Laptop for medical school

[aminovitch]

Hello All,

What laptop should I buy? I am looking in Groupon and they have tons of them way cheaper than what's in the stores.

Do you think this one is good?

HP Pavilion X360 11.6" Touchscreen Laptop
Specifications

• Product number: HP11N011DXRB (red), HP11N010DXRB (smoke silver)
• 11.6” LED-backlit touchscreen display with 360° hinge
• 1366x768 resolution
• 2.16GHz Intel Pentium N3530 CPU
• 4GB RAM
• 500GB HDD
• HD Webcam
• 802.11 b/g/n WiFi
• Bluetooth 4.0
• One USB 3.0 port
• Two USB 2.0 ports
• One HDMI port
• SD card slot
• Island-style keyboard
• Windows 8.1 64-bit OS
• 29Whr rechargeable battery
• Battery life: up to 4.5 hours
• Weight: 3.09lb.
• Dimensions: 12.12”x8.46”x0.86”
• Condition: new
• One-year warranty from HP

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[Beargryllz]

Buy the one you like

 

[breadsticks]

I haven't had the greatest experiences with HP laptops and neither have a few other people I know, I find their reliability kind of poor. But that's only my experience so take that as you will...
If they have a groupon for a Lenovo or Asus maybe check those out instead? (I'm assuming you prefer a PC? I have a Lenovo myself and can't complain so far)

 

[TwinsFan]

I have always used PCs but went with a Mac for reliability. The last thing you want to do is waste time in a year or two fixing your laptop, especially if it happens at a bad time. I think the basic 13" airs are well under $1000.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

You probably don't want a low end computer with a 768p screen if that's all you'll have. Hell, 11 inches of 768p will hurt my eyes at this point.

 

[CaliforniaDreamer]

I had an HP laptop once, bad experience. My last laptop just failed due to a failed motherboard and I am ordering a new one that I hope to last through med school. I just ordered the Sager NP8652 with 1TB Hard drive, 4K 15.6' screen, i7-4720HQ (2.6GHz - 3.6GHz, 6MB processor, 16GB DDR3 1600MHz [2x8GB] RAM, and a NVIDIA® GeForce™ GTX 980M (4.0GB) GDDR5 graphic card.

 

[Thangbill]

My school requires certain specs from a laptop (whether it be Windows or Mac): at least 4gb but recommended 8gb of ddr3RAM, at least 1 usb3.0 port, ethernet port, 1024*768 resolution, 802.11 ac wireless, and a large hard drive. It is stated a new laptop is highly recommended since it will last you for four years, and those specs aforementioned will efficiently aid you in doing necessary tasks.

 

[CaliforniaDreamer]

Also if money is an issue, please do not buy a Mac for all that is holy. You could buy a new PC with equivalent specs every single year for the same price you could buy a Mac every three years...

 

[blockle]

I agree with others. That computer will probably get you through med school, but HP is not known for quality. Though they are cheaper pricewise, they have potential poor build and overheating issues. The 4.5 hr battery life is deal breaker for me, most laptops are 8+ now.

 

[Mad Jack]

Also if money is an issue, please do not buy a Mac for all that is holy. You could buy a new PC with equivalent specs every single year for the same price you could buy a Mac every three years...

You could also have a Mac, which has 8 hours of battery life, an amazing screen, weights damn near nothing, and is reliable as ****. I am a PC guy for everything but school, but getting a Mac for medical school was the best decision I could have possibly made.

 

[CaliforniaDreamer]

You could also have a Mac, which has 8 hours of battery life, an amazing screen, weights damn near nothing, and is reliable as ****. I am a PC guy for everything but school, but getting a Mac for medical school was the best decision I could have possibly made.

I didn't say it was bad, just if money/specs were the issue, then to avoid macs.

 

[Brownman55]

What is your budget for your laptop? That would help in narrowing down some choices, If I were you I would not touch the laptop you listed with a 10 foot stick. Yea it may get you through school but it will not age well in the process, and it being HP may fail on you completely.

Maybe look into the Dell Inspiron 5000/7000 series.

