Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Latop or Desktop for college?

You also have to realize that most college desks aren't big enough for desktops. Mine isn't, having a laptop helps this.

From what I've heard in your situation you'd benefit from a laptop provided that the G5 makes it into the laptop before you go to school.
 
Freshman this year and love my 12" PB. Wouldn't have it any other way. I actually have room for OTHER THINGS on my desk besides my computer. Not so with most others in my residence hall. And it is so nice to be able to take it down to the lounge if my roommate is sleeping or I just want a change of scenery. Also great to take to the library.
Someone said it already I think, but unless you really are going to use all of the raw power of the G5 doing hardcore rendering etc., the PB will have you covered. And especially as a freshman you probably WON'T get to do all the cool computer stuff in whatever major you are chosing because you will be busy with gen ed requirements.
Get a PowerBook
 
I bought a new PowerBook 15 inch Aluminum when they first can out. Mine has developed those adorable little white spots, so I'll have to take it in for repairs over Christmas break, but I take it everywhere. It's powerful, reliable, and I absolutely love the portability. If you think that you'll never be taking the computer out of the room then get a desktop. I am flying home and over to Taiwan, and I know that having my computer available along the way will be a great way to occupy the 20 hour flight as well as get my work done.

I vote laptop. I didn't even realize how much I'd use it until I actually started to.
 
Desktop vs. Laptop

I've used a laptop throughout college—now on a masters—and its been really useful for a few reasons:

1. Portability, you can go to the library, the coffee shop, a friend's dorm room, class, the mall, the union, etc. This gives you some flexibility if say your printer dies, your local internet connection dies, your roomate has decided to take up guitar and can't get through the first five bars of 'Blackbird' without screwing up, etc. (Thanks Chris!)
And now with wireless you can go without cables.

2. Space-savings, dorms are tiny, the desks miniscule and quite simply a desktop and tower use a lot of space.

3. Performance, Apple's laptops are very powerful for most things. Futhermore, I'm not sure what your major is, but I can't imagine anyone but an architecture student, graphics design pro, etc. using the power of a G5.

I have my PB and it works rediculously well for me, being able to take notes in class, access my mail, complete research using wireless points, etc. It's awesome.
 
So it didn't seem out of place to open up your Powerbook in class and start plugging away?
 
Originally posted by ethernet76
From what I've heard in your situation you'd benefit from a laptop provided that the G5 makes it into the laptop before you go to school.
Click to expand...

G5+Powerbook=bliss.

But like a lot of people are saying, I really won't need a G5 for what I'll be doing.

However, I do want whatever it is I buy to last a while. That's my main issue with Powerbooks: relative lack of upgrades.

I guess I could always use some of my money for a Powerbook next year and save the difference for a tower later on.
 
I type

...like a superfreak, so I just used Word until a journal program called MacJournal appeared, now I use it also:

Macjournal

And no, I just sit down, whip it out and start banging away. In some classes, I will keep it in my lap so people can see my face during discussions and I put it away when things warrent it.

Futhermore, while laptops do offer a limit to their upgradibility, things like memory and drives can be done, plus the Powerbooks often enough connectivity: Firewire, USB 2.0, BT, PCI cards, to expand its capability. Granted you're not going to be able to change out the video card, install extra drives, but I like I said before, most undergrads could get away with a glorified typewriter; a high-end desktop is often overkill.

(Edited for poor spelling, bad grammar, and ignoring the content of other posts.)
 
Re: Laptop Laptop Laptop

Originally posted by sjcaguy
Life in college is much more nomadic and mobile than you may think. You basically never live in the same place for All the arguments about studying are good, but in some way you have to consider the transience of your lifestyle during college.
Click to expand...

Thanks for bringing that up. The fact that I will be moving around a lot never really occured to me, much like the possibility of taking a computer with me if I study abroad.

I'm obviously a complete n00b when it comes to college life, which is why I started this thread.

Any other comments, in this thread or the other would be greatly appreciated. :)
 
Re: Re: Laptop Laptop Laptop

Originally posted by job
Thanks for bringing that up. The fact that I will be moving around a lot never really occured to me, much like the possibility of taking a computer with me if I study abroad.

