony digital recorder so i can record lectures. this is the model https://www.amazon.com/Sony-ICD-PX820-Di ... 575&sr=8-1

it has great reviews and records in mp3 format. although it comes with software, you dont really need it. simply plug in the recorder to your machine, transfer the mp3s over and you're done. it works just like a usb drive.

I did not receive any admit or dings yet, but I am already thinking on which laptop I would buy for BSchool. The Lenovo X220 will come out in the next months, but I just saw the MacBook Air 11" and got amazed by it !

For those who are already in the BSchool or that just got admitted, do you believe that a MacBook is not a ideal tool during the MBA ?

I am planning to grab a netbook or MacBook air and use my existing desktop. That coupled with a smartphone, and you are pretty much set. Ipad, although sexy, isn't a must have at this point.

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time to update the thread for 2011?
did anyone buy a new computer recently?
I think most of the schools have good discount at the beginning of the class, right?

Quick question: for those in bschool, do you guys carry around your laptops all the time and work outside of your room most of the time?

I'm still deciding between a 12" and a 14" and I'm wondering if it's best to buy an ultraportable with a dock and an external monitor. But that won't help if I'll be in the library all the time.

That really depends on the student. Most people I know at least carry a laptop, iPad, or netbook to class. Most bschools also have lockers for students to keep stuff at school.

I originally went to school with Vaio TT series and then after it broke down, I switched to Thinkpad X series. It's not like we are in engineering or math phd program. Most laptops will do fine. I do recommend "ultra-portable + long battery life" oriented laptops. (Unless you want to rip up the textbook and carry them by chapter by chapter basis like I do.....be warned that paper cuts are common when ripping up the textbook.... )

Wow... I never even thought about ripping up the text book... But maybe I'll end up doing that too :p

So the X series isn't too small for you when working with spreadsheets? I understand the processor requirement isn't very high for bschool, but it's the screen size that I'm not sure about.