Need a school laptop

[MDE]

Here's the "required' specs from the school

Pentium 4 Processor ? 1.8 GHz or Higher
14 inch display -UXGA
512 MB Memory
30 GB Hard Drive or Better
Internal 10/100 NIC
Internal 56K Modem
Sound Card - 16 Bit Digital
Floppy Drive ? 3.5
CD-RW Drive
Wireless Card ? Cisco PCMCIA or Integrated 802.11b
Windows XP Pro Operating System
Norton Anti-virus with at least 12 month definition subscription
Warranty ? no less than 3 years full

I have about $1800 to spend, maybe a bit more. I'd like something with a mobility Radeon 9600 Pro\np (whatever their fastest is), an Athlon64 (if feasible) and possibly 1GB RAM. Looks or size don't really matter, just as long as the battery life is decent (2.5 hours or more) and it isn't 25 lbs. Thing is, I'd rather get it from HP\Dell (ugh) as they have a student discount programs. Any ideas?

...off to do some pricing...

 

[thelittleprincess]

 

[GnomeCop]

hmmm 14" UXGA?
I think you are going to have a hard time finding that on a notebook as a minimum spec.

 

[thelittleprincess]

you know...i would check with the students who already go to the school on what exactly they need on the requirements. My school also required floppy drive - and my brother insisted that NOBODY uses it anymore since the advent of cd's. and he was right. maybe 2 or 3 times last semester we had problems emailing/sharing files between laptops at school when there were internet problems. but that can be solved with saving info onto cd's or thouse little memory sticks (i just got one this semester). so honestly, you don't need a floppy drive imo.

anyhow, i got my IBM T40 2379D6U for about $1650 before tax with the stockholder discount (retail $1950.....and you don't really need to be a stockholder...just find the most recent code that use. my brother-in-law is a stockholder and i bought my laptop thru him...but my other brother who placed the order transaction for us said it turned out that it didn't matter, they don't check to verify) Anyhow, my laptop is an "express model" meaning i couldn't customize it. pentium m 1.4GHz, 256mb, 40gb, 14.1", SXGA (Yes, I think the SXGA makes a difference), UltraNav Ultrabay Slim CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo, Integrated Intel PRO/1000 Gigabit Ethernet 56KV.92 designed modem Intel PRO/Wireless Network Connection 802.11b IBM Embedded Security Subsystem 2.0

(sorry, i started to cut and paste from ibm website) oh yeah, and it came with Microsoft XP professional.

i just ordered more memory from kingston (256mb for $47 from kingston.com) and should be getting it today - we'll see if it helps cause emy lappy is running a little slow. i have the 6-cell battery so life is 2.5 to 3 hours. i'm in school from either 8 to noon or 8 to 3pm so i always need my ac adapter (we take notes via laptops during lectures). the 9 cell battery is suppose to last ~8hours (slightly heavier but only by like an ounce or so and it slightly sticks out)

weight - i think it's 3.4 to 4 lbs? definitely ledd than 5lbs. i had an 8lb lappy temporarily for the first 2 weeks of school and it sucked!!!! too heavy withing the first 3 hours of lugging it around (i wasn't even carrying it the whole time....it was just the few times i had to lift it up within the first 3 hours that i just felt like it weighed a ton!!)

school sucks - no wireless so i have to use an ethernet cord. but at home, the internal wireless works great.

hmmm. can't seem to think of anything else. oh, i have one of the shoulder laptop bags - i don't like it. i think a backpack may be better. even distribution of weight. yeah, even though my lappy is light, i still have to carry the ac adapter, my cooling pad, wireless mouse, ethernet cord, paper (school provides printer with tone, but we have to supply our own paper). oh yeah, and a book or 2 for class. so there is some weight when you add that all up. so i might be looking into a backpak.

