College Bound what do I need??

[Mainsail]

Get the base 13in M3 MacBook Air. It will be more than enough for a Finance degree. The base models go on sale at terrific prices, and you should be able to get one new for $899 from the big box stores. I have an MBA in Finance, and while it has been a some time since I got my degree, I don’t remember anything in the curriculum that would require more computing power than a base Air.…paying $200 for extra RAM is just a waste of money. You will never notice it.

Spend the money you save on a good monitor for the dorm room, or get a base iPad on sale. Those giant Finance spreadsheet will benefit from the extra screen real estate.

 

[Minghold]

I disagree with your opinion. Was it: "Trust me when I tell you this: Apple will make your silicon laptop, that you're so proud of now, eat its battery with a near-future "update"." (Does anybody, at this point, expect Apple to not artificially-obsolesce hardware?)

Which one?

I paid $1,700 for my college Mac SE in 1987, and it only had to floppy drives — no hard disk!

Yeah, computers were once really slow. That ended circa 2011 (a little longer if you can't live without a 4K screen).

Today, for about $750 you can get a college student a lightweight laptop that will last all four years of school. No worries about compatibility or reliability, it will work rock solid with everything, except for students with very specialized requirements.

Which is about $600-$700 more than a finance-major needs to spend on a laptop, because it's running at the speed of waiting-for-the-human-typing.

"...you don't need an SSD or an Mx silicon or an i9 or an i7 or an i5 or even an i3 to type papers and spreadsheets. You can run Office2019 in MacOS High Sierra on a $40 Craigslist special 2008 core2duo iMac. It won't be fast, but it'll still be quicker than your average finance-major's typing speed...." Figure $150 for a used laptop of 2012-13 vintage.

 

[galad]

I wouldn't recommend a ten years old laptop with a battery that last at most 2 hours to a college student… unless you want them to carry a 10 meters power cable with them all the time.

 

[Mainsail]

I wouldn't recommend a ten years old laptop with a battery that last at most 2 hours to a college student… unless you want them to carry a 10 meters power cable with them all the time.

I agree. I don’t get going for the ultra cheap option. When you consider the cost of tuition, fees, room and board, you are looking at about $100K for even the most economical state schools. It behooves a student to get a decent laptop with great battery life that will last the entire 4 years. For most students, the laptop is the single most import learning tool in college, so the money spent in a decent computer helps students get the most from this significant investment in their education.

Again, I would recommend M3 MBA on sale for $899. If you sell it in 4 years for $250 because you are using a work provided computer, that’s $650 over 4 years or 0.65% of your college expense for arguably the most important educational tool in your backpack. It’s a pretty good cost/benefit trade-off.

 

[dk001]

Have one in college.
She uses an iPad Pro for notes and other daily stuff. Really likes the MKB and Pencil.
She has a hybrid Lenovo (Windows 11) for her main pc. A couple of her next year classes require Windows.

She really likes the iPad for size/weight/battery. That aspect - weight and battery - have become a “critical” item for her.

 

[Alameda]

Which one?

Yeah, computers were once really slow. That ended circa 2011 (a little longer if you can't live without a 4K screen).

Which is about $600-$700 more than a finance-major needs to spend on a laptop, because it's running at the speed of waiting-for-the-human-typing.

"...you don't need an SSD or an Mx silicon or an i9 or an i7 or an i5 or even an i3 to type papers and spreadsheets. You can run Office2019 in MacOS High Sierra on a $40 Craigslist special 2008 core2duo iMac. It won't be fast, but it'll still be quicker than your average finance-major's typing speed...." Figure $150 for a used laptop of 2012-13 vintage.

I got my son a cheap Samsung notebook. It broke. I got him a cheap Lenovo. It broke. I got a refund under my credit card and bought him a MacBook Air. It’s going strong.

 

[raycornwall]

Here's my overkill idea. Or at least what I did.

Buy a Macbook Pro. I know everyone says get an Air, but I think the Pros are better built with better cooling and will thus last longer. I have an 14" M2 MacBook Pro. Fantastic battery life, stays cool, never had a problem.

And then, get an iPad Pro. The ability to turn it into a second monitor on the fly is fantastic. Plus, it's great for reading PDFs and other digital textbooks.

At least that's my solution.

 

[Minghold]

I got my son a cheap Samsung notebook. It broke. I got him a cheap Lenovo. It broke. I got a refund under my credit card and bought him a MacBook Air. It’s going strong.

I bought a box of 2012 Macbook Airs from the recycler for ten bucks apiece. 8gb/256ssd config. As long as you don't brake the screens or spill on them, they're featherweight tanks that'll run forever.

