bobber205 said:What's wrong with that link?
And what's wrong with the laptop I linked to?
The improvement to the link was the bombs.
It's a Dell laptop. Im biased, and I except it.
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College PC Choice? Laptop or Desktop?
- Thread starter bobber205
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The improvement to the link was the bombs.
It's a Dell laptop. Im biased, and I except it.
I'd look around at your local stores. You'll find something that's most likely better than that Dell system for the same price, or a bit more. Either way, all you really need is wifi and enough RAM, and any computer's good for coding/word processing/IM/internet. You can always write on the laptop, and if you need to crunch numbers, move everything over to some sort of beast of a machine. That's what I do. Code on the mac, and ssh into our cluster to run big jobs.
Laptop. Any day of the week.
I honestly can't decide if I'll ever buy a desktop ever again. I made the transition from a Windows XP home built desktop machine to an iBook 14", and I've never looked back. Quite the opposite in fact, I turned the desktop on for the first time in (probably) over a month last week to find a file on it. I just don't use it.
I can take a laptop to work with me, and I can use it as another screen. Having email and ical open on another screen aids productivity by an enormous amount. When I'm there, I can save useful files to it so I've got them anywhere.
I can work or play on the laptop in the lounge, in the garden, pretty much anywhere in range of the base station (and the wifi range on the iBooks is superb).
I can go and stay at my girlfriend's for the weekend without having to leave behind access to my files or email. I can even get work done on the way there and back (and while there, if she's got other commitments).
You can go visit your parents and take it to do some work.
Its just _so_ much more convenient.
I can do almost all of what I need to do using the mac (with the exception of some simulation stuff, which needs x86 Linux. If they could just port the Apple UI to the linux kernel and gnu toolchain, and run it all on apple hardware, I'd be in heaven).
I honestly can't decide if I'll ever buy a desktop ever again. I made the transition from a Windows XP home built desktop machine to an iBook 14", and I've never looked back. Quite the opposite in fact, I turned the desktop on for the first time in (probably) over a month last week to find a file on it. I just don't use it.
I can take a laptop to work with me, and I can use it as another screen. Having email and ical open on another screen aids productivity by an enormous amount. When I'm there, I can save useful files to it so I've got them anywhere.
I can work or play on the laptop in the lounge, in the garden, pretty much anywhere in range of the base station (and the wifi range on the iBooks is superb).
I can go and stay at my girlfriend's for the weekend without having to leave behind access to my files or email. I can even get work done on the way there and back (and while there, if she's got other commitments).
You can go visit your parents and take it to do some work.
Its just _so_ much more convenient.
I can do almost all of what I need to do using the mac (with the exception of some simulation stuff, which needs x86 Linux. If they could just port the Apple UI to the linux kernel and gnu toolchain, and run it all on apple hardware, I'd be in heaven).
Whatever you end up getting, be sure to get sufficiently high resolution display (1440x900 or higher). Software development demands large screen real estate for running IDE/editor, your project, and other tools side-by-side. While Mac OS X's Expose helps, it is no substitute for physical screen estate.
for college my vote is a laptop. I have had two laptops (a gateway and this pbook) during college and it has been invaluable because of the portability and necessity for some classes (some teachers didn't post the powerpoint notes, and i got all of them, while my classmates were scrambling to write all the details down).
vote: laptop!
vote: laptop!
This generally wont occur from my experience, however they are nice to take to class sometimes. Although I find them more of a destraction in class then help(just me).
I went to University this fall (Mechanical Eng.) with a desktop and found the need for a laptop right away, there very good especially when you want to gt out of your room to work (room mates/ roommates girl friend
).What ever you choose good luck
oh yea one more thing, if you really want a laptop for note taking in class just get an old g3 PB or ibook for way cheap. at my school (uc davis) there is a store on campus that sells all of the old computers used by departments. i found a bronze keyboard PB G3 there for $45 bucks which i plan to buy. just look around and you never know what you'll find
Lacreo said:The improvement to the link was the bombs.
It's a Dell laptop. Im biased, and I except it.
I've always wanted to do that to dell's website.
Particularly after spending countless hours trying to compare prices across education vs. home vs. small business, with sales that don't match, and different configuration choices... ARGGHHH!!!
I give up you win: I'm buying a mac!
Oh, and OP: PC Desktop + mac laptop + VNC =
jamesi said:
Wow I envy you.
Bradley University doesn't even let you touch the retired computers, they just store all of them (hundreds) in a huge room below one of the dorm buildings.
From what I've heard, from people I talked to, theres a LOT of beige Macs down there. Much inquiries went unanswered when I wanted to use some of my school's computers to do research for my Mac OS 7 web site.
That sort of blows.
Get a laptop...As much as it would be nice to say you would use the desktop, I find (as a grad student) that the laptop gets way more use from me than my desktop. It's about being convenient and to me the laptop is definitely more convenient.
One thing
I read all the opinions that everyone has about laptops and desktops, and of course everyone has the right answer. But essentially what most of us are missing here is that the original poster states that he/she is going for an engineering degree. To be able to run many of the engineering applications a system needs to be specifiaclly designed to handle the graphics, the need for speed and the memory consumptions. Wouldn't it be better to first ask what sort of programs the original poster needs to run?
