Laptop (and bag) for Bschool... : Business School Life

Xeo78

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30 Apr 2007, 11:17

Anyone consider ThinkPad Z61t? It looks like a decent compromise between the X60 and the T60 yet I haven't seen anyone mention it before.

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pelihu

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30 Apr 2007, 11:35

Actually, that's the laptop that I've targeted Xeo78. I'm going to keep an eye out this summer for a good deal and probably go for the Z61t Thinkpad. From what I gathered, the T series Thinkpads either have a 15.4" widescreen (a little too big), or a 14" normal screen. I definitely prefer a widescreen notebook - aside from the wide screen you end up with a notebook with less depth, which is easier to carry (like a book). I'm not going with the X series because I really prefer to have an optical drive built in, rather than lugging it around separately. Finally, I like the option of the media bay battery, which when used in conjunction with the extended battery can give 8+ hours of battery life. And the whole thing weighs a little over 5 pounds. The weight and form factor on some Sony's is a little better with the 13.3" screen, but I'm going with a business class notebook for the durability. The notebook is going to take a lot of abuse over the next 2 years.

As far as carrying it around, I'm gonna use my car. Darden has a parking garage attached to the business school - cost is about $53 per month. The north campus athletic center is right next to the business school. You can also get a permit for a central campus lot if you'd like to hang out there for $13 per month. So, I figure I'll just drive where I want to do - big change from the undergrad days at UCLA. Also, Darden does hand out a logo bag as well.

Xeo78

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30 Apr 2007, 12:14

pelihu wrote:

As far as carrying it around, I'm gonna use my car. Darden has a parking garage attached to the business school - cost is about $53 per month. The north campus athletic center is right next to the business school. You can also get a permit for a central campus lot if you'd like to hang out there for $13 per month. So, I figure I'll just drive where I want to do - big change from the undergrad days at UCLA. Also, Darden does hand out a logo bag as well.

I'm going to have to carry mine around all the time in DC so portability is definitely an issue. No parking at G'town and closest metro is a 10-15 min walk away.

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01 May 2007, 21:15

Another opinion, for what it's worth. A friend sold laptops for CDW to govt and schools for a few years, and he endorses Toshiba hands down. I'm looking to go that way, or with the ThinkPad because of great reviews on a few discussion boards.

I'm pretty particular because it'll be my home pc for video editing and other stuff besides school. This site has been helpful figuring out what specs are needed, which company puts it all together well.

https://www.notebookreview.com/

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02 May 2007, 09:42

Why do we need 160GB of memory? Is it just me, or doesn't that seem a little excessive for a b-school student? Indeed, both the T and Z series look attractive, but it's going to take a lot more than shaving a pound and/or adding ~.5 Ghz to convince me to switch from my Sony Vaio.

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03 May 2007, 05:48

I thought I'd chime in on my experience thus far with my X60. I've been using it for a about a month, and for the past week quite heavily.

PROS:

* So light and compact. Its amazing. I take it everywhere and hardly notice it. Can easily carry it with one hand.

* Battery life (with 8 cell). Very good here, and I have not utilized the max battery life schemes (low brightness, turn off hard disk after X mins, etc) yet.

* Very fast (Core 2 Duo + 1.5 GB ram).

* No hand/eye fatigue. Keyboard is excellent and the non-glossy LCD is sharp, but doesn't tire your eyes out.

CONS:

* 1024 x 768 resolution. I'd prefer a bit more, but it would mean that the font would be really small since the X60 has a 12" screen.

* No optical drive. Not really a CON, since I have not had to use one yet. Still, I plan to buy a slim external DVD-rom just in case.

Xeo78

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04 May 2007, 06:33

batchgmat wrote:

I thought I'd chime in on my experience thus far with my X60. I've been using it for a about a month, and for the past week quite heavily.

PROS:

* So light and compact. Its amazing. I take it everywhere and hardly notice it. Can easily carry it with one hand.

* Battery life (with 8 cell). Very good here, and I have not utilized the max battery life schemes (low brightness, turn off hard disk after X mins, etc) yet.

* Very fast (Core 2 Duo + 1.5 GB ram).

* No hand/eye fatigue. Keyboard is excellent and the non-glossy LCD is sharp, but doesn't tire your eyes out.

CONS:

* 1024 x 768 resolution. I'd prefer a bit more, but it would mean that the font would be really small since the X60 has a 12" screen.

* No optical drive. Not really a CON, since I have not had to use one yet. Still, I plan to buy a slim external DVD-rom just in case.

