Buying a computer for medical school

[microman]

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I have been in desperate need of a computer for the last year. However, I keep putting off the purchase, because I want to wait until right before medical school starts to get the new computer so that it will get me through all four years. Plus, I've heard rumors that some medical schools can help defray the cost of a new computer. Would you guys suggest waiting to buy it, or buying it now to help me get through my last two quarters as an undergrad? Thanks

 

[wdarli]

if you can wait you should probably do that.....I have heard that lots of schools have deals with certain companies so that you can get a good price.....I'm in the same boat as you, my computer really needs replacing but I am trying to wait it out till this fall....good luck!

 

[synapse lapse]

I built my computer last year, and I am sure that it will get me through school. That said, I plan on buying a laptop for medical school and keeping my desktop. I say if you are really broke just use the compter lab at school. Most schools will supply you with additional money in your financial aid package for a computer if you request it, then you can go all out like I plan to!

 

[DrThom]

Some schools like Ohio State and Wake Forest supply you with a laptop...you should check and see if your school does this.

 

[Haybrant]

what is the best laptop for its $ right now. Im looking for a 14 inch screen, 512mb, centrino for a good price <1500. Anyone happy with theirs and care to share info? thanks!

 

[vikaskoth]

check out cnet.com, they review all kinds of electronics and they have lots of user reviews of products as well

They actually have an article about discount laptops on their home page today.
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-3121_7-5620993-1.html?tag=cnetfd.ld

 

[MrTee]

If you guys are patient, you can check out bensbargains.net or gotapex.com, they have deals on dells all the time. I recently saw a 1.6 centrino w/ 512 mb ram and 15.4 inch screen for around 1100 after rebate. I believe it was a dell 8600. Dells are the cheapest computers out there, cheaper than building your own when you find the right deal.

 

[Sofee]

I just bought myself a new laptop and I'm really happy with it. I wanted to wait until right before med school as well, but this is a great deal. Hope it helps!
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Aver...sem/rpsm/oid/108443/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

 

[Nittany Lion]

I'm wondering, how much do you really *need* a computer in medical school anyway, aside from personal use? I currently have a Sony Vaio laptop that I purchased freshman year of college (I'm a senior now). It's in decent shape but running a little slow, and I'm praying it'll last throughout the next few years... I don't think I'll have the means to buy a new comp while I'm in med school, so I'm wondering if I'd be able to do without if this one goes.

 

[teamdick]

if you have a usable computer, you probably don't need a new one, but it depends on you. If you like to use the CD's that come with most textbooks, you may need one especially if your current one can't support some of the graphics and movie files. when i started med school i bought a new computer, but in all honesty, i haven't done too much med school related stuff. There are occasional assignments that require typing, but that's about it. besides, just about all schools have 24/7 labs. you just really need a good high speed connection if you don't dorm so you can access online text books and reference sites.

 

[kansas]

I definitely agree that dells are the best buy. I was formerly a macintosh person, hard core. Then, I needed to invest in my own computer for undergrad, and apples are butt expensive, so my brother convinced me that a dell laptop would be the best way to go. He was so right. I have been so pleased with my dell. I have had it for almost two years, and it is still amazing, as far as not being outdated. In addition, I kind of think that for my purposes it is best to have a pc over a mac, because there are more programs out there right now that you can use on a pc, but have to be reconfigured to use on a mac. And, the nice thing is that the computers I want from macintosh are already reconfigured for pcs, like i-tunes, or that program to hook up the i-pod.

You may want to check into programs your school has going for discounted computers. I know that many undergraduate schools have some pretty sweet deals for their students, because they realize we are broke for the most part.

Good luck! If you feel like not having a computer is any way impairing your capabilities in a severe way, like your grades are suffering, which I cannot imagine, but if you have the money for one, I would go ahead and invest in one now, so that you can use it now and become familiar with it and stuff.

 

[Mephisto]

I would recommend going to www.newegg.com and buying all the computer components and building your own sick, super PC that can do everything at a fracion of the cost of buying a pre-built one from Dell of HP. IT's actually really easy and if you buy all the components direct from the manufacturer at www.newegg.com, you can probably get an AWESOME PC for about $1700 which would normally cost around $2500 from Dell. And that's if you choose to build the ridiculously top of the line one.

