Poll: Which for college do you recommend? Mac Laptop, PC Laptop, Mac desktop, or PC Desktop.

[SuperGroove]

I love the size of the new G4 Mac Titanium laptop, however being that I've never really used MAC, I'm not sure as to whether or not I should get this.

If I were to get a PC laptop, I would need it to be portable and comfortable to use, as well as fast enough to play counter-strike and Rogue Spear(Hey...I'm an Arts & Science major...not like I really need a powerful computer). DVD quality is also a must, as is TV-OUT.

I dunno what it is...but I've grown fond of the Macs that I've used; which have been all G4s. Getting a G4 Desktop isn't really an option, but if it helps with giving me a recommendation, I will be changing majors next year.

I currently have a home built PC right now. Specs are in my sig, and I think that maybe upgrading would be a good route? Dual Processors would be a must.


I just bought my Samsung 955DF, and I love it. I feel that I should take it up to college, but the 75LB weight that it encumbers, might pose a nuisance.


Anyways...advice? Links to hardware that might interest me?


Oh yes...one more thing, my next pc, or upgrade must be DEAD silent.


Edit, I'm readin this post:

http://forums.anandtech.com/message...71572&highlight_key=y&keyword1=laptop

 

[HOON96]

i would get pc desktop so you can play mad lan games...

 

[SuperGroove]

Which laptop manufacturers offer the Athlon 4?

 

[agg123456789]

I would either get the new iBook because it is really cheap and has everything that you will ever need in a laptop, or I would get a desktop PC. it all depends on what you want to do with it. do you want to take note in class with it? (mac laptop) play games? (pc desktop) Just word proccess? (either, however this is conducive to a laptop because it is more portable so you can type anywhere)

oh....on the silent thing...get the new ibook. they are totally silent. they dissapate all their heat through the magnesium on the bottom of the case, and through an air vent on the hinge where the LCD meets the rest of the comp.

not much of a help...but just nail down what you want to do, and then we can all make sugestions.


agg123456789

 

[Maverick319]

I would say Dell.com would be your first place to start researching a notebook. They usually have the most custom options and are ALWAYS running some type of promo or another. I bought an Inspirion 3800 last Christmas and took it home with me, along with 20 or so DVD's. No one at home had a DVD player, so I hooked the Laptop up to the TV and it worked flawlessly.

It came with Windows ME, which quickly disappeared and turned into W2K. All in all I have been very satisfied with my Dell, and I like their support options online where you enter your Service Tag number from the bottom of the Laptop and it auto-finds your info. Everything you ever wanted to know about your laptop is right there including updates, specs and warranty info.

From Techyouknowwho.com:

Dell Home has up to $150 rebate on Dimension Desktops, free Epson 580 printer with Dimension 4100/8100 or Inspiron 2100/8000, and $50 coupon off $1399+. Free printer and coupon end Monday

 

[SuperGroove]

<< I would either get the new iBook because it is really cheap and has everything that you will ever need in a laptop, or I would get a desktop PC. it all depends on what you want to do with it. do you want to take note in class with it? (mac laptop) play games? (pc desktop) Just word proccess? (either, however this is conducive to a laptop because it is more portable so you can type anywhere)

oh....on the silent thing...get the new ibook. they are totally silent. they dissapate all their heat through the magnesium on the bottom of the case, and through an air vent on the hinge where the LCD meets the rest of the comp.

not much of a help...but just nail down what you want to do, and then we can all make sugestions.


agg123456789 >>



I will want to take it to class with me. I will want to play the occasional games, and I will most definitely need it to do word processing.

 

[Degenerate]

<< Which laptop manufacturers offer the Athlon 4? >>

I dont think the large OEMs have it out yet.

 

[SuperGroove]

I know Compaq does...but I don't like their video cards

 

[RossMAN]

SuperGroove - You should buy a brand new IBM ThinkPad T20 laptop for $1309 which includes:

Intel P3/700Mhz,
128MB RAM,
12GB Hard Drive,
DVD,
14.1&quot; 1024x768 display,
TV out,
built-in Ethernet &amp; 56k Modem
and Win2K.

Wait until you check out this laptops dimensions and weight

 

[Shalmanese]

I would go far laptop with a big screen (14.1&quot; at least) and a DVD drive and dont worry about the processor speed etc, use this just for your work/DVD's but no gaming. then lug your desktop in from home and set that up as a game machine. try the Dell inspirons or the IBM thinkpads. go to a local store and try out the keyboard and mouse and see how the screens are. remember, when buying a laptop, the grunt behind it is a secondary consideration. make sure it has a Lithium Ion battery.

 

[whitelight]

i decided to go with a desktop for college because i preferred its power (you know for what ) over laptops. and the most powerful laptops cost around $2500+, and i didn't want to spend that much money on them.

you play rogue spear? what's your name? i'm whitelight <WrAtH>. probably never heard of me. i've haven't played in a few months.

