<p>Sorry I’ve been slow to checking this.
I currently don’t have any laptop, I just use the home desktop, so I’ll be buying one either way.
I’m a chemistry major so I don’t really think much of my major will be computer related… but who knows.
I definitely have heard that Macs are more stable and tend to not crash.
For some reason with laptops and desktops my family’s had in the past they’ve all had issues and major repairs have had to be made multiple times. (They’ve all been PCs by the way).
I just want a reliable computer.
No I’m not that tech-savy but I can figure out a computer for the most part.
Is Mac compatible with Cal Poly? I guess those are my concerns.
Thanks. : )</p>
<p>Mandilove, you don’t have to worry about any compatibility issues with the Cal Poly network regardless of the computer you get. Just get the one you can afford and like. Don’t forget to consider size and weight because you will be carrying it around quite a bit. I’ve found that a 15" screen is ideal.</p>
<p>FWIW, after using PCs throughout HS my son got a 15" MacBook Pro from the El Corral bookstore last year and loves it. Switching to the new operating system was a snap. The only gripe he has is occasional screen glare. The only gripe I had was the cost; ~$1400. PC laptops are half that or less.</p>
<p>does anyone happen to know what would be better for biomedical engineering? I’ll be entering as a freshman at cal poly in the fall and I’m looking for a laptop… Any major related advice?</p>
<p>I am a Junior year Mechanical Engineering major. I use an HP Pavillion laptop. Works well for running Engineering software like SolidWorks. No problems here. I would assume for Bio Med you would have no problems with the same machine I have. Get lots of memory installed ! Like 8 Gig .</p>
<p>Welcome aboard and best wishes !</p>
<p>Thanks gotpeter!
Yea, unfortunately Mac’s are so much more expensive… That’s the biggest downfall.
I’ve been kind of leaning towards a Mac though, but I’m still unsure, haha.</p>
<p>As I write this, I’m wrestling with a screen on my PC that has just decided to cut out every so often. <grrr> So I’d say, if you can find a way to afford it, GO MAC. I’ve been using PCs since the days of DOS (bet you don’t know what that is 
) and am about to give up and convert to Mac myself.</grrr></p>
<p>Consumer Report gives Mac the highest reliability ranking. My PC-only husband bought Macs for the kids for college because of this. Also, get a good padded bag to carry it in, and some extra storage to plug into whenever you’re in the room to back things up, just in case.</p>
<p>gotpeter, your problem sounds like user error. I’m not exactly sure what your referring to though.(screen?)</p>
<p>Again, i’m not really sure why anyone buys Mac computers. Is it the OS? No.
Even most Mac users agree that the Windows 7 OS is the at the pinnacle of operating systems right now. I’ve been extremely impressed with all my Windows7 computers.
Save a sizeable amount of money, get better hardware, faster hardware, and buy something that has many more features. Go PC.</p>
<p>and get a good flash drive so you can easily take files with you to work on other computers plus it can be a decent backup.</p>