<p>Hello all. I'm a senior in high school and I'm saving up for my own computer for college at minimum wage :'( I'm not sure whether I should get a laptop or desktop. </p>
<p>After weighing the pro's and con's of each, I decided to build my own desktop; more power for less money and less threat of it getting broken/lost/stolen. </p>
<p>Somewhat ironically, during my research process I came to realize how much I love computer tech, and I'm seriously considering majoring in Computer science/engineering. </p>
<p>Now I'm rethinking my computer choice. Should I stick with my more cost effective and more powerful home-built desktop, or should I spring for a quality laptop? One option I've been thinking about would be to go ahead and build my computer, and then buy a relatively cheap laptop next fall for classes. </p>
<p>Will most computer science/engineering departments supply computers for the class, or do they expect students to bring their own? Does the computer in question need to be powerful to run the applications that the class will use? What do you recommend? </p>
<p>If you’re going to buy a cheap laptop and build a desktop, how much would that cost?
Would it be more than just buying a laptop alone?
But both options are fine, and most programs that you’re going to be using can be run on a relatively cheap laptop so don’t worry about it.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Laptop is for portable, and if you dorm you probably want to re-think about customize a desktop yourself.</p></li>
<li><p>People are very wrong today that they believe higher CPU and higher RAM means great gear. Wrong. Decent CPU out there, plus 2GB ram, and a very decent SSD will outperform most others.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Supply? Hell no. Well it depends on the school, but I am sure most schools don’t supply them. It’s a computer, not a calculator-_-</p>
<p>No any Core2 will run just fine. Even those crazy MATLAB programs are fine. Trust me. </p>
<p>The laptop that I have is my first laptop. I had used laptops made from 7 years ago, and 5 years ago, respectively. They were slow - but I was able to run MATLAB (the performance was, of course very bad -.-).</p>
<p>If you need a recommendation - Lenovo Thinkpad Edge 14" is fine. Just get the i3 one. Get a decent SSD. Now SSD is very expensive - I bought 60GB because that’s how I need for the use. I use my laptop for class (I realize I really need one this semester for my computer science class, and for study aid). </p>
<p>Again, don’t go crazy like the public :]</p>
<p>Tell me about your perfence though. I can help you to select some good gears out there.</p>
<p>“Supply? Hell no. Well it depends on the school, but I am sure most schools don’t supply them. It’s a computer, not a calculator-_-”</p>
<p>I guess I misspoke. I meant to ask if the class would take place in something of a computer lab or not. </p>
<p>Yeah SSD is so expensive now. I thought I would wait a few years and see if the price would eventually come down. That’s one reason I like desktops, they’re much more easily upgraded. </p>
<p>Do you think a mid-tower computer would be too big for a dorm?</p>
Huh? How does having a faster CPU and more RAM not equate to higher performance, or “great gear”? Have you heard of benchmarking? Even in the presence of some bottleneck, you would probably get some level of higher performance. There are people who would consider “great gear” to be top-of-the-line only.</p>
<p>EDIT: @OP, most schools do not require you to have your own computer; there will be computers in class, or if not, you will likely have access to computer labs for HW assignments. Mid size would likely work–I know people who have brought full towers to their dorm.</p>
Hmmmm No. You can build a good one under $700. The only expensive thing is the ram. It’s so damn expensive -_- </p>
<p>@ Sithis
True, but that’s not what I meant. You don’t compare to the most advance gear out there, which cost you $2000+.
If you are comparing a computer in the range of $1000 or under, then my statement is very true. Look at varies suppliers like HP, Lenovo, Dell, Compaq, Apple, Asus, Toshiba. </p>
<p>If you go piece by piece, then my graphic score will be very low because my laptop uses the Intel on-board graphic. If you are comparing the screen resolution then obviously Lenovo is never comparable to the Apple’s. But my boot time is less than 10 seconds, and my read rate and writing rate from my SSD is around 193MB, 120MB last time I checked. </p>
<p>Moreover, the point is about getting the most out of the less. 2GB is sufficient for general purpose. Even if you go to 4GB, fine, obviously what is left is your hard drive performance. But pushing everything to 4GB, getting the most awesome i7 and no use of that amount of performance is waste of money. Instead, saving such $300 on a good SSD, or good HDD is worth a while. Well if you want to bolster your memory performance then i5 or above. </p>
<p>If you want your system to run smoother, then obviously XP is still your choice.</p>
<p>^Well, I guess I was just looking at it from the perspective of a PC gamer haha. Still, I do feel like anyone can get more bang for their buck by shopping selectively and building their own PC, otherwise you tend to pay more for less.</p>
<p>Depends on your courseload and what you choose to do in your free time. If you’re going to be taking a medium load (15 units containing a few sciences) and joining a few clubs, you should have a decent amount of free time to do what you want. In college it’s all about how you budget it and a lot of people I know actually have more free time than high school.</p>
<p>So bring your games down =D (assuming you have self-control unlike me).</p>
<p>Don’t bother with a desktop. You really should get a laptop. It’s extremely convenient to be able to take it with you when you will inevitably have to work on some group project, especially if everyone else in your group has one. I had both a laptop and desktop in college and I definitely used the laptop a lot more for school stuff.</p>
<p>Be very careful about majoring in CS just because you enjoyed putting a computer together. That process has nothing to do with CS, or any other major I can think of!!</p>
<p>Weight 6.6lbs
rofl…
So damn heavy. Can’t HP and Dell people make their computers more lighter =_=
I meant I have the CD drive too…
Not bad, but I bet the HDD is 54000.</p>
<p>@fatpig: Ha don’t worry. I’m planning on going to a school that has a lot of options. I’m not set on CS or anything else. I know I’m going to change my mind a couple of times before I actually declare a major. I’ve always loved using and learning about computers and how they work (hardware and software). I remember when I was in 8th grade or something I tried to teach my self how to program with HTML. I wasn’t bad haha</p>
<p>@Indianpwnerdude: That computer is sold out but I won’t have too much difficulty finding a good deal.</p>
<p>@PurdueEE: Was it convenient to have both a desktop and a laptop, or did you end up just neglecting the desktop? Was there anything specific you would use each for?</p>
<p>I had a laptop for the first three years of college and it did not leave my room ONCE.There are labs everywhere and frankly I don’t see the point.
So when it was time for an upgrade, I just got a desktop instead.</p>
<p>Get a laptop, it’s much more convenient. You’ll find that it’s a lot easier to carry around your computer and do work at the library, for example, than using library/lab/classroom computers all the time. You may not think you would need that convenience, but when the moment comes it’s very useful.</p>
<p>Also, all you really need is a dual core with at least 3 GB of RAM (assuming you’ll run Vista/Win7), and check out monitor sizes that suit you at a store in real life before deciding on that. Most laptops in this range will not cost you more than 500 dollars. Toshiba’s are good, mine lasted for 5+ years and it was a piece of crap with bad cooling systems. Don’t buy an HP, their architecture is horrid and they actually have plenty of lawsuits against them right now for it. Same with Dells.</p>
<p>Also, 700 dollars is a hell of a lot to build a computer, I could build a decent one for around 300.</p>