What to look for when buying a student computer

[Lab Rat83]

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I need to start computer (lap top) shopping. I'll either be starting my B.Ed or DVM in the fall and I currently don't have a computer. I have no idea what to look for. Any advice?

 

[dvmdreamer]

I need to start computer (lap top) shopping. I'll either be starting my B.Ed or DVM in the fall and I currently don't have a computer. I have no idea what to look for. Any advice?

Get a Mac. So worth the little extra money! They have really great customer support. Any MacBook should be appropriate for you.

 

[PetPony]

I love my MacBook! I have the pro.

 

[Lissarae06]

I need to start computer (lap top) shopping. I'll either be starting my B.Ed or DVM in the fall and I currently don't have a computer. I have no idea what to look for. Any advice?

Fast processor, good memory. All the windows office stuff is available for macs but the look/feel of them is different than for a PC. Just something to keep in mind. No matter what computer you get, make sure you have windows office, especially powerpoint. You want to be able to open presentations your profs use.

 

[cowgirla]

There's no onenote for Mac. I don't think I could function in school without onenote lol. I'm a total PC girl

Also keep in mind portability- do you want to carry around a 17 inch laptop all day? And battery life if you like to study in places where outlets might not always be accessible

 

[New Foundland]

Get a Mac. So worth the little extra money! They have really great customer support. Any MacBook should be appropriate for you.

little extra money?
I dono about america, but where i live (and labrat is canadian too if i recall right) new macs come to over $1300 with tax, with the student discount..

that's nearing on three times the cost of a laptop or tablet (whether small screened or large screened) that is fully capable of everything that pretty much every student does..

If that's your choice, fine.. You're all going heavy in debt anyway, what does it matter right?

But don't try to tell me that it's just a "little" extra money...

Whether you're telling someone who can get by fine with a Honda Civic to "Buy a BMW, it's worth the little extra money" or telling someone who wants a chocolate bar to "Buy this $6 chocolate bar, it's totally worth the little extra money"...
The gross increase is not what matters, it's the value.

Macs may be more durable and last longer (although despite what you may believe, pc laptops dont just explode after 2 years either), but the increased longevity doesn't make up for the huge price differential. (and the increased specs are unnecessary and wasted on 99% of you)
Longevity in computers is an overvalued quality, and this is because of the rapid rate of comp tech advancement and consequent rapid depreciation value.
Then consider the increased chance of theft of macs, and most importantly the upgrade-itis factor.. People who own iPhone 3's don't wait until their phones break before upgrading, so many of them buy iPhone 4's just because they want them. Another reason why longevity is overrated.


I know I've released the hounds here. But i'm not saying that macs aren't very good computers, they are.
They're just overpriced and you're paying a lot for user-friendliness and a brand-name..
Some of us are trying to save money here, and others would just rather buy a $400 computer and then spend the extra grand they just saved on a trip to europe or something..

Remember students, you don't need an i5 processor to open pdfs and write pretty notes.

 

[Trematode]

I'm Canadian too. I never had a Macbook, but they messed around with me when my iPod busted a week after the warranty was up. They quoted me $90 and said they would send me a box. They never sent me a box, so I called again. They told me I could get it fixed in town. I went to the computer store and they only fix laptops. Then when I called them again, they wanted $130 to fix it because I am in Canada. 😡

Macs are awesome. But they are expensive. And I have heard some horror stories about their customer service.

 

[dvmdreamer]

little extra money?
I dono about america, but where i live (and labrat is canadian too if i recall right) new macs come to over $1300 with tax, with the student discount..

that's nearing on three times the cost of a laptop or tablet (whether small screened or large screened) that is fully capable of everything that pretty much every student does..

If that's your choice, fine.. You're all going heavy in debt anyway, what does it matter right?

But don't try to tell me that it's just a "little" extra money...

Whether you're telling someone who can get by fine with a Honda Civic to "Buy a BMW, it's worth the little extra money" or telling someone who wants a chocolate bar to "Buy this $6 chocolate bar, it's totally worth the little extra money"...
The gross increase is not what matters, it's the value.

Macs may be more durable and last longer (although despite what you may believe, pc laptops dont just explode after 2 years either), but the increased longevity doesn't make up for the huge price differential. (and the increased specs are unnecessary and wasted on 99% of you)
.

