Windows Laptop for Undergrad/Med School

[jgatz2280]

Looking to upgrade my old HP this fall. Couldn't find very many relevant, recent posts that discussed Windows laptops versus just Apple macbooks. Any recommendations for a new Windows laptop that will last my final year of undergrad and into med school?

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[Starry]

What's your budget?

I have a Lenovo Yoga and adore it. Light, slim, fast, sexy, touchscreen...*swoons* But it was definitely pricey.

 

[mcloaf]

I love my Asus Zenbook.

 

[WestCoastNative]

 

[ciestar]

I love my Macbook

Just go to electronics stores and get a feel for them and read some online reviews

 

[Ismet]

I'm a Mac person, but I think a lot of my classmates have Lenovo Thinkpads. They seem pretty sturdy and I've heard they're reliable. I'd avoid HP.

I remember playing Oregon Trail on a dinosaur like that in kindergarten. Also some random game called Freedom!...looking back, idk how that was even allowed to be on the market.

 

[Mr Avante]

Avoid HP; I returned mine seven times before buying a macbook pro.

 

[Microglia]

Before I get the crap flamed out of me, let me put in a disclaimer that I really like MacBooks and see their convenience. Now, let's talk Windows:

If you have a large budget (macworthy 1500-2000):

Razer blade

Pro: It basically looks like a black MacBook Pro, is thinner than a dime, and can run basically anything. Dedicated NVidia GTX GPU, Haswell energy efficient processor, etc. all in a thinner than a dime, portable, 14 inch package. 6 hours battery under light load (streaming and 30% brightness). Also, great quality assurance.

Con: Crappy screen resolution and quality, TN panel (not IPS)

Gigabyte p34g

Pro: Slim, sleek design, with similar abilities to the razer blade. Just a tad but thicker than the blade. Also far superior to MacBook Pro on the inside, dedicated NVidia GTX GPU, haswell energy efficient processor, etc. This one has a 1080p IPS panel. Will also run basically anything.

Con: 3 hours battery, relatively poor quality assurance thus far

Clevo W230ST

Pro: all of the above, in a slim 13 inch form factor. Insides are phenomenal (again way better than a macbook), will also run anything. Most beautiful 1080 IPS panel of the 3, and very customizable (check out xoticPC and mythlogic). Great quality assurance as well. 5 hours battery under light load (streaming and 30% brightness).

Downside: It can run pretty hot under heavy load. Under normal use that's not a problem.

All of these will handle heavier loads than a macbook for the same price. Downside: no one can touch Apple's quality assurance, and convenient nationwide service locations.

 

[Starry]

Before I get the crap flamed out of me, let me put in a disclaimer that I really like MacBooks and see their convenience. Now, let's talk Windows:

If you have a large budget (macworthy 1500-2000):

Razer blade

Pro: It basically looks like a black MacBook Pro, is thinner than a dime, and can run basically anything. Dedicated NVidia GTX GPU, Haswell energy efficient processor, etc. all in a thinner than a dime, portable, 14 inch package. 6 hours battery under light load (streaming and 30% brightness). Also, great quality assurance.

Con: Crappy screen resolution and quality, TN panel (not IPS)

Gigabyte p34g

Pro: Slim, sleek design, with similar abilities to the razer blade. Just a tad but thicker than the blade. Also far superior to MacBook Pro on the inside, dedicated NVidia GTX GPU, haswell energy efficient processor, etc. This one has a 1080p IPS panel. Will also run basically anything.

Con: 3 hours battery, relatively poor quality assurance thus far

Clevo W230ST

Pro: all of the above, in a slim 13 inch form factor. Insides are phenomenal (again way better than a macbook), will also run anything. Most beautiful 1080 IPS panel of the 3, and very customizable (check out xoticPC and mythlogic). Great quality assurance as well. 5 hours battery under light load (streaming and 30% brightness).

Downside: It can run pretty hot under heavy load. Under normal use that's not a problem.

All of these will handle heavier loads than a macbook for the same price. Downside: no one can touch Apple's quality assurance, and convenient nationwide service locations.

