2012-13 Laptop Discussion

I played around with Windows 8 the other day. Seems a little too gimicky and looks like its better suited for tablets (it was on a touch screen laptop, though).

Anyone have arguments for W8 over W7?

Have you checked your school's tech requirements? Mine wants us to W7 professional, not W8, so that makes the decision easy for me.

But in my experience, it seems like the only thing W8 has going for it is that it's a quicker OS. Plus, there's a learning curve that goes along with it.

A lot of people say MS office is fine on MAC but I have to say that I constantly run into small things that make all the difference... (ie excel doesnt work as well in MAC, compatibility issues)

For those of us who are considering using a Mac during the course, I have a suggestion. I use the Mac for my personal use, but my office has a Windows-only setup. What I've found is that while the Mac is a brilliant platform, and the hardware is simply top-tier, the MS Office suite on Windows is years ahead of the Mac version. Especially if you're an advanced user and would consider using VBA within the suite, then forget about it. I am planning to use an Air along with Parallels just to be able to use the Windows version of the Office suite.

Will your new laptop be your only computer at school? I know that I'll have a couple desktops and probably my old laptop, so I'll easily be able to manage using a primary laptop without an optical drive.

It's also astoundingly cheap to get a usb optical drive:
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss? ... ical+drive

I don't think you should limit your laptop choices based on whether they have an optical drive or not.

Good tip. And, to everyone, I changed my mind and decided to get a Windows laptop after all rather than struggle with Boot Camp or Parallels. For what it's worth, I ordered a Lenovo X230. It should be here tomorrow, so I can post my thoughts after a few weeks if folks are interested.

Awesome, please do. Did you get W8 or W7? Seems like online reviews are weak for W8.

Also, that 12.5 inch IPS screen will be sweet. Getting a secondary display for home?

Tip (I'm just finishing up first year, and went through this just last September): get a non-Mac that's light and portable. If you can, get one with the number pad on the side-especially if it's your primary computer. You'll be doing lots of computing and the number pad helps save time and frustration. Also get one that can be hooked up to a screen via the port on the side. You (and the groups you'll have to work with in breakout rooms with screens) will thank me later The non-Mac recommendation was only due to one piece of software that we used for Decision Modeling that wasn't available on Mac. The entire course was based on the software (Risk Solver) and we were tested on it too, so the students with Macs had to spend a bunch of time in the computer lab learning/using the software for assignments. Not the end of the world, but less convenient.

I read that many people here prefer to use the Thinkpad. Any particular reason why? To me personally, IBM's laptops or ultrabooks do not look attractive. Although I haven't tried using it.

I'm thinking more on the Samsung ultrabook Series 5 (or maybe if my budget allows, Series 9). Does anyone have a thought on this?

Thanks!

In my opinion, Thinkpads are top of the line. I've been using them for a few years (work laptop) and they are reliable. many large companys and firms solely use Thinkpads partly for this reason. I agree that the level of esthetics isn't up to the level of the Samsung ultrabooks or Macbooks, but these are of the "I'm all business, no games" genre of laptop.

With that said, I'm seriously thinking about pulling the trigger on a Thinkpad X series this week.

I'll definitely keep you posted. I decided to go with W7. Personally, I haven't been convinced of the utility of W8 for non-touch devices. Plus, I'd rather not have to deal with learning a new OS with everything else going on. Based on reviews online, I opted to pay the $50 extra for the IPS panel; it definitely sounds like it will be worth it!

Up until this point, I haven't thought too much about getting a secondary display for home. My initial thought is no since I've been using a 13" MBP for a few years now, but I suppose you're right... detailed Excel and Powerpoint work does get frustrating on a small display.

I actually like the utilitarian look of the ThinkPad. That said, the most important factors for me in choosing a computer were performance, reliability, and battery life. ThinkPads always review well and, as RoyHalladay mentioned, are often the laptop of choice for most corporations.

What do you think of the Lenovo Helix? I was initially planning on getting the x230t but now think I'm going to go with the Helix instead...

Its definitely a sweet machine...but not worth the price IMO.

Can anyone comment on which processor would be enough: i5 or i7?

And how much disk space will be enough? For example, macbook air and many ultrabooks now use SSD. But the price for SSD is really high. Is 128GB enough? Or do we have to have at least 256GB?

Also, what about the screen size? Assuming that there will be no monitor to plug in to. I see that the IBM Thinkpad X series has 12.5" screen. Is that enough? I'm thinking of maybe getting a 13" screen. But I definitely don't want 14", as it seemed to big and will be too heavy.

I just got the dell xps 12. I really liked the form factor of it but now that I see Lenovo Helix I wish I had waited

can someone come up with a 13" inch convertible decently priced ultrabook already!

btw, is it just me or anyone else feels Mac Pro's 13" is bigger than the rest of them