Laptop for Grad School: Find the Best Under $1000

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around selecting a laptop suitable for graduate school, focusing on portability, durability, and performance for data analysis, specifically under a budget of $1000. Participants share personal experiences and recommendations regarding various laptop models and brands.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses a need for a lightweight and durable laptop for daily travel, capable of handling data analysis and Mathematica, while staying under $1000.
  • Another participant suggests Lenovo ThinkPads (x and t series) and ultrabooks as potential options.
  • A different participant shares their experience with budget devices, noting that CPU performance may not be as critical for their needs, emphasizing the importance of keyboard quality and weight instead.
  • This participant also mentions using a home server for compute-intensive tasks, which may reduce the need for high CPU performance in a portable device.
  • Another suggestion is made for the ASUS Transformer TF101, highlighting its versatility and the benefits of pairing it with a docking station and keyboard.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants have varying opinions on the importance of CPU performance versus other features like keyboard quality and weight. There is no consensus on a specific laptop model, as different preferences and experiences are shared.

Contextual Notes

Some participants mention personal preferences for operating systems, such as Linux distributions, which may influence their laptop choices. The discussion does not resolve the trade-offs between budget and performance.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals preparing for graduate school who are seeking advice on purchasing a laptop that balances portability, durability, and performance within a budget.

Goalie33
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Hi Guys (and Gals),
I hope no one minds that I posted this in "Academic Guidance", but I figured this is something you all have dealt with... I'm starting graduate school in the fall and I'm looking to buy a new laptop. I will be traveling on the train/bus with it daily so I want something on the lighter/portable side. I also want something a little more durable (I've had problems with Dell/HP in this respect). I will also need it to be powerful enough to handle data analysis (I also will use the Mathematica student edition on it). Lastly, I'd like to stay below $1000.

Obviously, I'm doing my own research, but I hoped someone would have advice on models they loved/hated. Thanks!
 
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I've looked at Lenovo ThinkPads (x and t series) and some ultrabooks. Thoughts?
 
Goalie33 said:
I will also need it to be powerful enough to handle data analysis (I also will use the Mathematica student edition on it). Lastly, I'd like to stay below $1000.

I have a cheap $200 Android tablet which I carry with me to work, and then an ASUS netbook which I got for $400. My wife and kids are Mac/Apple people. I've tended toward "buy cheap/buy often." If I buy a $400 netbook instead of a $1200 laptop, then I can buy one every eight months.

1) I've found that CPU isn't that important. Even the really cheap laptops have heavy duty CPU's. For really, really compute intensive stuff, you'd be logging into another computer anyway, and I've set up my home machine as a server so that if I have to do something really CPU intensive I can remote log into that.

2) The two important things are keyboard and weight.

3) One of the first things I do with my laptop is to repartition and install Linux on one of the partitions. I use Mageia. Other people do stuff with Ubuntu.
 
Last edited:
I would highly recommend getting the asus transformer TF101, also, get the docking station w/ a keyboard to go with it. Its really versatile and has a ton of neat functions that come with it.
 
Thanks guys, I'll look into those suggestions.
 

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