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Need help, someone respond! Is it worth taking loan out for a Mac Pro
- Thread starter bphill4
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I'd say no its not worth taking a loan. What specifications were you told that you need? Would another model be a better fit?
Putting on my Moderator hat,
I changed your title to make it more meaningful. Please avoid such titles like "please help" as that doesn't provide the members with enough information and they may very well skip your thread.
Putting on my Moderator hat,
I changed your title to make it more meaningful. Please avoid such titles like "please help" as that doesn't provide the members with enough information and they may very well skip your thread.
I dont know, I havent started yet. why dont I need a computer for computer science?
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I currently have a mid 2010 13" macbook 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, but it is just so slow and I just feel that it isnt going to get the job done for a computer science major.
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I currently have a mid 2010 13" macbook 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, but it is just so slow and I just feel that it isnt going to get the job done for a computer science major.
Most schools have fully stocked labs with all the software you'll need for your program. That said, the convenience of having your own system is a huge plus.
I would contact someone in your future department and ask what software you'll be using. Bonus to that is you get an early introduction to the department.
Have you considered putting an SSD in your MacBook? Maxed out the ram? It sure is handy to have a laptop at school, so seems to be the case with my students.
I would contact someone in your future department and ask what software you'll be using. Bonus to that is you get an early introduction to the department.
Have you considered putting an SSD in your MacBook? Maxed out the ram? It sure is handy to have a laptop at school, so seems to be the case with my students.
Worth a loan? That doesn't actually seem relevant to the appropriate question(s).
I don't think I've ever bought a computer for personal or business that was not on a loan. I live in Japan and pretty much all shops offer financing - sometimes several different ones. If the interest and the sticker-price is right and the there's a need for the equipment - and of course an income stream to be able to make the payments, then I go for it.
You mean to tell me there are actually a significant number of people who walk into an Apple store and lay down between $3k and $20k in cash? I guess if that were the norm or the expected style of transaction Apple would have gone out of business with the release of the Apple ][.
So "Worth taking a loan" seems like a really odd question. I think you need to ask "Is the machine worth it" period. Do you need it, want it, can you afford the payments (sticker price)?
I don't think I've ever bought a computer for personal or business that was not on a loan. I live in Japan and pretty much all shops offer financing - sometimes several different ones. If the interest and the sticker-price is right and the there's a need for the equipment - and of course an income stream to be able to make the payments, then I go for it.
You mean to tell me there are actually a significant number of people who walk into an Apple store and lay down between $3k and $20k in cash? I guess if that were the norm or the expected style of transaction Apple would have gone out of business with the release of the Apple ][.
So "Worth taking a loan" seems like a really odd question. I think you need to ask "Is the machine worth it" period. Do you need it, want it, can you afford the payments (sticker price)?
You do not need a Mac Pro for CS. Not at all. Buying with a loan is a very bad idea.
Well you need a computer, but whether it's yours or provided by the university is another question.
You said you "needed" a Mac Pro. What makes you think that?
And no, you probably shouldn't consider a loan until you find out you actually need it. Chances are you will be fine with the computer you already have.
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I would gather those that actually need a MacPro and use it to make a living often pay in full. These costs are built into the business model. Why add unnecessary debt?
What school if I may ask? Majority have a full computer lab that will do your work. In the event that you have to do some on your own, a good MacBook would suffice. Mac Pro seems to be pushing it since I doubt you will do anything too complicated.
Back when I worked for an Apple reseller, businesses usually had a net30 or net60 account. Some paid by credit card. One guy who worked for some wrestling federation paid with a wad of cash from his boot. I'll never forget that one.
Consumer sales tended to be with apple instant loans or the store credit card. The apple loans were the biggest PITA to deal with.
Leasing was another option for businesses too.
Most of what you will be doing in college is doing writing assignments and very lighweight programming.
A Macbook Air or 13" Macbook Pro would be plenty for anything you would need to do on your personal computer as a CS student.
A nice portable laptop is going to be a lot more useful in a college setting than a powerful desktop machine. The exception to that would be if you wanted to play a lot of the latest and greatest games but for that you could get a game console or build a Windows desktop for a lot cheaper than a Mac Pro desktop.
your 2010 laptop should be substantially more than what your need. There is no reason a computer science major would need a mac pro and less reason to take a loan out for it.
This real thread should be about diagnosing what is slowing down your laptop. Is your hard drive full or close to it? That will cause slowness. Clear up space, or upgrade to a faster/bigger hard drive.
Do you have sufficient ram? You might just be paging out because you need more ram.
Are you using the computer in bed where the vents may be covered? That could cause a huge drop in speed as it is overheating.
This real thread should be about diagnosing what is slowing down your laptop. Is your hard drive full or close to it? That will cause slowness. Clear up space, or upgrade to a faster/bigger hard drive.
Do you have sufficient ram? You might just be paging out because you need more ram.
Are you using the computer in bed where the vents may be covered? That could cause a huge drop in speed as it is overheating.
Honestly who cares! People take loans out for everything these days! You don't need our advice! As long as you can budget the payments etc. .. Than do what u want!
There is no "unnecessary debt". Apple offers 0% interest financing.
And no sane business buys cash up front. In fact leasing is incredibly popular even.
Since when does 0% financing = No debt?
Businesses pay for things all of the time in full. I'm not sure i understand your statement there.
No, you don't need a Mac Pro.
I'd get a new computer for school, a fresh start would do you good, but having been through college myself having a laptop would have been a huuge benefit. So yeah, any laptop Apple has out right now would work...I do web dev full time with a maxed out 2012 11-inch Air and it can handle everything I throw at it, VMs and all!
now if you just WANT it then that's another story. Just go ahead and get it if that's what you want lol.
I'd get a new computer for school, a fresh start would do you good, but having been through college myself having a laptop would have been a huuge benefit. So yeah, any laptop Apple has out right now would work...I do web dev full time with a maxed out 2012 11-inch Air and it can handle everything I throw at it, VMs and all!
now if you just WANT it then that's another story. Just go ahead and get it if that's what you want lol.
Thanks for all the replies! I'm probably going to wait a year or till the spring and hopefully try and get a job to pay for it. Considering I'm still working on gen eds and am only taking one CPI class this coming semester. Hopefully my MacBook can hold up.
Btw Northern Kentucky University.
Btw Northern Kentucky University.
It is a terrible idea. If you amortize it out, you probably pay hundreds in interest.
I have federal stafford loans at 6% for 10 years. If I had bought a $4000 computer, I'd have paid $1000 in interest. No way.
A 2010 MacBook got thousands and thousands of CS and other students successfully through school. Do NOT borrow money for this, especially when you haven't told us the term, interest, or amount borrowed.
Remember all those people occupying Wall Street because of their massive student debt? Don't become one of them.
I have federal stafford loans at 6% for 10 years. If I had bought a $4000 computer, I'd have paid $1000 in interest. No way.
A 2010 MacBook got thousands and thousands of CS and other students successfully through school. Do NOT borrow money for this, especially when you haven't told us the term, interest, or amount borrowed.
Remember all those people occupying Wall Street because of their massive student debt? Don't become one of them.
While I haven't been in college dorm room in almost 20 years my memories are that it's not a place that I'd keep anything expensive or delicate..Then again my dorm room wasn't all that great a place to study either
No loan for a computer for college you'll likely have enough loans..
No loan for a computer for college you'll likely have enough loans..