It is true that Macs have a lot more features than needed by most students I am someone who uses my purchases until they literally are not functional, no upgrade-itis here, so I am willing to put in the extra money for longevity. I use a PC laptop at my job that cost $1000 new. The $300 difference between those is the little extra money I was referring to, not comparing it to a $400 bottom of the line laptop (as you said, honda to BMW not a fair comparison; but Cadillac to Mercedes is). Plus for that $1000, the PC came with no graphics programs, no video editing, etc. All standard on Macs for their $1300 price. Also, the PC has already had to go to the computer doctor 3 times and it sits on a desk on a protected business network. My Mac gets thrown in a backpack between 50 lbs of textbooks and is used on coffee shop and campus networks on a daily basis.

My sister used her MacBook for 5 years. The screen went out at that point, so she hooked it up to an old PC monitor and gave it to my mom to use modified as a desktop. The processor still works great, and is still faster than the six month old PC I use at work. I have had several PCs, and never had one stay functional for 5 years of college network life, even with costly trips to the computer doctor. So that sold me.

 

[Lab Rat83]

Thanks Newf. I am not interested in a Mac Book. They are out of my budget ($700) and I don't like them.

I was looking for information more along the lines of what Lissarae and Cowgirla offered. I'm interested in learning more about One Note and similar programs and what kind of memory I should have.

 

[cowgirla]

and never had one stay functional for 5 years of college network life, even with costly trips to the computer doctor. So that sold me.

My IBM lived through four years of undergrad. (well, minus hard drive crash, but that was my fault!) And the computer itself was still going strong when I "Retired" it- it was the power cord that was shot and upgrade-itis set in so I went for a new one . Three years later, my sister is still using that IBM- power cord duct-taped in place.
And IBM cost less than the macs at the time, so it's def possible to get a decent PC for less than the cost of a basic mac. My HP is going on three years now. Had to get a new battery because it was only lasting ~2 hours, but no issues with it whatsoever. It's a powerhouse.

If you want customer service, can't beat IBM (at least, that was true before Lenovo took over. Cant speak for new stuff). HP customer service is bleh, but once you get to a manager it's decent.

From the very few times I've used macs, I just didn't feel like they had the user-accessible settings that I prefer. I like being able to hack into my registry and "fix" things and change settings and all sorts of things that I was never able to figure out on macs. Plus, my new (well, new-ish) tablet is amazing and sometimes even makes me want to take notes. Writing on the screen = awesome.

 

[cowgirla]

Thanks Newf. I am not interested in a Mac Book. They are out of my budget ($700) and I don't like them.

I was looking for information more along the lines of what Lissarae and Cowgirla offered. I'm interested in learning more about One Note and similar programs and what kind of memory I should have.

Lissarae and I both have HP tm2t. They've since been discontinued, but you can stil find them here and there on third party sites. The canadian version might be easier to find- know the canadian HP website still carries all the accessories and everything at least. I think their version is a TXsomethingsomething. Price was in the $800 range, but its a tablet and you can write on the screen. Small, not too heavy, good battery. I'd go for as much memory as you can afford (I think I've got 6gb). I think that plays more of a role than the processor speed for most things that you'll need as student.

There are dozens of other threads that talk about onenote, so I wont discuss its amazingness here, but will say it integrates beautifully with the tablet functions.

Also- my university offers the full MS Office suite to students for free, so def look into that at your school. Or try the ultimatesteal.com. I used that site to upgrade to windows 7 for a ridiculously low price

 

[dvmdreamer]

From the very few times I've used macs, I just didn't feel like they had the user-accessible settings that I prefer. I like being able to hack into my registry and "fix" things and change settings and all sorts of things that I was never able to figure out on macs. Plus, my new (well, new-ish) tablet is amazing and sometimes even makes me want to take notes. Writing on the screen = awesome.

This is very true... I am very good on a PC at accessing hidden files and fixing things, accessing hard drives on crashed processors, etc. After a year of Mac ownership, I am still can hardly find files I want if they end up in the wrong folder. And I would be totally lost at doing any types of system maintenance. The tablet sounds awesome!

Maybe my PC at work is a lemon...