I read all the opinions that everyone has about laptops and desktops, and of course everyone has the right answer. But essentially what most of us are missing here is that the original poster states that he/she is going for an engineering degree. To be able to run many of the engineering applications a system needs to be specifiaclly designed to handle the graphics, the need for speed and the memory consumptions. Wouldn't it be better to first ask what sort of programs the original poster needs to run?
My current setup
Hi,
I'm a college student. I have a home-made PC (very fast), and the mac in my sig. I use the mac on a daily basis and just use the PC when I have to do some work in VBA in the Office suite, which doesn't work for s**t on the Mac.
I also have a Windows laptop which I use to take notes, but frankly can't stand. It's an IBM thinkpad, and as far as PC laptops go it's a great machine, but I'd *never* use it as my main computer since I love my mac desktop so much, which just makes it a glorified pen and paper alternative.
My dream, right now, is to replace the Dual 2.7 with a macbook pro which I would hook up to my sceen. I'd have the 2.7 there for raw processing power, or I'd sell it.. I guess it depends how good the smaller macbook pros will be.
Laptops are THE way to go at college, but why go for a PC? Ugh... windows... on a laptop. Awful.
Hi,
I'm a college student. I have a home-made PC (very fast), and the mac in my sig. I use the mac on a daily basis and just use the PC when I have to do some work in VBA in the Office suite, which doesn't work for s**t on the Mac.
I also have a Windows laptop which I use to take notes, but frankly can't stand. It's an IBM thinkpad, and as far as PC laptops go it's a great machine, but I'd *never* use it as my main computer since I love my mac desktop so much, which just makes it a glorified pen and paper alternative.
My dream, right now, is to replace the Dual 2.7 with a macbook pro which I would hook up to my sceen. I'd have the 2.7 there for raw processing power, or I'd sell it.. I guess it depends how good the smaller macbook pros will be.
Laptops are THE way to go at college, but why go for a PC? Ugh... windows... on a laptop. Awful.
laptop..hands down.
I would buy a laptop in a heartbeat for its portability. i remember being a studend and it would have been great to have for those in-between class periods. I would have gotten so much more work done instead of twiddling thumbs while I waited.
Plus, you could buy a monitor to connect in your room if you wanted with speakers to watch movies etc.. (if you didn't want to use the laptop screen all the time). Another laptop victory is the wireless connections. I wouldn't doubt before long that schools have wireless hubs everywhere. imagine checking your email pretty much whenever you want or surfing the net. just nuts.
It's been 11 years since I graduated university. laptops were more rare and extremely expensive. heck, i'm even thinking of getting a laptop now, but i need a desktop for the power for video editing etc..
good luck.
I would buy a laptop in a heartbeat for its portability. i remember being a studend and it would have been great to have for those in-between class periods. I would have gotten so much more work done instead of twiddling thumbs while I waited.
Plus, you could buy a monitor to connect in your room if you wanted with speakers to watch movies etc.. (if you didn't want to use the laptop screen all the time). Another laptop victory is the wireless connections. I wouldn't doubt before long that schools have wireless hubs everywhere. imagine checking your email pretty much whenever you want or surfing the net. just nuts.
It's been 11 years since I graduated university. laptops were more rare and extremely expensive. heck, i'm even thinking of getting a laptop now, but i need a desktop for the power for video editing etc..
good luck.
Alienware Laptop
I've always wanted an Alienware and now I see they've got a lower priced model.
And it sure kicks the @#! out of Dell's.
And 800 to 900 is ok for my budget.
(uses savings)
I've always wanted an Alienware and now I see they've got a lower priced model.
And it sure kicks the @#! out of Dell's.
And 800 to 900 is ok for my budget.
(uses savings)
Desktop
Im a 2nd year University student and though I used to prefer Laptops, I actually prefer Desktops now. I finished my first 2 years in University with a powerbook G4. Then during the summer holidays, I purchased and customized a PC desktop on my signiture. All I can say is that though the Powerbook is WAAAAAAAAAAAAAy sexier and cooler, like if u take it around, working on a desktop is just so much more comfortable and reassuring. Since Im quite far from home, having a Desktop seems more 'reliable' in the sense that since ur not taking it around with you all the time, it doesnt face the risk of getting dropped or whatever. And with the power and flexbility to customise according to your need, I personally go for the Desktop.
Also laptops get stolen much more easily too!!!
my 2cents
Im a 2nd year University student and though I used to prefer Laptops, I actually prefer Desktops now. I finished my first 2 years in University with a powerbook G4. Then during the summer holidays, I purchased and customized a PC desktop on my signiture. All I can say is that though the Powerbook is WAAAAAAAAAAAAAy sexier and cooler, like if u take it around, working on a desktop is just so much more comfortable and reassuring. Since Im quite far from home, having a Desktop seems more 'reliable' in the sense that since ur not taking it around with you all the time, it doesnt face the risk of getting dropped or whatever. And with the power and flexbility to customise according to your need, I personally go for the Desktop.
Also laptops get stolen much more easily too!!!
my 2cents
How about a laptop/desktop combination? I'm thinking of getting an intel iMac and possibly an intel iBook (aka Macbook).
I've heard there's an easy way to link them. But anyway, is this as great as it seems or is it just plain a hassle?
I've heard there's an easy way to link them. But anyway, is this as great as it seems or is it just plain a hassle?