X or T series for Law School?

[He-Man]

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!

[sunshine14]

I too am heading off to law school in September, and I just recently purchased the x31 and so far I love it!! What everyone says about IBM's in general are completly true about the x31! Great keyboard, great display, sturdy beyond belief, etc. etc.

It is very light on its own, which will be great for taking to class etc.

I did buy the base and optical drive, mainly because I don't want to be plugging and unplugging the printer/mouse/external drives etc. every day when I go to and from class. I think of it as a really good docking station.

I did get a great deal on it though...I'm not sure I would have been able to get it at 2800 cdn...however I wouldn't spend that much on any laptop!


Good luck choosing!

[superiorlobe]

I'm in a similar situation to you. I would go with the X40 because the difference in weight is really important if you are carrying it around all day. Also, for law school you don't need a 7200 RPM drive or a massive video card. Mainly you are taking notes, doing email, and browsing the web. I would get at least 768 RAM, though.

The only reason I am thinking of going with the T41 instead of the X40 is that my hands are big (I can palm a basketball) and I have heard that the X40 does not give enough space for people with big hands to rest the heals of their hands. There isn't even enough space in front of the keyboard for a touchpad mouse.

[rbmartin]

I have the X40 and I love it. Before that I owned an X20 for several years before I beat it to death. The X20 was a great machine but the X40 is better in every respect - it is very solid. With the 8-cell battery, it is a bit lighter than my X20 was, and it will run 5-6 hours on a charge.

I have large hands and the keyboard has never been a problem for me. I can rest my palms on the front edge and it is comfortable. The keyboard is a bit smaller than you are accustomed to, but you get used to it quickly. It is a real keyboard, not a toy keyboard, and you can do serious typing on it. I did enough typing on my X20 to wear out a keyboard - I replaced it a couple of years ago. (Another nice feature of the Thinkpads- you can replace the keyboard yourself, easily).

I agonized long and hard over whether to stick with the X, or go with the T this time around. The T is a fantastic machine as well, but when I thought about what I really use a laptop for, I realized that I didn't really need an SXGA+ screen, Radeon graphics, a DVD burner, etc. I have access to other computers with all that stuff. What I need in a laptop is something that's light and portable, and has good battery life. The X40 fits that bill.

I don't know what you guys do with all that RAM - I have 512MB and it is more than enough. For typing and web surfing 256 is probably fine. Also I wouldn't get too caught up in specs - you probably won't notice the difference between 1.0GHz processor and a 1.3GHz processor.

Steer clear of the Intel wireless - go with the IBM a/b/g instead.

[superiorlobe]

Thanks for an excellent post. I just wish I could sit down at an X40 and type for a while to see what it feels like. As soon as I convince myself that there is enough space at the base to rest my hands, I will buy it.

As for the RAM, well for $60 I think there is no harm in upgrading to 768 MB. It might come in handy once or twice a year (or when MS Office 2005 comes out and requires 600 MB).

[He-Man]

[quote="superiorlobe"]I'm in a similar situation to you. I would go with the X40 because the difference in weight is really important if you are carrying it around all day. Also, for law school you don't need a 7200 RPM drive or a massive video card. Mainly you are taking notes, doing email, and browsing the web.[/quote]


These are the same lines I am thinking along...

[admsteiner]

I forget where, but if you search the T series archives, a week or so ago, a number of us were discussing this same thing. 4-5 of us are entering law school in the fall and we all purchased T42's.

I have the T42 2378-FVU, great machine. I find that XGA (1024x768) doesn't give enough real estate, and SXGA+ is perfect. Battery power and weight are great on the T42, the keyboard and screen superb.

My $.02
--Adam

[aceyx]

I've just completed my first year of law school with an x22 I've had for a while. the best thing about it was only having one bag for my books and laptop. several students carry a laptop bag in addition to their backpack, and some people have rolling cases for everything. if you're a minimalist, you'll appreciate the X series.

some people have more than word/wordperfect open (aim, solitaire) and will "benefit" from the larger screen of the T. however, certain situations (such as running two open documents side-by-side, notes and an outline) are only possible on the T series' wider screen.


if it's going to be your only computer, i think the T series might be better. taking notes off westlaw/lexis while the windows are tiled is a little easier than flipping back and forth.

i'm not really familiar with all the new stuff, but that's been my experience and i hope it helps. battery life is a plus, if your school has few power outlets like mine--you can always carry a power strip and be a hero to 5 other students--but you're still somewhat limited where you're able to sit.


the other thing is elbow room while you're in class; notebook, casebook, and probably a cup of coffee may make everything feel cramped. it's a real good idea to check out your classrooms too before you make this purchase. also, a lot of schools have purchase programs with ibm and software distributors.

anyway, good luck to all of you, and congrats.