 

[MrTee]

If you're serious about getting a computer, dell has decent deals going on right now if you check out gotapex.com. Here's a few things I just saw:

Widescreen for $1111.90 after coupon with FREE Shipping: Inspiron 8600 with the 1.6Ghz Pentium M 715 processor, 15.4" WXGA TFT, 512MB DDR SDRAM, 32MB GeForce FX Go5200 AGP 4x graphics, 40GB HD, DVD, Intel® PRO/Wireless 2100, LiOh battery, and 1 year warranty.

17" Widescreen for $1319.20 after coupon with FREE Shipping: Inspiron 9200 with the 1.6Ghz Pentium M 725 processor, 17" WXGA+ TFT, 512MB DDR SDRAM, 128MB ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 AGP 8x graphics, 40GB HD, DVD, LiOh battery, Intel PRO/Wireless 2100, and 1 year warranty.

Slimline for $974.25 after coupon with FREE Shipping: Inspiron 600M with the 1.6Ghz Pentium M 725 processor, 14.1" XGA TFT, 512MB DDR SDRAM, 30GB HD, DVD, LiOh battery, and 1 year warranty.

To get those prices, I think you need to use a coupon code from the site, but compared to store-bought prices, these are a killer deal.

As far as building your own computer vs. getting one of these dell deals...you won't be able to do it cheaper than dell (when you get on one of their crazy deals) because they use such cheap parts everywhere. If you assemble your computer, you have to usually get decent quality parts which cost more money, go through the effort to put it together, buy windows (100 bucks extra), and so on. Here's an example of what you can get for cheap:

Dimension 4700 Desktop with 2.8Ghz 800Mhz P4 HT, 256MB DDR2 SDRAM, 40GB S-ATA, CD-ROM, and 2 Year Warranty for $499 after Rebate with FREE Shipping plus FREE 17" LCD Monitor.

Add another 256 mb of ram from a store for a 50 bucks, and you've got a decent system.

Say you find a 17" LCD for 200 dollars. It's not likely you can get a similar computer together, including windows, for 350 dollars. The processor alone costs 159 on newegg, and you need a motherboard (at least 30 bucks). So with the 161 you have left, you would need a case/power supply, 512 mb ram, hard drive, mouse/keyboard, cd drive, and windows. I don't see how this can be done easily or conveniently.

 

[chitown82]

If anyone is considering an apple, please let me know if you have any questions. If you have the money, they are definitely the best computers to get.

 

[macsx]

If anyone is considering an apple, please let me know if you have any questions. If you have the money, they are definitely the best computers to get.

Very true.
Don't forget about educational discounts people!

 

[Dr.LeoSpaceman]

Very true.
Don't forget about educational discounts people!

I don't want to start a huge war here, but this is why I dislike Apple users. They always want to think that their precious Macs are the cream of the computer crop. I hate to burst a bubble, but they definitely are not. I will give you graphics and video editing, for that they are superior. However, for any other application, PCs are the standard. Not only are they the standard but they are more powerful in the sense that they give you more control and options. Not to mention that the vast majority of software is optimized for PCs, and many Mac ports do not even exist.

I won't even touch the fact that every Apple product is a terrible value in terms of money vs. features compared to competing products.

So, I can live with people liking Macs, and preferring to use them...thats your perogative. But please don't try and delude others with the "Macs are better" propaganda. You are just helping Steve Jobs bank more cash.

 

[MrTee]

Wow, what a harsh response! And I'm a PC person! Macs definitely have their places in the world of computers, but for poor students trying to stretch a buck to get the most durable, compatible computer, you can't beat a cheapo windows machine.

 

[flash]

I hate every Apple product. Mac's especially, but I even refuse to look at an I-Pod.

 

[bidster]

Wow, what a harsh response! And I'm a PC person! Macs definitely have their places in the world of computers, but for poor students trying to stretch a buck to get the most durable, compatible computer, you can't beat a cheapo windows machine.

