Computers for dental schools

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

FutureToothfairy25

Full Member
2+ Year Member
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
Hey guys! My Macbook is extremely old and hanging on to dear life. I was wondering what type of computer is best for dental schools? I was debating between the new iPad pro or surface pro. Ive worked with apple the most. Any recommendations????
 
I know this isn't general, but I know several people in my class alone that have had issues with their surface. Some issues were with the tablet itself and others with using various note taking apps. Not to scare you away from it, cause other people have used theirs no issue, but there does in general seem to be more failure with the surface than the ipad. I personally have a cheap macbook air that stays at home, and I do everything else on my 32gb ipad with an apple pencil. I even take exams on my ipad in the testing center. The whole set up cost a little over $1000. I personally would go with the ipad again. If you get a keyboard you might even be able to avoid getting laptop altogether. Best of luck.
 
I know this isn't general, but I know several people in my class alone that have had issues with their surface. Some issues were with the tablet itself and others with using various note taking apps. Not to scare you away from it, cause other people have used theirs no issue, but there does in general seem to be more failure with the surface than the ipad. I personally have a cheap macbook air that stays at home, and I do everything else on my 32gb ipad with an apple pencil. I even take exams on my ipad in the testing center. The whole set up cost a little over $1000. I personally would go with the ipad again. If you get a keyboard you might even be able to avoid getting laptop altogether. Best of luck.
That was very helpful, thanks so much for the response! 🙂
 
Hey guys! My Macbook is extremely old and hanging on to dear life. I was wondering what type of computer is best for dental schools? I was debating between the new iPad pro or surface pro. Ive worked with apple the most. Any recommendations????
If you know a bit about computers then swapping out the hard drive for a solid state drive can do wonders and make it feel almost like new. Granted, it may or may not struggle with large textbook PDFs depending on how much RAM and what processor you've got. I've got a 2008 MacBook Pro that I'm refurbishing and it runs pretty nicely for basic tasks like Spotify, Youtube, emails, and Word but large PDFs have a bit of a hard time.
 
If you know a bit about computers then swapping out the hard drive for a solid state drive can do wonders and make it feel almost like new. Granted, it may or may not struggle with large textbook PDFs depending on how much RAM and what processor you've got. I've got a 2008 MacBook Pro that I'm refurbishing and it runs pretty nicely for basic tasks like Spotify, Youtube, emails, and Word but large PDFs have a bit of a hard time.
Thanks for the reply! I'll look into that as well! That way I can also keep my old macbook as backup as well.
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
Thanks for the reply! I'll look into that as well! That way I can also keep my old macbook as backup as well.
No problem. This would be how you'd migrate your data to a new drive if that's the option you choose (I've been assuming your system is old enough that it still has a mechanical hard drive).

 
I absolutely love my 12.9 inch iPad Pro. Notability on it works great and it’s big enough to function like a laptop.
 
Hey guys! My Macbook is extremely old and hanging on to dear life. I was wondering what type of computer is best for dental schools? I was debating between the new iPad pro or surface pro. Ive worked with apple the most. Any recommendations????

I absolutely love my surface pro. Great portability - super lightweight, functions just like a laptop or tablet depending on what I need it for. Great for drawing on which really helped me when taking notes. But if you're already an Apple person, the iPad pro is virtually the same functionality wise
 
I absolutely love my surface pro. Great portability - super lightweight, functions just like a laptop or tablet depending on what I need it for. Great for drawing on which really helped me when taking notes. But if you're already an Apple person, the iPad pro is virtually the same functionality wise
thank you for the thorough response! 🙂