 

[jmo1012]

My IBM lived through four years of undergrad. (well, minus hard drive crash, but that was my fault!) And the computer itself was still going strong when I "Retired" it- it was the power cord that was shot and upgrade-itis set in so I went for a new one . Three years later, my sister is still using that IBM- power cord duct-taped in place.
And IBM cost less than the macs at the time, so it's def possible to get a decent PC for less than the cost of a basic mac. My HP is going on three years now. Had to get a new battery because it was only lasting ~2 hours, but no issues with it whatsoever. It's a powerhouse.

If you want customer service, can't beat IBM (at least, that was true before Lenovo took over. Cant speak for new stuff). HP customer service is bleh, but once you get to a manager it's decent.

From the very few times I've used macs, I just didn't feel like they had the user-accessible settings that I prefer. I like being able to hack into my registry and "fix" things and change settings and all sorts of things that I was never able to figure out on macs. Plus, my new (well, new-ish) tablet is amazing and sometimes even makes me want to take notes. Writing on the screen = awesome.

i have a lenovo (right after they were IBM) and this beast still going strong after 4 years of undergrad and 3/4s a year of vet school. the only reason i am planning on retiring it to a life of luxury (with my parents) is because if something happens in grenada, i'm pretty much SOL (not much anyone can do down here and prohibitively expensive to get a new one here)

 

[BuggerDoodle]

Which schools are you considering attending? The reason I ask this is that some of the schools have required tablets/computers or have a list of requirements that a computer must meet. You might want to contact whatever school you're going to attend and ask them what they require and what they recommend so you don't end up not meeting the requirements or buying a second computer when you get the required one.

 

[nyanko]

little extra money?
I dono about america, but where i live (and labrat is canadian too if i recall right) new macs come to over $1300 with tax, with the student discount..

that's nearing on three times the cost of a laptop or tablet (whether small screened or large screened) that is fully capable of everything that pretty much every student does..

Conversely, when we were made to choose a laptop for UC Davis's mandatory requirement, the tablet option we were given was like, $600 more than the Macbook Pro option.

And the Macbooks IIRC had better "stats" as well.

 

[nyanko]

From the very few times I've used macs, I just didn't feel like they had the user-accessible settings that I prefer. I like being able to hack into my registry and "fix" things and change settings and all sorts of things that I was never able to figure out on macs.

I thought that until I remembered that I could just open up a terminal and use UNIX commands, then I was sold. 😀

 

[twelvetigers]

I adore my Lenovo. I stroll through the printing lounge... all the printers are running, classmates are hurrying to get their notes... I sit in class and watch the people around me struggle to make 'drawings' on their powerpoints or in OneNote. Not me! Luuuuurve having a tablet.

 

[hopefulinva]

I'd highly recommend Toshiba. Those things truck on forever. I can't say much for their customer service, sheerly because I've never needed to call their customer service; my dad's Toshiba lived a healthy 9 years and died as natural a death as a laptop can (it couldn't physically hold more than 512 MB of RAM, which is just too obsolete to function in today's computer world), and even then I think he scrapped it for parts and ended up saving most of it. My friend's Toshiba tablet convertible survived through 5 years of undergrad and is still going strong. I have a Toshiba Thrive that I love to death.

I've always used HPs during undergrad and while they're cute little computers, I wouldn't recommend them; two of mine have died, and HP is getting out of the laptop business anyway, so even if you buy a discontinued HP laptop you're about to lose all of your customer support for it.

 

[cowgirla]

, and HP is getting out of the laptop business anyway, so even if you buy a discontinued HP laptop you're about to lose all of your customer support for it.

According to the managerI talked to back in Dec, they are not stopping all production - personal computers will just be their own separate "Company" under HP (like IBM/lenovo). And all existing warranties, customer support, etc, will still be in effect. They are discontinuing their smartphone line/ "WebOS" / handheld line.

 

[Armymutt25A]

I adore my Lenovo. I stroll through the printing lounge... all the printers are running, classmates are hurrying to get their notes... I sit in class and watch the people around me struggle to make 'drawings' on their powerpoints or in OneNote. Not me! Luuuuurve having a tablet.