Maybe....I've always used Windows and swore up and down I would never go Mac, but after having to do two Windows reinstalls within a week of each other last month due to spyware issues--even though I use updated firewall, spyware, and virus protection almost religiously--I'm beginning to warm up to idea of maybe getting a Mac just a bit. My computer is pretty stable now, so I'm hoping to wait it out until the next Windows version (I hear they're calling it "Longhorn" for now) comes out in 2006 and gets all the bugs worked out. If it seems secure/reliable enough, I'll stick with the PC.....if not, I don't use anything that can't run on a Mac. I think there are only a handful of med schools that say you *have* to buy or accept whatever computer they specify, so I'm hoping I have that choice...

In the meantime I've dropped Internet Explorer for Firefox...that alone seems to have kept everything more stable. And tabbed browsing is awesome 😍

 

[sweatybrain]

I use Windows XP at work and OSX at home. In my personal opinion, Mac OS X is far superior to Windows. And in term of scientific computing, the ability to compile and run UNIX/BSD software along side MS Office is a big big plus.

I got my 12" powerbook for 1299. (I-books are probably a better value.) Not the cheapest, but I have never been happier with my decision. I no longer have to download/install patches, no more DLL errors, no running adaware everyday. Furthermore, Apple's techical support is far ahead of Dell's. (I used to own an inspiron.) In short, the marginal benefits exceed the marginal costs for me.

On the other hand, I can understand why someone would prefer a sub-$8000 inspiron.

 

[lane]

you don't NEED a new computer for medical school.

 

[Pediacare]

I have a 15" iBook with an airport card (wireless) and love it. Swithced from a Dell Inspiron. Love the fact of no pop ups, spyware, and virus threats. OS X is awesome and does exceed Windows in fucntionality. Have had no problems in my classes or with any text book CDs. I would say if you have the money and everything is gonna work get a Mac. Otherwise spend less money on a PC and replace it in a few years, if you do anything more than word processing and e-mail.

 

[DocPimp]

a mac laptop is the way to go.... far superior than any pc version

 

[fun8stuff]

I would recommend going to www.newegg.com and buying all the computer components and building your own sick, super PC that can do everything at a fracion of the cost of buying a pre-built one from Dell of HP. IT's actually really easy and if you buy all the components direct from the manufacturer at www.newegg.com, you can probably get an AWESOME PC for about $1700 which would normally cost around $2500 from Dell. And that's if you choose to build the ridiculously top of the line one.

listen to mephisto. this is the best way to go. most bang for your buck. i recently did this. ordered all the parts- took about a week for them to arrive and then i built it in abour 3-4 hours. It was my first time building a computer so I was being very careful. It really isn't that difficult. I now have a $2200 dell system for ~$1100

 

[fun8stuff]

a mac laptop is the way to go.... far superior than any pc version

nice joke.

Yeah, I realize it feels good to pretend like you are unique and cool.... but it doesn't always work in all cases. such as: it's not cool to be a unique and enjoy setting buildings on fire. in the same way it's not cool to like macs. 😉

 

[VeggieGal]

macs are the way to go. i have a 12" powerbook as well with OSX, and i have never been happier. the technical support is great. and you can do everything on a mac that you can on a PC. i will never go back to PC's. i am telling y'all, it is great.

I use Windows XP at work and OSX at home. In my personal opinion, Mac OS X is far superior to Windows. And in term of scientific computing, the ability to compile and run UNIX/BSD software along side MS Office is a big big plus.

I got my 12" powerbook for 1299. (I-books are probably a better value.) Not the cheapest, but I have never been happier with my decision. I no longer have to download/install patches, no more DLL errors, no running adaware everyday. Furthermore, Apple's techical support is far ahead of Dell's. (I used to own an inspiron.) In short, the marginal benefits exceed the marginal costs for me.

On the other hand, I can understand why someone would prefer a sub-$8000 inspiron.

 

[Blue Scrub]

Do you guys suggest buying a decent laptop or a really nice desktop? Do laptop owners find their laptops useful *specifically for studying* when they are studying somewheres, or is just nice to have around when you're taking a break....maybe its a distraction? Im trying to figure out what I should buy as well before school starts, so any advice/suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks!