I had forgotten about that, when I lived in the dorms we had to move out almost all of our stuff during the Winter break, then we completely vacated our rooms during the summer, and when we returned the next semester we move to a different room. Add that to going home to see my parents a few times, and a desktop would have been an extra burden. If you decide to do a semester at sea, or abroad a laptop will be much easier to deal with.
The good thing is, you have time; I would wait until you're actually at school, then you can buy your new computer at the college store at the educational discount and get exactly what you need. By August of 2004 ('05?) Apple may have released a tablet or some other device or update to make this whole discussion moot.
Great tactic to start saving now.
Click to expand...
 
I started college with a desktop only. At the end of September I ordered an old IBM laptop off of eBay. (iBook is on the way)

College is a time when you experiance an entirely new level of freedom that you could have never even considered possible in high school. Beleive me, you will want a laptop. There have been so many times when I have spent entire days at the library, or at a friends apartment, etc. that I have been so glad to have a laptop. The fact that you can have your computer with you, ready whenever you need it becomes more than just a cool thought, it becomes an integral part of your live that you literally can't function (socially or acedemically) without. I know this sounds like an overstatment, but I know there are plenty of people out there who know exactly what I mean.

Computer labs....they are a joke....if you need to use a computer while you are in the "acedemic" area of the campus, your better off walking home than waiting in line.... This is not a problem if you have a laptop, especially now that most schools are at least partially wireless (my school has the library, SUB, and about half of the acedemic buildings set up...more on the way)
Heck, even if you never take your laptop out of your room, its so nice to be able to relax in bed while surfing/chatting. I am so in love with wireless that I am getting a 802.11 base for my dorm room!

As for your concerns over the abilities of the hardware in laptops....the sacrifices you have to make for portability are not as bad as they used to be....if you want to see for yourself, just stop by an Apple Store or Comp USA and try out the iBooks and PB's...you'll be impressed how much something an inch thick can do! :) Just for an example, my roomate is a Communication Design major (anything and everything graphical), and he is getting a 15" PB...like basically everyone else in the major....(2nd largest CD program in the country).

Personally, if I were you, I'd wait for a little bit....the G5 Power Books should be out by summer, and are sure to give mroe than enough power to put your future-proofing fears to rest. :D
 
If you don't need the power go with the laptop. Although I cheaped out and got an iBook instead of a PowerBook, I've never regretted the lower power -- my iBook does everything I've needed it to do faster than I can think about it, and the smaller size means that it will fit on a classroom desk (that is a concern if you'll be using it in class). Typing notes can be a hassle in class (compared to using paper) but makes it A LOT easier to go back and study later (although not as often as I probably should). Sometimes I'll record lectures on my iBook also with a program like SimpleSound for OS 9 (am I proving I've been at this for too long??) or Audio In for OS X.

I used to type my notes in ZWrite, but now that ZWrite is so ridiculously out of date, I'm stuck with MS word until I can afford to pay for ideaSpiral.
 
or best of both worlds...

You may not be able to find an "old pismo" easily, but I've recently tried out a new iBook's keyboard and it is now very similar to the PowerBook's. $800 EDU for an iBook to take with you, and so you get the second of the line desktop... if you really need it.

(I got a 12" PB anyway, and it has been wonderful for the less-than-a-month I've had it, as I've gone back to school...).

Before, I was using a secondhand PB1400 and a secondhand PB520 before that (all after my second year of college). It made so much difference to have a laptop. I personally have trouble writing legibly quickly, and can type at least four times as fast. Having the laptop has allowed me to keep up with the instructor as they're writing on the board instead of being two boards behind. I used BBEdit Lite for most of my notes (easy to save as .txt files for people who took the time to e-mail me if they missed part of class). For stuff that required graphs or wierd notes, I used apple/clarisworks drawing program with the pencil tool or had a piece of paper with me. In the notes, I would put in brackets [see drawing A] and label my scribbles accordingly. If I wanted to after class, I copied the text into Word and inserted the graphics in the appropriate spot, and that made for a good review. I didn't end up doing that very often.