+1 for tablets with OneNote. Our professors have a habit of changing their slide deck right before class. Most people are writing notes on out-dated slides. I just download the new one, print to OneNote, flip the screen around, and start writing on it. Love it.

 

[Lab Rat83]

I wasn't originally thinking about a tablet but now I'm intrigued. What would be a good tablet and what would I look for when shopping for one (besides the obvious iPad)?

 

[lux0r]

Okay, I would definitely get a MacBook Pro! I am on my third one. I take my laptop into the field (cattle, pigs, chickens) with me to take notes, update inventory, and document everything. I have been dual booting my laptops as of recently; I have both Windows 7 and Mac. I can enjoy both worlds of the computing world. This does come with a price tag. However, Iowa State is charging me $2700 for a Fujitsu tablet/pc that is garbage compared to my $1600 mac/windows/iOS set up. I understand that Apple in general is mildly overpriced, but the warranty is worth it. I have saved myself thousands of dollars thanks to Apple Care.
I am not a vet student until next year, but I do IT for a living now. I manage a school's entire fleet of computers, and I could help find you a couple of good deals. PM me if you have any questions.

 

[RadRadTerp]

If I could buy a different computer than the one I did buy, I would have gotten the Lenovo Thinkpad X220t (tablet). 12.5 inch tablet screen, i5 processor, less than 3.5 lbs, and known for sturdiness and long battery life.

 

[sooprnova]

If I could buy a different computer than the one I did buy, I would have gotten the Lenovo Thinkpad X220t (tablet). 12.5 inch tablet screen, i5 processor, less than 3.5 lbs, and known for sturdiness and long battery life.

This is what I'm looking at. And their discount for student pricing is WAY better than Apple's paltry $100. I think I'm going to wait a little longer to see if anyone sweetens the deal with back to school specials that include a free whatchamacallit or thingamabob!

 

[Prncssbuttercup]

Stick with Apple, Dell, Gateway... Lenovo is owned by the Chinese government, any money spent with them 100% leaves the country. Just my opinion....

I have a Macbook pro, and the 15" size is perfect for travel or whatever, and still big enough to see what you need to see... This topic gets covered all the time in the med forums...

 

[twelvetigers]

I read this post on my Chinese-govt-funding laptop. Oh noes.

 

[CorporateFatCat]

Oh please, I think all of those computers are manufactured in China anyway. I just don't think you want service that is outsourced. Know for sure that Apple keeps tech support in the U.S.

 

[bunnity]

I have a 3.5 year old MacBook (not Pro) and I love it. I think it was around $900 or $1000. It has tolerated my abuse and years of living with crazy pit bulls... and the only thing that has broken was the ethernet port when my pit bull knocked it off the couch and the cable got jammed too far into the hole. I spend about 12 hours a day on the computer between school and studying so I want a computer that I like 🙂

I realize OP that you don't want a Mac but I'm sure there are other people trying to buy computers this time of year.

 

[orca2011]

I don't know a whole lot about computers (although I like them and wish I knew more) and am trying to decide if I want to make the switch from PC to Mac. Currently have a Dell, which I will probably never purchase one again. Within 5 days of having it, I had to get a full keyboard replacement. Granted, that's a small issue, but shouldn't happen to a brand new computer. I replaced my power adapter after one year (technically need to do it again, but since I'll be getting a new computer soon, I don't see the point), had the motherboard replaced, my computer picked up the wrong IP address somehow so I lost all internet access (even by ethernet cable), the operating system crashed (while abroad), it overheats constantly, and I've gotten the "blue screen of death" of death twice in the past year.I also couldn't hold a wireless signal through the last three years of college in my dorms even though all my roommates could, which I do think partially had to do with my school because it holds a signal fine everywhere else. Maybe some of those issues aren't really Dell's fault( and it is old now...going on 5 years), but still makes me not really want one.

Just my $.02 although I don't think it counts for much.

 

[sooprnova]

Stick with Apple, Dell, Gateway... Lenovo is owned by the Chinese government, any money spent with them 100% leaves the country. Just my opinion....

I have a Macbook pro, and the 15" size is perfect for travel or whatever, and still big enough to see what you need to see... This topic gets covered all the time in the med forums...