I don't know much about computers but I still think my baby Lenovo can stand up to any of those beasts! *throws down glove*

I also agree to avoid hp. I also used to be a fan of Toshiba but now I realize the error of my ways.

 

[Reckoner]

Looking to upgrade my old HP this fall. Couldn't find very many relevant, recent posts that discussed Windows laptops versus just Apple macbooks. Any recommendations for a new Windows laptop that will last my final year of undergrad and into med school?

What do you plan on doing with your laptop? This question is pretty difficult to answer without knowing your budget and computing needs.

 

[ABdrummer]

Anything MSI or Asus, not sure how much you're willing to spend/screen size though. Personally I have the MSI GS70 and I love it

 

[Microglia]

Anything MSI or Asus, not sure how much you're willing to spend/screen size though. Personally I have the MSI GS70 and I love it

Do you carry that to class? It's huge! Haha

 

[milkandcereal]

What's your budget?

I have a Lenovo Yoga and adore it. Light, slim, fast, sexy, touchscreen...*swoons* But it was definitely pricey.

That Yoga 2 tho... Probably what I'm gonna end up buying for my next laptop. I'm super overdue; had the same laptop since Junior year of high school

 

[SpartanWolverine]

I believe some med schools require/highly suggest certain computers or certain features (i.e., HDMI compatibility at one school I interviewed at and a required tablet computer at another)... so I'm not sure how that may sway your opinion. If you're sure there's a certain med school you're likely to get accepted into or attend, maybe talk to students there to see if there's something most utilitarian to get.

 

[Lya]

http://www.amazon.com/Apple-MacBook-MC975LL-15-4-Inch-Display/dp/B007471PZQ

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B007473X6A/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used


Just in case you have even slight interests in looking into MacBooks.

I heard that the newest model is not much different from the old model. Make sure you get a samsung display.

 

[ABdrummer]

Do you carry that to class? It's huge! Haha

Haha not really to class but everyday to the library. It's not that bad since it is so thin but I'd rather have this than like a 13inch. Gets more done but I guess that's just personal preference.

 

[supermintyfresh]

I personally recommend the Macbook Air (newer, 2013 Haswell versions)

They have battery life of up to 12 hours which can last me the entire day and more!

I upgraded from a Windows, high-end laptop (HP Envy 14), which I still use but as a desktop to play games, due to its dedicated graphics card. Its battery life was only 2 hours (even when new), was much heavier, and overheated often.

 

[deleted303591]

I am a Mac fan, but for me, OS X is no longer powerful enough for my needs, as I am working on a very specialized project that basically requires a Windows PC.

I have a Sony Vaio Duo 13" (top-of-the-line) slider notebook. I picked this notebook because of the form-factor. There are complaints about the WiFi on this computer, due to the Intel Haswell chipset, but this should be resolved with a driver update (eventually). I have not experienced this problem, though. The writing is perfect in OneNote, but otherwise, the N-Trig digitizer (versus the Wacom digitzer) sucks, as there is no pressure sensitivity support from Adobe in Adobe software, such as Photoshop.

There are reports of a 20+ hour battery life on this computer, and even with heavy use, I get 10+ hours if I have brightness and battery settings set correctly.

By the way, HP notebooks are considered to have some of the worst failure rates in the industry. http://www.squaretrade.com/htm/pdf/SquareTrade_laptop_reliability_1109.pdf (see page 6)

FYI, I worked as a computer repair tech for 2.5 years and I am an electrical engineering student, if that is of any use to you.

Thinkpads (NOT Ideapads) are typically really good. No matter what, try to get a computer with an Intel Haswell chipset (uses the 4th-generation iX processors), due to performance and battery life.

 

[deleted303591]

I believe some med schools require/highly suggest certain computers or certain features (i.e., HDMI compatibility at one school I interviewed at and a required tablet computer at another)... so I'm not sure how that may sway your opinion. If you're sure there's a certain med school you're likely to get accepted into or attend, maybe talk to students there to see if there's something most utilitarian to get.

You can usually get a good setup if you are technologically savvy enough. If you "need" a tablet and are willing to carry two devices around, the Cintiq Companion Hybrid is supposedly amazing and works on both Macs and PCs. The only problem is that it costs $$$$.