 

[aminovitch]

My budget is around 500. Definitely cannot afford a mac (I wish). I had lenovo G570 for 4 years but I need a new one. It worked fine in college but I don't know if it's good enough for medical school.

Requirements: (it seems like most computers would be good)

CPU = 2GHz Intel® Core™/Celeron™ or equivalent x86 processor (CPU Info) 
RAM = highest recommended for the operating system (or at least 2GB+) 
Hard Drive = Need at least 1GB of free space for installation and use of program

 

[aminovitch]

I agree with others. That computer will probably get you through med school, but HP is not known for quality. Though they are cheaper pricewise, they have potential poor build and overheating issues. The 4.5 hr battery life is deal breaker for me, most laptops are 8+ now.

I agree, overheating is a problem. My first PC was an HP and it was burning my legs.

The lenovo I have doesn't heat and there is absolutely no noticeable noise. I wish I could just buy one like this.

 

[LouDog1989]

My budget is around 500. Definitely cannot afford a mac (I wish). I had lenovo G570 for 4 years but I need a new one. It worked fine in college but I don't know if it's good enough for medical school.

Requirements: (it seems like most computers would be good)

CPU = 2GHz Intel® Core™/Celeron™ or equivalent x86 processor (CPU Info) 
RAM = highest recommended for the operating system (or at least 2GB+) 
Hard Drive = Need at least 1GB of free space for installation and use of program

Out of curiosity, why is $500 your budget? Are you starting medical school in the fall? I'll be starting in the fall and plan to buy one before school starts with my credit card, and then pay the card off with my student loan once I get it.

 

[fssca20]

I had a 1 year old HP take a **** on me at the worst possible time during M2.. never again.

But I'd agree with others.. buy what you like. Unless your school is invested in some sort of software that makes a particular brand or OS more advantageous, it doesn't really matter.

 

[Drhigh]

What about a windows surface pro?

 

[UGA Non Trad]

I currently have a Yoga 3 and Surface Pro 3 and, although I prefer the Lenovo in almost all aspects, I feel as though either would be sufficient for school. Just my $0.02 as I haven't started yet.

On the topic of brand, my experience with laptops is that you get what you pay for. I still have a 7 year old HP that was top of the line when I purchased it, and has worked flawlessly since day 1 (still is my “desktop” at home). One of the only reasons I have replaced it is the battery finally died and, by today's standards, it weighs a ton. I also had a MBP for grad school and, although I am not a fan for a number of reasons, it was a quality laptop. A pet peeve of mine is when someone buys $400 laptop, and then complains and/or is surprised when it does not hold up or perform like someone else’s $1400 laptop. Again, you get what you pay for.

 

[genobyte]

My school requires certain specs from a laptop (whether it be Windows or Mac): at least 4gb but recommended 8gb of ddr3RAM, at least 1 usb3.0 port, ethernet port, 1024*768 resolution, 802.11 ac wireless, and a large hard drive. It is stated a new laptop is highly recommended since it will last you for four years, and those specs aforementioned will efficiently aid you in doing necessary tasks.

what do you use it for that could possibly make 8GB of RAM recommended???

 

[Thangbill]

what do you use it for that could possibly make 8GB of RAM recommended???

I'm also waiting to find out. I think because the majority of our quizzes and tests are on a computer, that spec will allow faster processing.

 

[Tintinnabula]

I have a friend in tech review writing who loves a Lenovo ThinkPad, as higher-end as you can get it. Note that this is not a gaming setup, this is her recommendation for a mutual friend's writing career and life spent partly traveling for speaking engagements while maintaining social media presence (and staying in contact with family and us, her far-flung friends, via frequent G+ Hangouts). I would think that would transfer decently well and some are priced under or around US$500. You might check them out and see if they meet your school's IT specs.

 

[PL198]

My school requires certain specs from a laptop (whether it be Windows or Mac): at least 4gb but recommended 8gb of ddr3RAM, at least 1 usb3.0 port, ethernet port, 1024*768 resolution, 802.11 ac wireless, and a large hard drive. It is stated a new laptop is highly recommended since it will last you for four years, and those specs aforementioned will efficiently aid you in doing necessary tasks.

lol I'm willing to bet they don't even have ac wireless so that's complete BS. a large hard drive? yeah pdfs and word files take up so much space(sarcasm). sounds like youre just trying to justify why you bought the computer you did.

