Perfect Computer & Software for med school

[DoctorKOL]

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Hey everyone,

I know this topic may have been beaten to death in the past, but most of the threads I found were years old.

My current computer is entering its 5th year and is starting to crash on me constantly. Since I am about to start med school, I was wondering if any current med students could give me advice on what the perfect computer and software would be for an entering student? The perfect computer for taking notes, streaming videos, editing power point and pdfs, etc.

Any advice will help! Thanks again.

 

[NickNaylor]

If you want portability and all you're going to be using it for is notetaking and looking at Powerpoints, you could probably get away with a netbook. I'd recommend Lenovo as their Thinkpad line is pretty outstanding.

There isn't any one "perfect" computer. A variety will likely suit your purposes.

 

[DISCOSTEW]

i'm personally a fan of desktop + a netbook/tablet combo. You can find a GREAT desktop under 400 dollars that is way more efficient than a laptop. and if you need the portability aspect too, you can spend another 200-500 dollars on the 2nd part. I used a laptop through college, but now that I live at home, the desktop is just way better.

 

[KLycos]

Personally I like to have a very high-end home-built gaming desktop at home and some ****ty cheap-as-**** netbook for taking notes and then keeping all my notes and junk in a dropbox folder so everything updates in real-time to my desktop.

 

[addo]

any decently spec'ed comp will suit your needs. im sure an entry level i3 would fit the bill just fine, an i5 would be better, and an i7 would be an overkill, unless you do gaming or use intense software, which doesnt sound like you do.

as far as ram, 2 gb is sufficient, but 4 would be better.

The one thing I would really recommend is an ssd. Dont get a computer with one already though, get an aftermarket one for like $200 and put it in yourself. I think an ssd will give you the most obvious speed increase out of all upgrades for everyday stuff.

 

[todds]

Hey everyone,

I know this topic may have been beaten to death in the past, but most of the threads I found were years old.

My current computer is entering its 5th year and is starting to crash on me constantly. Since I am about to start med school, I was wondering if any current med students could give me advice on what the perfect computer and software would be for an entering student? The perfect computer for taking notes, streaming videos, editing power point and pdfs, etc.

Any advice will help! Thanks again.

Depends on how much money you are willing to spend. If you have like $800 - buy a first gen iPad ($300) and a solid laptop PC ($500) and you are good to go. This combo is better than buying a tablet PC IMO that would cost $800 +

If you have lots of money, Id go with Macbook + Ipad combo.

 

[Uisa]

I'd go with a thinkpad t or x-series. The X if you like tablets.

 

[Etorphine]

I'd go all out...it's better to spend more for quality if it's something you'll be using everyday. I have a home desktop I built for $500, and then I have a 2010 macbook air for the library/school/starbucks.

 

[theWUbear]

I'd recommend Lenovo as their Thinkpad line is pretty outstanding.

There isn't any one "perfect" computer. A variety will likely suit your purposes.

I'd go with a thinkpad t or x-series. The X if you like tablets.

Allow me to be the third person to strongly recommend the X series tablet/laptops from Lenovo. The computer of the future, today

 

[aldolase]

Get lenovo thinkpad x220. You won't regret it.

 

[jeepy]

Allow me to be the third person to strongly recommend the X series tablet/laptops from Lenovo. The computer of the future, today

Get lenovo thinkpad x220. You won't regret it.

I will also add my support for the lenovo thinkpad x220. I love it and it's fantastic! The SSD thing is also a good comment. If you can't afford it, you can put a mSATA SSD into the X220 (a mini hard drive) and have the best of both worlds for cheaper.

 

[once]

In my opinion, a good laptop is a very important asset at least in the first 2 years it seems. Cost is a consideration, but one shouldn't skimp either.

A light, large screen laptop by Toshiba would be my recommendation (Toshiba makes great laptops), but I could see how an ipad would be useful for in class notes, or how a netbook could be useful for portability. Also, what Cole said.

 

[physicsnerd42]

Hey everyone,

I know this topic may have been beaten to death in the past, but most of the threads I found were years old.

My current computer is entering its 5th year and is starting to crash on me constantly. Since I am about to start med school, I was wondering if any current med students could give me advice on what the perfect computer and software would be for an entering student? The perfect computer for taking notes, streaming videos, editing power point and pdfs, etc.