 

[ElFenix]

if you're going to be taking your laptop to class with your you'll want a really light one. carrying books + laptop to class with you is going to be quite heavy and you'll get tired of it. usually the really light ones don't play games very well. the 3d is horrid. a few have the rage mobility 4 which is pretty decent for a chip that doesn't tout 3d as its thing (unlike those power sucking gf2gos).

as for desktops... mac sin't going to play games very well either, since they usually aren't ported. and dual processors? are you running rc5 or seti@home or doing huge things in photoshop? its pretty much worthless for games.

 

[SuperGroove]

<< if you're going to be taking your laptop to class with your you'll want a really light one. carrying books + laptop to class with you is going to be quite heavy and you'll get tired of it. usually the really light ones don't play games very well. the 3d is horrid. a few have the rage mobility 4 which is pretty decent for a chip that doesn't tout 3d as its thing (unlike those power sucking gf2gos).

as for desktops... mac sin't going to play games very well either, since they usually aren't ported. and dual processors? are you running rc5 or seti@home or doing huge things in photoshop? its pretty much worthless for games. >>



I AM running RC5, and I WILL be doing stuff with photoshop I plan on switching my major next year to Computer Science or Electrical Engineering.

 

[sak]

If u not into games and dont want to upgrade then do for a portable comp. but if u play games then its a obvious choice is the by a PC desktop... but for God sake no

mac-n-trash..

 

[BFG10K]

Get a PC desktop and forget about Macs. Honestly, they're simply overpriced pieces of coloured plastic.

 

[ksdavis]

I get this question a lot, since I work for a college's IT group managing residential computing and networking support. Tons of parents call with this question this time of year. My two cents:

If you're not already enrolled there, try to answer four questions for yourself.

1) Is the campus offering wireless Ethernet access? Some now are, many are planning to over the next 18-36 months. This will be a BIG reason to have laptops. If so, where is wireless right now? (Give the school's Help Desk a call and ask them this.)

2) Will you be able to use your network connection on any jack on campus or just be registered to one jack? If any jack: where are jacks located on campus? Are there jacks in libraries, dining halls, campus restaurants? (Again, call the school Help Desk.)

3) Ask yourself if you're planning to use the laptop in class to take notes and if you will be going to the library a lot. In liberal arts, the answer to the latter is likely yes.

4) How far from college do you live? If you're travelling internationally or across the country, will a laptop be the easiest to tote around during summers? Or is it a quick drive home?

The answers you get to these questions should tend to help determine whether you want a laptop or not. If you decide to go with a laptop, I find most students do not pay enough attention to BATTERY LIFE! There are all these whizbang features on laptops these days and they still get barely two to two and a half hours! (When I was in college, I finally dumped my subnote for an Apple eMate for taking notes in class... fifteen to twenty-four hours on one charge, and I could type and draw on the screen, great for econ class. In the subnote category, the new mini-VAIO looks slick if you've got good eyesight. I'm REALLY impressed by the new, smaller Apple iBook -- with a spare/extra battery it would be awesome to take to class, and hey, OS X is finally based on a real OS (FreeBSD) and you can actually do some power work with it.

...In addition, if you want a laptop but do a lot of gaming, you definitely want to bring your desktop as well or to consider a laptop plus desktop solution.

Apple vs. PC... again, I'd check with your school's help desk for insight. If you post to Anandtech, you probably don't need help, but it's good to find out what services are available. For instance, at my school we used to have many more services for Macs than PCs, including more free software keyserved over AppleShare servers (including MS Office, Adobe stuff, etc.) At other schools, services may be more limited.

Good luck!

 

[kd7fhd]

Contact the college you are planning on going to. Most have computer labs for student use during the portion of class that requires computers. These same labs are available for student use any time there are no classes scheduled and are usually open late at night.

Laptops are easily stolen.

You won't appreciate having to tote a extra 5-10 lbs along with your books after a couple of weeks.

You will be more productive using a computer platform you already know. You will be able to concentrate on your studies instead of trying to learn a new computer operating system.

If you will be living in the dorms, they should have a network connection... instant access to all of your classes AND the internet. (Note that you will need some kind of security to keep your roommates out of your computer or you'll have to really like them a lot!)

If you will be renting a apartment your college should have a dial-up connection for you to use to connect to their network.

So, I guess I'm trying to say: GET INFORMED before you make a major purchase of a piece of equipment you might not like!

 

[Punamo]

ksdavis and kd7fhd pretty much got all of the questions answered. Good posts!

Additionally you might want to know what platform your particular department supports. Since you're going to Comp Science, it might be good to know if your Comp Science dept is into Unix platform a lot or not (connectivity to the workstations/servers using telnet, ftp from home).

