Laptop for MBA

greenhorn

greenhorn

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Big question - what screen size? 13", 14" or 15" ? I've used all sizes. 13"ers are great when you need to be on the move, but suck when it com to usage. 15"ers are great for usablity, but their portablity sucks.

This is more a question of what sort of usage would be involved in the average 2 year B school stint?

should i go to either of the logical extremes and get a 10" netbook or a 17" widescreen monster :p

or is the middle path the golden path, and where is it ?
 
MBA... first of all congrats...

Now coming down to your need, what you will need is something that is easy to carry around., has enough disc space for all the notes, projects and movies that you are going to watch when you get bored, should have a DVD Drive for the notes you'll get (soft copies).. Should have wireless and bluetooth connectivity (pretty standard) and enough juice to last about 4.5 to 5 hours...

My suggestion is if the budget permits Dell Studio XPS (good performer, I have one) 13" with the extended battery pack (if budget permits) or the Dell Studio/Inspiron 14" (they last about 3 to 4 hours on a single charge)...

Don't buy the 17" or the 16", they are a pain to carry around....

That's ma 2 cents...
 
14inch, with 9cell battery, will do everythin you need..i dont think you need us to decide the config for you :p
Make sure you hav vga out on your laptop, hdmi out is a bonus, but vga is a must..

Also try and get a matt screen..
 
next question. this is about warez.

cheaper ones comes with Win 7 home 64 bit

slighly more expensive ones come with 7 pro 32 bit.

is it possible, *legally* to clean format & reinstall the 32 bit ?

will i need to buy office ? ( for PPT's and all that crap? i know OOo exists, but it screws up all the beautiful formatting)
 
greenhorn said:
next question. this is about warez.

cheaper ones comes with Win 7 home 64 bit
slighly more expensive ones come with 7 pro 32 bit.

is it possible, *legally* to clean format & reinstall the 32 bit ?

will i need to buy office ? ( for PPT's and all that crap? i know OOo exists, but it screws up all the beautiful formatting)
Click to expand...

Windows 7 32 bit or 64 bit is decided by the amount of RAM the laptop comes with.. All the ones below 3 GB of RAM would come with 32 bit OS's anything above has to have 64 bit Windows 7.. 32-bit OS's can only address up to 3.25 GB of RAM... Windows 7 Pro is costlier than Windows 7 Home Premium BTW...

Pro or Home , I'd suggest you go with Pro 64 bit... It gives you access to Windows XP Mode & File System Encryption (pretty handy)....

Yes, you can do a clean format and install **If you have a legit key for the same**, But if you get one with 64-bit let it be, In future if you upgrade the RAM to 4 GB or more you'll regret having a 32 bit OS...

Yes, you'll have to buy MS Office separately, or go the open source way (Open Office 3.0)...
 
13" would be perfect for MBA studies. lightweight and perfect to carry around. If you have cash to spill, check these:

1) Macbook pro 13 (75k)

2) Macbook 13 (55k)

3) Sony vaio S series (60k upwards)

4) Dell Studio XPS 13 (60k)
 
I need advice from those of you who have actually done an MBA. From what I was told elsewhere, you dont need to carry it around, and just need to keep it in your room for homework :p
 
^^ if the college has campus wide wifi, it makes sense if you can sit in college lawn or in library (if they allow lappies in library) and make good use of wifi. And of course, sometimes, to friends rooms to watch *W(E#$
 
hey first congrats for getting in ximb if i am not wrong:hap2: and yup , you better get 14" at most ,hmmmm i havent done mba yet but what i know from my friends and all , you need to carry around a bit and most classes also happen like e-learning so you need lappy there too , campus most probably will be wifi zone so its better to go for 13 ,14" inch
 
There will be presentations, reports, projects, and research assignments, and if ur college infrastructure is any good, then lots of downloading!

I suggest go for a basic inspiron 14 inch with 3yr complete cover! Graphics card would be a bonus!
Get a good laptop bag along with it..
 
greenhorn said:
I need advice from those of you who have actually done an MBA. From what I was told elsewhere, you dont need to carry it around, and just need to keep it in your room for homework :p
Click to expand...
Which is correct. The only time you will be carrying it to the classroom is during presentation days, which is 4 days every 3 months. Else you will be carrying it to your library every evening IF you want to work there.

The most it will be used is in your room for downloading, movies, CS 1.6 and music. Sometimes for creating MS documents and mugging up professor slides. Minimum peripheral requirements AL ATP3. :bleh:

Recommended size 14". Look for a light weight model.
 
I am just finishing my MBA. 8th April and I done with exams. I myself had a 10" Wind, which was nice, but kinda a bit too small. My suggestion - 12" Netbook. I use for my Wind classes, perfect for taking notes and watching movies. Plus with a great battery life and low price, they really hit the right spot. They have enough power for PPT's and basic MBA type use. Maybe even a few games, now and then.

If you living in a hostel then a Dell 13-14" shouldnt be too much, but like me if ur gonna travel in Train/Bus then you need a small one.
 
+1 to Nitant. If the campus is fully residential and you dont need to travel to college using local transport go for 13/14 inch. I would say 14 as IMHO it is the best balance between value/performance/cost/portability. I would suggest dell for the on site warranty they offer. That would really come in handy. Do upgrade to 3 years + complete care is possible. If budget permits go for Latitude else Studio or Vostro. As a student you will get decent discounts too from Dell.
 
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