I wouldn't recommend a ten years old laptop with a battery that last at most 2 hours to a college student… unless you want them to carry a 10 meters power cable with them all the time.

Fortunately you can still put a new battery in ten year old laptops. New ones, you're screwed when they go bad. Funny how Apple went out of their way to ensure you can't fix your own stuff anymore. Very thoughtful of them.

When you consider the cost of tuition, fees, room and board, you are looking at about $100K for even the most economical state schools. It behooves a student to get a decent laptop with great battery life that will last the entire 4 years.

It behooves any student browsing this thread who's thinking of blowing 100-grand on any degree from an "economical state school" to peruse the posts from me and Profcutter on the first and second page of the thread.

 

[anshuvorty]

An entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro should last you at least 4 years

 

[Mainsail]

It behooves any student browsing this thread who's thinking of blowing 100-grand on any degree from an "economical state school" to peruse the posts from me and Profcutter on the first and second page of the thread.

Not sure I get your point. Cal State University tuition plus fees run $8-10K per year. Dorm room and board will be about $15K per school year, which is pretty standard in California. So, that's $25K per year and $100K if you get it done in 4 years. UCs and Privates are more expensive.

I don't get the "blowing" money on a degree comment. The Op has decided to go to college and get a Finance degree. That is the context of the post and question. This thread is about people's best advise for an economical college laptop. That's it. Personally, I think buying a cheap laptop for college to save a few hundred bucks is false economy, and I won't repeat my reasons here.

As for the value of getting a college degree in the first place, that's seems outside of the scope of this thread....but, it is my experience that this is really an individual thing depending on field of study, career path, motivation, internships, and most importantly, the effort you put into your academic studies.

 

[Minghold]

It behooves any student browsing this thread who's thinking of blowing 100-grand on any degree from an "economical state school" to peruse the posts from me and Profcutter on the first and second page of the thread.

Not sure I get your point.

This point is to check your premises *first*. I.e., "Is this actually a good idea?" The post you quoted links to other posts containing helpful links.

Cal State University tuition plus fees run $8-10K per year. Dorm room and board will be about $15K per school year, which is pretty standard in California. So, that's $25K per year and $100K if you get it done in 4 years. UCs and Privates are more expensive.

Anyone contemplating $100k and four years on a state-generic diploma-mill for a finance degree should spend twenty minutes watching this first.

 

[Mainsail]

This point is to check your premises *first*. I.e., "Is this actually a good idea?" The post you quoted links to other posts containing helpful links.

Anyone contemplating $100k and four years on a state-generic diploma-mill for a finance degree should spend twenty minutes watching this first.

The OP is going to college to study Finance and would like advise about an economical laptop. That's it. That's the point of the thread. If you want to debate the value of going to college, then start another thread. But, don't hijack this one.

BTW - I could only stomach about 3 minutes of the link you shared. Unprofessional. Poor argumentation. Hyperbole. And, it has nothing to do with this thread.

 

[dk001]

College bound… what do I need

Will be attending college this August and I’m looking for a computer that will last throughout 4 years. Will be using this as an education device and media YouTube tv device.

Should I wait for new systems or do you recommend existing devices? Thinking 13-15inch max size due to weight etc…

Would be using outside as well so screen brightness matters.

Thanks in advance!

Economical is more than just price.

Cost, Durability, Usability, and curriculum support.

Granddaughter

I called the school and asked what OS does her classes require. Their answer was the campus system supports both MacOS, iPadOS, iOS, Android, Windows. Some required software is not supported by MacOS however Windows works for all.

She has an iPhone. I gave her my iPad Pro 11 M2 (she is really liking this for notes and media). Bought her a mid level hybrid Lenovo. Did my research and planned on a 5 year BS. She is happy.

Call the school to ensure compatibility and go from there.

 

[kirbyrun]

Dating myself a bit but my college machine as a 9” Macintosh SE with two floppy drives. I couldn’t afford a hard disk drive.

Dating myself a bit but my college machine was an Atari 130XE. Single floppy drive. But hey -- the display was also a nice little TV that could get three channels if you directed the antenna just so! 😁

 

[Minghold]

The OP is going to college to study Finance and would like advise about an economical laptop. That's it.

We aim to over-achieve here. You will get additional advice pertinent to your situation. It like getting Easter-eggs in a game!

I could only stomach about 3 minutes of the link you shared. Unprofessional. Poor argumentation..

Aaron Clarey is a been-there-done-that-got-the-T-shirt Finance-degree graduate. Yeah, he's "unprofessional" because he doesn't have to kiss backside for a living anymore, and is therefore liberated to say, in salty terms, exactly what he thinks about the incredibly boneheaded decisions made by the people paying him money to roast/advice them on a channel entitled "A**hole Consulting" (which is the masthead of the video's thumbnail, so it's your own fault if you clicked to play it).