Any advice will help! Thanks again.

Macbook pro.

 

[Political]

Macbook pro.

Not if you have money to burn and are pretentious as hell.

For a computer get something you know you wont take to class unless you need it, the internet get pretty distracting during lectures lol

as for software get dropbox so that you can access all your files from anywhere, soluto and cc cleaner for pc tune ups, mielophone to get music, Microsoft office if you have money, or open office if you like free things and need a powerpoint, excel and a word-like experience , winrar for extracting things and google chrome for a better web browsing experience.

 

[GetThePointe77]

I'm not in medical school yet, but I can also vouch for the lenovo netbooks, me and my roommate both have one and they are amazing 🙂

 

[ArcGurren]

Not if you have money to burn and are pretentious as hell.

For a computer get something you know you wont take to class unless you need it, the internet get pretty distracting during lectures lol

as for software get dropbox so that you can access all your files from anywhere, soluto and cc cleaner for pc tune ups, mielophone to get music, Microsoft office if you have money, or open office if you like free things and need a powerpoint, excel and a word-like experience , winrar for extracting things and google chrome for a better web browsing experience.

lol

I had an old laptop I found sufficient to take to lectures/type up notes on when I needed to; bought a nice gaming desktop for my downtime.

Macbook... well, it's not a bad computer but it's not absolutely necessary. If you're not a person who's good with anything with them interwebs and tubes on it, it's probably a good investment but you can get lenovo thinkpads for much cheaper

 

[da8s0859q]

Not if you have money to burn and are pretentious as hell.

🙄

OP, get what you're comfortable with. Tablet if you want one, good old laptop if you don't. 13", 15", whatever's comfortable for you to carry. Anything on relatively modern hardware will be fine performance-wise. MS OneNote if that's how you want to take notes.

If you're considering Macs: Apple's in-house image/PDF/etc. software (Preview) allows for annotation of PDFs -- so you can add notes in PDFs on the fly, no need to pony up for Acrobat. Pretty handy. I used this a lot for M1 and M2. The next version of OS X, Lion, is due out next month and is supposed to make PDF handling even better.

If you like desktops but want the simplicity of a one-machine system, consider laptops with good OEM docks available. A couple of the Sony Vaios come to mind, and I'm sure a few of the more business-y Dell machines do too.

 

[raltima07]

One more recommendation for the Lenovo X series - I love mine and its durable as anything

 

[DoctorKOL]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I really appreciate your help!

It seems like the Lenovo tablet has an overwhelming amount of support. I currently have a Lenovo Thinkpad T series and have been pretty happy with it. I think I will look into this computer.

Also, can I buy the OneNote software for any computer? I'd like to take notes in class on pdfs, power points, etc.

Thanks!

 

[xanthomondo]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I really appreciate your help!

It seems like the Lenovo tablet has an overwhelming amount of support. I currently have a Lenovo Thinkpad T series and have been pretty happy with it. I think I will look into this computer.

Also, can I buy the OneNote software for any computer? I'd like to take notes in class on pdfs, power points, etc.

Thanks!

It comes with Microsoft Office...our school provided us with it, yours may as well.

Whatever you do for the computer, whatever brand you go with, don't get an AMD processor!

 

[theWUbear]

My school has been selling office 2010 for ten bucks - pretty amazing deal. see what you can get through your school. office 2010 (onenote 2010 especially) is not only very well tailored to tablets but offers the ability to save all documents to 'skydrive', microsoft's answer to dropbox. Pretty awesome stuff. I am very happy with my lenovo convertible tablet/laptop, office 2010, dropbox, and a copy of adobe acrobat 9 pro extended that i got...well...dont ask how 😉

 

[raltima07]

and a copy of adobe acrobat 9 pro extended that i got...well...dont ask how 😉

How did you get it 😀

 

[xanthomondo]

My school has been selling office 2010 for ten bucks - pretty amazing deal. see what you can get through your school. office 2010 (onenote 2010 especially) is not only very well tailored to tablets but offers the ability to save all documents to 'skydrive', microsoft's answer to dropbox. Pretty awesome stuff. I am very happy with my lenovo convertible tablet/laptop, office 2010, dropbox, and a copy of adobe acrobat 9 pro extended that i got...well...dont ask how 😉

yeah, it's pretty easy to crack open the trial versions of Adobe products with some google searching

 

[gerrymcgraw]

think about what will stream porn the best too

 

[PlatypusMD]

Not that you'll have the time or anything, but there's a promo going around where you can get an Xbox 360 for free when you purchase select laptops/PCs @ $699+... Just fyi

 

[Diallelus]

If you're considering Macs: Apple's in-house image/PDF/etc. software (Preview) allows for annotation of PDFs -- so you can add notes in PDFs on the fly, no need to pony up for Acrobat.