But, unless you have a Wacom digitizer on a tablet, it probably sucks, and I am actually being serious.

 

[McNCheese]

I have the Lenovo Thinkpad X230 Tablet. It's a convertible laptop/tablet, and it's pretty amazing. It's great for annotating notes, and the handwritten text is searchable (in onenote).

 

[Starry]

You can usually get a good setup if you are technologically savvy enough. If you "need" a tablet and are willing to carry two devices around, the Cintiq Companion Hybrid is supposedly amazing and works on both Macs and PCs. The only problem is that it costs $$$$.

But, unless you have a Wacom digitizer on a tablet, it probably sucks, and I am actually being serious.

Dayum that looks bad***. Must...resist....

 

[Sardinia]

I am a Mac fan, but for me, OS X is no longer powerful enough for my needs, as I am working on a very specialized project that basically requires a Windows PC.

I have a Sony Vaio Duo 13" (top-of-the-line) slider notebook. I picked this notebook because of the form-factor. There are complaints about the WiFi on this computer, due to the Intel Haswell chipset, but this should be resolved with a driver update (eventually). I have not experienced this problem, though. The writing is perfect in OneNote, but otherwise, the N-Trig digitizer (versus the Wacom digitzer) sucks, as there is no pressure sensitivity support from Adobe in Adobe software, such as Photoshop.

There are reports of a 20+ hour battery life on this computer, and even with heavy use, I get 10+ hours if I have brightness and battery settings set correctly.

By the way, HP notebooks are considered to have some of the worst failure rates in the industry. http://www.squaretrade.com/htm/pdf/SquareTrade_laptop_reliability_1109.pdf (see page 6)

FYI, I worked as a computer repair tech for 2.5 years and I am an electrical engineering student, if that is of any use to you.

Thinkpads (NOT Ideapads) are typically really good. No matter what, try to get a computer with an Intel Haswell chipset (uses the 4th-generation iX processors), due to performance and battery life.

2.5 years and no love for Ubuntu? Also how does OS X lack 'power' in comparison to Windows 8, are you running executables that can't be wined or some other software compatibility issue. Because I've never seen someone suggest one OS over another due to issues regarding power.

 

[235009]

Another vote for Lenovo. Recently bought a Twist and it's awesome. I use it as both a laptop and a tablet. Looked at the yoga but thought having the keyboard so exposed in tablet mode was sortof awkward.

Btw I'm a MacBook convert. It was time to get a new computer and I couldn't justify paying twice as much for an inferior product (no touch screen for starters). I think MacBooks have jumped the shark at this point as PCs have caught up and in many cases surpassed them.

That being said windows 8 kinda sucks. You can make it suck less by using Classic Shell to make it look more like windows 7/XP

 

[deleted303591]

2.5 years and no love for Ubuntu? Also how does OS X lack 'power' in comparison to Windows 8, are you running executables that can't be wined or some other software compatibility issue. Because I've never seen someone suggest one OS over another due to issues regarding power.

I am using LABVIEW with a certain set of hardware that only has Windows support for the drivers, thus Windows is the only option. Technically, I can reprogram the drivers.

Wine does not support drivers, just the executable, by itself.

 

[Sardinia]

I am using LABVIEW with a certain set of hardware that only has Windows support for the drivers, thus Windows is the only option. Technically, I can reprogram the drivers. Wine does not support drivers, just the executable, by itself.

Yeah. Wine is extremely limited. I'm a stark supporter of anything open source. The price of purchasing Windows 8 is ridiculous and is only rational to me after factoring in their student discount services for University students. My past experience with Dell and HP laptops have been laughable as most people have mentioned previously. I think the last laptop I purchased was a Dell XPS and I had the same problem as I did with previous laptops from the two manufacturers which was an inability to develop a rational layout for the cooling system that didn't make my fan sound like it was screaming after ten minutes of use. The only thing I use my laptop for is for browsing, word processing, and other light processes that shouldn't result in my fan whirring like I'm running twenty sessions of WoW at the same time.

