Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
MBP For Computer Science?
- Thread starter A Hebrew
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
A few thoughts:
1. fair amount of CS work is platform independent, and much of the stuff that isn't benefits from OS X. The unix roots of the OS means you get a huge number of transferable skills and neat little tricks that you can then apply to your "home" OS, while still retaining one of the best UIs ever designed.
2. I haven't noticed anything particularly laggy about running either one of my Linux distributions (Ubuntu and Fedora) or my Windows VM via Parallels. I prefer it to VMWare, but your mileage may vary.
3. The whole point of buying a MBP and then running VMs is you spend your "not on a VM time" in OS X. Don't buy the Windows version of Office if that's the case - you keep dumping more and more of your computing time into Windows 7, and at that point, you should have gone with a Lenovo.
4. A MBP should last quite some time. I was into my 5th year of grad school when my MBP started feeling long in the tooth. And it still ably soldiers on doing its job, because frankly, while it's old, the high memory node on the cluster its sending jobs to is brand spanking new.
5. 13 inches is a bit small for coding. Or in my mind, most primary computer usage, be it term paper writing, coding, etc. If I *just* had a laptop, I'd consider 15 inches the minimum, or if I really wanted the portability of a 13 inch machine, I'd go buy a decent external monitor.
Also this. When it comes down to it, if there's any sort of major resource requirement to anything I've written, its running on a server. Once you SSH in, it doesn't really matter what you're using, save for your own personal preferences.
I'm a software developer (real-world programmer for 6.5 years, studied CS in college even though my degree is in another subject) and I own a 15" MBP with the HR screen. I find the 1680x1050 resolution to be sufficient, and I think the 1440x900 (15" MBP non-HR) would probably work for most people, but not everyone. The 16:10 aspect ratio offered by the MBP is hard to find on any other laptops these days and the extra vertical lines help (more lines of code or tool windows or whatever).
You mentioned the HP DV6T Quad earlier. I owned one of those for a little over two weeks before I returned it. The price was good, but the resolution (1366x768) wasn't enough for me and the trackpad was horrendously bad. The stock battery (6-cell) had a pretty meager charge lifespan too.
So I should consider getting a refurbished 15" MBP too? It would be covered for up to 3 years if I get AppleCare if something happens other than me dropping it or spilling on it, right?
I would be getting a LogiTech mouse no matter what the track pad quality is...so it is not a big deal unless it is VERY bad.
I would be getting a LogiTech mouse no matter what the track pad quality is...so it is not a big deal unless it is VERY bad.
AppleDApp
macrumors 68020
I didn't read every response but I did lots of computer science classes in high school and was in a similar situation.
Ideally for programming a larger external monitor would be best.
office for PC is alot better then Office for mac
get as much ram as possible, I currently have 4gb of ram on my 2010 13" MBP and it can lag when switching between mac OS X and windows. More VM=more RAM. Buy your ram from a 3rd party apple overprices RAM.
Consider a mac if you think you'll do programming for iOS
look into buying the mac from the apple education store or refurbished (often refurbished is cheaper edu)
Apple care is starts on date of purchase of the mac.
mobilehaathi
macrumors G3
I personally find screen real estate to be exceptionally important while writing code. It helps my productivity to be able to throw a few windows side by side. Ideally I have a nice large high resolution external monitor, but when working on a laptop I find that the high res option for the 15" is about as small (in total pixels) as I'd want to go.
Refurb is probably worth checking out. You also might consider eBay. You can probably find a 15" with 8GB of RAM installed (and maybe even an HR screen) for less than $2000 and some sellers even include AppleCare (it's transferrable).
Is installing RAM easy on the MacBook Pro? It doesn't void warranty/AppleCare does it? Would the RAM I would be getting be this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-list...p?ie=UTF8&qid=1326080932&sr=8-1&condition=new
I do not intend to get deep into programming for at least a year into college, so I will not worry about an external monitor until I have experience coding and such. I never have had an issue sitting in a chair with my old GATEWAY laptop sitting on my lap typing up long reports so I am hoping coding will not be an issue, though that does not really compare so well.
