Technology PC vs Mac vs Other

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HopesDefender

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So you're in med school.

You're elderly computer is on strictly palliative maintenance and its time....to purchase a new computer to take over the business.

Thoughts on PC versus Macs versus tablets and all etc?
(also brands and types...)
The slides at my school vary so much from the "official notes" they give you I am printing out papers like mad, and I need a laptop that can come to class with me without
1: breaking my back
2: breaking (major concern)
3: refusing to navigate through powerpoint at a decent speed

My class is about 45/45 Mac/PC the rest "other" usually tablets.

Opinions please!
 
For normal school usage both (PC or Mac) will be just fine. If you really think you'll use the tablet functions then go for it, otherwise I wouldn't. I know they've gotten better but I still haven't really seen one that had everything I wanted.

Will you be playing games on it?
Is money an issue?

Need to figure out how you'll use it and then narrow down to which ones fit what you're looking for. If go the PC route I'd probably recommend looking at an IBM/Lenovo or even one in Dell's business lineup (Latitude). Seem to be a little more durable then the average "consumer" laptop. I've had this Dell Latitude (D610) for over 3 years now while in school and haven't had a problem with it and it literally goes everywhere with me and has taken a beating.

I do drool over the Mac Book pros though......

Oh, and if you'll be carrying it around with you I'd say stay at 14.1" size laptops and under. I guess there are probably some thin/lightweight 15" ones out there but even my 14.1" dell gets heavy at times. I see some of these monster 17" screens and if I had that I'd never take it anywhere.
 
I like my MacBook just fine. GO with what you're used to/ comfortable with. A mac will be pricier up front, but it will be very reliable. I have never had a problem with either mac laptop I have owned, and one of them is 4 years old. If you can hold on, Apple usually has promotions once or twice a year where you can get a free iPod with your new mac. They just had one so it might be a few months, but it's a nice freebie to have with your new computer.
 
geogil said:
I like my MacBook just fine. GO with what you're used to/ comfortable with. A mac will be pricier up front, but it will be very reliable. I have never had a problem with either mac laptop I have owned, and one of them is 4 years old. If you can hold on, Apple usually has promotions once or twice a year where you can get a free iPod with your new mac. They just had one so it might be a few months, but it's a nice freebie to have with your new computer.
Click to expand...

I think that promotion is still running through the 15th. Macs are nice since there isn't all the bull**** associated with Vista. Its less of a hassle to connect to a wireless network for example.

Lenovo makes nice windows laptops if you aren't comfortable with Apple, but these days there is hardly any compatibility issues, even if you don't install Windows on the mac.
 
Macs are pretty, but they cost more for the name. The best bang for your buck is easily a PC desktop. If you want a laptop, a PC is cheaper, but the Macs do look pretty nice. In terms of functionality for a med student, they're virtually equal.
 
I was in your same situation just before med school started. I was leaning toward a tablet.. but ended up getting a Mac. I'm VERY happy with my decision. I even bought VMware Fusion and Windows XP for my Mac if there were programs that needed to be run on windows (there havent been any). In college I brought my laptop to class everyday and took notes directly onto powerpoint. I haven't done that once in college. I use it in the library to listen to online lectures while I'm studying. In short, I would recommend getting a Mac.
 
TexasTriathlete said:
I have a Commodore 64
Click to expand...

wth? What is with this irrelevant post? Not at all funny or helpful.

As for the original q: how fast do you type? If reasonably fast, then go for a regular non-tablet. I had a tablet and the appeal wore off after 2-3 months.

It sounds like your biggest priority is portability. I think you should get a Macbook Air (which I have and love!) and you can use it anywhere. At the same time, I'm a firm believer that laptops wear out ridiculously quickly if they are your 'primary' computer. You should reformat your aging computer to use at home, and use the new laptop for school / everywhere else (or at the very least for school-exclusive purposes).

If you're willing to go for a heavier model, then your biggest $$ bang for the buck is PC. However, I've never had a problem with mac! They don't tend to get bogged down like windows can every few months.

Also, you should consider maximizing your printing coverage... you can do 9-16 slides per page by going to the printer drivers, rather than 'print handouts' in powerpoint. and if you have a printer that can do automatic double-sided, you save a lot of bulk. I personally printed everything. Somewhat of a waste of paper, but the method was really useful for me, as I would get very distracted if I had a computer w/ internet open.
 
HopesDefender said:
So you're in med school.

You're elderly computer is on strictly palliative maintenance and its time....to purchase a new computer to take over the business.

