Laptop (and bag) for Bschool...

I am so torn about what laptop to buy, stuck between either a thinkpad T61 or a Vaio FZ. My brain is telling me to get a thinkpad, but I'd hate to spend that much money and not get something that looks good...I mean, I'm a girl that carries around a pink phone and buys smartwater instead of aquafina because the bottle is prettier (its a major weakness, I know)... thinkpads just seem so plain and box-like.

For the Sony Vaio people on here, i've read a lot about having warranty issues with Sony... is that anything any of you have had experience with? I'd like to think that me getting a Sony Vaio is not a "style over substance" decision, since Vaio's are decently good machines... but a few people on here have said that vaio's are crap, and i definitely havent heard the same about thinkpads.

Here's the specs on my potential Vaio - people on here seem really computer-wise (and wise in general)... would it be just incredibly idiotic to buy a vaio instead of a thinkpad?

Sony Vaio FZ190
802.11a\b\g\n with BT
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
NVIDIA® GeForce® 8400M GT
15.4" WXGA (HC) W/CMR
SuperMulti (DVD+-R Double layer / DVD+-RW Drive)
100 GB Hard Disk Drive
1 GB DDR-SDRAM (DDR2-667MHz, 1 GBx1) (add the 2nd GB myself)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7300 / 2.0 GHz

I owned a VAIO before and had no issues. However, spares can be expensive. Make sure that you get an onsite replacement warranty if they offer one.

Just as I was getting ready to buy Lenovo T61, I saw Dell XPS M1210 and had to have it. At the end its the size that persuaded me - I will be doing a train commute to school. I've had (through work) Dell Inspiron 700m for a couple of years now and I love it; I saw XPS as a great substitute.

That's a nice computer, I was checking it out as well. If you haven't ordered already, they are coming out with a new computer on July 10, the M1330. It's Sony-like in it's thin design and it has a slightly larger screen should weigh less than the M1210.

I was debating the EXACT same two models.

Coincidence? I'm also female, own a pink phone - although I do prefer Fiji or VOSS : )
And my reasons for debating were the same - style with less substance vs. more substance with less style.

In the end, I settled for the T61. Slightly cheaper, and I concluded that I wanted my laptop to be the last thing I worry about: my school supports the T61 and not the Vaio, and I reasoned that lugging my laptop around a bag throughout the 3 yrs would be less abrasive on the T61 frame.

I figured that once I'm done with school, I'd want to upgrade anyways - and THEN, I would go all out for style AND substance!

Not sure if this helps at all... You may want to check with your school and see if they support one but not the other as well.

OK, LOL, I feel a lot better knowing i'm not the only one with this issue! But your comment about "I wanted my laptop to be the last thing that I worried about", really hit home and since my school doesnt recommend Sony's (said it was due to their service issues), i'm going for a T61. It does end up being cheaper (Amex Tailor Made + Fat Wallet discounts), and even though it doesnt come with a white engraved keyboard.... I can make do. I'll just buy a really cute laptop bag to compensate

Thanks for the input!!!

We are secret MBA soul sisters. I'm going shopping for a bag this weekend...
Let me know if you see anything nice! I'm dying to buy a "schoolbag" that will double as one of those oversize bags, like a slouchy hobo. I doubt it'll be able to tote around a 15" laptop, so I'm debating getting 2 separate bags: one for laptop, and one for non.
Sue me - it's my last shot at shopping before I start living on student budget .

Thanks pelihu, but I did purchase it already. I got a decent deal that I did not want to pass up.

For those of us who ordered ultra portable laptops that have no optical drive, have you purchased a slim external dvd drive yet? If so, which one ? I am looking at the Plextor PX608CU and Startech SLIMDVDRW8U2, would appreciate any other opinions.

someone tell me why I shouldn't do this. it meets all the requirements from Duke and is less than half the price of the x60. I really want it to be small. I don't do anything interesting with computers: word, excel, email. I figure if it lasts a year and dies, then I'll buy another one and still come out ahead. (regular back-ups a must)

https://www.usanotebook.com/computer_lap ... hp?id=1758

On a related note, does anyone know how much processing power the various applications we'll use in class will take up?

Sorry aaudetat, I don't know anything technical about computers.

I just received my Lenovo x61s today and I love the size and weight.

