<p>I got a letter from UNC today claiming that I got a CCI Laptop Grant. What exactly are these laptops like? Are they good quality?</p>
<p>[url=<a href="http://cci.unc.edu/laptops.html%5DLaptops%5B/url">http://cci.unc.edu/laptops.html]Laptops[/url</a>]</p>
<p>Check out this website if you haven't already</p>
<p>I got the same letter. Does every prospective Carolina freshman receive one?</p>
<p>So....is UNC paying for the laptop or what?</p>
<p>shakedown</p>
<p>No, not every accepted student get a laptop grant. It covers the cost of one of the laptops offered by the CCI program. Since it changes from year to year I'm not sure which laptop is covered at no cost to you.</p>
<p>You will also have the ability to use the laptop grant to cover some of the cost of one of the upgraded models and at your expense make up the difference for a higher model.</p>
<p>It's a pretty cool deal and I'm glad I got the grant also but I'm not too happy with my Lenovo. If you got the grant it's hard to turn down a free computer but the computers they give us are hardly top of the line or anything. </p>
<p>For those of you who did not get the grant: I'd consider shopping elsewhere, Macs are where it's at as far as notebooks go, I've had quite a bit of trouble with my laptop and don't think they are worth the money unless you get the grant.</p>
<p>What if I don't get the laptop because I already have a new one? Would it be a waste to just not get it if I got the full cost grant?</p>
<p>Most people have a CCI laptop and think the IBM Thinkpads are fine (myself included). Even my boyfriend, who's a computer science major, has one and is fine with it. Also it's nice to have the CCI laptop because they'll fix it for free if it breaks, and there's a good warranty. ITS will also provide you with a loaner laptop while they're working on yours.</p>
<p>Is a regular dell laptop not as good as a CCI laptop?
And how good is the laptop that the grant covers?</p>
<p>I got the grant too. I will definitely accept it, but I wonder how good the computer I got is (as they say, the CCI ThinkPad R400 package)? I suppose it does not come with a printer or anything. Perhaps I will have to bring one. </p>
<p>Carolina students, do you have to pay to print out work on school computers, in the library, or something? Or does everyone just have printers in their rooms?</p>
<p>Each page costs a quarter or something like that and each student gets $40 of free printing.</p>
<p>Each page costs 5 cents if it is black and white, which most of your stuff should be. There are print stations in all of the communities, if not every residence hall, and in the libraries and the Student Union.</p>
<p>Dante- I didn't get a laptop grant, but I had gotten a Dell for my birthday. I have not had any troubles with my computer, or accessing the network once I got here. All you have to do is go to ITS with your computer and they will give you the network key you need to get into the wireless on campus.</p>
<p>As for all the general computer concerns, my friends have had mixed experiences. Those that grew up with macs can be unhappy about the Lenovos, but they really aren't bad computers. Even some mac users are ok with the Lenovos. But the support you have for the CCI computers on campus cannot be beat. I have no idea where the nearest Apple store is, or what I would do if my computer were to screw up.</p>
<p>You can buy printers, speakers, software and most peripherals and accessories at highly discounted prices on campus. Many software items can be bought through UNC licenses which really brings the cost down. </p>
<p>If you are traveling a long distance being able to just pick things up once you arrive really reduces the hassle factor and the amount of things you need to pack. There's also a Best Buy on 15/501 just on the other side of I-40 or about 10 minutes away from campus.</p>
<p>can you slang them on ebay once you get the grant? I have 2 macbooks</p>
<p>I'm pretty sure that would break the honor code so I can't condone it. The honorable thing to do would be to turn the grant down so someone who actually could use it might get it. It doesn't sound like you're hurting too bad financially if you have two macbooks anyway.</p>
<p>Honor code violations could get you thrown out. If you don't need it let someone who does take advantage of the grant. That's "the Carolina way" which you will soon discover.</p>
<p>I was actually looking at Lenovo models way before I saw the CCI webpage, so this was a nice surprise. Not sure what models the grant covers, but the all the laptops on the CCI page are great choices, albeit a little pricey. If those seem a little expensive and you can do without the warranty, check Lenovo's site and configure your own laptop... there's a regular X200 model starting around $1,100, although you'd have to update the RAM to 2GB before you can run Vista. There's also a basic T500 for around $900.. about half the price for the one listed on CCI. That's not really a fair comparison though, cause the CCI version has much better processors and RAM. Depends on what you want, really. If you're going for a decked out model, the CCI deals are really good, but if you can settle for less, you should consider configuring your own.</p>
<p>Having a four year repair or replace warranty with free loaners if in service makes it a good deal.</p>
<p>the CCI laptops are only a good deal if u get on of the laptop grants that pays for all of it... (btw, does any1 know some1 who did NOT get the grant?) ... if u didn't get the grant, i'd advise buying one off of ebay... you can get them for a few hundred dollars cheaper there if u know what your looking for...and you can buy a warranty online if u really want it... but since you can get it for half the price of the CCI laptops you might as well just buy another if it gets stolen, imo... just make sure you get the Pro (not Home) edition of the OS...idk if it's changed on vista, but for xp home, you'll have networking problems on college campuses....</p>
<p>Yea I got the grant so it wouldn't be right not to take it. haha
What do you suggest the ThinkPad R400 or the ThinkPad W500?
The reports on battery life vary and I'm not sure what the difference between graphics is. If it helps I'm going to be a business major and language minor. I use my computer for the internet, downloading music and torrents, and watching dvds and the like.
Any comments are helpful :)</p>