What are some good computer models to look into for an incoming Medical student?

[v2contre]

Currently computer hunting. Any advice would be appreciated!

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[v2contre]

Currently looking at:

13-inch MacBook Pro

Hardware

• 2.5GHz Dual-core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz
• 8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM — 2x4GB
• 500GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
• SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
• Backlit Keyboard (English) & User's Guide
• Accessory Kit

Software

• Photos, iMovie, GarageBand
• Pages, Numbers, Keynote
• OS X

 

[The Buff OP]

Everyone knows that medical student Fk with Macs. 1hunnit!

This is a good option, brah. I have that one and 13inch is enough for size wise and runs great. Will you be getting the Mac Microsoft Office with it?

 

[Jeffrety]

You want a mac because battery life, reliability, cool factor. Plus they can dual boot windows.

 

[Awesome Sauceome]

Get the Mac with the SSD drive, so the retina version. That was one of the things that actually consistently went bad with the old macs after a few years, the spinning hard drive. Or I guess specifically the fan that cooled the spinning hard drive.

Just picked up my very first Mac (the retina version) a couple weeks ago after making the great leap from being a PC fanboy. I can say with total honesty that it's the best computer I have ever owned.

 

[pd1112]

Don't buy any extra software until you find out if your school library/IT offers it for free to students. Many do.

 

[Say]

I used a 13in macbook pro during first year and I liked it a lot. I literally did everything med school related on it... from taking notes, to studying, and even taking exams. However, I recently purchased the 15in retina display and I absolutely love it. It is faster, more crisp, and battery life is longer than my previous computer. I wouldn't hesitate to spend a little extra on a computer seeing how much you will likely use it in the next two years.

Also, the screen size. 15 inch is much better imo.

 

[saudades]

Don't buy any extra software until you find out if your school library/IT offers it for free to students. Many do.

This. Unless you already know they won't give anything I'd hold off if you can. My school gave us PCs (not great ones, but they were fine) with full IT support. Saved me from buying anything until I graduated. Granted, plenty of people had their own Macs just as a matter of preference.

 

[JessebenBenjamin]

I'm glad I'm heading towards the right direction then!
Thank you everyone for your comments.

However, I recently purchased the 15in retina display and I absolutely love it. It is faster, more crisp, and battery life is longer than my previous computer..

Get the Mac with the SSD drive, so the retina version.

I'm interested on the retina display, but I'm not so sure about the SSD drive. I do know it is a lot pricier than the SATA drive, but not really sure if the pros outweigh this.

I'm also looking into this model:

13-inch MacBook Air

• 2.2GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.2GHz
• Intel HD Graphics 6000
• 8GB 1600MHz LPDDR3 SDRAM
• 256GB PCIe-based Flash Storage
• Backlit Keyboard (English) & User's Guide

I don't really know whether it is worth getting the "i7"? Is it necessary for school?
Same question about the 8GB RAM.
Right now this option would be 200 dlls more expensive than the first model I posted.

 

[Awesome Sauceome]

I'm glad I'm heading towards the right direction then!
Thank you everyone for your comments.




I'm interested on the retina display, but I'm not so sure about the SSD drive. I do know it is a lot pricier than the SATA drive, but not really sure if the pros outweigh this.

I'm also looking into this model:

13-inch MacBook Air

• 2.2GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.2GHz
• Intel HD Graphics 6000
• 8GB 1600MHz LPDDR3 SDRAM
• 256GB PCIe-based Flash Storage
• Backlit Keyboard (English) & User's Guide

I don't really know whether it is worth getting the "i7"? Is it necessary for school?
Same question about the 8GB RAM.
Right now this option would be 200 dlls more expensive than the first model I posted.

The SSD drive is so much faster it's unreal. Also the fact that it is not a spinning disk essentially makes it more reliable in the long term. Like I mentioned. Back with the older style macs, the one thing that would crap out after a few years was the fan or hard drive (obviously not every time but that is just the most common thing). With the SSD is runs so much cooler, makes the battery more efficient, and is just so fast.

As for the i5 vs i7, not a clue. Most of what I have heard is that the jump from i3 to i5 is worth it, but honestly the i5 to i7 is not as big, although the battery consumption on i7 is a decent bit more.

Side note, if you are going to best buy to get it, you can go to the post office and get a "movers package" which contains a 10% off coupon.

 

[TorMed]

I always get Apple care. Their products are expensive and I like knowing I don't have to go into debt if I knock my coffee over on my MBP. And you might need tech support.

 

[slopes23]

I'm glad I'm heading towards the right direction then!
Thank you everyone for your comments.




I'm interested on the retina display, but I'm not so sure about the SSD drive. I do know it is a lot pricier than the SATA drive, but not really sure if the pros outweigh this.