If wireless connection is available at your school, check to see if it's only available in one platform (most likely PC at they are the most widely used). Also, see if you can get an apt that's really close to the wireless hub, just imagine having wireless connection all the time without paying a single cent!!

 

[Gunbuster]

If you really want to use the laptop in classes go for a mini/slim model with a LV P3, you should get better battery life from that

 

[pyr]

Im thinking that people have not put enuf emphasis on how easily a laptop is stolen. If you are in the dorms especially, think how easy it is for people to get into your room. very very easy. i know that lots of times i left my door wide open and wandered around the hall chatting with people, if i had had a laptop it would have been gone so fast. Also a friend of mine who bought one planning on using it for all the same things you plan on never actually did. it sat on his desk all year because it really is too much of a pain to take to class, the library has computers all over the place so no reason to take it there, and the only time it ever came off the desk was when he went home for the weekend. He ended up regretting having it because not only did he not use it for anything he thought he would but he couldnt play games worth a damn, so all the times we had big LAN games going he was left out.

 

[nortexoid]

You want a really slick laptop? - ultra slim, looks utterly disgusting, and is loaded to the tits?

You want the Sony R505 super-slim pro (link)

or the titanium G4...

otherwise, if u want dead silent, find a mac Cube, or...go through the hassle of building your own silent PC and saving some bucks...u could do it w/ professional water-block setups that cool your gpu, cpu and psu, or u could try to do it by purchasing a quiet psu (i.e. silencer from directron), and hsf...then buy a vertical-standing flex/microATX case to put it in....would look pretty slick.

consider undervolting/clocking...

 

[SuperGroove]

<< I get this question a lot, since I work for a college's IT group managing residential computing and networking support. Tons of parents call with this question this time of year. My two cents:

If you're not already enrolled there, try to answer four questions for yourself.

1) Is the campus offering wireless Ethernet access? Some now are, many are planning to over the next 18-36 months. This will be a BIG reason to have laptops. If so, where is wireless right now? (Give the school's Help Desk a call and ask them this.)

They do not offer wireless Esthernet access YET

2) Will you be able to use your network connection on any jack on campus or just be registered to one jack? If any jack: where are jacks located on campus? Are there jacks in libraries, dining halls, campus restaurants? (Again, call the school Help Desk.)

EVERY building has jacks for every student. I am not restricted to just my in dorm connection

3) Ask yourself if you're planning to use the laptop in class to take notes and if you will be going to the library a lot. In liberal arts, the answer to the latter is likely yes.

I will be using it to take notes, and I will be going to the library a lot

4) How far from college do you live? If you're travelling internationally or across the country, will a laptop be the easiest to tote around during summers? Or is it a quick drive home?

I live about a 40 minutes drive away from college. My dorm is located off campus

The answers you get to these questions should tend to help determine whether you want a laptop or not. If you decide to go with a laptop, I find most students do not pay enough attention to BATTERY LIFE! There are all these whizbang features on laptops these days and they still get barely two to two and a half hours! (When I was in college, I finally dumped my subnote for an Apple eMate for taking notes in class... fifteen to twenty-four hours on one charge, and I could type and draw on the screen, great for econ class. In the subnote category, the new mini-VAIO looks slick if you've got good eyesight. I'm REALLY impressed by the new, smaller Apple iBook -- with a spare/extra battery it would be awesome to take to class, and hey, OS X is finally based on a real OS (FreeBSD) and you can actually do some power work with it.

...In addition, if you want a laptop but do a lot of gaming, you definitely want to bring your desktop as well or to consider a laptop plus desktop solution.

Apple vs. PC... again, I'd check with your school's help desk for insight. If you post to Anandtech, you probably don't need help, but it's good to find out what services are available. For instance, at my school we used to have many more services for Macs than PCs, including more free software keyserved over AppleShare servers (including MS Office, Adobe stuff, etc.) At other schools, services may be more limited.

Good luck! >>



The school is a 50/50 mac/pc school. I don't plan to do a lot of gaming and if I do, I'll more than likely bring my desktop to school


I'm still confused

 

[Kp99]

PC Laptop, I got the Compaq Armada M300...small light and does everything I want!

 

[Kindjal]

Does your school offer some kind of group purchase deal on computers? If they do, I would go that route. If not, I recommend a PC Laptop with the longest warranty you can get. It is a fact...your laptop will break so having tech support on campus is a big plus.

My law school offered a pretty good discount on Dell Laptops purchased through the school. My laptop is glued to me at all times during school...sometimes it is the only thing that keeps me awake in class. I even take my exams on the laptop.

Good luck with your purchase...remember get the best/longest warranty!

 

[danii8]

PC Laptop will be better
and, there is usually some special discount or group buy during semester.