Purchasing a Laptop
When purchasing a laptop for law school, one should keep in mind that the computer should last for three or four years of study plus a bar exam. Therefore, the best advice we can give on purchasing a new computer is to figure out how much you can afford and spend it all to get as much computing power as you can for the money, rather than looking for the lowest priced machine. By spending more now, your computer will perform better longer and won't feel like it is ready for replacement in six months or a year.
The factors that affect performance most are processor speed, measured in gigahertz (GHz), and memory (or RAM), measured in gigabytes (GB). For example, a 2.0 GHz processor operates faster than a 1.6 GHz processor; and a computer with 2 GB of RAM will be considerably more responsive than one with 1. Hard drive capacity has almost nothing to do with performance, so a computer with an 200 GB hard drive will be no more responsive than an otherwise identical one with a 100 GB hard drive.
While most students at the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law use PC-compatible computers, an increasing number use Apple MacBooks or MacBook Pros.
The University of Louisville's Information Technology unit recently opened its own store, called iTech Xpress, which sells hardware, software and peripherals to UofL students and employees. Consequently, we recommend, to both incoming students and current students looking to purchase a new laptop, either of the packages below available through iTech Xpress. iTech Xpress does not stock laptops. Rather, one should order through iTech Xpress from one of the University's vendors.
Also, iTech Xpress now performs both warranty and non-warranty repairs on student-owned laptops, irrespective of whether they were purchased through iTech Xpress. Fees may apply.
Mac or PC?
Whether one purchases a Mac or a PC is a personal choice. Both are completely compatible with the University's wireless network and the School of Law's internal network, and our exam software, Exam4, comes in both Mac and PC versions.
Purchasing from iTech Xpress
iTech Xpress offers computers from several vendors. However, for Brandeis School of Law students, we recommend either the Dell XPS M1330 or a 13" Apple Macbook. Both recommended systems and their specifications are listed below. To purchase a laptop through iTech Xpress ...
- Go to the iTech Xpress online store,
- Click Click Here to Enter the Store,
- When prompted, provide your ULink credentials (user name and password),
- Under Categories (on left), look for Apple Back to School Specials and Dell Computers.
Apple |
Dell |
| The Apple Back to School Specials link takes you to their Recommended Systems for the University of Louisville. Our recommendation is below. | The Dell Computers link takes you to a page for University of Louisville students, faculty and staff. Click Systems Recommended by Your University. On the next page that appears, scroll down to XPS Notebooks. Our recommendation is below. |
MacBook Bundle #1 |
XPS M1330 |
13-inch MacBook (White) - 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
|
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Software
The University of Louisville offers Symantec Antivirus, for both Mac and PC, free to all UofL students and employees. The School of Law licenses Extegrity's Exam4 secure software for taking exams at no cost to students. Exam4 is available in both Mac and PC versions. In addition to supporting the University-distributed Symantec Antivirus and School of Law-licensed Exam4, our IT Staff also assists students in connecting their laptops to our local area network, which provides printing and storage space on our file server. First-year students will learn much more about computing at the University and the School of Law during Orientation, August 13-15, 2008.
University IT's iTech Xpress store also sells many popular software applications, as well, including Microsoft Office. Check the iTech Xpress online store to see what's available.