When I first started college, I took with me my brand new powermac 6100. I ended up using the computer labs a lot more than my desktop machine as we didn't have ethernet (so I'd be tying up the phone, or unable to get on due to roommate gabbing) or couldn't work in the room because I was too distracted by roomie's laughing at the TV and such. I would have loved to have taken the pb to the lounge rather than having had to go "fight for a computer" at the labs. Granted, the desktop served well once I got out of the dorms and into my own place.
 
So would the size of the 17" Powerbook be too large?

It seems that most people have opted for the smaller 12/14" Powerbooks/iBooks instead of the 15/17" Powerbooks. Any reasons why?
 
size

You'd have to see what types of lecture halls you will be subject to (all of them.) 99% of college students are subjected to large classes in lecture halls because they are core-requirement classes that everyone has to take at some point.

Some will have the "two chairs to a table" setup, where a larger notebook would be fine, but a lot of others have theatre style seating with a swing up-and-across half-desk type of thing.

Not only are you crammed into the too-closely-spaced chairs with 200 of your closest classmates, but the writing surface is small, and might not be big enough to balance the 17" on without jabbing your neighbor. (forget about propping one leg up on the other... your foot will either jab your neighbor or your leg will go to sleep :) )

Other classes may have the classic blue/colored plastic chair with either a fixed writing surface or a fold-up one like in the "theatre style" seating, and both bring up the same issues.
 
the first two years, i had a desktop, the second two, i had an iBook.

The iBook was 1000x better. I was able to take it to the library, basement, where-ever.

and vacations, like thanksgiving or semester break was so much easier. For thanksgiving, i often had to work on papers, so taking the iBook home was quick and easy. and i couldn't live without my computer for a month over a break, so i would bring my desktop home, which is of course, sucky.

iBook or powerbook. whatever you choose, go lap top.
 
I've had my powermac for 4 years and i'm thinking of upgrading and being in college i want a laptop for notes, and portability...

but the one thing i'm worried about is my addiction to Mac-rumors Forums, and MSN ... at least with a desktop i don't take it with me and if i leave my house to study ... i can unplug, i don't know if i could do the same with a laptop (psychologically speaking off-course).

But it would be nice to write my papers outside
 
Go for the desktop!

Your main concern, as is mine, is the life span of your computer. Towers notably have a much greater life span than that of a notebook. I have yet to buy my G5 (waiting till next year) but have had absolutely no problems having a desktop. I rarely have seen people in lecture halls with laptops anyways. Get a desktop with a nice monitor... it'll last you much longer, and be much more comfortable to use in your dorm room. If you put the tower on the floor, and have an LCD monitor...this computer is actually taking up less space than a laptop. There's little need to be moving your computer as much as other people say it is. If you're planning on living at college and going home at most once a month, you'll be fine. It's not necessary to lug the computer home each time. Only winter and summer, and just keep your old PB at home for emails, etc. To counter the travel abroad statements, if that comes up, you can adjust accordingly. It's always easy to buy a cheap laptop off of eBay for your word processing and email, etc.

Get the desktop, you won't regret it!
 
just noticed one of your earlier replies

Your G3 laptop will probably hold you through the first (say,) semester of classes, and during that time, you can evaluate what your needs are during that time.

(It also allows more time for the G5 to get into the powerbooks, and maybe if they're intro'd in June, then rev B in January? Note: any dates are pure speculation.)

You'll have the money sitting in savings, so if in the first week you decide you definitely need a smaller laptop, you can visit your campus store and get it... I'd wait a few days before getting the bigger ones though... the smaller ones will be about the size of one of your textbooks and you can "toss" it in your backpack (encased in a sleeve). The bigger ones, especially the 17", will be a little harder to do that with, and you'd likely want/need to get a separate laptop bag-- neon signal! "I'm an expensive laptop!" ...(and it's one more thing to carry... ugh)

You will probably find that your current laptop will be fine for taking notes (keep a notepad and pen/pencil with you just in case, always...) and you may want to have the desktop/tower at "home sweet dorm" ... put it under the desk and have the LCD screen as others suggested, and you'll have room on your desk to fill out worksheets, lab reports that must be done on graph paper, and the like.
 
