A laptop for NYU?

[gegogi]

Hello! I finally decided to go to NYU throughout all the consideration and found out that they recommended us to buy one w/ dell or apple unless one has already had one w/ their minimum requirements.

I was wondering how many of NYUCD students are using PC or MAC.

I have refurbished one from gateway w/o any insurance, but the speculation is way higher than their requirements--windows 7 64bit, dual2 core T6400@2GHz, 4G RAM, and 250G Hard drive. But, I am afraid that my laptop is not insured in case of uncompatibility of their dental programs b/c it's gateway-they have their IT dept. for supporting only dell and apple. And, there is no specification about 32 bit or 64 bit, but I found some threads here, saying NYU uses only 32bit laptops. is it true? I bought this one a few months ago for $500.

What do you think?

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[Kneecoal]

a) i would never buy a dell --- i can think of 4 friends right off the bat that had them for college, and all of them kicked the bucket within a year or two. they would either crash or became ridiculously slow.

b) i only know the very basics of macs, not enough to get me through 4 years of dschool without probably causing me a good amount of untimely confusion.

c) the IT dept should know how to work/fix other computers besides dell and apple -- the fact that you have a gateway shouldn't change things... it's still windows.

d) there were requirements listed on a page on their website calling for a 32-bit computer. i emailed the senior director of informatics, dr. eisenberg (that was the only email address provided), and she told me that this year they're changing that - we can buy 64-bits.

e) you might have a problem with yours not having a warranty, and how much do you trust it being refurbished? i think that's a pretty big risk to take with all of the stuff you're paying for to put on that sucker for the next 4 years.

hope this helps!

 

[indynyu]

Hello! I finally decided to go to NYU throughout all the consideration and found out that they recommended us to buy one w/ dell or apple unless one has already had one w/ their minimum requirements.

I was wondering how many of NYUCD students are using PC or MAC.

I have refurbished one from gateway w/o any insurance, but the speculation is way higher than their requirements--windows 7 64bit, dual2 core T6400@2GHz, 4G RAM, and 250G Hard drive. But, I am afraid that my laptop is not insured in case of uncompatibility of their dental programs b/c it's gateway-they have their IT dept. for supporting only dell and apple. And, there is no specification about 32 bit or 64 bit, but I found some threads here, saying NYU uses only 32bit laptops. is it true? I bought this one a few months ago for $500.

What do you think?

dell w/ complete care all the way, best investment you'll ever make

 

[gegogi]

dell w/ complete care all the way, best investment you'll ever make

Thanks, but I have a further question. I've never tried complete care as buying a laptop ever since. I didn't even buy an insurance and things work well until now.

What would the complete care be like? I normally back up almost all stuff in my laptop regularly and do format a PC for better speed. The complete care would be like giving me a boot CD? Do they bring everything back that I'd lose in case of a breakage of a laptop?

Thanks!

 

[THINKOFMYFUTURE]

For a laptop that doesn't break, I'd recommend a Sony Vaio. Had one throughout 4 years of undergrad. Thin, light, low-noise, cool temperature wise, and looks good.

You'll pay a premium but it'll last.

 

[indynyu]

Thanks, but I have a further question. I've never tried complete care as buying a laptop ever since. I didn't even buy an insurance and things work well until now.

What would the complete care be like? I normally back up almost all stuff in my laptop regularly and do format a PC for better speed. The complete care would be like giving me a boot CD? Do they bring everything back that I'd lose in case of a breakage of a laptop?

Thanks!

complete care is a feature offered by dell. basically, say ur laptop falls, the screen cracks, ANYTHING, they will come to your house and fix it within 2 days. I had my screen replaced countless times. once the keyboard keys started to fade or get sticky, time for a new keyboard. its the best thing you could ever get. worth the extra money for 4 yrs of peace of mind. u'll still have to do ur regular backups, but i think its great to not have to worry about your laptop.

even once had paint drop on it... 2 days later, they were there replacing it, gotta love it.

 

[pumpUup]

Anyone thinking about playing starcraft2 with labtop from DS? 😀

 

[artanis]

Anyone thinking about playing starcraft2 with labtop from DS? 😀

LOL you read my mind. Check my username ^^

I have been waiting for SC2 to come out for ages.

 

[artanis]

Hello! I finally decided to go to NYU throughout all the consideration and found out that they recommended us to buy one w/ dell or apple unless one has already had one w/ their minimum requirements.

I was wondering how many of NYUCD students are using PC or MAC.

