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

Will a MBP good for a CS student joining college this year.

N

niksynik7

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 22, 2008
26
0
I am gonna join CS engineering this year.
I wanna know if MBP will satisfy my needs .
I dont know what kind of a computer is required by a CS student.
Pls Guide me.
And also, will a windows laptop be better than me.
If you suggest a MBP , then which one should I buy.(I will only go till 2.53ghz MBP-13 or 15 - suggest)
If I want to run windows(through Bootcamp) , will it run perfectly as it runs on WIN laptop ie. everything will work from keyboard to isight(with msn), backlight ,trackpad,9400m.etc.
Thanks
 
Please don't bump threads. ;)

Computer Science and Computer Engineering are generally two different majors, and the former can be done with even just a MacBook, but engineering might require a dedicated GPU (depending on your track).

Why wouldn't everything work?
 
Tallest Skil said:
Please don't bump threads. ;)

Computer Science and Computer Engineering are generally two different majors, and the former can be done with even just a MacBook, but engineering might require a dedicated GPU (depending on your track).

Why wouldn't everything work?
Click to expand...

Thank You for your reply
I will be pursuing Computer Science. Will a macbook be ok?
Pls answer other questions I have asked above.
 
niksynik7 said:
I am gonna join CS engineering this year.
I wanna know if MBP will satisfy my needs .
I dont know what kind of a computer is required by a CS student.
Pls Guide me.
And also, will a windows laptop be better than me.
If you suggest a MBP , then which one should I buy.(I will only go till 2.53ghz MBP-13 or 15 - suggest)
If I want to run windows(through Bootcamp) , will it run perfectly as it runs on WIN laptop ie. everything will work from keyboard to isight(with msn), backlight ,trackpad,9400m.etc.
Thanks
Click to expand...

I 'm sure any macbook will "satisfy" your needs.
Will you be using any intensive applications? If so i would suggest a 2.53 pro with 4 gigs of ram, and if your going to be playing games, or 3d rendering look at possibly getting the more powerful graphics card.

Bootcamp, i 've been told runs seemlessly, and in some cases faster than a PC. I don't have bootcamp however.
 
Jamesthatcher said:
I 'm sure any macbook will "satisfy" your needs.
Will you be using any intensive applications? If so i would suggest a 2.53 pro with 4 gigs of ram, and if your going to be playing games, or 3d rendering look at possibly getting the more powerful graphics card.

Bootcamp, i 've been told runs seemlessly, and in some cases faster than a PC. I don't have bootcamp however.
Click to expand...

Well, actually i am not that awarfe what kinds of programs i will run,a CS student can help me, and no one i wont be playing very powerful games regularly but sumtimes very occasionally.
 
niksynik7 said:
I am gonna join CS engineering this year.
I wanna know if MBP will satisfy my needs .
I dont know what kind of a computer is required by a CS student.
Pls Guide me.
And also, will a windows laptop be better than me.
If you suggest a MBP , then which one should I buy.(I will only go till 2.53ghz MBP-13 or 15 - suggest)
If I want to run windows(through Bootcamp) , will it run perfectly as it runs on WIN laptop ie. everything will work from keyboard to isight(with msn), backlight ,trackpad,9400m.etc.
Thanks
Click to expand...

Interesting question as it has been asked since I first came here, how nothing changes. The hardware is amazing at the moment and will be fine for anything you do.
 
no, i am not even thinking about the white macbook in front of the uMBP.
The design is just awesome.
 
Yea any of the current Macbook Pros should be able to handle anything your Computer Science classes require. You'll probably have to boot camp into Windows for software like Visual Studio etc. though.

Windows in Bootcamp works well, but some say the drivers are kinda wonky (the backlight keyboard kinda just stays lit or off, no auto-sensing the ambient light). The trackpad some say in Windows also acts weird. No big deal if you use an external mouse though.

For size, depends if you value portability or screen-size more. If you carry your laptop daily with you to class/student union (to do HW/projects) maybe a 13" would be easier to carry for you and when you get back to your dorm just plug it into an external monitor for "desktop mode". The 13" is limited to a nVidia 9400m graphics though, so if you play any intense games occasionally that may suffer. If you don't move the laptop a lot you can think about the 15" MBP for a bigger screen, and better graphics card (only the $1999+ models have the 9600GT, however). The weight difference is like 1lb (4.5lb vs 5.5lbs) but also have to take into consideration the laptop's dimensions taking up space in your bag.
 
I see these questions all the time and wonder why a student planning to go to "x" university would want uninformed opinions from random strangers instead of going to "x" university and asking current students what they use and current teachers what they recommend.

It's just like the people who call radio shows for medical advice instead of seeing a doctor in person.
 
dacreativeguy said:
I see these questions all the time and wonder why a student planning to go to "x" university would want uninformed opinions from random strangers instead of going to "x" university and asking current students what they use and current teachers what they recommend.
Click to expand...

Because for the sciences, the curriculum doesn't differ significantly from institution to institution. "x" university might not be close enough, and since it's summer there won't be many people around anyway.
 
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