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June 29, 2005

Laptop for school

I bought a Dell 9300 before I got into Tulane on the assumption I might end up doing more of the analytic design work. Statistics and graphics are the two heavyweights in computing so I got the most of everything (processor speed, bus speed, RAM, hard drive space, screen size) that I could get. I'm a very visual learner and medicine has a lot of visuals, so I'm not sure I would change, even if I had the money, but I definitely would not get the 17" screen if I weren't a visual learner because it's quite heavy. I would consider a rolling suitcase or backpack made for laptops. I have found it very helpful for taking notes and I got a Wacom tablet to facilitate free-hand drawing in my notes, which I type in Adobe InDesign. I'm not sure Word supports Wacom tablets.

As for durability and service, you can't beat Dell. My wife's mom is still using the laptop I bought in a pawn shop in 1998 after it was already two years old. That nine-year old laptop has deployed on a warship and sustained an incredible amount of more conventional travel. As for service, my dad told me Dell worked with someone in his office for a year to fix a laptop and finally gave the researcher a new one.

Posted by Niels Olson at June 29, 2005 4:34 PM

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