 

[mustangsally65]

nice joke.

Yeah, I realize it feels good to pretend like you are unique and cool.... but it doesn't always work in all cases. such as: it's not cool to be a unique and enjoy setting buildings on fire. in the same way it's not cool to like macs. 😉

Hmmm... you're dissing Macs while at the same time have links in your signature that you hope will get you a free iPod Shuffle or regular iPod? Something doesn't make sense here... It's okay to get free products from Apple if others will complete offers for you, yet you have no respect for Mac afficionados? 😕

Anyway, I have used both platforms over the years and would recommend both to anyone. If you like Macs, get a Mac. It will probably last longer, and has virtually a 0% chance of getting a virus or getting hacked. Virtual PC also allows you to run Windows on your Mac. Talk about the best of both worlds! They also have a much cuter design team. 😍 Gotta love those stunning iMacs!

A PC will definitely be cheaper (unless you opt for the $499 Mac Mini that will work with your existing PC monitor, keyboard, and mouse), but probably won't make it through the entire 4 years of med school. Viruses are a threat, and Internet Explorer is probably the number one browser to get hackers etc. However, PC's work for some people very well. It just depends.

Talk to someone at your school to make sure there are no requirements before making that big purchase.

 

[Acherona]

Do you guys suggest buying a decent laptop or a really nice desktop? Do laptop owners find their laptops useful *specifically for studying* when they are studying somewheres, or is just nice to have around when you're taking a break....maybe its a distraction? Im trying to figure out what I should buy as well before school starts, so any advice/suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks!

well they allow you to study anywhere you want and there is usually something class-related that you need your computer for while studying (online notes, email etc).

I agree wholeheartedly with the Windows-bashing. That sh*tty OS with it's evil evil web browswer has taken innumerable, precious hours of my life. I refuse to support the production of any more crappy software from mr. gates. Anyone look into buying a laptop with linux preinstalled? There probably aren't very many but it might save $ not to have to pay for stupid windows.

 

[fun8stuff]

Hmmm... you're dissing Macs while at the same time have links in your signature that you hope will get you a free iPod Shuffle or regular iPod? Something doesn't make sense here... It's okay to get free products from Apple if others will complete offers for you, yet you have no respect for Mac afficionados? 😕

First of all.... i thought the sarcasm was clear by the smily faces- especially the winking one. Generally, winking means, "just kidding", "just joking", etc.

Second of all... as the title of the thread suggests, the topic is computers.... not mp3 players. Thus, i was referring to the topic at hand- macs.

Third of all.. take a chilllll pillll.... you are sounding like i just insulted your mother.


Anyways... my take on it is that macs are good for visual design and they tend to run certain programs better than PCs. However, these pros don't tend to have much benefit to the typical medical student- but you may want to consult your medical school and see what most people are using and if there is a reason for that.

The main benefit of the mac(i'm sure it has probably been mentioned) wouold be that there would be less spyware and virus threats. You wouldnt have to deal with all of that crap. Of course, there are some nice free programs for PC like moxilla's firefox, ad aware, antivir guard that do a good job at protecting your PC.

The main pro of windows is that EVERYBODY uses it.... enough said.

 

[bidster]

A PC will definitely be cheaper (unless you opt for the $499 Mac Mini that will work with your existing PC monitor, keyboard, and mouse), but probably won't make it through the entire 4 years of med school.

Mustangsally doesn't kid....I still am a little hesitant to make the great leap from Windows to Mac--but whenever I invest in a new computer, I will try my damndest to avoid Dell as I have now learned that some suspicious clacking noises apparently mean that my hard drive is getting ready to kill itself and needs to be replaced....after just 3.5 years. It wasn't enough that I've had to do three full reformats/reinstalls in that time. 😡

 

[OSUdoc08]

If you buy a Dell with Gold Support, then you have a technician in your home within 24 hours if there is a problem. This is what I have, and I am very happy with it.

Dell is the best PC money can buy, by the way.

Mac's are useful if you are a music major or artist or something. If you want internet connectivity & word processing, you better get a Dell.

I have a Dell Latitude D600, but I would recommend an Inspiron m600 for a more cost-friendly version of the same computer.

