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What is a good laptop to buy for college? I plan on majoring in computer science or engineering.

2006-10-22 09:39:20 · 5 answers · asked by Jake L 3 in Computers & Internet Hardware Laptops & Notebooks

5 answers

MacBook Pro - I have the 17" model one and run my 5 MAC & PC computer network remotely from it.

Apple products are built on such high reliability standards that the model that you purchase today will last you when you are far entrenched in your career. Why, it will still be as robust and reliable as the day you purchased it!

MacBook Pro is built upon the revolutionary Intel Core Duo — which packs the power of two processors (up to 2.16GHz) inside a single chip. It provides 2MB of Smart Cache, L2 cache that can be shared between both cores as needed. It delivers higher performance in 2D and 3D graphics, video editing, and music encoding. And the new engine is only part of the story. MacBook Pro has a frontside bus and memory that, at 667MHz, runs faster than any previous Mac notebook. It’s the first Mac notebook with PCI Express, a Serial ATA hard drive, and the ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 for superfast graphics performance." - Apple site

If you will be using programs like AutoCAD or Microstation, you are going to need a very powerful computer. Circuit development programs require less intense realtime processing, so even a budget laptop can handle those. For 1st and 2nd year engineering students you'll be needing mainly word processing, spreadsheet programs, and Acrobat Reader to read .pdf, of course. Then you will need access to the Internet to perform online research for physics. When you get to your 300 and 400 level classes, that is when you start requiring more computer resorces, like in your design theory and CAD/CAM classes.

Large desktop replacement laptops may be really heavy and have little battery life - but the MacBook Pro is not heavy and has a long battery life. As an engineering student you'll be on the go at school and in your later years and that bulk may be discomforting.

Size and weight -
* 15-inch MacBook Pro, Height: 1.0 inch (2.59 cm), Width: 14.1 inches (35.7 cm), Depth: 9.6 inches (24.3 cm), Weight: 5.6 pounds (2.54 kg) with battery and optical drive installed.
* 17-inch MacBook Pro, Height: 1.0 inch (2.59 cm), Width: 15.4 inches (39.2 cm), Depth: 10.4 inches (26.5 cm), Weight: 6.8 pounds (3.1 kg) with battery and optical drive installed.

Battery and power - I have always used laptops during my college years and found the Apples (I had a PowerBook) to have longer battery life than the Toshibas, Compaqs, HP's that I have used then.
* 15-inch MacBook Pro has a 60-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery (with integrated charge indicator LEDs) providing up to 4.5 hours of battery life.
* 17-inch MacBook Pro has a 68-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery (with integrated charge indicator LEDs) providing up to 5.5 hours of battery life.

I especially love the ingenuity of the Apple engineers when they designed the MagSafe power connector - magnetic connection instead of a physical one. So, tripping over a power cord won’t send MacBook Pro flying off a table or desk; the cord simply breaks cleanly away, without damage to either the cord or the system. As an added nicety, this means less wear on the connectors.

Not to mention the Sudden Motion Sensor - The MacBook Pro protects your data if it detects a fall from that desk or your lap, by parking the hard drive head during fast changes in orientation.

Now, I am aware that many engineering applications run on Windows, but MAC OS X can run Windows programs. You can run Boot Camp on your Apple Macbook/Macbook Pro - http://www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp/ - and actually install and dual-boot Windows XP on it if the CAD programs you're trying to run aren't available for OS X. If you do end up buying an Apple notebook and installing Windows XP on it via Boot Camp, definitely use this to allow for right-clicking, as well as volume/brightness control and use of the "delete" key.

Speaking as a serial fan of Apple products, I will tell you honestly that Apple laptops are top-knotch when it comes to build quality. I also love OS X. I feel Apple laptops provide great value for what you pay. That said, a comparably equipped PC will almost invariably be cheaper - roughly in the range of about $200-$300.

Getting a top of the line machine will allow you to stretch the laptop into the 3-4 and maybe even 5 year range with performance. Whereas as cheaper laptop may not last as long and when you add up the costs of two for a similar duration, the single better purchase wins out.

Apple also has a great Education purchase discount program that can't be beat... http://store.apple.com/Catalog/US/Images/routingpage.html

2006-10-22 09:44:46 · answer #1 · answered by midnightlydy 6 · 8 0

Any Dell, HP/Compaq, P4, 2+GHz, 256MB, 30+GB, CD-RW, optional DVD, FD, Wifi. Later you maybe need a lot of software and Visual Studio for computer languages. With these, you can write a radar to scan the whole universe, watch robot on Mars, listen music, make all calculations, and send email at same time.

Find a lower cost deal at Yahoo or Ebid auction, because they have no sale fee.

2006-10-22 15:54:35 · answer #2 · answered by toodd 4 · 0 0

I use a laptop but laptops are really just for a traveling purpose. I used to use my laptop all the time but I finally built my own pc and now I can prolong the use of my laptop. I have a gateway but highly suggest not to buy gateway they such as far as warranty issues.

2006-10-22 09:43:21 · answer #3 · answered by Christina 2 · 0 0

I love my Gateway laptop. It's got 2 GB RAM, 160 GB HD. It runs great, very fast, and it's pretty lightweight. I had an HP before, and it was very heavy and got hot fast. Mine was around $600, and that is where I got it was Best Buy.

2016-05-21 22:59:40 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

Hp Tablet Tc4200

you can write on the screen with a stylus.. its pretty cool!!

2006-10-22 09:42:24 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

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