laptop advice needed from the experts

[Dark54555]

alright, finally getting a new laptop for law school (mid second year and my old one is crapping out). I've got a few options, wanted some input:
Dell Lattitude d400
Dell Lattitude d600
Dell Inspiron 700m
Apple 12" iBook + AppleCare
Apple 12" powerbook (no applecare)
HP DV1000
IBM T42 (base version on Newegg)

I'm looking at spending about $1600 tops. It's mostly for web, word processing, excel, powerpoint, and e-mail (exchange server). I want something that's going to perform well even when running all of the above. Obviously, for the price some can get more RAM or HD space. I also want something that will last a good 2 years and be very, very stable and reliable. If you need more info, ask. I really appreciate the help.

 

[jdiddy]

I own a IBM not the T42 but a X31 and it is easily the most rugged and well built laptop I have ever owned. The US based support is a great plus and me never having to use it is even better. I've have'nt heard or read of many disappointed Thinkpad owners so that has to be a sign.

 

[Justin216]

On the Apple products, you may be eligible for a student discount from Apple...go to the education section of their store...

Also, in reliability, noting beats OSX. No spyware or virii to contend with...As for build quality, IBM and Apple both have strong points...I've owned both, and each has small trade offs, but they're about equal in the end in overall quality...

 

[iamme]

for the tasks you mentioned, any of the above laptops will perform well.

there's a Thinkpad lovefest here (myself included ), so you'll get a lot of votes for the T42. it should serve you well and have a great warranty to boot.

the HP DV1000 is a new laptop, so the there aren't too many reviews on it yet (the few have been fairly positive, though).

just a thought on the Macs....my cousin is in law school at Umich and she said there is some software that the school uses that isn't Mac compatible. so she has to use the school PC's for that. kind of a pain in the butt, so you might want to see if that's true of your school.

 

[Justin216]

Yeah, as Iamme said, check actually about Board software...some are only windows-based

 

[Dark54555]

lemme see if I can add some info that weighs in...
Apple, Dell Lattitudes, and HP are all available to me at a discount.
the IBM t42 really reaches the price limit at it's base (256mb RAM), while most of the others have someprice room to upgrade to at least 512.
the Dell Lattitides come with 3 years warranty through our deal with dell.
there's really not much of a discount to be had on the 700m.

In terms of how heavily I use the laptop, it's typcially on nearly 24 hours a day, always running outlook, 4-5 IE windows (or tabs in Maxthon), and usually word, excel, or powerpoint. This was too much for my portege 3500. Oh, and as to the ibm X series...I need a touchpad, can't stand otherwise (except a mouse, which I'd rather not have to carry around).

 

[Justin216]

Well, if all you're going to be running is office software and no windows-only stuff, I'd most definitely consider the Apples then...they hold their value remarkably well compared to similar PCs....and are more secure for important files and presentations...plus, you're getting a discount....Apple machines are known to be of great build quality, with IBM being the best on the PC side of computers....so for longevity reasons, either opt for the T42 or I recommend highly any Apple notebook...

 

[Dark54555]

i have to say IBM's educational "discount" for Texas is disappointing at best...newegg actually has better prices.

 

[Dark54555]

a friend of mine just got one of these. Seems like a good deal as well. Any thoughts?

BTW, this is the thinkpad I can afford, for comparison.

 

[Justin216]

The Fujitsu seems to be pretty nice and well made....I've heard good things about their build quality