 

[TheRussian]

you don't NEED a new computer for medical school.

That depends on what school you go to. My school is completely wireless. All the lectures use power point presentations that you can download to your computer just before class. Most of the people in our class bring their laptops to class, download the power point presentations and take notes within the power point presentations. Also it helps to have something to turn to when the lecture is really boring and prevents you from chocking yourself out of boredom.

 

[myodana]

I have a 15" iBook with an airport card (wireless) and love it. Swithced from a Dell Inspiron. Love the fact of no pop ups, spyware, and virus threats. OS X is awesome and does exceed Windows in fucntionality. Have had no problems in my classes or with any text book CDs. I would say if you have the money and everything is gonna work get a Mac. Otherwise spend less money on a PC and replace it in a few years, if you do anything more than word processing and e-mail.

same here - at the urging of my friends (hear that sweatybrain?) i got a 14" ibook wth wireless and superdrive after my dell inspiron was stolen. i don't regret it at all -- it's a great little computer, especially since i put an extra gig of ram into it. since it's a 1.2 GHz processor (they're up to 1.33 now, i think?) i got it for $200 less at the apple store. i think i paid about $1200.

for med school, if you plan on carrying it everywhere (to class, etc), you might even consider a 12" - which are even cheaper.

 

[boardchic]

if you do decide to go mac, check out www.smalldog.com for great deals on used and refurbished mac products. they're also really nice and you get a little stuffed dog with every purchase.
as to the laptop vs desktop question, with wireless internet, i don't really see why anyone in school would go with a desktop unless they're doing some serious video/design work. (and everyone i know who does that sort of stuff has a desktop and a laptop) i had a desktop pc through all of college and got an ibook for graduation and have never been happier. just being able to sit and do work (or whatever...) in any part of my house or in any coffee shop or on a plane is soooo nice.

 

[gbiz]

I recently got a new HP-Compaq nc6000, which is a business model notebook. Sure I could have found a thinner one by someone else, but this one is thin and light, just not the thinnest. The greatest thing about it, its a business model notebook... all HP-Compaq business notebooks come with a 3 year warranty 🙂 My suggestion is, find the laptop you want, then search around online. I found ecost.com selling the nc6000 for $1000 (not the one I got though, I wanted the DVD-ROM/CD-RW and more memory).

As far as Macs go... if you can stand using them, they do build slick looking machines. From a technical standpoint though, they get outpreformed. Yeh you can give me all the BS about the different performance tests, but you must realize that these are RISC processors; so even though they can do more calculations per second, they must do more calculations to do anything. The best part of any Mac is their asthetic values, which some people value a lot. There laptops look just damn nice; their LCD monitors look damn nice, but the IBM version has more then double the pixels 😉 even though the IBM version looks like it was designed by, well, an engineer!

If you are having trouble with spyware / Winblows; do not use internet explorer as your main browser, go and download mozilla, its free from mozilla.org. I run spybot ~1/week and adaware ~1/month, and I hardly get any hits. Why? B/c most people in the world use the browser tied into the OS, so all the hacks are written for IE! Thats why you get less spyware with OSX, not b/c its better written, thats not been tested, its b/c most people by far have winblows, so most hacks/etc are written for it!

I personally like Linux (which OS X is basically built off of), but Linux has the problem even worse then OS X, software support. There are a lot of alternatives for Linux, but many of those familiar programs arent on it :/



Building your own PC these days wont save you money as it used to... you can find online shops that make custom PCs for less then you could get it for (NewEgg isnt a good deal, you can find MUCH cheaper then them).

Well, if anyone needs computer help, just PM me. A little side note, I was originally a computer engineering major and have had a network administrator job for the past 6+ years.

 

[fun8stuff]

If you are having trouble with spyware / Winblows; do not use internet explorer as your main browser, go and download mozilla, its free from mozilla.org. I run spybot ~1/week and adaware ~1/month, and I hardly get any hits. Why? B/c most people in the world use the browser tied into the OS, so all the hacks are written for IE! Thats why you get less spyware with OSX, not b/c its better written, thats not been tested, its b/c most people by far have winblows, so most hacks/etc are written for it!