I do not wish to purchase a computer from Ebay because it is always a hit and miss buying from Ebay, I would prefer to get a new MBP or a refurbished one that is guaranteed by Apple. Just a quick note to a person that posted above: You can get educational discounts on refurbished computers too, it is just not as much off.
The main reason I am considering a Mac is so I do have experience coding for iOS or at least get the opportunities to try, but of course there are other reasons too.
I do not intend to get deep into programming for at least a year into college, so I will not worry about an external monitor until I have experience coding and such. I never have had an issue sitting in a chair with my old GATEWAY laptop sitting on my lap typing up long reports so I am hoping coding will not be an issue, though that does not really compare so well.
I do not wish to purchase a computer from Ebay because it is always a hit and miss buying from Ebay, I would prefer to get a new MBP or a refurbished one that is guaranteed by Apple. Just a quick note to a person that posted above: You can get educational discounts on refurbished computers too, it is just not as much off.
The main reason I am considering a Mac is so I do have experience coding for iOS or at least get the opportunities to try, but of course there are other reasons too.
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
AppleDApp
macrumors 68020
HDD and RAM are user replaceable parts and do not void apple care. Installing new RAM is easy
This RAM is less expensive http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/Apple_MacBook_MacBook_Pro/Upgrade/DDR3_1333MHz_SDRAM
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
If i could do it over again I would get a refurb because they are basically the same thing! If anything goes wrong, Apple covers it. Win-Win situation in my book.
To answer some of your previous questions, yes the base model would be enough for most everything. I mean im looking at it this way. If my 2+ year old macbook pro can run everything I want fine (struggles with some games but that's the integrated GPU's fault), then a brand new i-series MBP would be more than enough for your needs as well!
Yes VMware software runs amazing. Windows sucks in my opinion in general. its a freakin' resource hog and your battery life would go down to 2hrs from like 7hrs. With that being said, yeah it runs fine on bootcamp. I hate virtualizing windows because I'd need an assload of RAM dedicated to the VM and I only have 4GB RAM (thinkin' about upgrading though). But its not that big of a deal running windows in a VM.
Trust me, an MBP is totally worth it in the long run. In all the time I've had my MBP, I've never had any sort of problem whatsoever, and I seriously mean that. No viruses, no random breakage of software, nada. This is speaking from purely anecdotal evidence though, so take it with a grain of salt.
mobilehaathi
macrumors G3
I honestly don't see any compelling reason not to go Mac if that is what you want. Do it!
As mentioned above RAM and HDD are user replaceable, and pretty easy to swap (especially RAM).
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
Price 🙁
I do think at this point I want a MBP, price is holding me back. I currently have around 4,000 USD to spend on general college items, I do not want blow half of it on just a computer...
mobilehaathi
macrumors G3
That's fair. How much do you want to spend? There isn't anything wrong with the 13". It is perhaps not ideal for those of us who are cranky about screen space, but it is a fine machine.
I want to keep the total cost of:
Office
VMWARE
The laptop
mouse ($30)
Any upgrade
Warranty/AppleCare (EDIT: NEVERMIND, I will earn more money during college to get it next year)
Under 1,500 USD
I got laid off of my job at K-Mart (lol) or I could have a higher budget. If I can get a job before summer starts I would bring my budget up to around 1,750-2,000 USD
Office
VMWARE
The laptop
mouse ($30)
Any upgrade
Warranty/AppleCare (EDIT: NEVERMIND, I will earn more money during college to get it next year)
Under 1,500 USD
I got laid off of my job at K-Mart (lol) or I could have a higher budget. If I can get a job before summer starts I would bring my budget up to around 1,750-2,000 USD
When are you buying? There will be new models in spring, if you buy for college in fall there's no point of obsessing with it now.
I would go for a 15'' refurbished model, which you can get below $1500. Add AppleCare and you got your three years of warranty.
I just looked into the bigger Lenovo Thinkpads, it's difficult to find something that will be significantly cheaper...
I obsess with everything I do. I had my college and major planned out my summer before the start of Junior year. I like having a game plan, looking at the new MBPs coming out they will probably up in price, which is not good.
EDIT: I intend to buy the MBP, or other laptop, in July, the refurbished 15" probably would not be out and if they were it would not be noticeably cheaper.