I imagine that lots of people prefer the 12" size because it's just so compact--computers of that size are generally light, very easy to take with you, and have a tiny footprint on a desk. A friend of mine recently got a 12" Powerbook after some deliberation because she's always on the go and generally has long days; she felt that even small differences in weight and size would add up over time. And because she generally concentrates on one thing at a time (I haven't seen her open more than three applications at the same time, ever), the loss in screen resolution isn't a big deal for her.

OTOH, I have a 15" Aluminum Powerbook (waited several months for it, in fact) because I felt that the difference in weight weren't big enough to be a big deal, and preferred the larger screen and higher resolution. I typically have lots of windows open, many with palettes, and wanted the widescreen configuration. I also find it easier when doing massive rewrites of papers because I can pretty much have two Word windows open side by side. That's just how I work.

As for the 17", others may disagree, but I feel like it's too big to be used as a true portable; I haven't really played with one for a decent amount of time, but I don't think it's easily moved off a desk. That may be okay with you, and if so, you might consider getting one. But if you're thinking of taking it to lectures or around campus with you, it may be too big to be comfortable.

At the risk of repeating myself and others, it's about how you work. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, and you might want to head to an Apple Store if you haven't already done so to see how big (or small) everything is.
 
15 is the shizznit

The problems with the 17" are its size (inherent in such a screen size, but nonetheless) its weight, almost 7 pounds, and its shorter battery life. The 12" is a great computer, but offers a smaller screen and cannot have as much memory as the 15" PB. The 14" iBook, I believe is not as good as the 12" iBook because its offers a larger and heavier computer without the extra screen realestate you get with the 15" PB.
Right now, I think the 15" PB offers the best of all things. If you desperately need more screen, buy a flat panel and hook it up when you need it.
 
LAptop:

never discount the annoying roommate factor. It is hard to study if your roommate is sleeping, one the phone, using her webcam to chat and so on.

With a laptop you will be able to go to the library, cafe, grass, patio, airplane, train station, subway.....

And do you really want a big g5 tower underneath your super cramped dorm room desk. The g5 is pretty big.

In the past laptops did not offer much power...but these days everything you can get in a desktop is in a laptop (well almost)

But if you have one of those roommates who never left the room like I did you will be glad for the laptop.
 
I'm currently in my Junior year, and like you plan to do, I waited until just before I left for school to buy myself a Mac. I bought a 500 mhz iBook with 640MB of RAM, a combo drive, an AirPort card and an AirPort Base Station. this would've been like Aug. 2001. At the time, this thing was one of the best iBooks available.
I was a little worried about its longevity, but I still use it for everything, including some light photoshop work. The only additional purchases I've made are a 40GB Firewire drive and a refurbished 5GB iPod. I've kept the OS up to date, and with Panther's speed increase, I don't see myself buying another machine until after graduation. This laptop still turns heads, and has helped me make many a Mac convert while sitting in the Student Union on the WiFi there. Plus, my Airport base station is what my roommates and I (my iBook plus a Win2000 machine and two XP Dells; all desktops) use for the networking in our house. I've had 0 problems and can't imagine how bad college would suck if I couldn't pick up and go to the coffee shop or the union or anywhere I wanted to and still be productive. My iBook is indispensable, and I imagine you will find a portable to be the same.

Oh yeah, and in three years when your purchase is aging, you'll love watching your friends sit behind their six month old Inspirons and offer to trade you computers. ;)
 
Ahh.. I remember this debate very well before I went off to school.

I chose desktop and thought it was the right decision at the time. It was cheaper, faster, and since I really didn't move around much with my computer it was great. It was also a PC. My desk was a little cramped with a big 17" CRT on it (I thought getting a 19" would be way too big).

Junior came around and so did 'switching,' and I couldn't be happier with my laptop. It does save a lot of room on the desk which is good, but at the same time you really never have a 'set-up' that you do with a big monitor and such.

If you plan on doing a lot of homework away from the room, then yes a laptop is great. Also, your major plays a big difference. If you are going to do intense video editing, then maybe a desktop is great. Finally, does your school have WiFi? If so then a laptop would be awesome.

All in all I just restated the obvious, but in the end it's up to you in your needs. Either way I am sure it will be great! Have a fun and safe time in college.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back