Heh, I explained to a bio friend of mine that mozilla was better than IE, for the same reason evolution/random mutation is good, and for the reason inbreeding is bad. If an entire population were to have the same genetics, same HLA markers, etc then there would be a high probabilty that a virus would evolve that would wipe out the whole race. Evolution, random mutations, crossing over, etc provides a way to change things slightly to make it harder for one virus to wipe out an entire population. Because practically everyone uses windows, there has been a lot of viruses made to mess it up. Can you tell that I have had 4 years of bio?

 

[icebrat001]

Mac's are useful if you are a music major or artist or something. If you want internet connectivity & word processing, you better get a Dell.

Internet connectivity has not been an issue with any macs that i've had, in addition, if you want to use word or powerpoint, you can easily purchase microsoft office for macs for $199 and get everything that microsoft office for windows has. 👍

 

[VPDcurt]

I don't want to start a huge war here, but this is why I dislike Apple users. They always want to think that their precious Macs are the cream of the computer crop. I hate to burst a bubble, but they definitely are not. I will give you graphics and video editing, for that they are superior. However, for any other application, PCs are the standard. Not only are they the standard but they are more powerful in the sense that they give you more control and options. Not to mention that the vast majority of software is optimized for PCs, and many Mac ports do not even exist.

I won't even touch the fact that every Apple product is a terrible value in terms of money vs. features compared to competing products.

So, I can live with people liking Macs, and preferring to use them...thats your perogative. But please don't try and delude others with the "Macs are better" propaganda. You are just helping Steve Jobs bank more cash.

He/She speaks the truth. Macs are terrible for running apps like word processing, spread sheets, etc, when compared to PCs. However, they are the best for running graphics/video/editing software. There is no reason to get an apple unless you are doing that kind of stuff.

Also - Don't get a Centrino chip. Either get a Pentium M or Pentium 4. The centrino chip is an economical alternative to the Pentium. If you want to get a little more bang for your buck, increase the RAM and leave the processor as is. Small increases in processor speed are insignificant and costly when compared to increases in RAM that are cost-effective and significantly improve performance.

 

[Blue Scrub]

thanks for the advice everyone, i was leaning on getting a laptop, i just needed a little push from everyone 🙂

now ive read the posts here and now im torn between getting a MAC or a PC...i havent done much research into it yet, but how much more expensive are MACS as compared to PCs? Are MACs more expensive because they last longer? I've been a PC user all my life, but it would be nice not to have to buy a new computer every 4 years....any advice is welcomed!

 

[VPDcurt]

Internet connectivity has not been an issue with any macs that i've had, in addition, if you want to use word or powerpoint, you can easily purchase microsoft office for macs for $199 and get everything that microsoft office for windows has. 👍

MS Office for Macs is slower. MS Office was initially designed for Windows, so MS hardly cares that 5% of computer users are experiencing difficulties running their office suite. My friend said his mac is constantly having connectivity problems on a wireless network when another PC is utilizing the same router. Another problem with Macs is the accessories that, for the most part, can only be purchased through Apple. They are usually expensive and you don't have too many options when compared to a PC.

 

[VPDcurt]

thanks for the advice everyone, i was leaning on getting a laptop, i just needed a little push from everyone 🙂

now ive read the posts here and now im torn between getting a MAC or a PC...i havent done much research into it yet, but how much more expensive are MACS as compared to PCs? Are MACs more expensive because they last longer? I've been a PC user all my life, but it would be nice not to have to buy a new computer every 4 years....any advice is welcomed!

The only benefit that Macs still have over PCs is battery life; however, this gap is decreasing thanks to Intel Centrino components. If you get yourself PC with at least a 1.8 GHz Pentium M, 1GB RAM, and a 40GB HD, it will last for 4 years.

 

[criminallyinane]

He/She speaks the truth. Macs are terrible for running apps like word processing, spread sheets, etc, when compared to PCs. However, they are the best for running graphics/video/editing software. There is no reason to get an apple unless you are doing that kind of stuff.