Oh noes! Communism! Terrorism! Everybody RUN! Seriously, though, you'd be hard pressed to find a 100% made in the USA laptop. The components come from everywhere. My Dell right now is tagged with Malaysia, Croatia, Mexico, The Philippines, and Indonesia.

If you don't believe me, check out this excellent NYT article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/26/b...for-workers-in-china.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

On a serious note, though, are any of you tablet-touters left-handed? It seems like a silly concern, and that technology should have come far enough, but I'm worried about the old "left hand drag" if I choose a tablet.

 

[psilovethomas]

I was going to make a separate thread for this, but I'll just stick it in here. My Mom offered to buy me the new iPad (THE iPad), but I can't justify spending the $$$ for something that is practically the same as my iPhone and iTouch. Anyone have any experience with the iPad and taking notes? How useful would it be in vet school? Would you recommend the Lenovo tablet instead? Thanks😀

 

[CorporateFatCat]

I was going to make a separate thread for this, but I'll just stick it in here. My Mom offered to buy me the new iPad (THE iPad), but I can't justify spending the $$$ for something that is practically the same as my iPhone and iTouch. Anyone have any experience with the iPad and taking notes? How useful would it be in vet school? Would you recommend the Lenovo tablet instead? Thanks😀

Yeah, I had the same-ish question. If I get into Davis, I think I want to get the Macbook, but when I talked to other students, pretty much everyone who had the Macbook also got an iPad and the majority of them just got a keyboard for the iPad and would bring that to class instead of the laptop. Am I missing out if I don't get the iPad in conjunction with the Macbook since the other option is the PC tablet?

 

[nyanko]

If I get into Davis, I think I want to get the Macbook, but when I talked to other students, pretty much everyone who had the Macbook also got an iPad and the majority of them just got a keyboard for the iPad and would bring that to class instead of the laptop.

I don't think this is the case for my class...there are only a few of us who have iPads.

Most of the MBP users just take typed notes.

 

[CorporateFatCat]

I don't think this is the case for my class...there are only a few of us who have iPads.

Most of the MBP users just take typed notes.

Huh. Maybe it's just the first years then. I don't want to feel like I'm missing out on the OneNote features, but I'm am not that happy with my experience with PC's. I'm also not really hot on the idea of purchasing a potentially new release MacBook Pro and not having a tablet function. Maybe I shouldn't even be thinking so much about it yet 🙄.

 

[RadRadTerp]

Thinkpad Protection service is pretty much the gold standard of the business community. Just sayin'.

 

[jmo1012]

Thinkpad Protection service is pretty much the gold standard of the business community. Just sayin'.

👍

any of you mac users have computer problems that pretty much the only solution was replacement? i've known several people to have problems like that (where if it had been my comp we could have easily just replaced the part, but with the mac it was an issue of getting it apart and replacing the piece)

 

[PetPony]

I've crashed a dell and two HPs, but my Macbook Pro still lives. That's gotta say something!

 

[lux0r]

👍

any of you mac users have computer problems that pretty much the only solution was replacement? i've known several people to have problems like that (where if it had been my comp we could have easily just replaced the part, but with the mac it was an issue of getting it apart and replacing the piece)

Okay, I manage 1600 MacBooks at my job. I would say, in my experience, one in ten of my repairs are replacements. Also, you can easily get your data off a crashed Mac.

 

[Trilt]

I've crashed a dell and two HPs, but my Macbook Pro still lives. That's gotta say something!

It says you bought the Macbook last!

Most people I know who have Macs have them for about 2-3 years before they have a giant failure of some sort. If they bought an extended warranty, awesome, they get a new Mac or it's fixed and it's good for another two years. If it's out of warranty, they have a very shiny paperweight because you seriously can't fix anything in them.

My Dell I bought senior year of high school had a hard drive failure last year, and a newegg order later I popped a new one in and it's good as new (minus the rather shot battery after 4.5 years of use). However, it's also really outdated at this point, since technology progresses at a ridiculously fast pace. I'd rather spend less on a laptop and only have it for 3ish years before upgrading than spend a 3X the amount on one and have it slowly degrade in usefulness because standards change.

Personally I have a Lenovo that is my primary laptop right now and I really like it. I think there's a time and a place for macs, but mainly among people who are a lot more wealthy than the average student budget. Tablets I can understand splurging for because they offer another level of functionality, but a mac to me is really just a very pretty laptop that I can't use lots of my programs on.

