Best Laptop For CS major

Which laptop would you recommend for a computer science/math/physics student. We know this person wants a MacBook Pro but we can’t decide if 15” is better enough to warrant the price difference from 13”. If you or your student used one, which size would you recommend. As college students carry things around all day, 13” seems a better size to us but wondering if for a CS student it’s a fast enough computer to use? A smaller screen may cause eye strain as well.

As several families are pitching in to sponsor this gift, cost shouldn’t be too big of an issue.

Top of the line would be either the MacBook Pro or the Dell XPS either 13 (9360 or 9370) or 15 (9560 or 9570) If you want the ultimate flexibility, the Dell XPS 15 2 in 1 (9575). The XPS gives you a little bit more bang for the buck IMO than the MacBook Pro.

As far as size goes, most college kids can get away with a 13 inch nowadays, much sharper screens and if the person goes home or to a dorm, they would plug into a bigger monitor anyways. However my kid is a multitasker, he usually has multiple things going on which makes the 15 inch necessary, and he spends a lot of time at Starbucks or the library. ( He has a 9560 btw).

I point out the Dell XPS versions because you might see a couple hundred dollar price difference between computers with pretty much the same specs and wonder why. The 9x60 models came out about 3 years ago. The 9x70 models came about about 2 years ago, and the 9575 model came out earlier this year. A place like Best Buy would only sell the later models, while a place like Amazon might have every version under the sun.

I would also think in a college environment battery and boot times are going to be important as students frequently change locations. It seems a solid state SSD drive would be a better choice over a traditional large size HDD hard drive.

The college dept web site usually has recommendations for tech kids. The school may have price discounts through the mfr. Ime, it’s usually Apple and Dell.

You need to know the specs the dept recommends. So check their web pages.

Got my son this 2 years ago for engineering
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/msi-15-6-laptop-intel-core-i7-16gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1060-1tb-hard-drive-256gb-solid-state-drive-aluminum-black/6211744.p?skuId=6211744

I have bought many computers from Apples refurbished section. Same warranty but just less costs. This is from Apple not a third party.

https://www.apple.com/shop/refurbished?afid=p238%7CsjFItAiXM-dm_mtid_1870765e38482_pcrid_267778434709_&cid=aos-us-kwgo-brand–slid–product-

In my subjective opinion an an IT person, I don’t think it’s worth the price difference. A 13 inch laptop should do fine. I do recommend a few things.

First, don’t buy a used one. You likely won’t find out if it has problems until it’s too late.

Second, you want to get a computer with a full protection plan. You’ll be surprised how often those devices get dropped, lost, stolen, and submerged in swimming pools.

Third Make sure either you or your parents subscribe to Google Drive and make sure the app is installed on your computer. It works like any other folder to save your assignments. NEVER use the computer’s memory to store your assignments. Always save your work on Google Drive. If the computer gets destroyed, and you have a term paper stored on it, you’re out of luck. If you have Google Drive, and your computer gets destroyed, you can just download the app on the new computer and BAM! your term paper magically appears.

Thank you posters.

I would get a refurbished Dell XPS from the Dell Outlet; You can find them as low as $800 during sales, plus you get like 3-4 years of warranty.

I believe Apple offers a discount for students, if that helps.
https://www.apple.com/us-hed/shop