I am entering UNC-Ch next year and the minimum laptop requirements they have are pretty steep. They offer Lenovo Thinkpads through the University at what appears to be good value. However, not knowing the laptop market well, i want to make sure of the value. Here are the specs of the high end machine they offer. Processor Intel Core Duo T2500 2.0 Ghz Memory 1 GB (1024 MB) DDR2 667 Mhz (1 Slot Open) Display 15.1" SXGA+ TFT Display Disk Drives 100 GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive DVD+R/RW Dual Layer Graphics ATI Mobility Radeon x1400 128 MB/PCI Express Graphics Audio 16-bit Audio with integrated speaker and microphone Communication Devices Integrated Gigabit Ethernet Integrated Bluetooth Internal 56K Modem Wireless 802.11 a/b/g Expansion Ports 3 x USB 2.0 PCMCIA Type I/II ExpressCard/54 Slot or 34 Battery Li-Ion Battery (up to 6.2 hours) Weight 5.9 lbs. Pointing Devices UltraNav Trackpoint with Touchpad Warranty 4-Year Parts& Labor 1-Year Battery Security Notebook security cable Integrated Biometric Fingerprint Reader Software MS Windows XP Pro MS Office 2003 Pro Adobe Photoshop Elements Adobe Premiere Elements Complete list available here Insurance 4 -Year Comprehensive Insurance Policy The price is 2,500 dollars. Thanks everyone.
I had a two Dells and an Acer for work. I really think the Dells are cheaply made. Bad battery life too. The Acer I had a TravelMate, I can't remember which one, but it was great. Had a pretty big footprint but was thinner. Easy to type on. With those Dell's I had to always hook up another keyboard. The Acer also had a big screen DVD drive, so it was great to watch movies on (the sound wasn't that great, though). The TravelMate also had great USB ports. One on the front for easy access and two on the side. With the Dells I had to carry around a USB hub with me. The had one USB plug and it was on the back. Moronic. The TravelMate I had was about $600. Built in WiFi too. I've actually been thinking about buying one. Laptops are great for travel, surfing the net around the house or on the deck.
I really want to go high end to last me the four years. The last laptop the family bought is stuggling for life right now and its only two years old. The minimum requirements are pretty stiff. * Processor: Intel Core Duo 1.8 GHz * Memory: 512 MB * Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Professional * Hard Disk Drive: 80 GB * Drives: DVD Read and CD Read/Write Capable * Graphics: 64 MB Video Memory o 1024 x 768 Resolution or better * Audio: 16 Bit Audio o Speaker o Microphone * Communication devices: o Wireless (802.11b compliant and 64 bit WEP capable) o 10/100 Ethernet o Bluetooth o 56 K Modem * Expansion Ports (at least one): o USB 2.0 o Type I/II PCMCIA Slot o Type III PCMCIA Slot * Display: 14" TFT Display
If you list the Model Number, or at least, the series number, it would be easier to evaluate it against market value. In the High End unit you have close to $600 in software alone. Then you have a "4" year parts and labor warranty. For the "R" series that's $250. You want the warranty, trust me!!!!! I went to the IBM site and used "Let me build it" on an "R" series and your unit came out to $1,660.00. Find out what the series is and go "build it" yourself to see what the true value is. Also, they have some great free items you may want to take advantage of. If you save money doing it yourself I suggest you by the cheapest docking station. Then go get a cheap monitor, keyboard and mouse. It's much easier at school to come back to the dorm and slide the unit in and work from a desktop. Here's the link to "build it" pick the right series and just check the items on the schools list. http://www-131.ibm.com/webapp/wcs/s...1&catalogId=-840&langId=-1&categoryId=2035724
I forgot to add, of all the laptops I work on, I find Sony Viao's to be the best bang for your buck. They are durable, well designed for cooling and are very economical when compared to a Dell or Hp. If your needing a quality display their TFT's are the best.
the $2500 model is the T60, I can't believe I overlooked that. They do offer lower models that only meet the requirements and also have the extra software and the 4 year warranty and insurance for 1700.
My suggestion is that you do some shopping before you jump to buy. If your not attending summer sessions than I would wait till Mid-July to purchase the unit. That's when the prices start to fall and the big rebates come into play. You typically have until August 1st before the prices go back up. If you start evaluating all the choices out there you should have a very good idea of the one you want by then. You can also check the Best Buy, Comp USA and even Wal-Mart for their older models that they reduce for quick sale. To catch the great deals you have to run in every few days and check what they have. If you want my input on what you find, PM me and I'll give you my cell number. I consult and appraise for free to college students. GraceTech up on Six Forks rd. has some great deals on laptops. Some new some used. 349-3308
