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Should I get a MBP for college?
- Thread starter Dr Tetromino
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Why don't you check with the Computer Science department at your University? If you are going to be running Windows all the time because that's the OS your department uses, it makes no sense to get a Mac and never use OSX.
Bootcamp = Windows. Parallels/VMware Fusion are very nice as well, but authorization issues with some important software are still a hassle (i.e., Microsoft Office).
OS X is a lovely operating system, but depending on what you are doing in school Windows might be a must-have. For example, if you are a business major, you will want Windows so you can have Excel on Windows. Excel for Mac does not compare. As bad as Microsoft Access is, it is a standard and the basis for most Management/Accounting Information System courses and only runs on Windows.
You should be able to get a license for Microsoft Windows 7 and Microsoft Office through your school on the cheap. It's a win-win if you ask me.
My favorite Windows machine right now is my Mac Mini 4,1 which runs Windows 7 pretty much exclusively. It makes a great home theater PC.
Windows 7 is a lovely operating system as well. Having a choice is very nice, and running it all on one machine is great.
If your school is anything like mine you won't be using your laptop much in class. My computer science department has labs that all of our classwork is done on. Laptop would only be used for homework. I wouldn't worry much about compatibility unless the Computer Science department at your University/College specifies PC only. I haven't done much with Parallels but it seems decent enough. Boot camp however is amazing. Makes the Mac much more worth it. Being able to run Linux, Windows, and Mac OS all on the same machine is an awesome tool. I don't think you will be disappointed with a Mac.
As for AppleCare check to see if you have any Authorized Service Providers around you. I thought the same thing you did, AppleCare isn't worth it since I don't have any Apple Stores around me. I found out that Authorized Service Providers honor AppleCare. Regardless I would still recommend it. It could potentially save you hundreds or thousands of dollars. Even if you have to ship your MBP in for repair it would still be worth the coverage.
As for AppleCare check to see if you have any Authorized Service Providers around you. I thought the same thing you did, AppleCare isn't worth it since I don't have any Apple Stores around me. I found out that Authorized Service Providers honor AppleCare. Regardless I would still recommend it. It could potentially save you hundreds or thousands of dollars. Even if you have to ship your MBP in for repair it would still be worth the coverage.
bro take my advice as a student who just finished freshmen year at college...
-i got a MBP and it was the best decision i made. everyone i know at school who had a PC either got a virus, broke their computer somehow, or had problems because it was too slow.
Get a MBP! it is well worth it. the 13 inch IS the best for college. I got a 15 and kind of regret it sometimes because it's kind of a pain in the ass to bring to class.
-Also regarding parallel or bootcamp.. i installed windows 7 professional on my MBP VIA bootcamp and love it. it runs smoothely and sometimes I think windows 7 is faster then OS X.
by far a college kid essential is to get a good computer. MBP is EASILY the best option for a college student. it's durable, reliable, and ****ing sexy.
good luck next year
-i got a MBP and it was the best decision i made. everyone i know at school who had a PC either got a virus, broke their computer somehow, or had problems because it was too slow.
Get a MBP! it is well worth it. the 13 inch IS the best for college. I got a 15 and kind of regret it sometimes because it's kind of a pain in the ass to bring to class.
-Also regarding parallel or bootcamp.. i installed windows 7 professional on my MBP VIA bootcamp and love it. it runs smoothely and sometimes I think windows 7 is faster then OS X.
by far a college kid essential is to get a good computer. MBP is EASILY the best option for a college student. it's durable, reliable, and ****ing sexy.
good luck next year
I was a Computer Science major and used a macbook pro for the last 3 years of college. It was actually more compatible for classes than a Windows computer would have been because most of the programs we had to write were Unix or Java-based. It was nice to be able to run the programs on my local computer rather than having to always connect remotely to their Unix server.
For one class, I ran Windows in VirtualBox (a free alternative to Parallels or VMWare Fusion) so that I could do an ASP.NET website, and it worked great.
The nice thing about Macs is that you can always run Windows when you need to.
Integrated graphics will be just fine; I am running the integrated graphics on my MBP with an external monitor and it works great.
You absolutely want as much RAM as you can get, particularly if you are doing VirtualBox. Do not get anything less than 4GB, since some of it will need to be dedicated to VirtualBox. My MBP has 4GB, and it is fine unless I am running VirtualBox and Netbeans at the same time (but I probably allocated a little too much RAM to VirtualBox).
For one class, I ran Windows in VirtualBox (a free alternative to Parallels or VMWare Fusion) so that I could do an ASP.NET website, and it worked great.
The nice thing about Macs is that you can always run Windows when you need to.
Integrated graphics will be just fine; I am running the integrated graphics on my MBP with an external monitor and it works great.
You absolutely want as much RAM as you can get, particularly if you are doing VirtualBox. Do not get anything less than 4GB, since some of it will need to be dedicated to VirtualBox. My MBP has 4GB, and it is fine unless I am running VirtualBox and Netbeans at the same time (but I probably allocated a little too much RAM to VirtualBox).