That (laptop) memory!

[bird3227]

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Question for all of you savvy med people:
How much storage memory do I need in a new laptop for med school?

Backstory:
I am about 2 years removed from medical school (class of 2021?!) but I am looking at getting a new laptop to replace my Asus-sauruse-Rex (G73-Sw, gaming computer). I am really liking the prospects of a MacBook Pro with retina, especially given their life expectancy and my desire to NOT replace a laptop 2 years into med school.

That being said, I am looking at the MacBook Pro w/ Retina, 13.3" i5 etc. etc. Now the question: should I upgrade the RAM from 8 gigs to 16 gigs, OR the flash-memory from 256 gigs to 512 gigs. I will re-emphasize the whole "not wanting to replace the laptop 2 years into med school" sentiment. I have been told that 16 gigs of RAM is only necessary if you are doing heavy editing for music and video or intentionally pushing your machine to the limits, both of which I have no intention of doing. On the other hand, would I be able to store all the lecture materials, videos, power-points, additional readings, etc. with only 256 gigs? I am aware that I could always purchase an external hard drive or flash drives, but who wants to carry around extra things to lose or forget?

Any insight into the memory needs of medical school?

 

[Aubrey Graham]

You would not even use 25 percent of that 8 gb as a med student. However I recommend getting the 512 by it can certainly be a crutch...


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[bird3227]

You would not even use 25 percent of that 8 gb as a med student. However I recommend getting the 512 by it can certainly be a crutch...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Could you quantify how much storage is used in med school? I assume it really depends on the school itself and whatnot, but I can't even think of a ballpark figure.

 

[Aubrey Graham]

Could you quantify how much storage is used in med school? I assume it really depends on the school itself and whatnot, but I can't even think of a ballpark figure.

I am not a med student but I doubt the simple software and powerpoints that they use will require much processing power.. Consult the schools recommendations simple google search brah


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[DoctorSynthesis]

Question for all of you savvy med people:
How much storage memory do I need in a new laptop for med school?

Backstory:
I am about 2 years removed from medical school (class of 2021?!) but I am looking at getting a new laptop to replace my Asus-sauruse-Rex (G73-Sw, gaming computer). I am really liking the prospects of a MacBook Pro with retina, especially given their life expectancy and my desire to NOT replace a laptop 2 years into med school.

That being said, I am looking at the MacBook Pro w/ Retina, 13.3" i5 etc. etc. Now the question: should I upgrade the RAM from 8 gigs to 16 gigs, OR the flash-memory from 256 gigs to 512 gigs. I will re-emphasize the whole "not wanting to replace the laptop 2 years into med school" sentiment. I have been told that 16 gigs of RAM is only necessary if you are doing heavy editing for music and video or intentionally pushing your machine to the limits, both of which I have no intention of doing. On the other hand, would I be able to store all the lecture materials, videos, power-points, additional readings, etc. with only 256 gigs? I am aware that I could always purchase an external hard drive or flash drives, but who wants to carry around extra things to lose or forget?

Any insight into the memory needs of medical school?

16 gigs is overkill! Agree with other poster. I have 4 gigs and I use half of that. 256 gigs should be enough but depending on your use 500 gigs might be a better idea. For med school no way you need 500. If you are downloading games though 500 should be useful.

 

[WedgeDawg]

If you want it to last for like 5+ years, the 16 gigs is a good investment, as even simple programs start using a lot of memory. I would also invest in 512 GB for the storage.

I personally have a 2012 15" 16 GB RAM/512GB SSD Macbook Pro retina that I've been using for college and I really like it. The extra processing power helps when I use programs like Photoshop (which happens a lot in the line of research I'm doing) alongside cell counting programs with all the normal stuff (word, powerpoint, internet browser, etc) up too. I can't imagine things are going to become less processing-intensive in the next 5 years. I would get the i7 processor too if you can spare the cash.

Your computer is one of your most important academic tools. It's certainly worth investing in.