I have refurbished one from gateway w/o any insurance, but the speculation is way higher than their requirements--windows 7 64bit, dual2 core T6400@2GHz, 4G RAM, and 250G Hard drive. But, I am afraid that my laptop is not insured in case of uncompatibility of their dental programs b/c it's gateway-they have their IT dept. for supporting only dell and apple. And, there is no specification about 32 bit or 64 bit, but I found some threads here, saying NYU uses only 32bit laptops. is it true? I bought this one a few months ago for $500.

What do you think?

I have been using an Inspiron 6000 for Undergrad, its slow as hell now. Switched (actually downgraded) to an IBM Thinkpad T42. That has been amazing for me.

I have decided I am going to grab myself a new laptop and can't decide between these 3 (I also suggest one of these 3 to you)

1. Macbook Pro
2. Lenovo T410s
3. Dell XPS or equivalent.

Some feedback from some current students would be great.

 

[psi169]

Just to throw it out there:

Macs are super easy to use. I got a Mac for undergrad. At first, I was slow at it and got frustrated-- I couldn't figure out how to copy and paste a picture! Solution: Drag the picture where you want it to go. Need to right click? Hold the control key and then click regularly. In the end, when it comes down to the basics of internet and Word/Excel/powerpoint, there isn't much of a difference between the two systems. Macs come with a lot of extra software (video editing, iChat, photo editing). There's a lot; I can't even think of all those icons right now, but I don't use a third of them. Plus, odds of getting a virus on a Mac....

When I do work on a project, though, I still prefer to put it together in a Windows computer because there is still some formatting issues (i.e. a chart put together in a Word Mac may just not be there when you open it up on a Windows computer). Plus, they have so many different buttons with a different set up, I feel like I spend more time searching for the dang button than putting together the actual project. I have windows 98 for Mac (or at least, the one before the latest one), so some of these issue may have been cleared up with the new release of Microsoft Office for Mac.

Food for thought.

 

[jinlighter]

.

 

[gegogi]

I just found out MSI U210 or 230 are very portable to carry to school every day b/c it has a 12'' screen size and very thin&light. But, I'm afraid of its processor-AMD. I'm not sure the speed is faster as at lease 2Ghz of NYU requirements.

 

[RockandRoll24]

I switched to a Mac three years ago and will NEVER look back. My macbook has never been in the shop and I have never had any real problems with it. I was in and out of IT every other week when I had my pc. Highly recommend the mac. The learning curve is really not that steep. Things just work better! I have never had any problems with compatibility. In addition, if you really need some of the pc software, you can always run Boot Camp and retain the ability to run windows on your mac! The program is free! Or you can run Parallels which allows you to simultaneously run windows and mac OSX at the same time. Best of both worlds! Good luck with the decision!

 

[ub40]

mac for life.

👍

 

[shloopy]

For those considering buying a Macbook Pro, just a heads up: the new MBP's will have Intel Core i5 or i7 chips, and are speculated to be coming out any day/week, now. They're gonna be FAST. The current MBPs are already plenty fast, of course, but you might as well wait for the i5 processors if you want the latest/greatest. 😎

According to Macrumors.com, it's been 291 days since the last MBP refresh - 90 days longer than the average length between refreshes. Apple guards their release dates like they're Classified CIA secrets, but they have historically happened on a Tuesday...

Macrumors Buyer's Guide

 

[THINKOFMYFUTURE]

mac for life.

👍

Steve Jobs Kool-aid for life.

Fixed.

😀

 

[ub40]

Steve Jobs Kool-aid for life.

Fixed.

😀

😎 but it tastes so good.

 

[gegogi]

Hi, do you think it's okay to buy a Macbook Air(core is 1.8GHz)? I know that the minimum requirement of nyu is 2.0GHz and considering between macbook pro and air. Thanks

 

[adam123]

I use a Apple desktop at home (because my Dell desktop passed away) but I wouldn't buy an Apple laptop. They sealed in the battery on them which poses two problems: 1) To get the battery replaced, you must take it into the store and leave it there, with all your personal info, to get it replaced. Supposedly takes a day, and 2) There are reports on the Internet about expanding batteries. When an internal battery expands, it can damage the case.

I'd go Lenovo. The new Thinkpads are out and they are FAR more durable than the aluminum Macs.

 

[RockandRoll24]

I like the macbook air, but its biggest downfall to me is not having a cd/dvd drive. I would get tired of lugging an external all over with me when I needed it. just my two cents

 

[gegogi]

I like the macbook air, but its biggest downfall to me is not having a cd/dvd drive. I would get tired of lugging an external all over with me when I needed it. just my two cents

Thanks a lot! I'd better get rid of it off from my list. Yeah, I'd never imagine it doesn't have a cd drive.

 

[THINKOFMYFUTURE]

thanks a lot! I'd better get rid of it off from my list. Yeah, i'd never imagine it doesn't have a cd drive.

+1