 

[VetMedBF]

If you don't know much about computers, which seems apparent... You should probably just go to a "big box" store and just tell them what you want your computer to be able to do and they will be able to help you. (I used to work for one) Macs and PCs both have there pros and cons, but if affordability is your main concern you shouldn't look into Macs. Toshiba, Sony, Samsung, and IBM are good PCs. Look into something that has good battery life, ~500 GB of memory, ~4GB of RAM, newer intel processor (i5, i7), etc.

 

[twelvetigers]

Just don't go to Best Buy asking for them to recommend something. You will probably end up spending more than you need...

 

[VetMedBF]

Just don't go to Best Buy asking for them to recommend something. You will probably end up spending more than you need...

Obviously there job is to attempt to sell you the most expensive thing they can 😀. In all seriousness do some research online and go into the store with an idea of what you want and they should be able to guide you in the right direction.

 

[phaedraeos]

My 2 cents is that I bought a Dell Inspiron for school back in July 2011, and I will never, ever purchase one again. I've always had Dells and they've never let me down until this model. It feels cheap and poorly put together. I've had touchpad problems since Day 1 and I've also had to get my keyboard replaced. And something inside the computer rattles really loudly whenever I type.

I do everything on my computer (and absolutely love OneNote), so I really need a computer that can stand the amount of use and low-grade abuse that I put it though. I'm secretly hoping it dies in the next year so that I can get a Mac. I just can't say I trust the hardiness of any other manufacturer like I do them.

 

[lailanni]

I've had a Dell inspiron that died. I had a Sony vaio that runs slower than molasses. I now have a Mac and I LOVE it.

On both of my PCs, they've frozen/crashed in the middle of papers/projects and screwed me over. My Mac hasn't done that. Actually it's only frozen twice in the 2 years I've had it. Highly recommended.

 

[UAphenix]

I haven't read through all the posts but I will agree and say that a Macbook Pro is the way to go. From undergrad, masters and now vet school I'm on my second Macbook. Before purchasing my mac, I was a PC guy through and through, used to build PCs for people. I know looking at the price, it seems that Macs are overpriced for what you get. But bear with me, I just recently got my new Macbook and when I went to compare the specs that came with it to laptops I found on newegg, the laptops only came out $100 or so less but they lacked the service plan that a mac comes with. My previous mac, I beat the crap out of (had it out on a farm and feedlot doing data collection) and when anything went wrong, I just took it into apple (had apple care-trust me it's well worth it) and they would fix it same day and have it back to me. The peace of mind you get knowing you can be up and running same day for 95% of the repairs is awesome. Plus the fact that mac OS is very intuitive and easy to pick up, you lose customizability, but not having to worry about a blue screen of death is awesome. If I were you I would definitely consider a Macbook pro or even the air and apple care. You'll get an easy 4-5 years out of it, which is great for a laptop.

 

[SnowyRox]

I will say that Apple Care is the only reason I've ever considered getting a Mac. You can buy a similar service from Lenovo, but it's $#%*ing expensive b/c they come to your house to service the laptop. I might consider splurging for a Mac *if* I didn't want a tablet PC.

Maybe I will jinx this, but I've had my Lenovo for 4 years and never gotten the blue screen of death!

It's not really fair when people compare a $500 HP to a Mac. Yes, your mac will be worlds better than the cheap PC. But it will f(x) about the same as a business Lenovo, just with different features. The price is similar (PC slightly cheaper for same f(x)) and it's more of a direct comparison. I have a cheapie PC netbook for traveling and I don't expect it to do much more than surf the net and create text documents. If I do more, it gets a little overloaded & confused. That's fine for $150. If all you plan on doing on your computer is surfing the net and writing documents, then you can go with the cheapest configuration. Most vet students do slightly more and need mid-range computers, but it's more rare to need a top-of-the-line computer.

Plus, I think people forget about using the school computer lab. Obviously depends on your university, but I loved using the massive desktops (iMacs 😍) to write research papers and do anything where it helped to have multiple windows open at the same time. I never felt the need to buy a huge desktop even though I used one all the time.