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Help choosing a laptop for biz school

post #1 of 24
3/23/05 at 5:39am
Thread Starter 
Hi all,

I was recently admitted to a MBA program and am in need of a new laptop.
I have owned Dell Inspiron 7000 for 6 years now and have not had any problems aside from loud hard drive that sound like it's gonna quit on my in any day now. so I figured it's time to break up with my old Pentium 2 friend and get a new girl friend. besides, she's gotten way too heavy..don't wanna dislocate my shoulder carrying her all day long in biz school.
(actually I am not sure what to expect from a biz school setting..so if you are current in a mba program, feel free to share your insights..)

do you have any recommendation for one that is..

1) subtantial in it's screen real estates (14" sxga+? even 15 or 15.4 will do as long as it's light and thin..I love the wide screen format but wider it gets heavier it will be is my take)

2) awesome battery life (>4hrs?)..don't want her to run out of her juice during the day.

3) as quiet as possible...boy my Dell is loud...

3) reasonable cost. can't spend fortunes buying her Gucci
necklaces..

4) don't really care about high end dedicated graphics card but wanna avoid on board intel stuff if at all possible.

I've looked at HP's nc6230 or nc8230..but kinda pricey and not sure if it's thin enough..looks kinda ugly too.
I loved LG's LM Express models..support will be an issue since I can't get one in the States (speaking of which, I have not had to deal with support at all with my Dell...so I don't think it will be an issue for me but I guess it does make a difference huh? excuse my ignorance here).
Asus has some kick ass laptops like V6V...but $2200.... ..to me that's alot of dinero to spend on a laptop cuz it will be outdated in couple years anyhow? and the W3V seems to have small screen like HP's dv1000? how is the keyboard on these Asus anyhow? I touched on couple older models at local Asus reseller store but was not impressed at all
Also I wanna avoid Dell since I"ve had her more than half a decade now..time for some change.

thanks in advance
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post #2 of 24
3/23/05 at 1:36pm
Congrats on grad school. I am in the exact same boat - starting my MBA this fall. I am (most likely) going to get the Asus Z71A. However, it has integrated graphics (128mb, shared), which you stated you don't want.

I have heard that the M6 (which is a very, very nice notebook) is going to be replaced soon with the Z70, with similar pricing to the Z71. The Z71V has what you're looking for, but it will be a bit more money and might not be worth it if you aren't gaming.

The thing I like most about the Z71 series is the ALS feature, which dims or brightens the screen according to the ambient light, which should save your battery, and would be very useful for powerpoint presentations.

Anyway, I've only been looking at Asus, so I don't have much advice other than in their product line. Not to say the other stuff is bad or inferior - I've just been really impressed with the Asus models.

Good luck!
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post #3 of 24
3/23/05 at 2:53pm
You should get the IBM thinkpad T42 series. very good, solid notebook.
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post #4 of 24
3/23/05 at 3:39pm
Check out the Toshiba Tecra A4: The new Sonoma PM, 15.4" ~6lbs (depending on config). If you want battery life, STAY AWAY from the bright glossy screens (TruBright by Toshiba, but also applies to sony, dell and others). The A4 comes w/ a 6 cell battery that gets 3.25hrs but there's also an optional 12 cell battery that should get you about 6 hours. Starts at $1200 www.toshiba.com

Here's a review from the forum http://notebookforums.com/showthread.php?t=67728 by someone that just got one.

edit: Also look at the Tecra A2: 15"screen, the "older" centrino @ 400Mhz FSB, W/ celeron & integrated graphics, Tosh claims 4 hours on the 6-cell battery & a 12-cell is avail!! all for $900 (not incl. 12 cell). celeron & integrated graphics won't be the fastest lappy on the block,work well for heavy gaming or compiling, but depending on what job you throw at it, it should get the job done.
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post #5 of 24
3/23/05 at 6:18pm
Thread Starter 
hmm....when is Z71V going to be released in the States? also asus's homepage doesn't list Z71V yet...care to share where you got the info on it?
thanks
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post #6 of 24
3/23/05 at 8:58pm
Istnc (a shop) says they will get them in the next few days. The specs are on their website. Sweet looking machine.

Asus took about a month to list the Z71A after it was released, so they obviously lag when it comes to site updates.

Anyway, Istnc, or other Asus dealers, will have the Z71V specs on their sites (Agear, Geared-to-Play, etc).
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post #7 of 24
3/23/05 at 11:55pm
You want a notebook that you'll be able to use years from now. My suggestion is to get the new IBM Thinkpad T-43. IBM is the only computer company that can claim that Business is its middle name (International Business Machines), so that aspect of your MBA is covered. IBM's are famous for their reliability, and practicality. They're the most sensible notebooks out there, and i think they're under 6 lbs (someone correct me if i'm wrong). Battery life should be around 5 hours on this notebook, and with teh new sonoma platform, it should be lightning fast.