I'm pretty sure my entire first 2 years is less than 5 GB

not to mention they're not going to do a spec check on your computer.

it's not really difficult to pick a med school computer. the most demanding things you will use it for is word and the internet. a POS 300 dollar computer would work fine for multiple years

 

[deleted158872]

Anything with 4GB RAM (or more) and 500 GB storage (or more) is good enough.
Don't touch anything with less than 4GB RAM.

 

[PL198]

Once you go SSD you'll never go back

 

[PL198]

With a Mac you get reliability and turn key simplicity. A Pc can be as reliable and as almost as simple but it also can not.

Macs are the known quality and a MacBook pro or MacBook air is going to be great for most students who don't want to try to pick out a crappy pc from a good one.

 

[OTStudentSept2014]

what do you use it for that could possibly make 8GB of RAM recommended???

On 8GB laptop currently -Playing music that helps you study (2 apps running at the same time), having Chrome up with about 10 tabs, while having multiple documents open in word, excel, powerpoint, acrobat reader, adobe acrobat editor, and kindle app up at the same time. Realistically I couldn't go without PowerPoint, Word, and a music player as my minimum. I have an old desktop with 2 GB of RAM, and it chokes on more than a couple tabs open at the same time, with 1-2 docs open + music.

 

[Thangbill]

On 8GB laptop currently -Playing music that helps you study (2 apps running at the same time), having Chrome up with about 10 tabs, while having multiple documents open in word, excel, powerpoint, acrobat reader, adobe acrobat editor, and kindle app up at the same time. Realistically I couldn't go without PowerPoint, Word, and a music player as my minimum. I have an old desktop with 2 GB of RAM, and it chokes on more than a couple tabs open at the same time, with 1-2 docs open + music.

I agree. My current laptop has 4gb ram and takes forever to load and read a big pdf book. Imagine opening that book while typing things in Word and streaming lectures at the same time. Oh man!

 

[Thangbill]

lol I'm willing to bet they don't even have ac wireless so that's complete BS. a large hard drive? yeah pdfs and word files take up so much space(sarcasm). sounds like youre just trying to justify why you bought the computer you did.

I'm pretty sure my entire first 2 years is less than 5 GB

not to mention they're not going to do a spec check on your computer.

it's not really difficult to pick a med school computer. the most demanding things you will use it for is word and the internet. a POS 300 dollar computer would work fine for multiple years

Actually my school does verify the specs since tech is a big part of our curriculum. Ac, g, and n (i think) wireless are the requirements. I stated ac because that's what my computer has.

 

[OTStudentSept2014]

Don't know about med school, but especially for OT school anatomy stuff we are sending each other links for heavy multimedia animations explaining some difficult concept. On any potential laptop, try running flash animations while having other stuff open in background. If you are OK taking notes on paper, and have a phone or tablet big enough to do moderate surfing, buy a desktop PC. You will love the larger monitor at some point when you need to have multiple documents open at once. Think word doc and journal articles on a 24" monitor.

 

[WhendoIstartfirstaid?]

Consider the Asus ux305. It seems like a great bang-for-your-buck laptop when put up against the macbook/yoga 3/etc.

I came from a limited budget but I splurged on a $550 sony vaio. I paid for it purely with student loans but the utility it provides is more than worth it.

 

[Darth Doc]

My school "gives" us all Macbook Air's. They used to use lenovo think pads, but they wouldn't last the 4 years. They tried other pc brands. Then they went to mac products. All of the classes have been happy with how long the mac's durability and other features. This year they switched to the Airs because of weight and some other issues. I've been a PC user until now and am really happy with it. You don't want to go cheap with the main tool you'll be using for the next four years. (Not really any virus problems either with macs).

 

[DrBodacious]

My school requires certain specs from a laptop (whether it be Windows or Mac): at least 4gb but recommended 8gb of ddr3RAM, at least 1 usb3.0 port, ethernet port, 1024*768 resolution, 802.11 ac wireless, and a large hard drive. It is stated a new laptop is highly recommended since it will last you for four years, and those specs aforementioned will efficiently aid you in doing necessary tasks.