This is an outdated opinion. Macs used to suck at running the standard word processing programs, but OSX is fully compatible with Office for Macs, which works great with 0 compatibility issues. Pages, the new Mac word processing/slide show suite, also works compatibly with Office documents.

 

[palminator2003]

thanks for the advice everyone, i was leaning on getting a laptop, i just needed a little push from everyone 🙂

now ive read the posts here and now im torn between getting a MAC or a PC...i havent done much research into it yet, but how much more expensive are MACS as compared to PCs? Are MACs more expensive because they last longer? I've been a PC user all my life, but it would be nice not to have to buy a new computer every 4 years....any advice is welcomed!

For the best mac prices (new), be sure to check out the apple store for education. Apple is giving pretty good discounts to students nowadays, especially on laptops. For PC prices, as the pro-PC people. Macs are more expensive because Apple makes the whole widget, so to speak. Whereas, companies like Dell don't have to make their own motherboards, Apple motherboards are custom jobs. Plus, Apple has to fund R&D for the operating system as well. Traditionally, Macs last longer than PC's. For staying power, it really depends on what you have to do on your computer. Four years is roughly the useful lifetime of a mac. For a PC, that has been closer to 2 or 3, IMHO. You hear stories of old macs still being used (in fact, my SE Plus ~late 1980's still runs). However, it really is how much stuff you want to do with the computer.

My personal preference for Macs is that it just saves me sooo much time and sooo many headaches. This is a valuable commodity in medical school. Between your time studying and your time sleeping, you don't have that much free time to be fidgeting with your computer because it got infected with the virus of the week or because too much spyware was installed. Complete reinstallations of Windows is NOT my idea of an efficient way to spend time. As for running applications, I posit to you this question: How fast do you really need to type in medical school? Is running MS Word a wee bit faster on a PC worth it? It's one thing if you are gunning for the max FPS in Doom 3 so you can frag a few baddies. It's quite another for the rather mundane tasks required of you for medicine.

 

[VPDcurt]

This is an outdated opinion. Macs used to suck at running the standard word processing programs, but OSX is fully compatible with Office for Macs, which works great with 0 compatibility issues. Pages, the new Mac word processing/slide show suite, also works compatibly with Office documents.

I am not discussing compatibility issues here. I was talking strictly based on performance, and that is not an outdated opinion. Compatibility and performance are clearly two different issues.

 

[hb2998]

I'm a premed student, with a Dell Inspiron 8600 (Dell gave it to me for free.) Let me through in my 2Cents. DELL SUCKS! They have the world's worse customer support. Trust me, You don't want the stress of dealing with dells support during finals. It took dell 5 tries to get my compter fixed. [2 weeks each try]. They sent me the wrong part three times, and replaced the wrong part twice when I shipped it to them. The support group "sounds" professional. But they have no clue what they are doing. If you decide to buy dell:
a) DON'T EVER BUY A DELL DEAL THAT OFFERS REBATES. they will never get to you. I know this from first hand experience. I am a computer consultant/programmer, none of the rebates for my clients, my own, my brothers, my girlfriend, my neighbors came in. (So... trust me they won't come in.) When you call them about it, they tell you that you got i and cashed it.
b) BUY THE BEST WARRANTY YOU CAN BUY! Even though their warranty sucks at fixing your problem, they are great at REPLACING your computer with the top of the line computer in your class. ;-) Buy the complete care if you buy a labtop, its worth it....... then again you can always save your 400 bucks and buy a desktop, or make one.

Making computers used to be really worth it (when computers were like 3 grand..).. but i really don't think its so worth it anymore. (Plus, Operating system is pretty expensive unless you mind unix/linux.)

I won't even comment about Apple. They are an awsome company, just too expensive.

Wait as long as you can. Wait for Windows Longhorn OS due out early 2006.. for now!

ps. I got an 8600 in replacement to my 8200 cuz dell kept on really messing up.

 

[palminator2003]

Wait as long as you can. Wait for Windows Longhorn OS due out early 2006.. for now!

I don't think it is a wise idea to wait. I mean, look at what happened to Windows 97, erm 98. And don't forget WinFS. Oh wait, that's no longer a feature... If you spend your life waiting for Microsoft, you will grow old and grey.

