April 04, 2006
RFC: Laptops
So, looking to get a laptop to take to law school with me.
Priority one: price. Lower is better. More than $600 for the actual machine is too much, and more than $700 for everything is pushing it. This means Macs are right out. That and the fact that NDLS uses Windows-only software to administer exams, so Windows it is.
Priority two: size/weight. Small is okay. Thin is important. Light is paramount. I am not looking for a desktop replacement, but something I won't notice after carrying it around all afternoon.
Priority three: battery life. Longer is obviously better.
Putting those together is where I'm hitting snags. There's a really nice Acer machine available for $500. Great specs, tiny, cheap. And, the battery is said to last for about 70-80 minutes. Not good. The 8-cell battery is also available, but now we're talking an extra 3 figures. I've seen the battery for $130, but that still brings the whole package to over $600 plus shipping.
I've configured a really basic Dell model for $750 that comes with two 6-cell batteries, each of which are rumored to last up to 2 hours each. A bit better, methinks.
So, my question is, does anyone know of any brand/machine that I'm missing that would meet my needs better than either of these? I really don't care who makes it. It'd be nice if it played DVDs, but it's not essential. I don't need a burner. I don't care whether or not it's won design awards. I just want something that'll survive 3 years of word processing and wireless surfing. Options?
ry-dawg, if you're willing to take out a loan and get a truly sweet machine, i know my school has a $2,000 one time computer loan, soooo ND might have one, too. worth inquiring about i suppose. good luck.
Posted by: dp at April 5, 2006 05:19 PMI don't need the loan, and I don't want a great laptop: I'm perfectly content with every aspect of my desktop except for the fact that it doesn't exactly fit on one's person. I'm not looking for a desktop replacement, just something with which I can type and surf. I can swing the cost if it's low enough, I just want anyone who has any better ideas to clue me in.
Posted by: ryan at April 5, 2006 11:29 PMWe got a pretty good deal on a Compaq that is quite serviceable. We got it at Bestbuy last August. At the time it was around $750 post-rebates. Note sure where the prices would be now.
Posted by: B. Harper at April 5, 2006 11:43 PMry-dawg? I could ask Brian if IntelliMark has any slightly used laptops that they're looking to unload?? Interested?
Posted by: jolie at April 6, 2006 05:55 PM