X or T series for Law School?

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He-Man · #1 Post by **He-Man** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 3:48 am

Going off to law school in the fall, having never owned a laptop. From my research it seems that an X or T series would be best. I am looking for a portable machine that I can type on and browse the web essentially. I won't watch movies, play games (well...maybe solitaire), or plot to take over the world on it (well...maybe).

Just looking for something reliable, lightweight, and that won't break my pocket or my back.

Thanks in advance.

Any suggested configs would be great!

stgreek · #2 Post by **stgreek** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 4:26 am

It clearly depends on how much you will carry your laptop around and how much you'll work on it. X series are perfect for moving around, since they are light but powerful. T series are a liitle bit heavier but have the added benefit of optical drive and larger LCD. Unless you need a drive on the move I would suggest getting an X series and adding the ultrabase or an external drive for those times when you need to install something. A suggested X series config would be:

X31 (avoid the X40, imo too underpowered and not as good quality)
1.4 P-M (should be more than enough for general work)
512MB RAM (256 is slow these days)
40 GB HD (standard, should be more than enough for you)
12.1 TFT
Wireless: Unless you use linux get the cheap Intel wireless. Otherwise I would suggest a different adapter, I have the Cisco and it works perfectly with Linux.
Bluetooth: Useless imo

This setup should be quite cheap in the US - I am in the UK and cannot comment on prices over there.

Chun-Yu · #3 Post by **Chun-Yu** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 8:29 am

stgreek wrote:Wireless: Unless you use linux get the cheap Intel wireless. Otherwise I would suggest a different adapter, I have the Cisco and it works perfectly with Linux.

The Intel wireless card works perfectly in Linux too - http://ipw2100.sourceforge.net/

stgreek · #4 Post by **stgreek** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 8:45 am

Not really..It has major issues with WEP.

Chun-Yu · #5 Post by **Chun-Yu** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 8:48 am

What kinds of issues? I haven't had any with mine

admsteiner · #6 Post by **admsteiner** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 10:19 am

I'm also going off to law school in the Fall and decided on the T-Series. The reason being is that the screen is 1) bigger 2) more real estate (due to resolution). The other reason is that I was a comp sci major and I still do a lot of programming, so I needed the screen real estate.

I'm very very happy with my T-Series. Here was what I got:

T42 2378-FVU
Pentium M 735
14.1" SXGA+
512MB RAM
40GB 5400RPM HD
DVD-ROM/CDRW
Intel Wireless (2200 802.11 b/g)

It's a very sturdy laptop and has good battery power. I purchased a 6 cell and 9 cell battery, so I'll have around 11-12 hours of time for class. No need to carry around the brick.

jephhy · #7 Post by **jephhy** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 12:32 pm

Having the extra battery life is nice; I would try to plug in whenever possible. If you drain your battery every day, plan on it lasting about a year (300 complete charge/discharge cycles) and having to replace it after that.

Jeff

sktn77a · #8 Post by **sktn77a** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 1:13 pm

If you plan to take it to classes with you or multiple library/research trips, get the X series. If it will spend most of it's time on your desk at home, get the T series.

admsteiner · #9 Post by **admsteiner** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 1:13 pm

I thought that after 300 cycles it begins to lose the ability to keep its charge.

Also, what is defined as a charge cycle? What % does the battery have to be down in order to be considered a cycle.

jephhy · #10 Post by **jephhy** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 3:13 pm

That I don't know. But you can see your battery cycle count using the Thinkpad Configuration app in Control Panel. Select Power Management -> Battery Information, Status Detail tab. If someone is so inclined, they could experiment and see what they find out...

Jeff

He-Man · #11 Post by **He-Man** » Tue Jun 22, 2004 3:59 pm

[quote="sktn77a"]If you plan to take it to classes with you or multiple library/research trips, get the X series. If it will spend most of it's time on your desk at home, get the T series.[/quote]

Yea it will definitely be with me throughout the day, in class, etc.

Thanks for the info peoples.

UclaWill · #12 Post by **UclaWill** » Tue Jun 22, 2004 4:14 pm

If you already have a desktop for home use, I'd go with the X.

If your new laptop will be your primary computer, I'd go with the T (which is what I did).

I'll be starting law school in the fall as well and just got myself a 2378-FVU. I love it

----
UC Hastings Class of '07!

WilsonF · #13 Post by **WilsonF** » Tue Jun 22, 2004 8:24 pm

Unless casebooks have gotten much smaller and lighter in recent years, if you're going to be lugging your laptop to class to take notes, get the X series. It's lower weight and smaller size will be a real plus for you.

When I was in law school there were no portable computers, but if there had been I would have wanted the smallest and lightest one possible. (The dinosaurs were nearly extinct then, and we didn't have to throw heavy objects like casebooks or big Dells at them very often.)

stustrway · #14 Post by **stustrway** » Tue Jun 22, 2004 10:45 pm

I just finished my first year of law school and I'd have to say that the T40 was hands down the most common laptop among first year students. I'm very happy with mine, and I'd definitely recommend it over something smaller. You'll really appreciate the full keyboard and larger screen as you stare at your laptop for hours on end each day in class. Plus, if you get the UltraSlim battery you might get through a whole day without recharging, which is very helpful since not all classrooms have many outlets (at least at my school).

