T series for law school

Hi, new here and I have a question about getting a computer for law school this fall.

I have been looking at the T series and it looks pretty good, I was able to spec a 410i with i3 2.13, 4gb ram, and 128gb ssd, 2 year onsite warranty, for about $1040 after student discount and deals,

I was also able to set up a 410 with i5 2.53, better screen, 4gb ram, fingerprint reader, 128gb ssd, 2 yr onsite warranty for about $1370

I am leaning towards the 410i because I really don't need the extra processing power, I will just be writing a lot and moving around a lot so the keyboard and durability are what really appealed to me. I also love the idea of being able to boot and open things very quickly so thats why I have been looking into the SSD. Are there any things that the 410 will give me that I really need? Any thing I am missing?

Also, I have looked at the L series and could get a decent spec for just over $700, I am wary to get a computer without any reviews though, especially when it just came out. Is it something I should look into? I would like to save some money but I also realize that I am about to go into 200k+ debt so I don't want to skimp too much for a couple hundred bucks.

Sorry if this is super long, I hope that the experts here can help me make a decision.

Thanks

 

The T410i seems like a great deal for you. But I would consider the t410 mainly based on how useful you think the screen resolution would be, not the extra processing power. An i3 + SSD is pretty much going to handle anything to do with school. But, a higher res screen could help you multitask better, you'll be able to fit more things on the screen at once.

I wouldn't get an L series. For a few hundred more you get the build quality, dimension and weight of the a real Thinkpad T series laptop, something that will pay for itself in the long run.

 

I had a Asus EEE PC 1000h with an OCZ Vertex 120 gb SSD (I installed it) and it was one of the fastest machines I've ever used (With a so-so Atom processor). I doubt you will be doing a ton of processor intensive actions as a law student. Most of your work will probably be loading large word and pdf files and stuff like that which is where the SSD matters most.

I'd go with the T410i. I wouldn't multitask on a screen under 1920x1080. I would go with the increased resolution though.

edit: If you can, I would buy an HDTV that allows 1920x1080 over VGA and use that to do your work in your room.

 

virtual desktop (like dexpot or virtuawin) can be useful for multitasking on a low resolution screen

 

Thanks for the tip on screen res, I didn't even think about that. I can get the higher res screen on the 410i, it would run me $1066 which seems like a pretty solid deal, especially with a SSD.

That was my thinking on the L series as well, unless some really positive reviews come out in the next few weeks I'll probably avoid it.

 

Notebookcheck: Review Lenovo Thinkpad L512 Notebook

Here is the L series review.

I would go with the T410i. Since you do not think you need the extra processing power, I doubt you will encounter time when you need it. Have you consider x201i or T410si.

200k+ debt, wow. Just curious what law school is that expensive?

 

any respectable law schools nowadays will run about 180+ for three years. Big investment

edit: thanks for the review, I couldn't find any online

 

"Respectable"? So Rutgers Law School, my alma mater, is not respectable because your entire legal education costs only $64,458.

Bronsky

 

respectable private school I should have said...

 

In addition to the laptop you may want to get an external monitor. If you have to read anything online and write a report on it, two monitors make life alot easier.

If you like getting the monitor and laptop up on a stand, check out stands at
ergotron.


Things to consider for an external monitor.
- if your laptop has display port out, it'd be good to get a monitor with displayport too, though not essential.
- check the resolution output of the laptop's external display port, there's no need to get an external monitor with resolution higher than this.

Other advise:
- think about a backup strategy. Whether your using an SSD or a harddrive you want to keep your stuff backed up on another drive. I'm no expert on backing stuff up but there is plenty of disscussions on this at the Windows OS and Software forum
- an online backup solution like carbonite.com might be worth looking at. I've enver used it though.

 

Most elite private ones once you factor in housing, living expenses, etc.

The T410i is a fine machine. Although personally, I'd recommend the T410s(i), x201(s), or the x200/x201 Tablet. All of these will be substantially lighter and the minor reduction in performance should not be an issue for your needs.

The tablet has the potential to be particularly useful in reducing the load you need to carry with you. This is especially true if you can scan your books, readers, etc. to PDF or get digital editions.

 

I appreciate all the responses.

I was looking at the t410s but the price difference seems a little big just for the weight savings. As far as tablets are concerned I think most of my readings will be out of massive case books so unless I wanted to take the bindings off and scan all the pages I don't think it would help me too much. Maybe someday law schools will get with the program and use some more electronic material but until then I think I am stuck lugging the big books around.

 

BTW, congrats ... great profession. Law school is basically a waste of time. It's a lot like being hazed so you can join a fraternity. Most law professors wouldn't know the practice of law if it hit them in the face. Once you get out, you'll learn how to practice law.

My recommendation is to go for portability and battery power. I doubt that you will use your computer for much more than on-line research, word processing and an occasional power-point presentation once you get to the seminar stage. What you may do is take class notes directly on the unit and, at the end of the semester, convert your notes to an outline of the course. A portable is nice in the library as well so you can copy down case citations and important passsages for insertion into briefs.

Anyway, good luck.

Bronsky

 

I am also for ultraportable laptops for note taking with access to a full sized monitor in your apartment to dock, etc.

I think that works out for any student type work. I enjoy that combo when I was in school.

And good luck with law. Hard market to break into especially in NY or CA. More options for T14 students though of course.

 

I just graduated law school last weekend. My T60 served me well.
I'll take a break from Bar prep to give my recommendations:
1 - portability not really an issue. I'd probably take a 14 inch over a 15 inch, just because 15" widescreens are, well, wide, but my 15" 4:3 was never an issue
2 - battery life is nice to have, especially if you're the type who might forget his power cable, but from what I've seen just about every law school has power outlets for each seat these days. There are, of course, places you'll want to use your laptop that don't have an outlet, but you aren't going to need 11 hours. 3.5 hours+ would be more than enough.
3 - the roll-cage IS important. This adds A LOT to laptop durability, and your laptop will be your life from here on out. The L-series doesn't have this, so cross it off the list.
4 - high screen res is very nice to have. It's very convenient to have both LexisNexis (or Westlaw) visible at the same time as your Word doc. My 1400x1050 works fine for this, but any lower wouldn't.
5 - I guess you are including cost of living in your $180k estimate? Word of advice, don't take all the loans they give you, just take the ones you need. You can always get more later if you really need it. Taking on $200k in debt, I hope you plan to work BigLaw (and if you do plan to go BigLaw, I hope the market has changed in 3 years).
6 - how much can you save by ditching the 2 year warranty? Thinkpads are fairly end-user serviceable. At any rate, in my experience laptop parts either fail after more than 2 years, or within the first year. I would pay for 1 year on-site because IIRC that's only ~$30 more, but I wouldn't pay for 2 years. Service contracts are high profit margin. Yeah, I know, you've got loan money, but loan money is not free money.
7 - there are plenty of law books available in a digital form (Kindle for one thing). If this idea appeals to you, then maybe consider a smaller laptop. If you're like me, it doesn't appeal to you (that much reading on an electronic screen strains the eyes, plus underlining is hampered).
8-you will never think to yourself "man, I wish I had a tablet" while taking notes in class.