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Mac For University?

R

rambunctiousvie

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 22, 2012
2
0
Hey guys,

I'm going into my first year of University in September and I need to get a laptop. I'm deciding between a Macbook Pro or a Lenovo U410

I won't be gaming on it, only downloading, streaming, browsing etc.

I need someone to convince me to get a Mac or not. I've used a PC all my life and I feel that I'll miss it because I'm so use to it. I know you can run programs like Parallels on the Mac.
 
honestly, for your usage, you won't benefit at all from going windows to mac.

but if you were to get a mac, i'd recommend a macbook air. super light and more than powerful enough for your needs.
 
Learning to adapt to Mac for basic needs isn't difficult. You may feel like it'll be tough transition but it isn't. If you're a torrent guy like myself, you'll likely never have to worry about viruses, one of the major reasons I know many make the switch.

The real beauty in mac is the machine itself, whatever that maybe (Air, Pro, etc)
 
rambunctiousvie said:
Hey guys,

I'm going into my first year of University in September and I need to get a laptop. I'm deciding between a Macbook Pro or a Lenovo U410

I won't be gaming on it, only downloading, streaming, browsing etc.

I need someone to convince me to get a Mac or not. I've used a PC all my life and I feel that I'll miss it because I'm so use to it. I know you can run programs like Parallels on the Mac.
Click to expand...

If you've used Windows for your whole life, and you like it and think you'll miss it... Why do you need a Mac?
 
mohsy90 said:
Learning to adapt to Mac for basic needs isn't difficult. You may feel like it'll be tough transition but it isn't. If you're a torrent guy like myself, you'll likely never have to worry about viruses, one of the major reasons I know many make the switch.

The real beauty in mac is the machine itself, whatever that maybe (Air, Pro, etc)
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm a torrent guy
not worrying about viruses is such a plus.

mrsir2009 said:
If you've used Windows for your whole life, and you like it and think you'll miss it... Why do you need a Mac?
Click to expand...

I always thought that Mac's lasted longer, my sister got a mac at the same time my brother got a dell xps and it is already outlasting his pc.
 
As stated above, for your needs a Windows laptop would be cheaper and serve you just as well

But if you get a Mac, I too would recommend an Air for you
Great machine, ultra portable and capable
 
Get a Mac [ long time Windows guy myself ] and use boot camp to install Windows! Now, you have a dual boot machine and the best of both OS'es with rock solid hardware and customer service!! :D
 
Get the new ASUS Zenbook. Cheaper, better spec than the MBA's, and you wont have to relearn a new OS. It also has excellent build quality and a MUCH MUCH MUCH better screen (1080p IPS).

If you do go with a Mac though, as others have said, a MBA is the way to go, although it'll cost you a truckload more over the ASUS.
 
rambunctiousvie said:
Yeah, I'm a torrent guy
not worrying about viruses is such a plus.



I always thought that Mac's lasted longer, my sister got a mac at the same time my brother got a dell xps and it is already outlasting his pc.
Click to expand...

I've never had a virus on any one of my Windows machines. My W7 desktop has been rock solid and has crashed the same number of times as my mac - zero.

I bought a 13" MacBook pro in August 2010 for University. Here's why I've found it invaluable:
- lightweight and portable making it easy to carry across campus
- insane battery life so no need to pack the charger for the day/library shift
- very reliable - I have had no issues with mine

I've recently dropped in an SSD and 8gb of ram and my machine performs lightening quick for my uses even with its dated core 2 duo processor. If you can afford it, push for a 13" MacBook air and you will be very happy. It has a higher resolution screen than the 13" pro and flash storage as standard so it will be very quick especially with what you intend to do with it.

My regrets? I wish I had saved up a bit more and bought a 15". I think I would have really benefited from the extra screen space. Don't get me wrong though, the 13" is still an awesome machine and the screen size should be enough for your uses.

By any chance are you from the UK?
 
What are you majoring in?

If it's a computational science, then I'd suggest a Mac due to OS X being a Unix. If its the physical sciences, you might be better off with Windows, since lots of sensor and machine software is Windows only. If its a social science or the humanities and you'll mostly be using it to write papers, you can't beat a MacBook Air.
 
