2010 Laptop discussion

The Sony Z series look awesome!

I love my macbook pro (but it was pretty expensive) 17" screen.

Intel Core 2 Duo
2.8 GHz
4GB Memory
500GB hard drive
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M

I think I paid upwards of 2500, but it was when this model first came out last August, and the specs still compete with many new computers.

I'm down to Sony Z, Dell studio/inspiron 14 and the IBM X series

I have two computers. A (gasp!) desktop PC with a 23" monitor that I use for hardcore work, and a netbook I use for travel and working on client sites. The PC is built of parts from Newegg, and the netbook is an 11.6 inch screen HP Mini 311. It cost $400 when I bought it in November, not sure what it costs now. I highly recommend the 11-12 inch netbooks if you are a person with large hands. 10 inches is just too small.

...that's what she said!

I've been slowly shopping for a laptop and here are few of my requirements.

Window professional 64
4 Gig Memory
250gig harddrive space or above
Webcam
13 or 14" screen size
MS Office application
Non intergrated video card
5lb or less

I think I'm having a hard time choosing the processor. I like the new I3,I5 processors, but they just kill the battery life by more than half. Many newer laptops can only last about 3 hours now.

I'm staying away from Macbook. I think they're just too pricey and it's more graphic or "fun" laptop than work laptop. I'm thinking about ordering Lenovos when they have a pretty good sale again. Model is T410.

I am quite satisfied with my Sony VAIO VGN-NW270F/S 15.5"

2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6600 Processor
4GB DDR2 800MHz Memory
320GB Serial ATA 5400RPM Hard Drive, Blu-ray Drive
15.5" (1366x768) Widescreen LCD Display, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Dimensions, weight: 9.8 x 14.6 x 1.2 inches ; 6 pounds

Pros: big screen (for me it was a must, since my eyesight is not what it used to be), Windows 7 rocks, powerful, solid feel, hardware
Cons: bigger and heavier than smaller counterparts, battery life is short.

For me personally these cons are not a big issue, as I mostly carry my laptop with me in the car, and a bit around the campus. I don't use public transport or travel by plane with it, so weight and size are not a real issue. Short battery life (don't even remember exactly, but no more than 3 hours) is not an issue either, as I use it only at home and sometimes on campus, where I always have power outlets around.
I knew these "drawbacks" in advance, but for my use and lifestyle, they are not an issue.
Short links on my original selection criteria:
https://parttimembadegree.com/2009/10/24 ... nal-grade/
and eventual selection:
https://parttimembadegree.com/2009/11/02 ... a-student/

For anyone interested in Dell, they currently have

Dell Inspiron 15 15.6" Core i3 Laptop $612
Intel Core i3 - 330M 2.13GHz, 4GB DDR2, 320GB HDD, 6-cell
15.6 WLED (1366x768), ATI Mobility Radeon HD4330, DVD+/-R Drive DL



6-Cell battery won't last you long though. I recommend 9-Cells, also make sure you drain the battery completely on first 3 recharges.

Refurbished Macbooks are a cheaper way to go (available on the Apple website). I've got a

MacBook Pro 15"
15-inch: 2.53GHz
Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB Memory
250GB hard drive

which I absolutely love. It was about $1300 refurb. They say the battery lasts 7 hours but that must be only if you're not actually doing anything. I'd give it about 2 -3. I also wish it was a little lighter, but I'm a wuss.

This ASUS laptop with 11.5 hrs of battery life looks pretty interesting too. I wonder how it compares to Thinkpad T410, Sony Z, etc. (sorry Macs are not for me....)

https://www.amazon.com/UL80Vt-A1-14-Inch ... B002Q8HK7K

My suggestion is no matter what you choose, don't buy until right before school starts. You don't want it out of date by the time school starts.

Is it strongly recommended to purchase the computer from the school? For example, CMU might only sell the IBM thinkpad -- this is not my favorite laptop, but I do not want to be at a disadvantage if everyone else has it...

From what I've seen so far, these "recommended" by the school computers, are just a little money on a side for the school or university store. Unless they offer you some pre-installed applications that you don't have already, at no additional charge, this is most likely going to be a rip off. Pretty much the same as buying new textbooks at list price from the bookstore on campus, when you can buy the same books on internet at 30-70% discount.

I think it depends on the product and on the university. I think in the CMU store, you can get some products at a heavy discount like Windows and even some Thinkpads. I'd do some research on the prices and pick the best between them. I don't think Thinkpads are necessary for some bschool courses, but Windows might especially for some Excel/VB heavy classes.

I heard at Duke softwares are free, for both mac and PC. Just need to bring you bare laptop.

It's not absolutely necessary to buy your laptop through the school, provided your laptop meets the hardware and software requirements of the school. You should be able to find out from the school's IT group what those requirements are, as well as any implications of buying your own machine on the level of support they will provide you.

i mentioned these 2 laptops in the larger thread, but i'll repeat them here. they have, IMO, the most desirable characteristics of a b-school machine (based on requirements that i've read in other threads posted by current students):

- long battery life
- portability (size/weight should be minimized)
- good benefit to cost ratio
- performance (this is lower on the priority list since you won't need high end computing to run excel and outlook, etc.)

asus UL30 A
acer AS 1810 T

both are in the ~$650 range + tax. both are ultra portable, but with a decent enough screen to be able to see things clearly. both have excellent battery lives. and finally, the price point is about half of what you'd pay for a similar macbook.

one downside is that the 64 bit versions of windows might have compatibility issues with drivers and such. if this is the case, then i'd say to get something similar, but that runs windows 7 32-bit instead. the other is that these don't have dvd drives built in. this didn't seem to be too big of an issue either, as if you really needed one you could buy a $70 external dvd drive; it didn't sound like a dvd drive was absolutely necessary for school, though

Hi shadow, do you have the right link to the larger thread? i got a lot of noise in the results when searching...