<p>We're struggling with the Mac vs. PC decision. Any recommendations for an engineering student?</p>
<p>Mac. Always Mac. The OS is reliable, and CoE supports it.</p>
<p>There’s not a huge difference between MAC and PC…
Most of CoE’s software can be accessed remotely…so there is no problem running engineering programs.</p>
<p>For me, I would choose PC since they’re cheaper and I know most of the short-cuts on a PC. I also think Macs are overrated since there are PCs for half the price with the same specs…the only thing going for them is that they are “stylish and cool.”</p>
<p>Save your cash, buy a PC.</p>
<p>Thinkpad aa</p>
<p>I’m about to be a senior, and have used PCs my whole college career (I had an old one that I used to start college, and a few months ago got a new one). I am very satisfied with them.</p>
<p>Furthermore, I use Macs occasionally (the university has both Macs and PCs in the libraries, fishbowl, etc), and actually find PCs to be far more convenient. Plus, they’re a lot cheaper, and I feel that for a college student (especially an engineering one), they are far more professional and appropriate. Macs are like toys for rich people.</p>
<p>I would have to go with a pc as well. Macs are way overpriced for what you get. I think they’re more about being cool or trendy than they are about value, ease of use, and power.</p>
<p>For engineering, I would think it’s entirely user preference as I could not think of a subject-specific rationalization for the additional cost unless the user spends a lot of free time mucking about in multimedia or is not vigilant about protecting his/her compy from the abundance of pc-targeted viruses. That said, (re the “overpriced” post - I disagree) my personal preference is and always has been Mac, but not for the cool factor. For professional use in specific industries such as design, publishing, video and audio multimedia, the durability, reliability, speed, graphics processing and screen lumens cannot be beat. While they are considerably more expensive, I have always been able to make mine last longer on average than the pcs around here, and most certainly spend almost NO TIME on repair or excessive viral purging. In my case, that time equals money in terms of billable hours and productivity. But as I said, that is not necessarily an advantage for a starting ENG student per se. I will also note that Macbook pros are a highly-targeted subject of theft due to their robust capacity in a pro setting. Whatever you buy, you may wish to consider computer lo-jack or undercover plus the new motion alarm for macs (if you went that route.)
So…Macs ARE expensive if you’re just looking for regular functionality, but they are not OVERPRICED considering their longevity and hassle-free operation or deeper capabilities, IMHO.</p>
<p>PS - One more note…and this is highly biased…but for me the extra money is a pittance compared to having to use any Microsoft operating system, from the old XP right up to Vista (which you might note has not been readily adopted…) In terms of operating systems, I feel there really is no comparison.</p>