While I don't want to actually spend the time to look, I am skeptical a laptop exists with AC wireless and an ethernet port.

 

[ShabbaRanks]

Do people think a laptop with a stylus is important? I prefer to type my notes, but am just wondering how often one will need a stylus to draw pictures/diagrams.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Do people think a laptop with a stylus is important? I prefer to type my notes, but am just wondering how often one will need a stylus to draw pictures/diagrams.

Few stylus programs are adequately designed for fine motor control. You can right big sloppy letters, but it's not adequate.

The surface pro fixes this but the surface pro has deficits in that it is not.... Lap friendly. So you always need a hard surface to work on.

 

[ShabbaRanks]

Few stylus programs are adequately designed for fine motor control. You can right big sloppy letters, but it's not adequate.

The surface pro fixes this but the surface pro has deficits in that it is not.... Lap friendly. So you always need a hard surface to work on.

So you do not believe I should worry about getting a device with a stylus?

Do you have any opinions on the Lenovo thinkpad yoga?

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

So you do not believe I should worry about getting a device with a stylus?

Do you have any opinions on the Lenovo thinkpad yoga?

Personally I considered Lenovo products to be very mid range with significant design short comings when it comes to components. I mean it'll work, but for me it no longer has the clear cut 300 difference between an apple device which has high grade components ( I.e pcie flash memory; higher quality 1866 mhz ram, next gen 5000 series processor). At this point it's literally the same price so for me it makes no sense to get the lenovo unless you specifically need windows and boot camp frightens you.

 

[ShabbaRanks]

Personally I considered Lenovo products to be very mid range with significant design short comings when it comes to components. I mean it'll work, but for me it no longer has the clear cut 300 difference between an apple device which has high grade components ( I.e pcie flash memory; higher quality 1866 mhz ram, next gen 5000 series processor). At this point it's literally the same price so for me it makes no sense to get the lenovo unless you specifically need windows and boot camp frightens you.

I have never used MacBook products before but I would highly consider getting one.
What program do you use to take/organize your notes? I also have a surface 2 and have used onenote in the past. Is MacBook compatible with this program?

 

[JVav]

I have the Yoga 2 Pro, and while I will only be matriculating next fall, I think it is really good. It is lightweight, has a relatively long battery life, can become a "tablet," and has a great screen display. I think they are around $1,000 if you are looking to spend that much.

 

[smestudent]

I currently have a Yoga 3 and Surface Pro 3 and, although I prefer the Lenovo in almost all aspects, I feel as though either would be sufficient for school. Just my $0.02 as I haven't started yet.

On the topic of brand, my experience with laptops is that you get what you pay for. I still have a 7 year old HP that was top of the line when I purchased it, and has worked flawlessly since day 1 (still is my “desktop” at home). One of the only reasons I have replaced it is the battery finally died and, by today's standards, it weighs a ton. I also had a MBP for grad school and, although I am not a fan for a number of reasons, it was a quality laptop. A pet peeve of mine is when someone buys $400 laptop, and then complains and/or is surprised when it does not hold up or perform like someone else’s $1400 laptop. Again, you get what you pay for.

You mentioned both the SP3 and the Yoga 3. Why did you prefer the Lenovo over the SP3? I was trying to decide between the SP3 or waiting until the SP4 is released. Also what did you use for notetaking, and did you use the sylus?

 

[baxt1412]

I need advice as to what to look for in an external monitor for when I am at home.... I have no idea what to even look for. Not sure of my price range, but I don't need 4k 32" screen, etc.

 

[emraldragon]

I need advice as to what to look for in an external monitor for when I am at home.... I have no idea what to even look for. Not sure of my price range, but I don't need 4k 32" screen, etc.

Not sure how you plan to use it, but for pure space/money saving reasons I use a TV when I hook up my laptop to anything. With an HDMI connection on most laptops and TVs this is an option. If you plan on working on your laptop while watching TV then my idea is obviously terrible.