 

[zennythz]

8 GB RAM is more than enough, assuming, as you pointed out already, that you're not into heavy video-editing or anything. I suspect as a medical student, your most-frequently used applications will be Chrome and Microsoft Word/PowerPoint. And maybe some iTunes.

As for storage space, I personally would think 256 GB is enough, but this primarily depends on how much music/photos/videos you store on your computer. If you have a large iTunes library or like keeping a collection of movies on your disk, then 512 GB might be advisable. Otherwise, if most of your current documents are just Word docs, PDFs, presentations, etc. etc., 256 GB will work out just fine for you.

My personal recommendation: the new 13-inch w/ Retina for $1,499. And don't forget to use your student discount, which brings the price down to $1,399.

 

[DoctorSynthesis]

Could you quantify how much storage is used in med school? I assume it really depends on the school itself and whatnot, but I can't even think of a ballpark figure.

My school requires 2 gigs recommend 4 gigs of ram. My school requires 200 gigs of memory. In my school we use our computer to take our tests.

 

[DoctorSynthesis]

If you want it to last for like 5+ years, the 16 gigs is a good investment, as even simple programs start using a lot of memory. I would also invest in 512 GB for the storage.

I personally have a 2012 15" 16 GB RAM/512GB SSD Macbook Pro retina that I've been using for college and I really like it. The extra processing power helps when I use programs like Photoshop (which happens a lot in the line of research I'm doing) alongside cell counting programs with all the normal stuff (word, powerpoint, internet browser, etc) up too. I can't imagine things are going to become less processing-intensive in the next 5 years. I would get the i7 processor too if you can spare the cash.

Your computer is one of your most important academic tools. It's certainly worth investing in.

How did people ever go to med school with such machines? Really its cool to have all this stuff but talk about overkill.

 

[WedgeDawg]

How did people ever go to med school with such machines? Really its cool to have all this stuff but talk about overkill.

To each his own I guess. I like having a powerful computer (though if I were to buy a new computer right now, I would get the 13" with 16/512).

If you want bare minimum acceptable that will still be viable in 5years, 8GB/256GB is probably fine. If you're going to upgrade only one, get the extra ram or upgrade to i7, as you can always use an external HD for extra memory.

 

[DoctorSynthesis]

To each his own I guess. I like having a powerful computer (though if I were to buy a new computer right now, I would get the 13" with 16/512).

If you want bare minimum acceptable that will still be viable in 5years, 8GB/256GB is probably fine. If you're going to upgrade only one, get the extra ram or upgrade to i7, as you can always use an external HD for extra memory.

My computer has 4 gigabytes of ram and no solid state drive and I assume it will be viable for another 10 years 😱

 

[bird3227]

If you want it to last for like 5+ years, the 16 gigs is a good investment, as even simple programs start using a lot of memory. I would also invest in 512 GB for the storage.

I personally have a 2012 15" 16 GB RAM/512GB SSD Macbook Pro retina that I've been using for college and I really like it. The extra processing power helps when I use programs like Photoshop (which happens a lot in the line of research I'm doing) alongside cell counting programs with all the normal stuff (word, powerpoint, internet browser, etc) up too. I can't imagine things are going to become less processing-intensive in the next 5 years. I would get the i7 processor too if you can spare the cash.

Your computer is one of your most important academic tools. It's certainly worth investing in.

Yeah, I definitely don't want to be held back by technological limitations. The cost is about $2,200 for the 16/512, so pretty penny to say the least. But the return on investment and the longevity of that machine...that would be something else for sure

 

[bird3227]

Wait as long as possible. Buying a computer now increases the odds you'll have to replace it during med school or residency.

It has occurred to me to do so, but my current laptop is way too cumbersome and the charging plug is very finicky and won't charge all the time. The battery life is <2 hours and there are a handful of small issues that are adding up. I am also starting to use it more for my program (economics, currently running STATA) so portability is becoming an issue. If the matter was not as pressing, I would wait until I was accepted to purchase one

 

[Dinitrophenol]

I have 8GB of memory on my MacBook and right now I'm using 7.83GB with just Chrome, Safari, and Preview (PDF viewer) running. My understanding of computers is that even if you don't "use" all of the memory on your machine, it'll still run faster/more smoothly if there's excess capacity.