I'm also looking into this model:

13-inch MacBook Air

• 2.2GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.2GHz
• Intel HD Graphics 6000
• 8GB 1600MHz LPDDR3 SDRAM
• 256GB PCIe-based Flash Storage
• Backlit Keyboard (English) & User's Guide

I don't really know whether it is worth getting the "i7"? Is it necessary for school?
Same question about the 8GB RAM.
Right now this option would be 200 dlls more expensive than the first model I posted.

SSD is definitely worth it, it's a standard feature of the retina MBP anyways. Don't get the non retina MBP, period.
You should also upgrade the RAM and get the 16GB since it's no longer an upgradeable option later on (they are soldered into place).
Processor is up to you. You don't need the i7 but it will extend the usable life a little more in the way of performance slowdown. But you'll be fine with just i5 if not. But again RAM and SSD should be a must.

 

[mynameissss]

I still can't decide if I should dual boot to get the windows version of Microsoft. Is it worth it?

 

[bobaoversoda]

I still can't decide if I should dual boot to get the windows version of Microsoft. Is it worth it?

I personally don't think so. What do you think you need it for? If there's some sort of program you need that only runs on windows then fine, but otherwise I don't think you need it. You can get Microsoft office for Mac for free if you torrent it, or for not too much money if you go the legit way.

 

[slopes23]

You can get Microsoft office for Mac for free if you torrent it, or for not too much money if you go the legit way.

Or you can just download a free version from your school. Most schools offer this.... Even in college.

 

[bobaoversoda]

Or you can just download a free version from your school. Most schools offer this.... Even in college.

Apparently I've been attending cheap institutions (didn't give it to us for free) :/ but definitely if you can get it for free through your school then do that.

 

[Cytarabine]

If it plays netflix, you're set

 

[bluejay456]

If you're going for a Mac get the i5 over the i7. You don't need that much power. Take the money you save on that and get the 500Gb SSD. The SSD is incredible. Don't get anything smaller than 500Gb. And whether you want to make a separate windows partition is your choice but personally I am going to download Parallel which allows you to open windows applications directly on OS X. Also, definitely consider saving a few bucks for a large external monitor so you can look at lectures on a big screen in your room.

 

[pd1112]

Can you upgrade to ssd from an older Mac?

 

[slopes23]

Can you upgrade to ssd from an older Mac?

Yes, I just did this yesterday. It's very easy. You can clone all of the data on your current hard drive very easily and for free using Carbon Copy Clone, and just use the 30 day free trial. Make your current hard drive the source and the new SSD the destination and press clone. Once it is done (may take a while) just swap out the drives. Do this by flipping your laptop over take out all the screws with a small Philips screw driver, and pull the cover right off. Hard drive is located just below your CD drive, there are to black screws across a plastic bar that need to be unscrewed, then unplug the SATA connector and connect the new SSD. The will be some Torx screws on the side of the old HDD (x4) that need to be removed, it's like a Torx 00 size or something, and then put them in the side of your SSD drive (it comes with the holes predrilled/tapped. Then put the black bar back on with the two screws and rescrew on the cover and start up your computer.

Aside from the cloning of the hard drive which is easy but just takes time until it finishes, switching out the drives should not take more than 5 minutes.

You will also need a 2.5inch SATA to USB connector so that you can clone the drives as mentioned earlier. It's a cheap connector so NBD. There are a lot of write ups that take this step by step in a more organized fashion then I just outlined.

 

[pd1112]

Yes, I just did this yesterday. It's very easy. You can clone all of the data on your current hard drive very easily and for free using Carbon Copy Clone, and just use the 30 day free trial. Make your current hard drive the source and the new SSD the destination and press clone. Once it is done (may take a while) just swap out the drives. Do this by flipping your laptop over take out all the screws with a small Philips screw driver, and pull the cover right off. Hard drive is located just below your CD drive, there are to black screws across a plastic bar that need to be unscrewed, then unplug the SATA connector and connect the new SSD. The will be some Torx screws on the side of the old HDD (x4) that need to be removed, it's like a Torx 00 size or something, and then put them in the side of your SSD drive (it comes with the holes predrilled/tapped. Then put the black bar back on with the two screws and rescrew on the cover and start up your computer.

Aside from the cloning of the hard drive which is easy but just takes time until it finishes, switching out the drives should not take more than 5 minutes.

You will also need a 2.5inch SATA to USB connector so that you can clone the drives as mentioned earlier. It's a cheap connector so NBD. There are a lot of write ups that take this step by step in a more organized fashion then I just outlined.

http://gph.is/1MWJgze

 

[Banco]

Get a refurbed 2014 retina macbook pro. Much cheaper than 2015 model, nearly equal in specs/performance, and refurb is virtually new.

