<p>I know this isn't really a big deal. But, is it better to get a laptop or a desktop for boarding school?</p>
<p>laptop. at least thats my opinion. </p>
<p>it kinda depends on which school you go to though, for example at deerfield i know that they give everybody a laptop when they come in. i personally would prefer a laptop because i can bring it to classes, study hall’s, the library, etc. a desktop may be cheaper but in the long run a laptop will be really helpful. </p>
<p>a main question to ask yourself here is: are you allowed to bring your laptop to your classes? and if yes, do you want to?</p>
<p>laptop.
when you go home and stuff, it would be a bit tiring to carry a big old desktop around.</p>
<p>Laptop…easiest to carry it around back and forth to home/school and you can take it to the library and your friends’ room, and anyplace else you might want to take it.</p>
<p>I’m going to have to agree with everyone here.</p>
<p>Laptop is the ideal option for school, especially if you can bring it around to your classes. It’s portable, unlike a desktop.</p>
<p>But if you’re looking for something cheaper, I think you should go with the desktop then.</p>
<p>It really depends on your school and how much you’re willing to spend.</p>
<p>I’m going to Exeter and I don’t think students bring their computer to class.</p>
<p>Laptop…it’s just all around easier. Even if you don’t plan on taking it to class or w.e.</p>
<p>Laptop. Unless you are crunched for money yet need the performance… If that is a case I think schools (I know Exeter does) provide laptops. Today until a certain threshold (far beyond the wildest imaginations of a bs student) a laptop is better. The money is usually the issue, and thus in computer labs you will see dtops.</p>
<p>Without a doubt, laptop. Even if you’re not planning on taking it to class. My family has always had a laptop and I’ve had my own since 6th grade, and at this point I can’t even imagine not being able to take my computer with me. I hate the idea of it being more or less glued to a desk in my room - that’s no fun.</p>
<p>What if you want to work on a paper in the bus? What if you want to easily take your computer to and from school on breaks? Hell, what if you want to take your laptop into your friends’ rooms and play music? Laptop. It’s a no-brainer.</p>
<p>Next topic: Mac vs. PC. Although something tells me that most people here are on the Mac side of things (me included).</p>
<p>Mac. It is more expensive but the entry level will serve you through MOST applications and costs 900. I doubt you will get other answers on here.</p>
<p>Yeah, but in my opinion, the whole expense argument is pretty useless. Macs generally have MUCH higher resale value than their “equivalent” PC counterparts. After three or four years, you could still get a few hundred dollars for your used Mac. Try getting that with a three or four year old PC plastic crap bucket =)</p>
<p>You don’t have to pay for viruses ever. Or for virus scans. Or for repairs. I have not turned mine off in ages, no crash.</p>
<p>Completely true. There’s a reason that the popularity of Macs has shot up as of late.</p>
<p>The overall user friendliness is great too. With iMovie I can make movies which takes about three hours to make on PC in about 30min.</p>
<p>Mac, no question</p>
<p>oh, and laptop (duh)</p>
<p>I could not ask for anything better than my MacBook Pro. In fact, I bought it the same day that I interviewed at Andover! Probably just about the best day of my life, now that I consider I was accepted.</p>
<p>Well, I must admit that I was hoping there would be something resembling a debate, but I guess that most here are intelligent enough to understand that one cannot go wrong with a Mac ;-)</p>
<p>my son is at BS this year as a freshman boy – he gets a new computer this coming fall and he wants one of those all-in-one computers (sony makes one, HP makes one, etc).</p>
<p>They have a large monitor (great for movies, which the kids watch in their rooms on the weekends), take up less desk space than a laptop (the flatscreen is thin and the keyboard slides under it when not in use – those desks are small). It is not too big – so if you save the packaging it comes in, you can pack it up at the end of the year and take it home (he will use the computer we have at home during breaks).</p>
<p>Kids in his dorm are split between desktop and laptop – but it seems that the preference is for the desktop with a larger screen to share movies with others and play video games.</p>
<p>And PC is more common – probably due to cost and the fact that there are many specialty programs out there that only work on the Windows platform. My older son has a Mac and has had nothing but problems – he won’t buy one again.</p>
<p>An all-in-one. Like an iMac, you mean?</p>
<p>Well yeah, there are PC-only programs - but Macs run Windows, so that’s not a problem. And if you have other computer problems, all you have to do is take your computer to the Apple Store. A good idea is to also buy an AppleCare plan when you buy your computer. They’re amazing: one of the reasons that Apple is so renowned for its customer support.</p>
<p>hsmom, what problems does he have with mac. I am VERY surprised! You can buy parallels for under 50 dollars and run any pc program, works well.</p>