Adobe Reader X does this as well, and is free.

 

[Myuu]

Adobe Reader X does this as well, and is free.

That's default behavior in OSX.

But, before you do anything, check your school's requirements. You don't want to buy a brand new machine only to find out your school demands something different.

 

[Geekchick921]

In my opinion, a good laptop is a very important asset at least in the first 2 years it seems. Cost is a consideration, but one shouldn't skimp either.

A light, large screen laptop by Toshiba would be my recommendation (Toshiba makes great laptops), but I could see how an ipad would be useful for in class notes, or how a netbook could be useful for portability. Also, what Cole said.

I had an absolutely disgusting experience with Toshiba laptops in the past that reduced a very expensive laptop (keep in mind this was 6+ years ago) to a paperweight in a little over a year. Never again.

That's default behavior in OSX.

But, before you do anything, check your school's requirements. You don't want to buy a brand new machine only to find out your school demands something different.

Agreed, though my school personally seems to have no specific requirements.

Also, folks, if you're looking into Lenovo, CHECK their website, because your school may have discounts arranged through them. I know my school does.

I have a 2 year old HP laptop that was $500 when we got it and has served us surprisingly well since we bought it. I don't expect it will last til the end of medical school, though all that's currently wrong with it is a broken backspace key and very choppy video streaming. I was originally thinking of getting a tablet laptop but now I think I will get a regular lappy (or keep the one I have) and get a tablet peripheral. I like to handwrite my own notes and if I can do it right onto the power point slides in the laptop, all the better.

Right now, I'm mostly torn on if I want to get a new machine for school or not.

 

[Bungie]

... don't get an AMD processor!

Why's that? I'm planning on buying parts for my computer and was going to get a Phenom X4 955 instead of an i5 2500 k for my CPU to save some money. I know it isn't the best CPU, but it'll be able to run BF3 all day from what I hear at recommended specs.

 

[OrganicChemist7]

Best laptop around right now IMO. A little more expensive, but it is unbelievable. Otherwise get a macbook pro with ssd and dual boot mac/windows so you don't have issues.

Always better to have both OS. =)

-J

 

[xanthomondo]

Why's that? I'm planning on buying parts for my computer and was going to get a Phenom X4 955 instead of an i5 2500 k for my CPU to save some money. I know it isn't the best CPU, but it'll be able to run BF3 all day from what I hear at recommended specs.

I have never met someone who didn't regret going AMD. You save some money, sure, but you end up paying for it in the end. They are slower, they get hot as hell, and they don't last as long. Just spend the extra bucks for Intel.

 

[DoctorKOL]

Adobe Reader X does this as well, and is free.

OK so if I get a Lenovo X-series tablet, I can use Adobe Reader X? And get it for free from the Adobe website? Obviously I am not great at using computers for much more than iTunes, the internet, pdfs, office...so sorry if I sound ignorant. Just not that in touch with computer software.

Best laptop around right now IMO. A little more expensive, but it is unbelievable. Otherwise get a macbook pro with ssd and dual boot mac/windows so you don't have issues.

Always better to have both OS. =)

-J

I have never been an Apple person, so I am thinking of getting the Lenovo X-series tablet. What type of software should I get to make my life easier as an MS1 and MS2? Anything great that makes note-taking and video-streaming easier?

 

[DoctorKOL]

OK, for those of you with Lenovo X-series tablets (I've decided to go with this computer), how do I get an SSD installed when I customize it? Is this something I have to buy separate and install myself? I'm not computer savvy so I do not know how this works.

Thanks

 

[Kevin Baker]

I'd recommend a 12-14 inch screen, 6+ hours of battery, any dual core processor, and 2gb ram, minimum. I personally went with the new 13 inch MBP and love it. It's my first mac and while I try to be frugal, I feel the pricepoint is pretty good as a comparable windows laptop costs ~ $799, I got mine for $999, and the resell value of MBPs is great.

