<p>Any feedback on best laptops, and PC or Mac for an incoming freshman? S will be a Fisher student, so if a particular preference for business students, would like that input. S has used Dell’s over the years, but we also have an iPad in house and he has an iPhone, so has Apple knowledge too. Just looking for a laptop that will be well supported by OSU IT, fast, dependable and functional for all 4 years at OSU. If any are known to be an issue, please share as well. Thanks, in advance, for any insight!</p>
<p>Most Fisher students seem to use PCs, but Mac users are a large minority. I have a PC, and the only thing I would warn against with choosing a Mac instead is that we do a great deal of work with Excel at Fisher, and I find Excel for Macs to be different enough to be confusing. All coursework seems to be designed to be compatible with PCs, and there have been a few cases in which my classmates with Macs had some compatibility issues with a program we were using, like a statistical software, or running video modules for accounting classes. There are no major problems, however, so the choice is really one of personal preference. </p>
<p>Beyond that, I would recommend a lighter, smaller and less expensive laptop rather than a heavier and more loaded laptop. Nearly half my friends have had to replace a laptop that was only two or three years old, regardless of the brand or the cost. I think planning on buying a new, cheaper laptop every two to three years is better than buying a more expensive laptop and hoping it last 5-6 years. Drinks get spilled, laptop bags get dropped, and sometimes laptops get stolen. Business students do not do anything that requires a lot of processing power, so some students can even get by with a netbook.</p>
<p>I got a Dell XPS my freshmen year…fairly expensive (~$2000 back in 2008) but well worth it, still using it today as I type this. One thing I did get was accident protection, so when I spilled pop on it once they took care of it for free. </p>
<p>At Fisher I would definitely recommend a PC over Mac (although I am a little biased as an avid microsoft user)…I’m sure both will be supported by OSU IT. </p>
<p>Lastly, when your child starts, you can get a TON of free software through Fisher (not OSU) that I didn’t find out about until just a few weeks ago, definitely check that out!</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies! OSULolz, how does S find out about the free softwareyou mentioned through Fisher?</p>
<p>When he gets a Fisher account (note: not the same as OSU, may not be until second year…it will be the format of lastname_#, not lastname.#), he can go to this site: <a href=“https://fisher.osu.edu/federated/msdnaa[/url]”>https://fisher.osu.edu/federated/msdnaa</a>. Software I can currently get for free includes full copies of Windows XP/Vista/7, Microsoft Project, Onenote, Visual Studio, Microsoft Access, etc.</p>