'll be a freshman next year and since I plan on majoring in CS, my parents have offered to buy me a laptop. I don’t really have a preference, though I’ve seen the Surface Book, Macbook, razerblade, and XPS 150 and think they are all good for the most part.
I play some games that require decent processing power such as ARK and Battlefield 1. However, since I most likely wont have time in college this isn’t a big deal.
The requirements I’d like for my laptop include the following:
-Portability
-Storage
-Ports- as in if I wanted to connect a mouse and keyboard
-Processing power for compiling
-Good graphics (I really want this) like HD or 4K monitor
Thanks for the advice! Looking to keep this all four years in college
Be sure to check MIT’s specific requirements, they should be listed on the accepted students section of the website!
For CS classes most computers do the trick. Since you want to play games skip the Mac. I don’t play games and use a MacBook Pro. Whenever I need Windows or Linux I use my schools (UCLA) remote server or parallels. Any of the PCs you listed would be great. Battery life is crucial for a laptop in college (You’ll be surprised) as is weight. I’d get the surface book or xps 15.
@10s4life I know macs aren’t that great for gaming, but in all honesty I would not mind it at all. Just so I wouldn’t be completely tempted to be distracted.
@cameo43 Unfortunately, they just have extremely basic things online, and there’s nothing more detailed on the admitted student portal.
MIT has actual requirements listed on their website for laptop specifications so be sure to check with that first.
I’d check with MIT or MIT focused forums but beyond that here’s my 2 cents:
For CS, it’s hard to beat the availability of both native and unix development tools on the Macbook Pro. You can do all/most of the same things on a PC, even install a dual boot OS to get linux on the same box, but most professional developers just go with the Mac. I switched from a PC/Linux box to a Macbook Pro a few years ago and was astonished at the productivity gain. Get plenty of memory, a decent processor, and an extra monitor for your dorm.
My son built his own PC (tower) and keeps that in his room for gaming. Apparently many of his friends have similar setups. He waited until mid-term in his first year before deciding to bring his gaming system to campus…which I strongly recommend.
As long as it runs Linux.