<p>I also know I need to be able to run Linux (for comp sci), but … I don’t really know how to do that. Could I successfully run Linux on this laptop and how would I do so? Do I have to do it shortly after getting the laptop or will the people at Maryland walk me through it when the time comes.</p>
<p>Last thing: Everyone seems to recommend getting a laptop from Maryland, but if I wanted a similar laptop from them (in terms of processing, memory, and hard drive), it would be around $1500, while this one is $800. Besides a 4 year warranty, what does this laptop lack that the ones on UMD have?</p>
<p>The laptop you are looking at looks quite good for a computer science / math major. The price for that laptop is so low because it lacks any sort of discrete graphics card (on the Best Buy page the graphics are listed as “Intel HD”). This means, essentially, that you will not be able to play modern games on the laptop. If you don’t play graphics intensive computer games, you should be fine. The i5 is not absolutely top of the line, but it is the newest generation of Intel dual cores and should keep you going for a while.</p>
<p>Linux isn’t terribly hard to set up, especially these days when versions like Ubuntu exist (with users like you in mind - low technical knowledge). The problem is that not all laptop drivers are fully supported by default on Linux, and while some workarounds exist, yours isn’t guaranteed to be fully functional after a fresh install of Linux. You’d probably need someone with at least marginal experience to get everything tweaked and set up properly. If Linux is required by your major, they will almost certainly be able to help you get it set up.</p>
<p>So, to answer your questions:</p>
<p>-The laptop you’re looking at is cheap because it uses an integrated graphics card, and is not designed for playing modern games or running graphics-intensive applications.</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Linux can be installed on any computer quite easily (see [Ubuntu</a> homepage | Ubuntu](<a href=“http://www.ubuntu.com/]Ubuntu”>http://www.ubuntu.com/)), but you may lack some functionality until you tweak it a bit. Plenty of help should be available from the University and online. </p></li>
<li><p>You can run Windows and Linux on the same computer. This is built into Ubuntu (the Linux version I recommend) by default, and you can choose which operating system you want to load when you turn the computer on.</p></li>
<li><p>When the time comes that you must have Linux installed and working, they will almost certainly help you get it set up.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>For a comp sci major, go for 6 gigs of RAM if you’re planning on running W7; if you just want Linux and only Linux, without the dual boot, 4 gigs should be fine. The graphics card is crap-nonexistent, actually. 500 gb memory is fine, you’ll fill it up faster than you think though. Put memory size is basically irrelevant past, say 200 gb because you can buy a very small portable external hard drive for under a hundred. I just ordered a 1TB portable HD for a hundred bucks.</p>
<p>i5 is okay, but not great by any means. Overall it’s an okay laptop, but you could definitely get more bang for your buck elsewhere. Plus, Best Buy will load your laptop with crappy bloatware.</p>
<p>Oh, and Ubuntu or Mandriva or even Fedora should be fine. Just takes a bit of getting used to.</p>
<p>If you’re going to get a Dell, try to order it through Dell’s website so you can get the educational discount. I’m not sure if that particular laptop falls under that program, but I just ordered one from them (an Inspiron, but not the same computer) and got the discount.</p>
<p>It’s $100 more than the one you listed but has higher specs in almost category except for GHz on the processor. But, if you don’t do PC gaming, the extra cash going towards the graphics card, video memory, larger screen, and subsequent lower battery life isn’t really needed. </p>
<p>You could also considering going another route and purchasing a Mac, as a large majority of software developers prefer using them. Of course, this depends on what area of CS you want to venture towards.</p>
<p>By the way, where did you hear that CS students need to run Linux? I know a good amount of the professors use it as their OS, but I hadn’t heard it was required.</p>
<p>I’m a computer engineer major, and I’ll be bringing a thin/light notebook for going to class, and my homebuilt computer for the dorm (overclocked quad core i5).</p>
<p>I’d recommend some sort of discrete graphics card on your laptop, even if you’re not gaming.</p>
<p>I would also say that the mobile i5 line is decent, and 4GB of ram on a laptop is passable. If you’re multitasking that much you can upgrade it yourself. With the money you save from buying outside of the school, you can upgrade earlier if you find your laptop performance to be slowing down.</p>
<p>Also, if you’re buying online, alot of vendors have Bing (lol) cashback, I think bestbuy is at 10 percent, and HP was at 30 percent</p>
<p>I am going to be a seniors in high school and my top choice is UMCP. I also want to major in Computer Science. This upcoming year I will be taking AP Comp Sci in my High School. My SAT scores were not great at all to be honest but I will be taking the in October again. I heard UMCP was very easy to get into if you went in through Computer Science. But their Computer Science is top ranked in Universities.</p>
<p>@Muse101 - I just assumed it was required because, whenever I ask for advice, I was always told to make sure I could get a laptop that could dual boot Linux.</p>
<p>By the way, it turns out that this laptop is bundled with broadband service. Therefore I would have to pay an extra $40 a month form this laptop. Yeah…I think I’m going to pass on this one.</p>
<p>However, the Dell Studio 15 looks like it be a better alternative. It has a better processor (i5-520M vs i5 - 450M), a better graphics card (1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5470), and a better battery (9 cell). Also, after the education discount, it becomes $830. The only bad side is that it’s Dell and I have heard that Dell isn’t the best place to get a computer. </p>
<p>UMCP admissions is the same across the board…or harder, if you are trying to get into one of the limited enrollment programs (LEP), like the business school or engineering. It would be no easier to get into Computer programming than it would be going in as an undeclared major. Your GPA and SAT scores are the two most important criteria, and it is more difficult to get in if you are out-of-state, because there are limited spots for out-of-state students. If you are from NJ, it appears it is even more difficult, because of the sheer number of people from NJ who apply to UMD. That said, they have an excellent Computer Science program.</p>
<p>Back to the OP, my oldest D will be a senior and she got the Dell that was part of the package offered through the university. She set it up so it dual boots…She uses Linux most of the time (because she is a Windows-hater!), and only uses Windows on applications that require it. She’s been very happy with it, but she is not a CS major (ha, see my screenname). If she were to buy one now, she says she would probably get a Mac, btw. I think she’s used the UMD onsite support 3 different times. At the time, the same computer was very similarly priced out on the online sites, but without the 4-yr support. It was a good choice for us, but the prices may be significantly different now. fwiw.</p>
<p>@astrophysicsmom - Honestly, I don’t really care what kind of computer I get. I just want something that isn’t expensive and works. Our family’s (only) desktop is an eMachines computer with Vista and 512 MB RAM and I still run Eclipse on it (just can’t run Firefox at the same time :P). I am willing to make significant sacrifices (as long as it doesn’t make a task impossible) for a cheaper price. The reason I have been avoiding the UMD site is because a laptop with similar specs runs about $1400 (and that’s a Dell, meaning Windows). An apple computer would be much more expensive. I’ve also always had Windows, so I would rather just stick with it. My computer doesn’t have to be advanced, I just want it “future proof.”</p>
<p>If you’re okay with lugging around an 8 pound laptop look at this, haha
HP Pavilion dv7t Notebook Quad Core i7 Laptop + ATI Radeon HD5650 1GB Switchable Graphics + Free 6GB RAM $899.99 FREE SHIPPING - SlickDeals.net Forums</p>
<p>Haha, I have this. Nice specs, but the weight is a huge pain in the ass, more so because I have the bigger battery, though. It’s cheaper than what I got it for and with more RAM, though. It has a number pad on the keyboard, which is nice, but not necessary. The wide screen makes watching movies really excellent, lol.</p>