wireless mouse - i got one by targus (i think $35 or $25 after rebate from best buy)
cooling pad - also by targus ($20) at frye's. it's a piece of plastic board that you place under the laptop to increase air circulation to keep it from haeting up. oh yeah, my lappy is pretty quiet compared to my classmates' laptops. they all tend to mak a whirling nose when air circulates, but mine is very minimal. i sit next to a dell laptop and it's pretty loud. back to the cooling pad - it swivels, too, so i can easily turn my laptop to face my friends sitting next to me when i wanna show them something on my laptop (sounds dumb when you can pick it up and turn it, but it is a good feature....other cooling pads are $20 and don't do that swivel thing)
Simpletech FlashDrive USB 2.0 - just got it....so i dunno how it works yet (my brother gave it to me)

i don't have a desktop, so i also use my laptop at my apartment. i bought a 4 port hub by belkin for $5 after rebate from best buy (they have the rebate special every now and then...i jsut saw it a few weeks ago and i had bought mine back in july/august.) so it's nice, i just hook my laptop to one usb cord and i have access to my printer, mouse recharger (oh yeah, the wirelss mouse runs on rechargable batteries.....i bought the package that carried the charger base. this was definitely a better deal after rebate that the set with the wireless mouse only)

so there are some good deals out there. just look. i also bought the samsung laser printer (forgot the model off the top of my head...but it was about $100 after rebate back in july/august....i heard that it just went to $60 after rebate the other day) oh, and a really nice surge protecter for $20 after rebate at best buy.

anyhow, i hope this helps you. really, i suggest you talk to people who are in the school you're going to and find out what of the requirements are necessary and what you may want. some of my classmates are gamers, so they're are always playing warcraft. but i'm not so my lappy works great for me. good luck shopping around and congratulations on school!!!

 

[MDE]

Wow, thanks thelittleprincess for that lengthy, but very informative response! I have a desktop, but would like the laptop as a spare (you know, for when I hose my desktop's hard drive ) at home, and for possible gaming on the way to\from school (I take the train), as well as for classwork. The only Athlon64 I found was a VoodooPC for $2600 (definately out of my range). The thing about the floppy is that they physically inspect the computer to make sure that it's up to par, so I guess that I'll begrudgingly get a USB floppy drive. I have most of the peripherals at home already. I was leaning towards an IBM that I saw, so it'll make it onto my short list of finalists. I'd rather go through all of this legwork than settle for a crappy overpriced Dell from the school.

 

[thuned]

wow man, which school did you get into? carnegie melon or something? floppy required? and that 3 year warrenty is gonna add a couple hundred too.

 

[vegetation]

Originally posted by: thuned
wow man, which school did you get into? carnegie melon or something? floppy required? and that 3 year warrenty is gonna add a couple hundred too.

Probably a school that wants you to buy from their overpriced book store, or make you eat sh*t for not doing so. Hate schools that rip off students like that.

 

[JammingJay]

You gotta be kidding me. Thats the REQUIRED specs for school? Wow, shows how long I've been out of college.

 

[jpeyton]

HP ZT3000 w/ a WUXGA panel.

 

[Jennerstein]

I got a IBM X31 during the $1274 / $999 deals last month.

Pros:
- Very light (3.6 lbs, lightest IBM available in the States currently)
- Great Wireless Connectivity (powerful built in 801.11b antennas)
- Excellent Keyboard
- Fast for general student needs (my laptop is Pentium M 1.4, 512 MB RAM)
- Standard 3 Year Warranty
- Terrific build quality, very rugged
- 5+ hours battery life when utilizing good power management habits

Cons:
- Small Hard Drive (This is upgradable, but I bought a base system that only came with 20 GB).
- No Optical or Floppy Drive (one can be attached via an add-on Ultrabay that adds 1 lb to system weight)
- SXGA will cost quite a bit extra
- Not all models have bluetooth
- Hard drive is usually 4200 RPM (slower access times = slower computing)

Other:
- Trackpoint is used for navigation instead of a touchpad. (I prefer this).
- Notebook is very business/professional looking. Might be a bit staid for student tastes.
- Excellent security features built in, like bios passwords, HD passwords, etc.
- LCD screen is sharp.
- IBM customer service is very good, IMO.