 

[baxt1412]

Not sure how you plan to use it, but for pure space/money saving reasons I use a TV when I hook up my laptop to anything. With an HDMI connection on most laptops and TVs this is an option. If you plan on working on your laptop while watching TV then my idea is obviously terrible.

i do have a 26" tv that i don't really use. my room will have a cable hookup, but don't plan on using it since i dont have cable now either.. just use netflix and hulu. great idea, i think i'll try that out and if for whatever reason i don't like it, i'll look in the monitor market again

 

[sunealoneal]

Do people think a laptop with a stylus is important? I prefer to type my notes, but am just wondering how often one will need a stylus to draw pictures/diagrams.

Not at all in my opinion. I imagined that I'd be drawing a lot before I started medical school and considered getting an external Wacom pad, but I'm glad I didn't.

 

[Banned]

For M3-4 hi-res 1920x1080 or more is nice for remoting into Epic to pop up a note on top of imaging or labs.

 

[Womb Raider]

I'm also thinking about buying a new laptop soon... Pretty sure I'm going to get an XPS 13 - anyone have one?

You could also have a Mac, which has 8 hours of battery life, an amazing screen, weights damn near nothing, and is reliable as ****. I am a PC guy for everything but school, but getting a Mac for medical school was the best decision I could have possibly made.

Plenty of PCs out there with equal/better battery life and power for less money.

 

[irochka36]

I was also considering getting a MacBook Pro, but then also found the hp spectre x360. Has anyone had any experience with it?

 

[UGA Non Trad]

You mentioned both the SP3 and the Yoga 3. Why did you prefer the Lenovo over the SP3? I was trying to decide between the SP3 or waiting until the SP4 is released. Also what did you use for notetaking, and did you use the sylus?

I start school this fall, so my experience with both of these devices have been in a lab/home setting. I actually bought the Lenovo in January during a sale and received a free Surface Pro 3 (i5 256 Gb) 2 months later. I have found the Yoga 3 to be, in almost all aspects, as good or better than the surface 3 pro. The battery life is about the same, the yoga is actually the same weight (or lighter?) and thinner (if you include the surface keyboard), the keyboard is light years ahead of the surfaces IMO, the screen has higher resolution, and the track pad is second only to the MBP. Currently, I tend to move around a lot while using them and the attached keyboard and sturdy hinges of the Yoga make it easier to use when on the go or in my lap. When it comes to taking notes I've always been a pencil and paper person, so I do not plan on using either for electronic notes in classes. However, if you plan on taking notes electronically, the active digitizer and stylus of the Surface are amazing.

I can't tell you which one would work better for school since I haven't started yet, but I don't think you could go wrong with either.

 

[cbarne01]

...bought the Lenovo in January during a sale and received a free Surface Pro 3 (i5 256 Gb)... battery life is about the same... same weight... When it comes to taking notes I've always been a pencil and paper person, so I do not plan on using either for electronic notes in classes. However, if you plan on taking notes electronically, the active digitizer and stylus of the Surface are amazing...

Have you had a chance to play around with hand writing on these yet? They're front runners for me right now and I'd like to take hand written notes in class. Thanks!

 

[NeuroMaster316]

I got myself an i5 128 GB SP3 and I'm starting med school in 1 week so I can't tell you my experience just yet but I did try the pen with OneNote Desktop and it's amazing for note-taking. There's also a Windows Store app called Drawboard pdf that you can use to annotate books with, and it supports the pen.
If you're interested in HP then check out the HP Spectre x360, it's been designed with Microsoft's help so the quality is better than your regular HP laptops.

 

[ilg1]

I got myself an i5 128 GB SP3 and I'm starting med school in 1 week so I can't tell you my experience just yet but I did try the pen with OneNote Desktop and it's amazing for note-taking. There's also a Windows Store app called Drawboard pdf that you can use to annotate books with, and it supports the pen.
If you're interested in HP then check out the HP Spectre x360, it's been designed with Microsoft's help so the quality is better than your regular HP laptops.

I personally dislike the idea of writing on a tablet/laptop hybrid but have you found it helpful throughout the school year? Anyone have any PC recommendations for this upcoming school year? Ideally in the $400-800 range.