<p>Incoming freshman here. I'm going into the fall as a Business Information Management major at UC Irvine (so basically business and computer science major). I'm hoping to also minor in Digital Art as well.</p>
<p>I'm debating on Thinkpad 430s vs Macbook pro 13" inch. I wanted to ask what may be necessary in terms of my major. I want a computer that is fast, reliable enough to last me at least 4 years, and will be compatible with for whatever biz/comp sci stuff I may encounter.</p>
<p>Right now I'm debating between a Macbook Pro and a Thinkpad T430s. But I wonder which will be better when I start working on my management and computer sci courses--- which will make it easier for me. Any other brand / model suggestions would be great! </p>
<p>BIG Questions:
Intel processors i5 vs i7?
GHz -- 3.6 necessary?
How much memory -- 4 GB vs 8 GB?
Anything else that will definitely be necessary in a computer?</p>
<p>Money is not a serious issue IF long term it will make school easier for me and it will last. Because I'm working with loans, the cheaper the better! (:</p>
<p>I have a macbook pro 13" and I love it!! I actually find it nicer than the larger size… handy to carry (it fits in my purses) and it’s basically unbreakable. definitely not a comp sci person, so I can’t help with your questions, but I just thought I’d share my experience!</p>
<p>@bluenotebook2 i personally love macs; i use one at home (family desktop computer, so I can’t take it to school :P). But in my HS we use windows, so i’m comfortable with any format. What’s your major @bluenotebook2?</p>
<p>high school senior, actually but I bring it to school all the time. most of my schoolbags are those coach totes and it fits nicely even with textbooks and binders! it’s very fast even though I have about 4 different protein structure ID programs and a crapload of other stuff downloaded/saved on it. very, very satisfied!</p>
<p>@bluenotebook2 darn! haha well if you look at the thinkpad its slightly thinner and lighter with a larger screen, so portability isn’t really an issue! i’m just debating now on laptop specs and what would be more compatible for my major i appreciate your input though!</p>
<p>Nice combo of major/minor. My curriculum was/is similar.</p>
<p>Windows for CS. It will be a hassle of your professor wants you to download some windows software for an assignment and all you have is your mac. Most of the stuff will be multi-OS or substitutable. but still not worth the potential hassle.</p>
<p>Mac is popular for digital art but not at all mandatory.</p>
<p>You can get software to run on any OS nowadays but I just don’t understand why you’d put yourself through it.</p>
<p>I don’t really know any programmers who use macs unless they’re specifically writing stuff for apple gadgets. It’s a tie between windows and linux.</p>
<p>Hmm I’m def not leaning to Mac, but I’m considering it because a lot of other students in my major have chosen a Mac (even the president of the comp sci council at UCI apparently has an air!). But I don’t know it it is because the Mac hype or because a Mac is a better option.</p>
<p>I do like the look of the Mac. I have a desktop Mac and it seems speedy. </p>
<p>While the T430s isn’t that great looking, will it be fast? Does it really matter between i5 and i7? I always thought memory mattered more and hard drive space.</p>
<p>Do you happen to know the durability of this product and the lifespan? I’m hesitant for less expensive products simply because I want a lasting ability. I mean, like I said the cheaper the better, but for laptops like dell and toshiba I haven’t heard a great deal of satisfaction. (dell comes from my experience and toshiba is from friends’ experience)</p>
<p>Oh and also can anyone tell me the difference between NVIDIA and Intel HD graphics? On the thinkpad it’s quite a huge jump
In price to add it on.</p>
<p>I’m not a fan of Toshiba or Dell either, but this particular product is great for a college student. You should not look at the brand of a computer, but instead look at its structure. You friends probably bought a cheaper versions of Toshiba that cost around 450$, without looking at its battery life and other specs. But, overall Toshiba is definitely better than Lenovo. In addition, the only thing that I don’t like about Macs is that they do not have a reasonable price, and I personally do not like to pay more for something that doesn’t worth it. (if you value all of the parts of the Mac, it will probably come up to 800$) </p>
<p>In terms of a computer speed, the most important things that influence your speed are the processor and the type of a drive you are using, HDD or SSD. Watch these videos to see the difference:</p>
<p>If you plan on playing games on your PC, then you should consider getting either Nvidia or AMD Radeon dedicated video cards because Intel HD are only useful for watching movies and running basic programs.</p>
<p>I am a CIS major (which is just what MIS is called at ASU) and I have a MBP and I love it. It definitely comes down to which you prefer, but I do love my MBP.</p>
<p>I will mention that a lot of the programs you’re sure to be running aren’t available in Mac OSX. I run Windows through Parallels, which is a great program that allows you to switch between OS’ without having to reboot.</p>
<p>I personally stand by the solid foundation that you know a MBP will give you. I have had mine for three years and it’s still running like the day I first turned it on.</p>
<p>Every business school that I’ve been to requires thinkpads, so that’s saying something. I went to Bryant and we all had the same one loaded with great sophomore. I loved it.
Every computer science major I know (about ten) would never touch a mac for what they do.
Macbooks are for fun, not for being reliable computers for intensive majors.</p>
<p>I agree with Toshtemirov. Get the Nvidia card if you plan on playing games or doing video editing, but the Intel graphics will be fine for web browsing, email, etc.</p>
<p>I majored in business and took quite a couple of CS classes. I have a Windows laptop and don’t regret it. For business, you definitely want a Windows PC. You will use Excel a lot, and Excel for Windows is much better than Excel for Mac. The other MS Office programs for Windows are generally better than their Mac counterparts. </p>
<p>For CS, Windows is generally better than Mac. However, most of my professors preferred Linux, so I wound up working out of the computer lab a lot. If you want, you can install Linux on any Windows computer for free (and I believe and Mac computer as well).</p>
but I bring it to school all the time. most of my schoolbags are those coach totes and it fits nicely even with textbooks and binders! it’s very fast even though I have about 4 different protein structure ID programs and a crapload of other stuff downloaded/saved on it. very, very satisfied!</p>