Good info. Just had some questions: Did you go with XP or Vista? Is the screen/resolution good enough for long sessions?

Thanks man.

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05 May 2007, 11:31

batchgmat wrote:

I thought I'd chime in on my experience thus far with my X60. I've been using it for a about a month, and for the past week quite heavily.

PROS:

* So light and compact. Its amazing. I take it everywhere and hardly notice it. Can easily carry it with one hand.

* Battery life (with 8 cell). Very good here, and I have not utilized the max battery life schemes (low brightness, turn off hard disk after X mins, etc) yet.

* Very fast (Core 2 Duo + 1.5 GB ram).

* No hand/eye fatigue. Keyboard is excellent and the non-glossy LCD is sharp, but doesn't tire your eyes out.

CONS:

* 1024 x 768 resolution. I'd prefer a bit more, but it would mean that the font would be really small since the X60 has a 12" screen.

* No optical drive. Not really a CON, since I have not had to use one yet. Still, I plan to buy a slim external DVD-rom just in case.

I've been eyeing the X60 as well. I have a T41 right now and im quite happy with it, but an X60 would be very very appealing because of size and weight.

I went and viewed the entire lenovo lineup last weekend. The X-60 had been left on for about five hours and the keyboard was already getting uncomfortably hot. Only the T-60/60p and the Z61 were still running cool.

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13 May 2007, 13:10

Xeo78 wrote:

Good info. Just had some questions: Did you go with XP or Vista? Is the screen/resolution good enough for long sessions?

Thanks man.

I went with XP. Did not see the need to go for Vista, esp after all the problems I have heard about.

Screen resolution seems OK thus far. Would have wanted more, but its OK for now. Guess I'll find out for real when I do some actual b-school stuff.

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14 May 2007, 11:12

Actually, I read several people discuss about different laptops here. Agreed IBMs are good and Sony VIAOs are sleek (but has its own issues), I see HP being neglected here and thought would put in my two words.

Personaly, I do not like the HP consumer grade laptops, they look kind of cheesy with glossy finish. However, their Business Laptops are quite sleek and very reliable. Their Business Laptop lineup can be viewed at:

https://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm ... tebook_pcs

I have been using the nw8240 for the last 1 year (approx) and I absolutely love it. It has great connectivity (Wlan - 802.11, Bluetooth, IR, Wired LAN), widescreen, professional looks, both Poin and touch-pad mouse (with scroll).

For my school I am looking at the 6910p:

https://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm ... 57377.html

- sm176811

lepium

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Motorcyle tankbags [#permalink]

14 May 2007, 12:28

Probably quite far fetched, but does anyone have any experience with carrying laptops on motorcycle tankbags? I will get a motorcycle in Boston and wanted to investigate this option, however there are several issues to consider:

a) Tankbag should be 110% waterproof.
b) Some people say that magnets on the tankbag could mess up with the hard drives.
c) Tankbag should ideally be easily carried when not on bike (backpack straps are a plus).

So if anyone has any experience with this, let me know.

Thanks. L.

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Re: Motorcyle tankbags [#permalink]

14 May 2007, 12:34

lepium wrote:

Probably quite far fetched, but does anyone have any experience with carrying laptops on motorcycle tankbags? I will get a motorcycle in Boston and wanted to investigate this option, however there are several issues to consider:

a) Tankbag should be 110% waterproof.
b) Some people say that magnets on the tankbag could mess up with the hard drives.
c) Tankbag should ideally be easily carried when not on bike (backpack straps are a plus).

So if anyone has any experience with this, let me know.

Thanks. L.

I think the easiest solution to transporting your laptop on a bike would be saddlebags. Almost all of the saddle bag options will be water proof and they are great if you plan on working out at school or anything like that since it gives you storage for all that stuff on your bike. Just my opinion.

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Re: Motorcyle tankbags [#permalink]

14 May 2007, 12:53

squali83 wrote:

I think the easiest solution to transporting your laptop on a bike would be saddlebags. Almost all of the saddle bag options will be water proof and they are great if you plan on working out at school or anything like that since it gives you storage for all that stuff on your bike. Just my opinion.

Thanks, squali, I have also considered saddlebags, however I was concerned about portability while not on the bike. My (cheap) option for lugging other stuff around is a (waterproof) duffel bag with a bungee net. I'll be getting a quite small sportsbike (a 250 Ninja), so saddlebag size will be quite limited as well.

Thanks for the suggestion, though. Any particular brand you'd recommend for bike luggage?

Cheers. L.