 

[Minghold]

Dating myself a bit but my college machine was an Atari 130XE. Single floppy drive. But hey -- the display was also a nice little TV that could get three channels if you directed the antenna just so! 😁

I had an Apple ][+.

 

[Mainsail]

We aim to over-achieve here. You will get additional advice pertinent to your situation. It like getting Easter-eggs in a game!

Aaron Clarey is a been-there-done-that-got-the-T-shirt Finance-degree graduate. Yeah, he's "unprofessional" because he doesn't have to kiss backside for a living anymore, and is therefore liberated to say, in salty terms, exactly what he thinks about the incredibly boneheaded decisions made by the people paying him money to roast/advice them on a channel entitled "A**hole Consulting" (which is the masthead of the video's thumbnail, so it's your own fault if you clicked to play it).

No, it's not like an Easter-egg game, it's like a guy hijacking a thread to dispense academic advice to a person he knows nothing about.

And BTW, I hold a BS in Engineering and an MBA in Finance, managed a team of 30 analysts and a budget of $2B. So, been-there-done-that-got-the-T-shirt. If you want to start another thread on the subject, I'll be happy to school you on the advantages and disadvantages of getting a Finance degree.....but, this isn't the place....so, I'am done with ya.

 

[kirbyrun]

I had an Apple ][+.

That's what I wanted, but my dad couldn't swing it at the time.

 

[Minghold]

dispense academic advice to a person he knows nothing about.

Happy to help.

I hold a BS in Engineering and an MBA in Finance, managed a team of 30 analysts and a budget of $2B.

I am the ruler of the universe. <points to avatar>

 

[drrich2]

Someday you may well get a work-issues Windows laptop, so know how to use one, whatever you pick. I prefer Macs for personal use; at work, you don't always get a choice.

I wouldn't get a really old Mac as there's a limit to how long they'll issue security updates, and I wouldn't get an Intel Mac now since some software requires M-series chips, and they tend to get good battery life, which may matter when you want to study at the library, if you take it to class, etc...

This thing will be general use for education and entertainment; I wouldn't try to make do with an iPad. You'll likely be using the school's online system to submit work assignments, etc... Yes, you can use a keyboard and mouse with an iPad, but seriously...

I'd get a MacBook Pro because people praise the superior screen and you may be looking at that screen a LOT.

I wouldn't get 8 gig RAM; I'm told it can lead to the Mac using the SSD more to compensate and SSDs eventually wear out with use. There's also concern A.I. features going forward will benefit from more memory (and neural cores in M-series chips). Even the iPhones are reportedly going up in memory with this in mind. For a Mac, 16-gig might be fine; I'd go no lower. Due to the number of chips in SSDs, I'm told the 256-gig were slower than the larger ones, and few people wish their main system drive were smaller. At least 512-gig SSD.

A broad liberal arts university education is enriching and for many of us well worthwhile, you learn things you'd never have studied independently, few people have the vision, discipline and ability to wrest a university-class education out of a library card, and the degree is an important credential needed for some jobs and post-graduate professional schools. If someone people have server-class blue collar jobs with degrees, I'm not sure a high school diploma, library card and your word you read a lot is going to cut it in a competitive market.

P.S.: August was last month, so I assume you made a choice. What did you get?

 

[Minghold]

(An Apple ][+ was) what I wanted, but my dad couldn't swing it at the time.

Those things were great; they were the only early 8-bit computer that games looked good on because cyan and red were in the color-set (PCs had garish purple and green). Spent a lot of time on Ultima IV: Quest for the Avatar, and built a dozen Lode Runner levels. Unchristly expensive though at $1700 in 1977 dollars (with casette-tape drive; floppy drives debuted a year later and cost $500, and 16 kilobyte ram-expansion card was also $500, and permitted 80 character lines of lower-case text instead of 40 character lines of only upper-case).

I wouldn't get a really old Mac as there's a limit to how long they'll issue security updates,

Apple's "security updates" (industry euphamism for OEM-controlled artificial-obsolescence) are largely confined to Safari and other bits of its ecosystem apps, which the user can avoid using entirely in lieu of superior alternatives (such as Chromium-legacy).

and I wouldn't get an Intel Mac now since some software requires M-series chips

The amount of software specifically requiring an M-series processor that lacks any slightly older version that doesn't is minuscule. Meanwhile, the amount of software that will run on an intel processor is gargantuan, and I'm not even referring to Windows.