Going back for MBA, need a laptop (and some suggestions for which model to buy)

[glenn1]

Thanks in advance for any suggestions

Required Minimum Configuration

Hardware:

1.4+ GHz Processor

256+ MB RAM

20+ GB Hard Drive

10/100 Ethernet Port (Internal -or- PC Card)

Software:

Microsoft Windows XP Professional (English version only)
-or- Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional (English version only)
Windows XP Home is not compatible with our network domain;
Non-English versions prevent our ability to resolve technical issues and may not be compatible with additional required software installed later

Microsoft Office 2003 Professional
-or- Microsoft Office XP 2002 Professional
-or- Microsoft Office 2000
Seek academic pricing

Microsoft FrontPage XP 2002
-or- Microsoft FrontPage 2003
Seek academic pricing
Miscellaneous

10/100 Ethernet Network Cable

Recommended Configuration

Hardware:

2.0+ GHz Intel Centrino Processor (or Athlon equivalent)
-or- 2.0+ GHz Intel Pentium-M (or Athlon equivalent)

512+ MB RAM

30+ GB Hard Drive

100 Ethernet Port (Internal -or- PC Card)

802.11g Wireless Adapter (Internal -or- PC Card)
-or- 802.11b Wireless Adapter (Internal -or- PC Card)
802.11a is not compatible with our wireless network

Software:

Microsoft Windows XP Professional (English version only)
Windows XP Home is not compatible with our network domain;
Non-English versions prevent our ability to resolve technical issues and may not be compatible with additional required software installed later

Microsoft Office 2003 Professional
Seek academic pricing

Microsoft FrontPage 2003
Seek academic pricing
Miscellaneous

100 Ethernet Network Cable

Manufacturer warranty -or- Service Agreement
Purchase best agreement you can afford

Portable USB Flash Drive

 

[Abhi]

Hey glenn..

I dont think a Intel Cetrino or Pentium M exists till date...

That is ... bar the dothan... i wonder if that can be the "recommended" requirements for any institution...

Also... how much are you willing to spend? How much wieght are u willing to carry? Do you want a big screen or a 14 inch will do?

All brands offer almost everything you listed... so the budget is the deciding factor.

IBM will be expensive and good quality... dell will be cheaper... but will be ...not so good quality...

 

[Arcanedeath]

Well Hardware wise the Emachines M6805/7/9 surpasses your requirments but it doesn't have all the software you want and only comes w/ XP home. still might be worth a shot if you have or can aquire the software seperatly

 

[JCheng]

Most of your classmates will likely be toting ThinkPads of one sort or another... T or X series probably. At least that was the case when I was an undergrad at Sloan. They're often more expensive than competing brands (especially Dell) but their quality generally can't be beat, and they seem to have a certain cachet among (aspiring) executives. I think the T41 is particularly sweet, especially if you can get the 1400x1050 screen--the UltraNav pointing device on those is the best I've used.

Most schools have special discounts on laptops for their students... usually a worthwhile discount, like 5-10%.

 

[stinger73]

Interesting recommendation on the Processor..
Since the Highest the Centrino aka Pentium M is at is 1.8Ghz.

A more affordable and better quality alternative would be a Toshiba Tecra M2, and since it is a business class machine it will come with XP Pro, not home edition. And starting at 1400 for a PM 1.4/256/40GB/XP Pro/DVD-CDRW you cant go wrong. One thing I would do for sure is to get 512MB RAM with XP Pro, it dogs with less than that.

Here is the link to Shop Toshiba

PS: The Pentium M / Centrino 1.4 will steamroll over a Pentium 4-M 2.4Ghz ( I can attest to it along with every review that has compared PM to the P4-M , I have both a M2 and Tecra 9100)

Hope this helps.

 

[Connoisseur]

If u can afford it and you won't be doing much gaming go for a Thinkpad T series. Extremely well-built and decent components. Of course... I like my M6805 better

 

[Evilkoala13]

you might want to hold up purchasing your software until you get to your school. A lot of schools have programs where they give you free office software or whatever you will need for your classes. Even if they don't, you can usually get the software for a discount from your university store for being a student.

 

[Evilkoala13]

also, just get the flashdrive from whereever. http://www.techbargains.com or fry's adds frequently has cheap flash drive deals.

 

[Strk]

You should see if your school offers deals to students.(Dell, Gateway and IBM do thise with a lot of schools)