EDIT: I intend to buy the MBP, or other laptop, in July, the refurbished 15" probably would not be out and if they were it would not be noticeably cheaper.
mobilehaathi
macrumors G3
Does VMWARE offer you anything that VirtualBox doesn't?
Do you need MS Office? Or will LibreOffice or iWork suffice?
Do you need MS Office? Or will LibreOffice or iWork suffice?
VMWare offers more stability.
I just found this out a while ago, we have a Microsoft Office 2007 CD with 1 out of 3 spots open, so I could just install it onto the Windows OS, so that can be taken out of the total, since 2010 isn't that much better than 2007.
I just found this out a while ago, we have a Microsoft Office 2007 CD with 1 out of 3 spots open, so I could just install it onto the Windows OS, so that can be taken out of the total, since 2010 isn't that much better than 2007.
Didn't happen in the last years. PC hardware gets cheaper over time, not more expensive.
Well, it's hard to know that... so it's hard to plan so far into the future. What you can count on is that there will be refurbished 2011 15'' models in your price range.
Do you have any form of computer right now? You have 6 more month to figure out whether a 13'' screen is enough for you - at that point it should be easy to decide whether to go for a new 13'' MBP or for a refurb 15''.
D.T.
macrumors G4
Terrific post!
I'm migrating to a MBP, a 15" HR/AG (2.3 i7/8GB RAM) and I'm a developer (been doing code/architecture/writing for over 20 years).
On points 2 & 3, I'll be doing Windows development in VS 05/10, and using some other Windows specific dev apps (some DB design/dev tools for SQL and Oracle), and with a moderate machine, the a VM running XP runs pretty solid.
Any computing chores outside of the very specific Windows apps, and I'll be using the native OSX side: iPhoto, iMovie, iTunes, browsing, remote access, email, plus native Office 2011.
It's generally been my contention that if you don't enough of OSX, you should probably just save money and buy an HP or a Dell. While I think there's some notable benefits to the hardware itself, a MBP is kind of pricey for just running Windows.
On point 5, the 13" MBP is a little tight on work space, I even plan on running my 15" on a 24" external monitor for most of my code work (the integrated display will be for occasionally working on the deck, offsite "document work", travel, etc.).
I have a low end GateWay with a broken power input and one broken hinge on the display, I purchased it for 60 dollars last year because I know I could resell the whole thing for over 150 whenever I want to. It is a 15.4" display. I have access to a MBP 13" display at school which I use to study Arabic through Rosetta Stone on, I never really had an issue with the screen size, but that is because it is one window in full screen mode.
It is turning into a trend for Apple to keep there prices at the same amount or go higher when new releases come out, simply because people who have used Macs want Macs again. It is starting to sound like the MBP will not come with a Disc Drive which means I would have to buy an external drive which would add around 40 dollars. So my assumption might be 100 percent wrong....it is just what seems logical to me.
I think I could live with a free VM provider also because I would only be using Windows 7 for required programs that are only available on Windows and Microsoft Office until I just get the half price version from the college I go to for Mac.
For now I think I will be patient and wait for the new MBP to come out before I come back and make another topic...maybe in June or so. Once again, if anyone has tips I will still be checking this topic out and responding to all posts 🙂
It is turning into a trend for Apple to keep there prices at the same amount or go higher when new releases come out, simply because people who have used Macs want Macs again. It is starting to sound like the MBP will not come with a Disc Drive which means I would have to buy an external drive which would add around 40 dollars. So my assumption might be 100 percent wrong....it is just what seems logical to me.
I think I could live with a free VM provider also because I would only be using Windows 7 for required programs that are only available on Windows and Microsoft Office until I just get the half price version from the college I go to for Mac.
For now I think I will be patient and wait for the new MBP to come out before I come back and make another topic...maybe in June or so. Once again, if anyone has tips I will still be checking this topic out and responding to all posts 🙂
Last edited:
I'm a Computer Science major (freshman), and everyone at my school gets a MBP. I love using it for my classes. For my C++ class, I am stuck with XP on VMware Fusion until I buy Windows for BootCamp. VMware just isn't my cup of tea when dealing with Visual Studio, but It gets me by.