But I'm also one of those people with 20+ tabs open at a time 😛

 

[WedgeDawg]

I have 8GB of memory on my MacBook and right now I'm using 7.83GB with just Chrome, Safari, and Preview (PDF viewer) running. My understanding of computers is that even if you don't "use" all of the memory on your machine, it'll still run faster/more smoothly if there's excess capacity.

But I'm also one of those people with 20+ tabs open at a time 😛

My girlfriend has upwards of 70 (not even joking) tabs open between her Firefox and Safari and then complains that her computer is slow and refuses to believe me when I tell her that's why...😕

 

[DoctorSynthesis]

I have 8GB of memory on my MacBook and right now I'm using 7.83GB with just Chrome, Safari, and Preview (PDF viewer) running. My understanding of computers is that even if you don't "use" all of the memory on your machine, it'll still run faster/more smoothly if there's excess capacity.

But I'm also one of those people with 20+ tabs open at a time 😛

How is that possible? I use nowhere near that.

 

[LoveIR]

Many schools give you a laptop when you start or require you to use that specific computer. So I would try to wait until you start.

As for memory I have a ton of digital copies of textbooks, videos, etc. and it's still only ~150 gigs

 

[Dinitrophenol]

My girlfriend has upwards of 70 (not even joking) tabs open between her Firefox and Safari and then complains that her computer is slow and refuses to believe me when I tell her that's why...😕

Ahaha, at least I face the truth, sobering as it may be!

@DoctorSynthesis: I'm not entirely certain, but I have read that Chrome has a tendency to eat up a lot of memory when it's been running for a while. Did I mention I'm also one of those people who never fully shuts off the computer and just puts it to sleep?

 

[PlaqueBuster]

As for storage, I recommend buying an external hardrive that is 1 TB. In the meanwhile, an SSD will do wonders. An SSD with 128 GB storage should be sufficient.

 

[Eddie Chahar]

Given how reliable and cheap cloud storage is, get 8 GB of ram and a 128 GB SSD, no lower than an i5. I never save documents on my computer because even SSDs can theoretically fail (which I have seen firsthand)

 

[DoctorSynthesis]

Ahaha, at least I face the truth, sobering as it may be!

@DoctorSynthesis: I'm not entirely certain, but I have read that Chrome has a tendency to eat up a lot of memory when it's been running for a while. Did I mention I'm also one of those people who never fully shuts off the computer and just puts it to sleep?

I use chrome and don't shut off my computer either. I also have 4 gigs. The memory is more than sufficient for me. 8 gigs is overkill. 16 gigs is stupid. 2 gigs would be enough for me. When I hear people spending for 16 gigs and 512 SSD I don't feel bad when they complain about debt.

 

[WedgeDawg]

I use chrome and don't shut off my computer either. I also have 4 gigs. The memory is more than sufficient for me. 8 gigs is overkill. 16 gigs is stupid. 2 gigs would be enough for me. When I hear people spending for 16 gigs and 512 SSD I don't feel bad when they complain about debt.

Upgrading to 16 and 512 from 8 and 256 is only a few hundred dollars. I don't think its a poor investment if you want to be secure about your computer lasting a long time. It depends on what you're looking for. If you want a computer that will last a couple years, then by all means get the basic package and replace it when it becomes unusable. However, the OP explicitly said they wanted to have this computer last through med school, so in my opinion, spending an extra couple hundred dollars now will make it less likely that they have to buy a new computer in the next 6 years. 8 gigs of ram is fine for everything now, but will it still be adequate in 5 years? I'm not sure, which is why I recommended the upgrade.

