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Don't buy anything until ILoveLSUToo gives you a breakdown of available options.

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SSD drives aren't exclusive to Apple, nor is an Intel processor or other hardware.

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But it just works, so it must last a long time

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I doubt even ILikeLSUToo will be able to recommend any Windows laptops that last that long.

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I like how biased anecdotal evidence with zero technical explanation has somehow crept its way into discussion of the longevity of identical hardware.

I made a case for buying a Mac under certain circumstances because of the advantages of OS X to those less savvy about Windows maintenance and who have no use for anything beyond the limitations of OS X (and yes, there are a lot of basic Windows users with poor browsing habits who would have a much better experience on OS X), but if you'd read the whole thing, never did I imply Macs were a better value than a multitude of Windows notebook options, and I clarified that the SSD is essentially what gives any laptop longevity and prevents clutter-related slowdowns.

Let's learn a little bit about our user before we start the propaganda.

OP, for the $999 range, in addition to the MB Air, you have a choice of a variety of ultra-books with high-res touch screens and SSDs. They basically serve as a tablet or a full-blown laptop with keyboard and trackpad, depending on your needs at any given moment. Most of them are thin and light (2-4lbs), but because of the significantly better screen and often more powerful hardware, battery life is not nearly as good as what you'd get on a Macbook Air. This post has chart comparing the $999 MB Air to similarly price or cheaper ultrabooks in terms of hardware specs and portability. Here's the post for which I originally created that chart.

If you truly are a basic user, I'm not sure why your budget is even in the $1000 range, when you could simply grab you a $350 laptop, replace the 5400rpm hard drive with a $120 256GB SSD, and do everything you need to do with it, quite quickly, and you won't even have to defrag the thing. Ever.

So, you want a 14" laptop, for law school stuff, youtube, and fricking around on TD.
1. What sort of applications would you be using for law school?
2. How much time would be spent using those applications vs. the basic stuff (web surfing)?
3. How much time do you anticipate using it unplugged each day (i.e. how important is battery life)?
4. Has the iBookG4 been your primary computing device for the past 9 years? -or- Do you have any experience with Windows/working knowledge of the interface? If so, which versions of Windows?
5. Do you have a general opinion of Windows and a strong preference either way? If so, what is that preference/opinion, and why?

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Would they be able to hook that up for me at Best Buy?

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Eh, probably, but Geek Squad charges a shitload for basic tasks. I was in line a few years ago to buy a stick of SO-DIMM, and heard one of the cashiers tell this guy with a Mac Pro that it would be 40 fricking dollars for them to install the RAM he just bought, a 3-5 minute task. In your case, they'd have to not only install the hardware, but also reinstall Windows and all your drivers. God only knows how much that would cost. Don't do it.

If you're in BR, I'll do it. Won't take me long.

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Any brand recommendations?

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For the SSD, $109, Amazon Prime: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KFAGCWK/?tag=pcpapi-20

Give me a few minutes on the laptop recommendations.

EDIT:

This one seems pretty solid:
https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-Windows-Pentium-15-6-Inch-59410452/dp/B00HEYVAN6/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1405392827&sr=1-2

I also posted these in another thread a while back:
Lenovo IdeaPad G510 (59406750) Notebook Intel Pentium 3550M (2.30GHz) 4GB Memory 500GB HDD Intel HD Graphics 4000 15.6" Windows 8.1 for $339.99

ASUS D450CA-AH21 Notebook Intel Pentium 2117U (1.80GHz) 4GB Memory 320GB HDD Intel HD Graphics 14.0" Windows 8 64-bit for $349.00

DELL Inspiron i15RV-954BLK Notebook Intel Pentium 2127U (1.90GHz) 4GB Memory 500GB HDD Intel HD Graphics 15.6" Windows 8.1 for $349.99

HP Pavilion 2000-2d80NR Notebook AMD E2-Series AMD E2-3000 1.65GHz 4GB Memory 500GB HDD AMD Radeon HD 8280 15.6" Windows 8.1 for $379.99


No real brand preference.