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College Computer Advice

B

blasto333

macrumors regular
Original poster
I know there have been many threads already on what computer to get for college, but I think my situation is slightly different.

I will be going to R.I.T (Rochester Institute of Technology) for software enginnering. The college is in my hometime, but I will be living on campus.

Right now my dad has an iBook G3 900mhz 640mb of RAM. I currently use it, because he doesn't need it now. He said I could buy it from him for college for around $600.

But my question is, should I buy a different computer or just buy the iBook for college.

The other computers I am considering are:
*iMac G5 20' screen (When the new one comes out)
*Powerbook 12' screen.

Both these computers are at least double the price of the iBook that my dad is offering to me.

I plan to use the computer for programming, e-mail, web surfing, iTunes, chat, writing papers, and using iPhoto or Photoshop elements once in while.

My opinion is that the iBook is more economically and should meet most my needs, but it is pretty hard to resist the powerbook or the iMac.

What computer do you think will work out best in a college environment?

PS: The software enginnering program at R.I.T is a 5 year program (1 year is a co-op)
 
Have you considered the current iBook's? Kindof a half-way point between the one your dad is offering, and the latest powerbooks.
 
Wow.....for $600, I'd rather buy a brand new iBook for $999, hoping that the next update brings 512MB of RAM standard with it.

But sure, it'll work. It'll probably work quite well as long as you're not doing anything crazy on it. iPhoto and Adobe Elements and some light PS is all you should be doing on it.

I was going to buy that exact same iBook a few years ago. Its a good system. 🙂

But yeah, I'd still buy a new iBook at that price. You don't even have Altivec/Quartz Extreme on that iBook, which definitely helps in many applications, including OSX itself. Without it, it won't feel as snappy, not even with the 900MHz G3. You need a G4 at this stage in Apple's plans. Not sure if you need a 12" Powerbook, as it doesn't offer you much more than an iBook does (for what you plan on doing with your computer).
 
If you need portability, go for an iBook if you would like it to connect to a external display then thats powerbooks territory. Depends on price and need. If you have your sight on a desktop the iMac looks mighty sweet.r
 
i strong recommend getting a high res external display. if you are doing something computer intensive for an extended period of time, you will really grow to appreciate the extra real estate.
 
I use that computer (albeit at 800MHz instead of 900MHz) and it does everything I need. of course I'm a bio major, not software engineering, so it may or may not be powerful enough for you. I do use photoshop pretty often however, and while it can be a little slow at times, it's perfectly useable.

For college, I HIGHLY recommend a laptop. I take mine to all my classes and write my notes onto it. Once you get used to that, it's hard to go back to pen and paper. But I also agree with a post above to check out the current iBooks. Not much more in price but much much more power.
 
or you could ask him to GIVE you the ibook for free, you know... cause you're a great kid looking for a great graduation gift?
 
12" iBook and a Dell 20" lcd, or bargin with your dad ($600 WTF?) and get the dell screen. Or wait till you get on campus for a month, talk with your profs, then get what they (and you) think is best.
 
just remember that the ibook does not support dual monitors...you can hook up an external and view the same image on it but you cannot "extend" your desktop, thats about the only thing that i do not like about my ibook
 
how about a mac mini for your room and an ibook for taking to class? trust me, you dont want to carry a powerbook around campus, unless you're rich, or retarded. i learned that lesson the hard way. now i have a beat up falling apart 15" Ti Powerbook.
 
I do not have an iBook, but there is a hack that will let you use "dual monitier" like a pbook, even with the small 12" dark screen. If you can not justify the apple 23" (who can?), Dell is a great way to go.
 
whenpaulsparks said:
how about a mac mini for your room and an ibook for taking to class? trust me, you dont want to carry a powerbook around campus, unless you're rich, or retarded. i learned that lesson the hard way. now i have a beat up falling apart 15" Ti Powerbook.
Click to expand...

can't see what a mini would give you (over storage) then the ibook? One computer over two is always better.
 
If you are going with software enginnering, will the Mac support your needs? Do they tell you that you'll be learning on windows systems? I guess when it comes to something like that, I'd wonder if it was more about the OS than anything else. For me, when it was architecture it had to be windows. AutoCAD is industry standard and does not run on the Mac. Therefore, if I were to go to grad school in architecture I'd need to give up my mac for a pc...or buy a pc to compliment (or put down) my Mac.

If I were in your shoes I'd ask my school first. Much like Law School, you may be sort of confined to one OS and unfortunately that may not be OSX.
 
Thanks for everyone's help.

I think I will go with the iBook my dad has (I will try to convince him to just give it to me for graduation🙂. It is still a pretty solid computer.

Then after a couple years I will evaulate my options. I might find that I will use the computers at R.I.T anyways. (They have a ton of them)

I guess it is probably better to save my money anyways because I will probably have more fun that way at college

Thanks again,

Chris Muench
 
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