Pelihu, can you tell me if you've read anything bad about the x61s ? I don't have turbo memory but I did order Vista Business.

cbreeze: yeah, unfortunately I have heard some bad things. Some guys at tabletpcreview were having problems with their X61 tablets and they wandered over and found the discussion we were having about the T61. When I returned my T61 to Lenovo, I was actually leaning towards and X61. Bear in mind, these people are having problems with their X61/X61s tablets - so I do not know if they are having problems with the standard notebooks. I do believe you might be safe if you skipped the turbo memory. I would definitely suggest running your computer on battery power as much as possible to see if it has any problems. Here's a link to their discussion on the X61 tablets:

https://forum.tabletpcreview.com/showthread.php?t=8359

I concluded from their discussion that the problem seems to be common across all the new Lenovo releases (T61/X61/R61), so as much as I liked their build quality, I decided to go with something else. My Sony SZ480 should arrive before 10:30 AM tomorrow. They haven't yet switched over to the Santa Rosa chip set, so turbo memory is not a factor. I hope I don't end up regretting giving up on Lenovo's durability (the T61 was solid as a rock); but a computer is no good to me if it locks up and crashes all the time.


Aaudetat: The stuff we need to run for business school will be pretty basic and won't require much power. The only thing I've heard is that crystal ball might be a resource hog when running simulations, but not all schools use that. That computer will probably be fine for Word, Excel, browsing the internet and stuff like that, especially since it's using XP; Vista seems much slower unless you have 2GB of RAM. A lot of people actually believe that the older thinkpads (before Lenovo took over) had even better build quality than current units.

I bought the X61t and I am an avid reader of all the Lenovo forums including tabletpc review. There was also some initial issues when the X60 came out but that has been resolved with the X61 and newer models of X60. In addition, the system may be initial slow with Vista business (in terms of slower processor) trying to learn the application which usually goes away after it gets used to running, the numerous craplets from thirdparty vendors (also slows the processor) which can be removed by a custom factory install or a clean install. I did the custom install which is quite easy and this is coming from a non-techie. Also I did the windows and systems update. Now, my laptop is so fast and I've had no issues at all. In terms of turbo memory, I had no issues and you can even uncheck it and it becomes dormant.

I debated between IBM or Sony and I chose performance over style. I didn't want a DELL because of my past experience with it and I need a laptop that won't give me a headache in the middle of assignment or exams.
MIT also provides on-site support for IBMs so that was an additional plus.

Don't worry about backups. We have access to a shared network drive where we can back up our stuff. You won't need an optical drive/USB drive for that.
Make sure to check the maximum memory that this laptop's chipset can support. 512MB is really low and will be painfully slow even on XP Pro. You will want to upgrade it to 1GB (quite easy to do on your own or at the local computer store).

Guys,

Please advise me with this laptop.
I don't use laptop for playing game, or doing graphics. I do use it for normal program of B-school only - Microsoft software, I think.
Appreciate your comment on price, hardware, and all issues of T61 you might have met. Thanks. GR.

ThinkPad T61 with Integrated Graphics - 1 Year Depot Warranty
Edit 7658CTO $1,036.15

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T7100 (1.8GHz 800MHz 2MBL2)
Operating System: Genuine Windows XP Professional
Operating System Language: Genuine Windows XP Professional - US English
Display type: 14.1 WXGA TFT, w/o Camera
System graphics: Intel GMA X3100 GM965 w/ 1394
Total memory: 512 MB PC2-5300 SDRAM DDR2 667MHz SODIMM Memory (1 DIMM)
Keyboard: Keyboard US English
Pointing device: UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad)
Hard drive: 60GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm
Optical device: CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo 24X/24X/24X/8X Max, Ultrabay Slim
System expansion slots: PC Card Slot & Express Card Slot
Wireless card: Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN
Bluetooth: Integrated Bluetooth PAN
Wireless WAN: Integrated Wireless WAN: Verizon Sierra CDMA2000 (New)
Battery: 4 cell Li-Ion Battery
Power cord: Country Pack North America
Modem cable (RJ-11): PSTN cable
Language Pack: Language Pack US English

I'm so glad you're just laying around the house, responding to my IT needs. I called and asked - the RAM is easily expandable to 1 gig -- I can put another 512 stick in there.

The only concern is the battery. 1-2 hours is likely, but only 30 minutes is guaranteed. I don't really use the battery now, but am not sure if I will want to use it at Fuqua.

Any thoughts?

I noticed that not many people buy their laptops from the schools' computer stores, but rather thru other channels (e.g. amazon/buy.com/usanotebook.com/etc). Why so?