 

[pd1112]

Yes, I just did this yesterday. It's very easy. You can clone all of the data on your current hard drive very easily and for free using Carbon Copy Clone, and just use the 30 day free trial. Make your current hard drive the source and the new SSD the destination and press clone. Once it is done (may take a while) just swap out the drives. Do this by flipping your laptop over take out all the screws with a small Philips screw driver, and pull the cover right off. Hard drive is located just below your CD drive, there are to black screws across a plastic bar that need to be unscrewed, then unplug the SATA connector and connect the new SSD. The will be some Torx screws on the side of the old HDD (x4) that need to be removed, it's like a Torx 00 size or something, and then put them in the side of your SSD drive (it comes with the holes predrilled/tapped. Then put the black bar back on with the two screws and rescrew on the cover and start up your computer.

Aside from the cloning of the hard drive which is easy but just takes time until it finishes, switching out the drives should not take more than 5 minutes.

You will also need a 2.5inch SATA to USB connector so that you can clone the drives as mentioned earlier. It's a cheap connector so NBD. There are a lot of write ups that take this step by step in a more organized fashion then I just outlined.

How's this one?

Amazon product

or this one?

Amazon product

 

[appletree321]

I always get Apple care. Their products are expensive and I like knowing I don't have to go into debt if I knock my coffee over on my MBP. And you might need tech support.

If you knock your coffee over it, won't the warranty be voided?

 

[Awesome Sauceome]

If you knock your coffee over it, won't the warranty be voided?

Yea apple care not only does not cover accidents, but they void your manufactures warranty if you have an accident. I am about halfway convinced AppleCare is a scam at this point...

I have been looking heavily into this stuff lately since this is my first Mac I just bought a couple weeks ago. Honestly at this point I think I am going to get a specific accidental plan through my renters insurance. That seems to be another solid approach to the situation of damage to the Mac. Because if I am honest with myself, how is this thing going to die? I am going to drop it, spill something on it, or crack the screen or something. All are not covered by Apple.

 

[CubsFan314]

I came into medical school with a Mac, only to find out that most of the remote login stuff for clinical applications, library resources, etc. worked much more smoothly with a PC. Something to inquire about with your med school IT people before shelling out that kind of cash.

 

[TorMed]

If you knock your coffee over it, won't the warranty be voided?

I guess I will read the fine print after all. I have had them replace both a phone and an iPad mini that developed hardware issues through no fault of mine.

I am too much of an Apple disciple to consider anything else. Kinda like being in a cult.

 

[Awesome Sauceome]

I guess I will read the fine print after all. I have had them replace both a phone and an iPad mini that developed hardware issues through no fault of mine.

I am too much of an Apple disciple to consider anything else. Kinda like being in a cult.

Yea they absolutely cover hardware issues, that's what the apple care covers. Also not to mention, the AppleCare for the iPad and iPhone does replace it even if it is accidental damage (albeit you have to pay a small fee). But for whatever reason the MacBook apple care covers no accidental damage.

 

[OnePunchBiopsy]

I went for the Macbook Air 13 for portability and battery life. Never had a problem.

 

[slopes23]

How's this one?

Amazon product

or this one?

Amazon product

Tough to say; your links don't work.

 

[pd1112]

Tough to say; your links don't work.

Oh my bad, I think you have to view from the browser.

 

[Temerit]

Yea apple care not only does not cover accidents, but they void your manufactures warranty if you have an accident. I am about halfway convinced AppleCare is a scam at this point...

Idk, I have a friend who has an iPhone 6 Plus with Apple Care+. He's on his third phone, got two free phone replacements. YMMV.

As for med school machine -- I went with a 13" MBP w/retina display. I think it's the perfect balance of form, power, and screen size. The added pixel density/higher resolution gives the retina model more screen space over the original 13" MBP, while the SSD and faster RAM make the machine much quicker. I think it's a bit too early to go for the new Macbook, it has the compelling form factor and could work if you're just doing internet/media/word processing, but it is a pretty weak machine (comparable to 2011 air).

 

[slopes23]

Oh my bad, I think you have to view from the browser.

You're right, that was the issue. I am sure either of those would work but personally, I went with the 850 EVO from Samsung with 250gb just like you showed. It's made a noticeable performance increase in my MBP and for just under $100, you cannot go wrong. I am very happy with it. Don't forget to order the 2.5in SATA to USB connector as well so you can clone your hard drive onto the SSD before you make the swap.

 

[Omppu27]

If you're on a budget (like myself aka can't afford a Mac right now) I would just ask yourself what you really need the laptop for. I'll be starting MS1 this fall and am currently looking at Asus and Lenovo. I don't plan on spending more than $5-600. However, I don't really use my laptop for much of anything besides school. I lasted through undergrad with a $300 Toshiba just fine for the most part.

 

[Dares Dareson]

I'm getting a Surface 3 Pro. I don't mess around with overpriced Apple products.

 

[Kaustikos]

The smaller, the better. Honestly, I've found a tablet with keyboard attachment to be more than enough for that. Plus you can carry the tablet (smaller models) in your coat. Unless you plan on gaming in the hospital, tablets win hands down.