I would go for the macbook air/pro myself. Windows and me have never gotten along. OSX is not hard to learn, and less viruses is always a plus when dealing with torrents.

Just remember a pro can be upgraded by you, an air cannot. So you may want to see what you value more. Weight and no upgrades (MBA), or a little bit more weight, but be able to upgrade in the future (MBP).
 
kuwisdelu said:
What are you majoring in?

If it's a computational science, then I'd suggest a Mac due to OS X being a Unix. If its the physical sciences, you might be better off with Windows, since lots of sensor and machine software is Windows only. If its a social science or the humanities and you'll mostly be using it to write papers, you can't beat a MacBook Air.
Click to expand...

Exactly. OP asked about using the machine for everything BUT school, yet titles the thread 'Mac For University?'

It's a tool. Get the right tool for intended use (find out if the OS applies to the most important thing -- your studies).
 
rambunctiousvie said:
Hey guys,

I'm going into my first year of University in September and I need to get a laptop. I'm deciding between a Macbook Pro or a Lenovo U410

I won't be gaming on it, only downloading, streaming, browsing etc.

I need someone to convince me to get a Mac or not. I've used a PC all my life and I feel that I'll miss it because I'm so use to it. I know you can run programs like Parallels on the Mac.
Click to expand...
Personally i wouldnt buy macbook because after living in a college life there are so many things that could happen.Like air conditioner that caused my room wet to the double room problems.İ am just in a summer program and dont know which university will you be going.İ just mentioned this to take for your consideration :))
 
Student Discount!

I've written this article for anyone who want's to buy a Mac for University with tips on using your student discount!

http://samuel-gould.com/2012/08/20/want-a-mac-for-university/

I had to make the choice for Windows/Mac at college, and found that I would need a Mac for my course - since then I wouldn't even look at getting a Windows computer at all. With a long history of using windows, I know how frustrating it can be when it randomly installs software updates that mean nothing, and then restarts. I've had no problem with updates, virus', nothing since, so it's a wise move!

My mates have gone down the windows route and ended up replacing them, therefore spending nearly as much as they could have spent on 1 mac but on say 2 or 3 pc's...
 
14% student discount and a 3 year warranty for £50 is what sold it to me, a warranty that will last as long as im at uni is ideal. and the fact it probably doesnt even need it lol! you'll also get a £70 itunes voucher free
 
For your needs, it sounds like you don't need a $900+ laptop (Which is what all macbooks are, currently.)
If you're worried about viruses, just get a decent security suite for your PC (Kaspersky)
 
13" Air should tick all the right checkboxes for a first-year uni student. Lightweight, portable, solid, enough power to chew through schoolwork without any problems. You said you won't be gaming, so the lack of a discrete GPU most likely won't bother you.

If you find that you absolutely need Windows, you can always install it via BootCamp. (And most schools have very large discounts on MS software, so it probably won't be all that expensive to do so legally)

Depending on the subject matter, you may want to max out the ram.
 
it depends on what your university would recommend...

if you want more simplicity, longetivity and got productivity, then get a mac.

if you want more compatible software, and a cheaper price tag, get a windows PC.

like the others, i too would suggest no bigger than 13" on a macbook (provided you go this route :D), but in all i would suggest a 13" macbook pro as it's internals can be upgraded, such as the hard drive and the RAM, which could come in handy when your machine slows down a bit in the future..
 
If you're on a budget get the Lenovo. Otherwise you can spring for the Macbook Air 13 which will more than suit your needs.
 
Never had a virus on a windows machine either. Got a couple in DOS but I did it intentionally from a 5.25" floppy.

While viruses are more common on the Windows platform, it all comes down to common sense and carelessness. It's like swimming in the ocean. Never swim against the current, and if you see something that looks suspicious swim away from it.. Don't touch it.. Which unfortunately is most people's first intention. :p
 
mohsy90 said:
If you're a torrent guy like myself, you'll likely never have to worry about viruses, one of the major reasons I know many make the switch.
Click to expand...
If you torrent, you do, however, need to watch for trojans, as there have been several pirated apps that contained trojans. If you install one of these, you could be introducing malware to your Mac, even though there are no Mac OS X viruses in the wild. Exercising caution and practicing safe computing is always prudent; even more so when torrenting.

Mac Virus/Malware FAQ
 
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