<p>Hi Lindz, Cheapseats, and gang. S is about to order a laptop (doesn't seem to want to switch to a Mac) and I'm concerned that he get the right thing to make life at Smith go as smoothly as possible. Anything in particular he should know about specialized software he'll want to install? Memory capacity? Speed? Do Smith students bring their laptops (notebooks) to class? How about to work on group projects together? (If you have advice for us, please keep in mind that I know less than nothing about choosing a PC so please be SPECIFIC.) Thanks for sharing your experience.</p>
<p>don't get a MAC unless he has experience or is fascinated with MACS. A lot of student bring laptops to stay awake in lectures, haha. You can also get him a "notebook", so he can digitally record his notes.</p>
<p>speed: get a minimum of 1.8 GHz
Memory: at least 40GB
brand: i have a dell, so do 70% of umcp'ers its nothing special but its cheap and gets the job done</p>
<p>How important is it to have the on-site service/loaner guarantee? We're still trying to decide whether to go through the university to order a laptop, or go on our own. D is PC proficient (currently uses Linux/Ubuntu (sp???) as much as possible). She's planning to minor in computer science, so I'm assuming she'll know enough computer hardware geeks that the university "guarantee" isn't that big of a deal? Is this a correct assumption????</p>
<p>hey worrywort,</p>
<p>I think any computer that can access the internet and has all the microsoft office programs is good enough. Nothing more is really needed. Like hinman said, there isn't a need for a mac. I would personally get something on the cheaper end and save money for other things. Lots of people like downloading a lot of stuff so i would get something with atleast 40GB like hinman said, maybe a bit more and maybe get an external hard drive to store other stuff. I don't download movies but there are students who do so you might want some memory.</p>
<p>I won my laptop at my prom :D.</p>
<p>oh and the amount i used my laptop in class and for class
In my business classes- Not much really, nothing special is needed. I used excel and powerpoint a couple times. There were some outside projects in my scholars class but not in any of my regular classes. Business stats- used excel like twice and just had to get some stuff from online. The teacher didn't allow computers to be used during class. Econ- I honestly never went to a single class for econ so i don't know if students used them in class. Powerpoints were posted online.</p>
<p>Other classes- Nothing special needed at all.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies! I've got the same question as astrophysics mom, is it essential to buy your laptop through UMd in order to get on-campus servicing? Can anyone comment? I was hoping to make a purchase this weekend.</p>
<p>worrywart.. your user id is on point! haha</p>
<ol>
<li><p>any serviceable laptop will be able to handle the "academic" load: i.e. word processing, internet access, maybe Mathematica if you don't feel like doing derivatives on paper :)</p></li>
<li><p>ask your son what ELSE he wants to use his lappy for. Me personally, I enjoy using the umd DC++ to get anything I want for free. If he is morally against this, 40 GB will be fine. If enjoys movies and tv shows on his comp, go for 80-120 gb. I had to replace my 100 with an 80 after I split water on it, and 80 is not very much for what I use it for.</p></li>
<li><p>if it is Pentium M, anything over 1.5 gHz is plenty. Basically, a 1.5 M is equivalent to a 2.0 P4.</p></li>
<li><p>Mac sucks.. only use if you want your computer to tell you what and how you can do things. Hence the reason its popular, Americans will pay more for something to tell him how to do something instead of actually figuring it out and unlocking something 10x more powerful</p></li>
<li><p>i'd recommend picking up an S-video cable and RCA audio cables for one simple reason: No need for a dvd player. You can hook your comp up to the TV and the desktop shows on the tv as well as the audio so you can play movies on the tv through your comp. until I got a 360, it was how I watched movies.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>hope some of that helped. dont get too stressed.</p>
<p>it seems like all of my friends are buying macs this year.
is it a LOT different than using a dell?