I was seriously looking at the t420 thinkpads and the toshiba satellite e305 (from best buy). I also looked at the m11x and m14x but found the 11 too small and the 14 too expensive, though dell often has coupons floating around.

edit: Also, lenovo has crazy discounts sometimes. I've found so many 25% off coupons sitewide. Check out the deal websites before you buy (fatwallet, slickdeal, dealnews, etc.)

 

[jeepy]

OK, for those of you with Lenovo X-series tablets (I've decided to go with this computer), how do I get an SSD installed when I customize it? Is this something I have to buy separate and install myself? I'm not computer savvy so I do not know how this works.

Thanks

you can choose to have the SSD custom-built in while you're ordering the computer for a jacked up price, or you can purchase a separate SSD and install it yourself for much cheaper. There are guides on other forums, just do a quick google search on SSD replacement for X220. They can tell you what kind, what size, how to install etc.

 

[DoctorKOL]

you can choose to have the SSD custom-built in while you're ordering the computer for a jacked up price, or you can purchase a separate SSD and install it yourself for much cheaper. There are guides on other forums, just do a quick google search on SSD replacement for X220. They can tell you what kind, what size, how to install etc.

Awesome! Thanks for the advice. Any suggestions on what type and model of SSD is the best for a Lenovo x-series tablet?

 

[bfarn30]

I wouldn't get too excited just yet. Wait until you are accepted. I have a buddy that is going to dental school and he just found out that they HAVE to purchase Macs. He just bought a nice new HP about a year ago and now he has to spring for a new mac..

 

[DoctorKOL]

I wouldn't get too excited just yet. Wait until you are accepted. I have a buddy that is going to dental school and he just found out that they HAVE to purchase Macs. He just bought a nice new HP about a year ago and now he has to spring for a new mac..

Haha, thanks buddy, but do not worry, I got into quite a few schools and start in August. That's why I was trying to get a consensus. But thanks for looking out!

 

[bfarn30]

Haha, thanks buddy, but do not worry, I got into quite a few schools and start in August. That's why I was trying to get a consensus. But thanks for looking out!

Ah well in that case CONGRATULATIONS!!

Now you can change your status to "Medical Student." 🙂

Oh... and go for a Mac. nuff said

 

[b-real]

I would argue against getting an iPad as your day-to-day workhorse for a couple of reasons.

1) Most schools will require a laptop to take exams. Proprietary software is often required, and there's no guarantee that the software needed will be available as an app for the iPad.

2) If you like being able to write directly on powerpoints to supplement your notes, this becomes difficult with an iPad. A tablet w/ OneNote (and stylus capability) is better suited for this purpose.

iPads are badass for reading a magazine or watching a movie, but not so much for med school...yet.

 

[FIREitUP]

I had an absolutely disgusting experience with Toshiba laptops in the past that reduced a very expensive laptop (keep in mind this was 6+ years ago) to a paperweight in a little over a year. Never again.



Agreed, though my school personally seems to have no specific requirements.

Also, folks, if you're looking into Lenovo, CHECK their website, because your school may have discounts arranged through them. I know my school does.

I have a 2 year old HP laptop that was $500 when we got it and has served us surprisingly well since we bought it. I don't expect it will last til the end of medical school, though all that's currently wrong with it is a broken backspace key and very choppy video streaming. I was originally thinking of getting a tablet laptop but now I think I will get a regular lappy (or keep the one I have) and get a tablet peripheral. I like to handwrite my own notes and if I can do it right onto the power point slides in the laptop, all the better.

Right now, I'm mostly torn on if I want to get a new machine for school or not.

Geek, get the wacom CTL-460 Bamboo tablet peripheral. Takes some getting used to, but it's super light and thin, and the feel is really great. It's like 50 some-odd dollars and better quality than the genius ones.

 

[Geekchick921]

I'm definitely looking at the Wacom Bamboos, too. My husband is an artist so I'm very familiar with that name. 🙂 I actually bought him a big Genius tablet for Christmas, though, (couldn't afford a Wacom of that size, no way) and he looooooves it.

 

[ghostman]

Haha, thanks buddy, but do not worry, I got into quite a few schools and start in August. That's why I was trying to get a consensus. But thanks for looking out!

