atam07

i'm majoring in bioE and i was wondering if there are any specific laptops i should consider. i was thinking of just getting a macbook (free ipod D), but i thought maybe i should get some suggestions.
also, i heard some people say that there might be specific specs your laptop need for certain majors? is that true? are there any for bioE?

Slorg

No, you don't need specific laptops for certain majors. You don't even need a laptop at all, honestly. Desktops are cheaper, though at times inconvenient.

dollybee10

Do a lot of folks bring their laptops to lectures and discussions? Besides your dorm and the libraries, where else would you need your laptop?

astrina

search the forum!

computer

Slorg

Laptops hinder more than help in lectures. Most students with laptops surf the internet in class.

atam07

i've already settled on a laptop.. i'm more concerned about how much space i'll be needing. and processor speed. if i buy a black macbook.. is it a good idea to just leave it as it is and not have it upgraded?

Slorg

Aren't black macbooks ripoffs compared to white macbooks? Has this changed?

atam07

the black macbook ($1499) has a 250gb harddrive and the white one ($1299) has 160gb.
the cheapest one ($1099) is the white macbook 2.1ghz 1gb memory with a 120gb harddrive--is that enough?
and you get $100 off on macs

or the sony vaio CR ($1169.99)
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T8300 (2.40 GHz, 3MB L2 Cache)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium
Features: 14.1" LCD XBRITE-ECO™ display, 3GB RAM, 320GB hard drive, 802.11a/b/g/n wireless LAN, Bluetooth®, built-in camera & microphone

i'm just not too excited about using the vista os

KGZotU

120GB-160GB hard drive is fine for most users, and unless you're doing anything too heavy computationally 1GB of memory should be fine. I'm guessing that if you are looking at a Mac you aren't looking to wring out gaming performance.

There's a lot of negative rhetoric out there about Vista; I'd try it before you decide you don't like it. There are both legitimate and illegitimate gripes about it.

Also, don't just price off of Sony: they're known to have high prices and they don't have a particular reputation for quality. My favorites for quality and price are Lenovo, Dell, and HP. HP's a little iffy at the lower price points, though.

Cheers,
Joe

battleidiot

dell has personally caused me a lot of personal grief...

just make sure u have warranty is all im saying.. haha.. xD

feesha724

Oh I hear you on that one, battleidiot...Dell was my first laptop and it worked well for me for a year...which is how long of a warranty I had...lol...

Slorg

Atam, doesn't it only cost $50 to upgrade the white hard drive?

atam07

thanks for the input guys. yea i agree about the sony price bit and yea i'm not a gamer.
hmm i think i'm leaning towards a mac... especially if the specs are enough. yea... upgrading the white harddrive to a 160gb memory is 50$ and upgrading the RAM to 2gb is 100$
i might just upgrade the RAM... because i found an external harddrive lying around... yea

battleidiot

on another note..
who here is intending on joining N.E.R.D.S?

d(^_^d)

hit me up if y'all are

RobotHenry

unless you are going to be some kind of artist that involves you saving lots of video footage, raw audio, or high quality photo, 160 will be way more than enough. if you're an artist, you'd have a secure external hard drive for your files anyway.

i've wanted to get a 15-inch macbook pro for a long time, but i've come to realize i only really want it because it looks amazing and that the people at ucsd aren't really people who are going to judge anyway. you can find a laptop with the same spec'd out guts from another manufacturer for far less the price of a mac.