 

[VPDcurt]

I am a computer consultant/programmer

You'd think a computer programmer would be capable of fixing computer problems on his/her own and would know that the word is "laptop," not "labtop." I am pretty good with computers and I have never had to call tech support with any computer I've owned, and I've owned computers for almost 10 years now. I guess I can't comment on Dell's tech support then, but the chances of you having to call tech support should be pretty slim. Computers are a lot easier to work with/fix than people think. Learn how to fix problems on your own and things will generally be less stressful should problems arise.

 

[gbiz]

Also - Don't get a Centrino chip. Either get a Pentium M or Pentium 4. The centrino chip is an economical alternative to the Pentium. If you want to get a little more bang for your buck, increase the RAM and leave the processor as is. Small increases in processor speed are insignificant and costly when compared to increases in RAM that are cost-effective and significantly improve performance.

A centrino is a Pentium M with built in wireless; just the name Intel gave to it.


You can find a great business model compaq (3 year warranty), with centrino, for $1,000.

And dont get a Pentium 4 in a laptop if you want to use it on battery.

Never buy a celeron, worst processor ever.

 

[gbiz]

I'm a premed student, with a Dell Inspiron 8600 (Dell gave it to me for free.) Let me through in my 2Cents. DELL SUCKS! They have the world's worse customer support. Trust me, You don't want the stress of dealing with dells support during finals. It took dell 5 tries to get my compter fixed. [2 weeks each try]. They sent me the wrong part three times, and replaced the wrong part twice when I shipped it to them. The support group "sounds" professional. But they have no clue what they are doing. If you decide to buy dell:
a) DON'T EVER BUY A DELL DEAL THAT OFFERS REBATES. they will never get to you. I know this from first hand experience. I am a computer consultant/programmer, none of the rebates for my clients, my own, my brothers, my girlfriend, my neighbors came in. (So... trust me they won't come in.) When you call them about it, they tell you that you got i and cashed it.
b) BUY THE BEST WARRANTY YOU CAN BUY! Even though their warranty sucks at fixing your problem, they are great at REPLACING your computer with the top of the line computer in your class. ;-) Buy the complete care if you buy a labtop, its worth it....... then again you can always save your 400 bucks and buy a desktop, or make one.

Making computers used to be really worth it (when computers were like 3 grand..).. but i really don't think its so worth it anymore. (Plus, Operating system is pretty expensive unless you mind unix/linux.)

I won't even comment about Apple. They are an awsome company, just too expensive.

Wait as long as you can. Wait for Windows Longhorn OS due out early 2006.. for now!

ps. I got an 8600 in replacement to my 8200 cuz dell kept on really messing up.

Dell decided to make cheap desktops and laptops to sell to America, because America wants a deal. Dell can take a p4 system and strip it down to bare minimum, and sell it for $400 with monitor... but the system is horribly horribly slow. They use the cheapest of all parts, cheapest MB, memory, maxtor hdd, even no processor fan! They also make laptops as such, they are big, bulky, incredibly slow for their specs, and have no battery life.

Dell also makes more expensive, better machines, but that is not what most people buy. Also, Dell has a rep for having good tech support (which means, tech support for your common idiot), which you pay for.


Moral, Dell does make some good products which are expensive, and some bad/cheap products. Don't buy a Dell.


I have my problems with Macs. I am not a Mac hater, I use them all the time. But as my opinion goes, Macs are predominately concerned about aesthetics (the look). That is important to some people. They have a different feel which makes some people more comfortable. If you are one, great, get a Mac then, it will make you happy. I prefer a cross b/w performance and looks, and if you are smart enough you can find great deals.

I personally would argue about the Macs being better for graphics too; you can design a PC that will outperform a Mac, just as you can design a Mac to outperform the PC. Get me a dual xeon with 2mb level 2 cache, with a nice high end gpu, 4 gigs of ram, and I'll smoke your Mac. Get me a dual G5.... you get the idea. (I have used a dual Xeon with 1mb level 2 cache, man that thing was nice)



But if anyone wants any help finding deals, PM me. I'll be understanding to what your needs are, not imposing my personal views. I'd help you find what you need.