CountChocula · #15 Post by **CountChocula** » Wed Jun 23, 2004 12:35 pm

I'm starting law school in the Fall, too. I'm still in a pickle over whether to get the a T or an X, though I've pretty much decided "Thinkpad". The X is smaller, true, but not THAT much smaller. However, the 12" screen seems really tiny, and the smaller keyboard seems cramped, and, this is the biggest issue, it doesn't seem like it could take as much abuse as the T series.

Is the lighter pound or so really worth the increased fragility, cramped keyboard, and teeny tiny display? The T is already under 5 pounds, which makes it weigh half what my current laptop does. That seems fantastic already.

ETA - I'm one of those "part-timer" students, so I will only be going to two classes each night, plus all the research time. I won't be roaming quite as much as some people do.

admsteiner · #16 Post by **admsteiner** » Wed Jun 23, 2004 12:49 pm

I'm also beginning law school in the Fall. I just received my T42 last week and I'm very happy with it.

It's slim and lightweight. Granted, I don't know how many books I'll need to carry, but I don't think the X series would really allow me to carry that much more. The difference is what? A pound and a half?

In exchange, I have a nice 14.1" SXGA+ screen with lots of real estate. Perfect for having two word documents open side by side (well not completley open, but close enough). I also get great battery power (although I don't know the power on the X series so I can't compare).

I'll be posting more in my review of my T42 in the next couple of days. Whether you have a desktop or not might also play into the equation. I do have a desktop, but regardless, I wanted a laptop that could replace it if need be. And this one does. It might just turn my desktop and my 720GB of HD space into a file server.

stustrway mentioned all day computing with the slim battery. I'd say forget the slim battery. For the same price (or so I seem to remember) you can get the 9 cell hi capacity battery. When you see your battery is getting low, you can hibernate your machine, switch batteries and be back up and running, total time a minute or so. Do it between classes. I haven't tested out my 9 cell for time, but between my 9 and 6 cell I'll probably get 12 hours or so.

CountChocula · #17 Post by **CountChocula** » Wed Jun 23, 2004 1:13 pm

We've got outlets at every seat in my law school. There's no need for long battery life, although I'm going to get as much as I can. I'm thinking I'll go with a T4x. Why did you choose T42 instead of T41? Just because it's newer?

admsteiner · #18 Post by **admsteiner** » Wed Jun 23, 2004 2:06 pm

I chose the T42 because it's newer. Newer processor (Dothan vs. Banias), newer graphics card (ATI 9600).

--Adam

CountChocula · #19 Post by **CountChocula** » Wed Jun 23, 2004 2:32 pm

Ooo, I will be going for the T42 then, if possible. I didn't realize they'd changed to Dothan.

admsteiner · #20 Post by **admsteiner** » Wed Jun 23, 2004 2:36 pm

Enjoy it

They're great machines.

--Adam

He-Man · #21 Post by **He-Man** » Thu Jun 24, 2004 2:46 pm

where's everyone going to school, if they don't mind saying? I'll be leaving sunny so. cal. for Temple.

PirateLawyer · #22 Post by **PirateLawyer** » Thu Jun 24, 2004 2:56 pm

I'm headed off to Tulane Law School in August, and my 2378-DUU is due to arrive today!

admsteiner · #23 Post by **admsteiner** » Thu Jun 24, 2004 4:21 pm

Brooklyn Law, or Cardozo (if I can get in off the wait list). I'm very interested in their JD/LLM program

Reshesnik · #24 Post by **Reshesnik** » Thu Jun 24, 2004 5:13 pm

It's fascinating how many people on this board are 1L's. I purchased a 2373-3VU T42. I'm enrolled at the University of Georgia.

DonkeySmiler · #25 Post by **DonkeySmiler** » Thu Jun 24, 2004 5:25 pm

Add me to the 1L club

Going to Capital University (Columbus, Ohio)

Still debating on which IBM laptop to buy

admsteiner · #26 Post by **admsteiner** » Fri Jun 25, 2004 12:45 am

I bet we're making all those business people feel old. While being OT, what was everyone's major? I was comp sci

He-Man · #27 Post by **He-Man** » Fri Jun 25, 2004 8:51 am

B.A. International Relations, thinking jd/llm in transnational law (one extra semester if I do it right)

DonkeySmiler · #28 Post by **DonkeySmiler** » Fri Jun 25, 2004 9:17 am

admsteiner wrote:While being OT, what was everyone's major? I was comp sci

Me too! Computer Science. If you don't mind me asking, what are your motivations for going to law school with such a "non-traditional" under graduate major?

superiorlobe · #29 Post by **superiorlobe** » Fri Jun 25, 2004 9:22 am

I'll be headed to law school with a BA in philosophy, an MS in computer science, and an X40.

admsteiner · #30 Post by **admsteiner** » Fri Jun 25, 2004 12:37 pm

superiorlobe:
BA in philosophy and a master's in computer science? That's an interesting combo.

Donkey:
I've always loved law (my dad and uncle are lawyers and my aunt is a parralegal). I've also always loved computers (had my first IBM 286 a long long time ago). Right now I'm interested in intellectual property law. Cardozo (here in new york city) has a dual JD/LLM program (7 semesters) where you end with your LLM in Intellectual Property law. Coupled with a master's in comp sci (which I'm beginning either this summer or next summer)....

What was your motivation?

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