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14 May 2007, 19:57

For anyone still holding out, the new Intel Santa Rosa platform for notebooks is out. Most of the big notebook manufacturers have already released new computers with the new chip set. As I understand it, the main advantages are:

1. 800FSB - faster front side bus (v. 677 max before)
2. New processors - 1.8 - 2.4 GHz - with larger onboard cahces
3. Higher performance integrated graphics - the vista Aero interface should run fine on the new integrated graphics, which saves power over discrete graphics for longer battery life
4. Intel "turbo" memory - a Flash memory cache of the hard drive which allows for really fast access of common programs and extended battery life (this is optional)
5. Draft N wireless (optional)

Lenovo has a new T61 Thinkpad out with a 14.1" widescreen, which is exactly what I was interested in. With all the new features, it works out to be about $100 more than the z61t, which is what I was looking at before. I think people who haven't yet bought a new computer should definitely get the scoop on these new platforms before moving. At this small price difference, I believe the upgrade is a bargain.

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pelihu

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Re: Motorcyle tankbags [#permalink]

14 May 2007, 20:07

lepium wrote:

Probably quite far fetched, but does anyone have any experience with carrying laptops on motorcycle tankbags? I will get a motorcycle in Boston and wanted to investigate this option, however there are several issues to consider:

a) Tankbag should be 110% waterproof.
b) Some people say that magnets on the tankbag could mess up with the hard drives.
c) Tankbag should ideally be easily carried when not on bike (backpack straps are a plus).

So if anyone has any experience with this, let me know.

Thanks. L.

I didn't see your post originally, but a long time ago, I used to carry around a laptop in a tank bag. My tank bag did not have magnets, it had a harness that attached to the bike, and the pack had clips that would snap on to attach the backpack. You could remove the backpack and carry it with you. Unfortunately, I don't remember the brand - it was like 10 years ago. I believe you should be able to find waterproof models. I would definitely recommend going with a tank bag for your computer.

It was kind of similar to this one:
https://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/New-Moto ... 1883QQrdZ1

Depending on what type of bike you get, you might want one that is flatter and longer.

sm176811

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14 May 2007, 20:56

pelihu wrote:

For anyone still holding out, the new Intel Santa Rosa platform for notebooks is out. Most of the big notebook manufacturers have already released new computers with the new chip set. As I understand it, the main advantages are:

1. 800FSB - faster front side bus (v. 677 max before)
2. New processors - 1.8 - 2.4 GHz - with larger onboard cahces
3. Higher performance integrated graphics - the vista Aero interface should run fine on the new integrated graphics, which saves power over discrete graphics for longer battery life
4. Intel "turbo" memory - a Flash memory cache of the hard drive which allows for really fast access of common programs and extended battery life (this is optional)
5. Draft N wireless (optional)

Lenovo has a new T61 Thinkpad out with a 14.1" widescreen, which is exactly what I was interested in. With all the new features, it works out to be about $100 more than the z61t, which is what I was looking at before. I think people who haven't yet bought a new computer should definitely get the scoop on these new platforms before moving. At this small price difference, I believe the upgrade is a bargain.

HP 6910p is a Santa Rosa based laptop.

https://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm ... 57377.html

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14 May 2007, 23:32

pelihu wrote:

For anyone still holding out, the new Intel Santa Rosa platform for notebooks is out. Most of the big notebook manufacturers have already released new computers with the new chip set. As I understand it, the main advantages are:

1. 800FSB - faster front side bus (v. 677 max before)
2. New processors - 1.8 - 2.4 GHz - with larger onboard cahces
3. Higher performance integrated graphics - the vista Aero interface should run fine on the new integrated graphics, which saves power over discrete graphics for longer battery life
4. Intel "turbo" memory - a Flash memory cache of the hard drive which allows for really fast access of common programs and extended battery life (this is optional)
5. Draft N wireless (optional)

Lenovo has a new T61 Thinkpad out with a 14.1" widescreen, which is exactly what I was interested in. With all the new features, it works out to be about $100 more than the z61t, which is what I was looking at before. I think people who haven't yet bought a new computer should definitely get the scoop on these new platforms before moving. At this small price difference, I believe the upgrade is a bargain.

just so you know, even though the santa rosa platform sports an 800MHz FSB, laptop manufacturers will not release laptops with 800Mhz ddr2 memory until later this year... most likely in july or august. however, in all honesty, you wont notice the difference between 677 and 800MHz memory for most applications....
also, while Intel claims the turbo memory will increase performance, many tech websites are claiming there is no noticable performance increase.
linky: https://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/in ... i=2985&p=4

gmatclubot

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14 May 2007, 23:32