If you've decided on a medical school, take a look at the school's computer requirements. As someone pointed out, certain schools have very specific requirements. Just googling, I notice that UNC-Chapel Hill requires all first years to purchase a specific line of Thinkpads from them, which will come pre-loaded with necessary medical school software. Perhaps they approve of other computers as well, but if they don't, it'll be very costly to have to purchase a new computer.

Having said that, my friend purchased her sister a Dell Inspiron with i3 processor last year when she entered med school. No complications with school.

 

[Myuu]

I'm definitely looking at the Wacom Bamboos, too. My husband is an artist so I'm very familiar with that name. 🙂 I actually bought him a big Genius tablet for Christmas, though, (couldn't afford a Wacom of that size, no way) and he looooooves it.

Can you buy me a Cintiq?

If you're looking at bamboo tablets, they're actually quite comparable (now) to what the Graphires used to be.

 

[Geekchick921]

Can you buy me a Cintiq?

If you're looking at bamboo tablets, they're actually quite comparable (now) to what the Graphires used to be.

Not before I buy my husband one. I think he'd sell a nut for one of those.

This is the Genius tablet I got him for Christmas (and it was $50 off then, to boot!). I was thinking something much smaller for myself if I decide to go that route, more like this.

 

[Myuu]

Not before I buy my husband one. I think he'd sell a nut for one of those.

This is the Genius tablet I got him for Christmas (and it was $50 off then, to boot!). I was thinking something much smaller for myself if I decide to go that route, more like this.

I don't know that brand very well, but they look like solid pieces of equipment.👍

If you do buy a cintiq, don't buy the lower end one until they work out all the problems with it. On a side note, I recently realized I could buy a (nice) motorcycle for the price of the good cintiq.😱

 

[Geekchick921]

They've got a good reputation, from the research I did on them before I chose it for the hubster's big Christmas gift. Obviously, it's not a Wacom, but you're also not paying for the price-jack that comes with buying the Wacom name, IMO. I saw some really impressive work done on those tablets on YouTube, too.

The Cintiq is miles away. We have a lot more important big ticket items that will come before that. I don't even know if he wants one until we have our forever house and he has a dedicated office space that's not in the basement. 🙂 Hopefully, it'll be more affordable by then, too.

 

[FIREitUP]

They've got a good reputation, from the research I did on them before I chose it for the hubster's big Christmas gift. Obviously, it's not a Wacom, but you're also not paying for the price-jack that comes with buying the Wacom name, IMO. I saw some really impressive work done on those tablets on YouTube, too.

The Cintiq is miles away. We have a lot more important big ticket items that will come before that. I don't even know if he wants one until we have our forever house and he has a dedicated office space that's not in the basement. 🙂 Hopefully, it'll be more affordable by then, too.

Why wouldnt you just get the bamboo? It's the same price. Plus, the pen doesn't need batteries and you don't need 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity for annotating notes. Just my $.02...

 

[Myuu]

Why wouldnt you just get the bamboo? It's the same price. Plus, the pen doesn't need batteries and you don't need 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity for annotating notes. Just my $.02...

Yeah, if you have no intention of drawing with it, you could get a supercheap bamboo. If, however, you do want to draw with it, you need the pressure sensitivity. Tilt-awareness would be nice too, but baby steps...

 

[thespazz]

I recommend a Mac. Several reasons: if you have a problem, you just take it to an apple store and get it fixed there. If there is no apple store nearby, you send it O/N to the nearest Apple Service Center which has lightning fast turn around times. Also, wonderful build quality. I' have my macbook pro since July 2009 and haven't had anything break or go bad on this baby. Prior to that I had a white macbook from 2006-2009 and aside from my breaking the hinge (which wasn't too difficult to replace), that laptop took a lot of abuse and kept up like a champ.

Overall, Apple has the best warranty in the business. It also has incredible build quality. I don't think it's pretentious to buy an Apple product, that argument doesn't make sense. Over the past 5 years of owning a laptop, I've spent $2400 on two of them and have never gone more than two days without it when it was being serviced. My friend who started out with a Dell had countless problems and countless difficulties with customer support. He went weeks without a laptop waiting for a repair. Not to mention, the repaired unit usually failed a little while after receipt.

Spend the extra coin on a nice Macbook and you'll be happy you did.