Bison Laptop Models

Note: Apple revamped their laptop line on June 8 - we have changed our recommendations and updated our pricing accordingly.

Dell Latitude E6400 - $1175 Standard

For the Bison laptop program we have chosen the Latitude series of laptops as our all purpose PC model. The brand-new E6400 is the ideal combination of light weight, wide screen, and computing power. Weighing about 4.75 pounds with a 14.1" screen, the E6400 gives students a machine small enough to carry around but large enough to watch movies, multi-task assignments and chats, prepare Powerpoint presentations, and do all of the things that students do over the course of a year. . The 6400 comes standard with:

  • Vista Business Edition
  • Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4ghz processor
  • 256mb nVidia 160M graphics
  • 2gb of RAM (1 DIMM)
  • 14.1" WXGA+ LED display
  • DVD-RW
  • Intel 5300 a/g/n wireless card
  • Integrated webcam
  • Backlit keyboard
  • Firewire, 4 USB slots, eSata port
  • Integrated SD card slot
  • 3 year Complete Care/Accidental Damage warranty
  • 2 year extended battery warranty (for a total of 3 years), and
  • 160gb 7200rpm hard drive with Free Fall Sensor. 

Dell Latitude E6400 - $1609 Preferred

We offer a preferred model which includes all of the features of the standard package with these upgrades:

  • 3gb of RAM
  • 4 years of Complete Care Accidental Damage protection
  • a laptop security lock
  • the right to keep your hard drive in the event it needs to be replaced
  • a 500gb Seagate FreeAgent Go external hard drive with 5 year warranty
  • a network cable
  • 4 years of Pro Support (US based support within 2 minutes), and
  • 3 year hard drive clean-room data recovery service.

If you are curious about which options Bucknell University recommends beyond the standard
package, please select the preferred package.  There will be additional options available on the preferred package, but the preferred package will have the most important options already included.

Apple Macbook Pro - $1282 (Recommended configuration)

The newly redesigned Macbook Pro is an outstanding choice for the student who would like to unleash Apple's innovative Leopard OS and iLife software. The Macbook is small and light, but powerful enought to take care of every student's academic needs at school. The bright 13.3" LED screen is perfect for movies and photos and the thinner lighter case is made from sleek aluminum.

  • Mac OS 10.5
  • Intel Core 2 Duo 2.26ghz processor
  • NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics
  • 2gb DDR3 RAM (2 DIMMs)
  • 13.3" LED display
  • SuperDrive (DVD-RW)
  • Airport wireless
  • Integrated iSight camera 
  • Backlit keyboard
  • SD card slot
  • Firewire, 2 USB slots
  • 7 hour battery
  • iLife (iMovie, iDVD, iPhoto, iTunes, iWeb)
  • 3 year Apple Care Warranty
  • 160gb 5400rpm hard drive

Which do we recommend?

It is a matter of choice - some users prefer Macs, and others prefer Windows.

One crucial difference is the warranty. The  Dell warranty is outstanding - Complete Care means that your laptop is covered, no matter what you've spilled on it, or how you've dropped it. Apple Care does not cover accidental damage, so drops and spills mean that you need to buy new parts, which can be very expensive.

What software comes on the laptops?

Macs come with a full suite of standard Apple software - iLife (iMovie, iPhoto, iDVD, iWeb), Safari, Apple Mail, etc. It does not have any Bucknell-specific software.

The Dells come with a complete Bucknell pre-configured image. When it arrives at your house, it will have:

Communication:
    Firefox 3 and Internet Explorer with Bucknell bookmarks
    AIM Classic
    Thunderbird 2 email (with setup utility for Bucknell settings)

Anti-Virus/Anti-Malware: 
    Sophos AntiVirus with Bucknell's Corporate License
    
All Bucknell-Specific Applications Pre-Installed:
    Bucknell Wireless Networking configured
    Bucknell Drive Mapping Utility
    OpenMind - a mind-mapping application
    Bucknell Bug, for Bucknell weather
    SSH Client for secure file transfer
    Campus Alerts Monitor

Installers that are on the laptop, ready to be installed: 
    Bison Printer Utility for connecting to printers from your laptop
    Windows Managed Wireless Setup Utility
    Bucknell VPN client (with profile setup already)

Do you have any recommendations if I decide to buy a Mac?

Yes, we strongly recommend a keyboard cover (iSkin, KB Cover) and the extended Apple Care warranty.  Spilling a soda on a keyboard can quickly ruin the $700 logic board. We include iSkins and extend the warranty because we see so many instances where an expensive repair could have been prevented by a $25 iSkin!  We also strongly urge you to use the outstanding Time Machine backup software on your new Mac.

How can I find out more about the models and specifications, and do I have any options to change any of the specs?

Call us at 570.577.7777 or email us at bisonlaptop@bucknell.edu. While we have limited the options that are available, yes, there are some upgrades that you can choose when purchasing your Bison Laptop.

Should I buy an external hard drive?

Yes! We have not included a drive in the standard configuration, because some of you likely already own an external hard drive. But you should plan on buying and using an external hard drive to back up your data - we see students who lose hard drives (and documents, pictures, music, etc.) all of the time at the Tech Desk!

Both Macs and PCs have hard drives that fail - Macs are no better or worse than PCs in this regard. Back up all of your data! We do not restore data from failed hard drives.