However, if you want to take the plunge, i'd also tell you to go for a mac. The Apple line of Powerbooks are simply amazing, in my opinion. Reliable, innovative, quick, practicle; these machines are best suited for business computing tasks like word processing and photo-editing and multimedia junk. So if you'd ask me, i'd say either the IBM T-42 or the Apple Powerbook (probalby the 15" or 12")
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post #8 of 24
3/24/05 at 12:18am
while at work over the summer (internship) I used an HP nc6000...man that thing was awesome, I had the 14.1" verison, but they make a 15 as well...it was only 5.5lbs pretty thin, and not noisy at all, plus it had a 9600 in it...I really enjoyed it as a business machine...it was a little pricey then, but now that sonoma has come out, I bet you can get it for a decent price
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post #9 of 24
3/24/05 at 1:20am
I second the notion to get an IBM... get the T42...

If you go through VISA's website to IBM's site and you use your VISA you can get as much as 20% off.
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post #10 of 24
3/24/05 at 1:53am
DELL I6000 ??? I have it for about a month and has been awesome. Quiet, nice keybaord, cool, widescreen and has been great for school. Maybe you should look into it. I got mine for all under $1000 as Dell has had crazy deals and saving cuopons. Check it out. worth it in my view.
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post #11 of 24
3/24/05 at 2:05am
Whats your price range?, so we can narrow down the laptops...
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post #12 of 24
3/24/05 at 3:49am
Thread Starter 
How much does the dell weight? I think it's close to 7lbs if not more with adapter and stuff...
my budget is going to be around $1800...lower the better obviously.....may be even $1500....well..how about $1200... .....but at the same time I am not gonna sacrifice quality too much if it means getting a lappy around $1200 with alot of noises and terrible battery run........apple's nice but it's just not a main stream and I am also fan of linux as well...I may even install Solaris 10 x86 for work before jetting outta here for more schooling....so I don't think apple's can be one of my choices...but it's definitely nice..no doubt about it.
I've also looked at Averatech...but they just don't satisfy my apetite too well....besides what's couple hundred more if it means getting a much better laptop...any more suggestions?
boy I would love to get one of Asus....if they ever go on sale like Dell does..but probably not in my life time...
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post #13 of 24
3/24/05 at 3:51am
Thread Starter 
Z71 looks awesome too..but I think it's bit heavy and bulky compare to V6V? also..Asus's keyboard doesn't seem too impressive (I touched couple of them from a local reseller)..what do you think?
Do all T42s come with sxga+ ?
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post #14 of 24
3/24/05 at 4:20am
Well lets look into the Sager, and the Asus line. The one in my sig should be shipping sometime this week or next. Here go to http://www.discountlaptops.com/ and look around, they seem to have good prices, and support.
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post #15 of 24
3/24/05 at 4:40am
Thread Starter 
oh..cool..will definitely look at the site..and I take it they don't carry refurbs ? wanna avoid refurbs..thanks!
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post #16 of 24
3/24/05 at 4:44am
Nope no refurbs, were you looking to go that way? Cause there is a few other sites out there that you can look into. I think the NP4480 is excatly what your looking for. For the price, you can get a set up that will blow away other laptops. The only thing that is wrong with it, is the screen. For multiple viewers at the same time its kinda hard. The contrast is kinda bad, but other than that its a really great laptop as it seems.
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post #17 of 24
3/24/05 at 4:47am
Thread Starter 
well...the spec's look very good...but it doesn't list the weight and also 1.75" in height? that's kinda thick...the pic looks pretty thin but 1.75"??
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post #18 of 24
3/24/05 at 4:58am
Guessing its more of a dtr, but here is the review that adam did... If your looking for something else a little smaller ill check something else out then.

http://notebookforums.com/showthread.php?t=69706
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post #19 of 24
3/24/05 at 5:07am
B schools usually recommend you stay away from "consumer" notebooks but obviously they aren't paying for it either. I would wait until you get on campus because there should be a recommened list--and most schools will offer a discounted price. Generally, IBM's are discounted and either Dell or Sony. Would get the T42.

Keep in mind you are not going to do anything but Powerpoint presentations, Word, and some spreadsheets (for corporate finance). Nothing complicated IMO. Maybe your stats professor will require come complex things but really CPUs from 2 gens back would work.

The key IMO is portability. Being able to bring it to class, to the library, to a coffee shop, work outside, etc. is KEY. I would focus on weight and battery life. 14" screen is fine.
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post #20 of 24
3/24/05 at 6:12am
Thread Starter 
thanks Woody! and thanks LaptopBoy also....the informations you provided are very helpful..!
the school actually does have some kinda deal with IBM..but the cost is estimated to be $2200 including some softwares...I am not sure what model it is but that's just outrageous in my opinion...I could get that sexy Asus V6V with that kinda money and I already have most of the softwares...
so far IBM's T42 with price tag around $1500 looks real good...
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