 

[atheon86]

I have the Lenovo Thinkpad X230 Tablet. It's a convertible laptop/tablet, and it's pretty amazing. It's great for annotating notes, and the handwritten text is searchable (in onenote).

I second this. I used the Lenovo Thinkpad X201T and it was perfect for undergrad. I printed all of the powerpoints into OneNote and then wrote on them utilizing the ultrasensitive Wacom digitizer. I kept my onenote notebooks stored on my Skydrive so it automatically synced, and all of my notes for all of my semesters were always at my fingertips. It was also awesome, because many of my professors would post the ppts late, or make changes the morning of class, so all of the people that printed them out would be SOL, or have the wrong slides.

You can't have a better laptop for school, unless you have the cash for this:

http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/tablets/thinkpad/thinkpad-helix/

It may look similar to all of the other convertibles/tablets with attachable keyboards, but the key difference is the Wacom digitizer!!! This thing is a beast.

 

[neurotroph]

I'd also recommend Asus.

An HP was my first real laptop, and never again.

 

[deleted303591]

Yeah. Wine is extremely limited. I'm a stark supporter of anything open source. The price of purchasing Windows 8 is ridiculous and is only rational to me after factoring in their student discount services for University students. My past experience with Dell and HP laptops have been laughable as most people have mentioned previously. I think the last laptop I purchased was a Dell XPS and I had the same problem as I did with previous laptops from the two manufacturers which was an inability to develop a rational layout for the cooling system that didn't make my fan sound like it was screaming after ten minutes of use. The only thing I use my laptop for is for browsing, word processing, and other light processes that shouldn't result in my fan whirring like I'm running twenty sessions of WoW at the same time.

Windows is outrageously expensive. But, most people that are student age are not savvy enough to even use Ubuntu, which makes this not an option. As somebody said before, Windows 8 does suck, in a lot of ways, after using a Mac. But, also as this person said, Windows has caught up, and in a lot of ways, is beating out the Apple releases in both hardware and software. Apple has become a lot more "locked in" recently.

I have a Dell XPS M1330, that I do not use much anymore, and I had a ton of replacements--3 AC adapters, 1 motherboard, 2 optical disk drives, 1 lcd/graphics card (graphics card was bad, but the LCD was integrated with the graphics card so both had to be replaced), 2 hand rests, in 3 years. It still works to this day, but I have it interfaced to a TV at my parent's home for streaming video.

I bought the particular computer I use now due to the form-factor (the slider appearance) because I need to run the computer at all times, and take the computer with me, wherever I go. A Mac was not an option as the fan mechanism relies on the user having the clamshell open, in addition to the software limitations for my particular project. My project is a health-related one, for type 1 diabetes, which I have. I have programmed the hardest parts of the project, which took 100+ hours. The details of the project I do not want to disclose publicly on the forums. I am just trying to make my life easier with controlling my diabetes (which requires 24/7 management with my type) when dealing with a another type of autoimmune disease that I have that currently complicates management and currently takes away tons of energy.

 

[deleted303591]

I second this. I used the Lenovo Thinkpad X201T and it was perfect for undergrad. I printed all of the powerpoints into OneNote and then wrote on them utilizing the ultrasensitive Wacom digitizer. I kept my onenote notebooks stored on my Skydrive so it automatically synced, and all of my notes for all of my semesters were always at my fingertips. It was also awesome, because many of my professors would post the ppts late, or make changes the morning of class, so all of the people that printed them out would be SOL, or have the wrong slides.

You can't have a better laptop for school, unless you have the cash for this:

http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/tablets/thinkpad/thinkpad-helix/

It may look similar to all of the other convertibles/tablets with attachable keyboards, but the key difference is the Wacom digitizer!!! This thing is a beast.

Wacom digitizers are pure awesome, and in my opinion, are the only way to go with tablets. But this computer uses a 3rd generation i5 processor, and will consume more battery in addition to having less processing power.

Fujitsu (very good Japanese brand, but overpriced) and Lenovo are coming out with some 4th gen iX processor tablets, with the Haswell chipset soon. I would consult the website Tablet PC forums for more info.