My general comments as a student:
When shopping for a laptop, determine how you are going to use the computer. Will this be your primary workstation, or will you have a desktop at home? If your laptop is going to be THE computer, then buy accordingly. A lot of people trade weight for more screen real-estate and graphics speed because they prefer a computer for all-around needs. I've also seen students with tiny laptops whose function is note taking, word processing, and general HTML work. I've seen a lot of students with 14", 15" 6 lb Dells, but mostly because these were cheaper than the subnotebooks that just came out. These laptops end up being less portable, and the students don't use it in class as often.

My recommendation is to go small, unless this will be your only computer and you want to do a fair bit of gaming (which is what I'm guessing from your specs). I love my IBM x31 just because it's so light and portable. Really easy to whip out in the middle of class, or type something up quickly. I usually just carry the laptop to school without the bulk of a powerbrick or ethernet cable. I can get 5 hours out of the notebook and we have wireless connectivity on campus.

I'd recommend the IBM T40 for general desktop replacement, or IBM X31 for portable laptop use. The IBM's are, in my opinion, better overall computers than Dells or HPs, and have the 3 year warranty to boot. The T40 also can be configured with a Radeon 9600 and built-in CD/DVD drive. Link

 

[InlineFive]

Inspiron 8600
Pentium®M Processor,1.7 GHz,15.4 in WUXGA, Microsoft® Windows® XP Home
Qty: 1
Price: $3,051.00

Date: Sunday, January 11, 2004 2:19:56 PM CDT
Catalog Number: 4 04
Module Description Product Code Sku Id
Inspiron 8600: Pentium®M Processor,1.7 GHz,15.4 in WUXGA LP17PHM [221-3503] 1
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP Home WHXP [313-2174] [313-2208] [412-0408] [420-3235] 11
Memory: FREE UPGRADE! 512MB,DDR,333MHz 2 Dimms 512MZ [462-6005] 3
Hard Drive: Free Upgrade! 60GB Ultra ATA 60GBP [462-4221] 8
CD ROM/DVD ROM: 4x CD/DVD burner (DVD+RW/+R) including Sonic RecordNow and MyDVD LE 4XDVDRW [313-2194] [430-0685] 16
Video Card: 128MB ATI MOBILITY RADEON 9600 PRO Turbo ATI128M [320-2902] 6
Wireless Networking Cards: Dell TrueMobile? 1400 DualBand WLAN (802.11a/b/g, 54Mbps) miniPCI Card TM1400I [430-0509] 19
Network Card: Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem INTNIC [430-0493] 13
Floppy Drive and Additional Storage Devices: 64MB Dell USB Memory Key 64MB [340-7270] 10
Additional Battery: 72 WHr Spare Primary Battery ADDBAT2 [312-0100] 80
Bundled Software: Microsoft® Office Basic Edition 2003 IBASIC [412-0452] 22
Security Software: Norton Antivirus®2003, 90-day introductory offer NAV2003 [412-0324] 25
Digital Music: Dell Jukebox powered by MUSICMATCH MMBASE [412-0516] 26
Digital Imaging Software: Dell Picture Studio, Paint Shop Pro Trial, Photo Album Starter Edition DPS [412-0521] 38
Multi-Media Players: RealOne? Player, with 14 day SuperPass trial REALBAS [412-0380] 40
Dial-Up Internet Access: No ISP Requested NISP [412-0148] [412-0625] 37
Power Adapter: AC adapter - 65w, 19.5v 65W [312-0176] 9
Primary Battery: 72 WHr Primary Battery ADDBATT [312-0066] 27
Purchase Intent: Purchase is not intended for resale. NOT4SEL [462-4506] 138
Dell Media Experience: Dell Media Experience? DMX [412-0581] 115
Limited Warranty, Services and Support Options: 4 Year Limited Warranty plus 4 Year On-site Service and CompleteCare B4YCC [412-0357] [412-0360] [950-1020] [950-1023] [960-1938] 29

 

[arsbanned]

Nah, get a 5100, for like 999., which meets your school's specs. Spending more on such fleeting technology makes ZERO sense unless you're spending someone elses money.