why don't you like macs?</p>
<p>Thanks, Testudo. (Choosing my screen name was a no brainer.)</p>
<p>I don't like Macs because they don't allow you any freedom. They are so damn cookie cutter it ****es me off. Like I said, people buy them because non-tech people just want to do what they intend to do without doing much more. I don't have a problem with people who buy Macs because yeah, they are easier and more streamlined.. but the power of a PC or even Linux cannot be matched in my opinion.</p>
<p>okay thank you
i was just wondering because the dell that umd offers looks outdated.
dell doesnt even offer that model anymore on their own website.</p>
<p>and it becomes kind of expensive if i don't buy a laptop through umd =(</p>
<p>Yes, we were also wondering about the UMD/Dell version, and also thought it seemed outdated, compared to what you could get outside the UMD contract. D will definately go the PC route, as she is a Linux geek. But, still back to a question I asked earlier---how important is it to get the onsite "guarantee" that the UMD/Dell deal offers?</p>
<p>Jeez people, I go on vacation and don't get to defend myself for a few days!! Testudo, please find something else to get "****ed off" about besides people's choices of computers. But since you had to start up the argument............ I'll bite.</p>
<p>I love my Mac... And I don't "do what I intend to do without doing more". I do a lot of work for my marketing internship on my Mac. For graphic design programs and capability, you can't beat Apple. I guess I don't need the "power" of a PC; I'm not a "gamer", and to be honest I don't even know what Linux really does. I like Macs because they look nicer and they just work better. In 6 years of having a Dell (2 different ones actually), I had so many problems and crashes. And it slowed down so much. I've had my Macbook for a year and with only one major problem, and it hasn't slowed down at all.</p>
<p>SO, this "non-tech person" thinks that most college students use their computers for things like writing papers, chatting with friends, and listening to music. Any brand of computer you get will be fine for that. As an upperclassman in the business school, a laptop will be better.</p>
<p>astrophysicsmom, I wouldn't trust my computer to whoever happens to be working at OIT, so the "onsite guarantee" is pretty useless, in my opinion. Of course, there are a ton of Apple Stores within driving distance and they take great care of me and my laptop. :) But since your daughter will want a PC, any service option is better than none.</p>
<p>Anyone who does get a Mac, of course you will need Microsoft Office.</p>
<p>Please excuse my b****iness; the A/C in my house is broken and it's 95 degrees in my room.</p>
<p>And Testudo, please keep your mouth shut until you have something positive to say. (If the needless attack on Mac users wasn't enough, please refer to your posts about the "atrocious" women at UMD, and the "sucky" freshman dorms, and the advisors who are "******" [i don't even know what that was supposed to mean])</p>
<p>its always good to get opinions
however, i am going to go to mac route.</p>
<p>thanks lindz</p>
<p>Welcome back, lindz! Sorry about the A/C. That's brutal. Since you mentioned Microsoft Office, S spent all day today trying to call OIT to ask whether to select the Microsoft "Professional" or "Home and Student" package. Which do you suggest? And can anyone who has ordered theirs through OIT tell me whether the package arrives wireless-ready or whether it's necessary to buy an optional accessory or something? (I told you I'm clueless.)</p>
<p>The Home and Student package is fine. Professional has Outlook (email program) and Access (database software). I've only taken one class where we had to use Access, and the couple of assigments we had I just did on the computers at the business school. As far as email, Outlook is nice, but unnecessary. I don't mind just using the UMD webmail service.</p>
<p>A/C is fixed!! :)</p>
<p>I reccommend an expensive sony vaio, or a lamborghini since business kids are rich-looking. if you wanna build your own or customize it, go to engineering.</p>
<p>thanks lindz i was starting to get worried about the mac i planned to buy but now i'm excited for it.</p>
<p>glad to hear it, xtefii :) i love mine, and more and more people keep getting them and enjoying them too.</p>
<p>haha someone takes this board a bit too personal..i always thought it was a place to share opinions, but Stalin over here only believes it is a place to share positive opinions.</p>
<p>well done.. and i'm sorry if you are one of the women I spoke of.</p>