 

[DoctorSynthesis]

Upgrading to 16 and 512 from 8 and 256 is only a few hundred dollars. I don't think its a poor investment if you want to be secure about your computer lasting a long time. It depends on what you're looking for. If you want a computer that will last a couple years, then by all means get the basic package and replace it when it becomes unusable. However, the OP explicitly said they wanted to have this computer last through med school, so in my opinion, spending an extra couple hundred dollars now will make it less likely that they have to buy a new computer in the next 6 years. 8 gigs of ram is fine for everything now, but will it still be adequate in 5 years? I'm not sure, which is why I recommended the upgrade.

It actually costs a lot.

Base 13 inch retina macbook pro is 1300 dollars. 16 gigs and 512 GB is 2000. Put on i7 (as some suggest) and we are talking about 2200! With the tax and apple care (who doesn't get apple care on a 2k machine) we are talking 3 grand. This compared to the 1300 machine with apple care is more then a grand more. Plus the 8GB computer should be able to last you ten years easy without upgrades. My 4gb computer is still very fast.

 

[darkjedi]

If this is your primary computer, the 512GB will carry your laptop farther than 16GB of RAM might. That said you can also just buy a TB external and put big things on it if you need to. 16GB is absolutely unnecessary for a typical med student. It's meant for heavy lifting processes like video editing, which honestly you shouldn't be using a laptop for anyway.

Macs also allocate memory differently than PCs and even though it says it's using near max, it may not actually be the case. Windows was programmed to minimize RAM footprint, while MacOSX is programmed to maximize RAM footprint. It will do things like cache programs you haven't used in a while/quit so it might load a little quicker the next time you open it. One could argue that means 16GB will be always superior, but in my opinion its not worth it at the price point Apple puts it at.

Edit: Also i7's are completely overkill for laptops as well. There's no reason a laptop for a med students needs a hyperthreaded quad-core. An i5 is more than enough since there aren't many (any really that I can think of) programs you will encounter during your med school career that needs multi-threading beyond what an i5 offers. Unless you are using your computer to number-crunch things that requires days to compile, then maybe the extra threads can help, but honestly it's a waste of money for normal people.

 

[bird3227]

If this is your primary computer, the 512GB will carry your laptop farther than 16GB of RAM might. That said you can also just buy a TB external and put big things on it if you need to. 16GB is absolutely unnecessary for a typical med student. It's meant for heavy lifting processes like video editing, which honestly you shouldn't be using a laptop for anyway.

Macs also allocate memory differently than PCs and even though it says it's using near max, it may not actually be the case. Windows was programmed to minimize RAM footprint, while MacOSX is programmed to maximize RAM footprint. It will do things like cache programs you haven't used in a while/quit so it might load a little quicker the next time you open it. One could argue that means 16GB will be always superior, but in my opinion its not worth it at the price point Apple puts it at.

Edit: Also i7's are completely overkill for laptops as well. There's no reason a laptop for a med students needs a hyperthreaded quad-core. An i5 is more than enough since there aren't many (any really that I can think of) programs you will encounter during your med school career that needs multi-threading beyond what an i5 offers. Unless you are using your computer to number-crunch things that requires days to compile, then maybe the extra threads can help, but honestly it's a waste of money for normal people.

I agree, an i7 is too much for me. The benefits for what I am going to be doing would just not be there. Do med schools use any specialty programs for their students to use? Interactive tools, etc. that may dictate more RAM? Decisions, decisions...

 

[DoctorSynthesis]

I agree, an i7 is too much for me. The benefits for what I am going to be doing would just not be there. Do med schools use any specialty programs for their students to use? Interactive tools, etc. that may dictate more RAM? Decisions, decisions...

My school has a software program that we use to take tests but it only requires 2gb of ram.

 

[NickNaylor]

I got the i7/512 GB SSD/16 GB RAM Macbook and am very happy with it. It was quite expensive but I wanted to future proof it a bit so that'll last a while (or can at least be handed over to my fiance and still be usable for a while if I decide to get something else in the future). I agree that it's completely overkill for people that use their computers for little more than web browsing and document management. I do a fair amount of gaming on mine so I like the extra processing power and the dedicated video card, but for the average person it's totally unnecessary. It's also nice to use Photoshop and have it function well during the few times that I do use it.