Northwestern & computers

[DrJessie]

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So I'm in the market for a new laptop for my M1 year...Are there any opinions from NU students about what type I should buy or what options are necessary to have for school?

 

[Wrigleyville]

You don't need a laptop, but if you buy one make sure it has integrated wireless lan, since the downtown campus is blanketed with hotspots. Get a lightweight one if you plan on lugging it around everyday -- IBM and Toshiba are good choices, as they make solid laptops.

 

[DrRads101]

I just bought an IBM X40 and I love it. It's SUPER lightweight like a feather--probably weighs 2 pounds. The battery life is insane at almost 7 hours, too. Can't recommend it enough. It won ALL of the reviews I looked at.

I bought it off of eBay brand new from this seller: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=38121&item=3493726885

I would highly recommend this seller and the computer. I too will be an M1 at NU. I know we don't need notebooks but it is recommended, especially a lightweight one with wireless, so I did my research and got the X40. The X40 is a class of notebook known as "ultraportable" meaning it is SUPER tiny (just 2 pounds versus more than twice that for the next class of notebooks) and is supposed to have extra long battery life. The keyboard is full size though, so you can type like a champ, and the wireless is integrated--just hit a button to choose nearby wireless networks and click on the one you want to log onto. I seriously can't recommend this computer enough--I researched notebooks thoroughly before deciding on this model, and this particular seller on eBay. Most notebooks are too big and bulky IMO and the average battery life is about 2.5 hours, but this one is so small you don't even know you are carrying it, and the battery will last you about 6 hours if you are typing or surfing the 'net the whole time--up to 7.5 hours if you just leave it on in the library to get instant messages or whatever. I bought this particular one, too, because it is so small I can take it with me just about anywhere, including Chicago's parks which have wifi hotspots, without a problem. Also if you get it from that guy he throws in an extra 256 MB of RAM and you end up saving around $400 because of no tax and cheaper shipping (IBM charges tax and more for the computer). It's the same thing you'd get from IBM though, brand new with 3 year warranty. I know I sound overly thrilled but I feel I got a great deal on the BEST notebook I have ever seen.

Any questions email me [email protected]... I don't check student doctor forums that often anymore...

Best and see you in a month! If you live downtown you can swing by or I could meet you somewhere to show it to you too, before you buy, to get a sense just how small/lightweight this thing is...
Chris

 

[daw007]

So I'm in the market for a new laptop for my M1 year...Are there any opinions from NU students about what type I should buy or what options are necessary to have for school?

Apple PowerBooks or iBooks are good too. They also have an educational deal to get a rebate of $200 if you buy an iPod with your powerbook/ibook until sept 27th or so.

 

[nuclearrabbit77]

looking back oh-soooo-fondly upon the pre-clerkship years at NU....if i were to get a laptop as an m1, i'd get the lightest thing possible....like those sony vaio's or equivalently sized computers.... the biggest use you'll get out of your laptop as an m1 or m2 will be to look at powerpoint slides, surfing the net, and listening to mp3's while chilling at borders or starbucks on michigan mile....you ain't gonna need a bulky uberpowerlaptop to do that. go tiny and light!

 

[Auricae]

Dumb question... What do you mean by integrated ethernet? I am about to buy a Toshiba. I was going to buy a wireless ethernet card for it.. for 40 bucks. Will this not work for these wireless "hotspots" or something?

 

[XoQo]

Integrated ethernet means that your laptop will have a port on the back or side to connect an ethernet cable to use a *wired* network. This is usually standard on most modern laptops.

Integrated wireless means that the laptop has an internal card that handles wireless internet and the antenna is usually embedded into the sides/top of the LCD panel. This comes standard on most laptops that use Intel Centrino technology.

Which toshiba model are you looking at? I'd check to see if it had both of the above - it's a lot more convenient and it means not having something that sticks out the side of your machine (i.e. the antenna of the wireless card if you get it separately).

If given a choice, i'd take a lower speed CPU and use that $$ to get a laptop with the built in *wireless*. It's really really convenient. 🙂

 

[Auricae]

Integrated ethernet means that your laptop will have a port on the back or side to connect an ethernet cable to use a *wired* network. This is usually standard on most modern laptops.

Integrated wireless means that the laptop has an internal card that handles wireless internet and the antenna is usually embedded into the sides/top of the LCD panel. This comes standard on most laptops that use Intel Centrino technology.

Which toshiba model are you looking at? I'd check to see if it had both of the above - it's a lot more convenient and it means not having something that sticks out the side of your machine (i.e. the antenna of the wireless card if you get it separately).

If given a choice, i'd take a lower speed CPU and use that $$ to get a laptop with the built in *wireless*. It's really really convenient. 🙂

My parents just got me a Toshiba A65-S126 Notebook. It was a great deal. 300 bucks in rebates dropped the price down to $600. Can you tell me if this comes with the built-in wireless? Here is a link to this particular laptop:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?type=product&id=pcmprd21600050000&skuId=999921500050000

 

[StrngoutAS]

Yeah you got built in wireless according to that page you posted...

 

[UCLAMAN]

So I'm in the market for a new laptop for my M1 year...Are there any opinions from NU students about what type I should buy or what options are necessary to have for school?

mac powerbook 17" 😀

...so you dont have to stress all the stupid viruses that float around on the NU network during the year and then look pimp watching dvd's on plane rides.

 

[Nike]

Apple PowerBooks or iBooks are good too. They also have an educational deal to get a rebate of $200 if you buy an iPod with your powerbook/ibook until sept 27th or so.

Where did you hear about this deal? I asked one of the guys at the computer store about it because I'm considering getting a powerbook and he looked at me like I was crazy 😕

 

[XoQo]

more info about the rebate can be found:

http://www.apple.com/education/cramandjam/


The actual form for submission to get the rebate (this is a link that can be found on the above site):

http://images.apple.com/education/promos/bts/pdf/CramAndJam_Coupon2.pdf


knock yourselves out 🙂

 

[vmiskin]

apple also offers an education discount that's pretty sweet. they also sell refurbished powerbook for nearly 300 off the normal sale price. Their quality is up to par - basically, if a consumer receives a defective powerbook, apple takes the machine back and fixes it, then sells it. it's covered by all the same warranties as a "new" computer.