Thoughts on PC versus Macs versus tablets and all etc?
(also brands and types...)
The slides at my school vary so much from the "official notes" they give you I am printing out papers like mad, and I need a laptop that can come to class with me without
1: breaking my back
2: breaking (major concern)
3: refusing to navigate through powerpoint at a decent speed

My class is about 45/45 Mac/PC the rest "other" usually tablets.

Opinions please!
Click to expand...

My advice:

How old is your computer? What are its specs (processor, ram, hard drive etc)? Reformat your hard drive and reinstall the Operating System. Maybe add some RAM. Your computer should be great for day to day tasks (as long as that does not include new video games, video editing, etc).

If you need a portable laptop for class check out the new wave of super inexpensive 'netbooks' that are the new fad. They run in the range of $350-$500. Here's a comparison of the netbooks currently out. I think the best sellers are the Asus and the Acer.
 
TT is slumming in allo again, I see...

TexasTriathlete said:
I have a Commodore 64
Click to expand...

OP wanted something that wouldn't break his back. So the real question is: did you hook your C-64 up to a flat screen display, or are you going all-out old school with a CRT?

(Also, can you navigate PowerPoint slides with the joystick? Because that would be a clear win.)
 
Sartre79 said:
Shouldn't this be in the tech forum?
Click to expand...

Shouldn't YOU be in the tech forum? :laugh:

I don't think this should be moved, since most med students don't check there anyway, and it's directly relevant to med students... sadly, aggressive moderation will probably mean a move for this thread!
 
I've owned both PC and Mac laptops.

I currently own the mac. It's better made (imo) than my old PC laptop but it was more expensive ($900 vs $600) and ultimately doesn't have the software support of a window's-based PC. However it is by far more attractive, more convenient, and more enjoyable to use that a PC (JMHO.).

As long as you have MS Office you will be fine in med school. I bought Office for my mac for $10 from my undergrad book store; most places offer a deal if you're a student.
 
anon-y-mouse said:
If you're willing to go for a heavier model, then your biggest $$ bang for the buck is PC. However, I've never had a problem with mac! They don't tend to get bogged down like windows can every few months.
Click to expand...
with XP, if you're getting bogged down every few months, that's a user error.
 
i say a tablet...toshiba has some pretty good ones. Nothing beats being able to write on the powerpoints, plus doodle in class 🙂 lol. Oh, OneNote rocks btw! Use it once on a tablet and you're hooked! I personally can't go back to a computer without the capability of writing on it. That's a bit archaic now.😀
 
Ok good this is giving me some advice on what to start looking at

so for the questions on what I have already....
I just redid everything on it and soon will delete almost all the files saved on it
series HP Pavilion ze5600 Notebook PC series
its a 2003/2004 HP notebook
here is a picture of it
http://boston.k12.ma.us/HARBOR/students/2004/DavidsonM/images/hp-laptop-computers-2.jpg

this is one of the issues I have, it always feels like one day I may move the screen too much and it will never reconnect and stay dim forever....
it goes in and out so i try not to move it

http://www.download3k.com/Press-Consumer-Files-Class-Action-Alleging-Defective-HP.html


Also, the fans don't work anymore, so I have it always on top of an external fan/cooling platform, otherwise it freezes


In essence, as long as I don't move it much or leave it on for long periods of time...it will work as my "desktop" computer I suppose. And I bought and put everything on an external hard drive just in case cuz its so shady


The issue I have with printing, in addition to the fact that the slides are way too small even at 4/page is that the profs put up "new" slides or completely diff slides sometimes morning of...so I need to keep up with a computer in class.

I love writing on slides though which i why I even consider a tablet.
my typing speed=functional, not fast, but maybe with practice....

O and Im a girl btw, not that its important I just noticed that someone called me a he so i thought id say Im a she.
 
Tack on another vote for the Macbook Pro.

Is it more expensive? Yes.

Is it better? Not necessarily.

Does it look better than everyone else's? Yes. (Subjective I know)
 
mdjkim said:
Go for a convertible tablet. Most versatile platform.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't say a tablet is the most versatile unless you mean as in transform from a standard laptop to a tablet.

The most versatile (meaning the ability to run the most programs) would be a Mac since they can run almost any OS out there Leopard, Vista, XP, Linux, etc via VMware. This way if you need a piece of software on but its made for a different OS you can still run it, try that with windows.

Besides Tablets are a niche product, once you are out of basic sciences you probably won't have much use for it.


MS Windows, your grandfathers OS
 
how about a linux os? any feedback?
 
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