<p>I am currently a high school senior. I want to buy a mac for college and will be the first time buying one for myself. My brother usually helps me buy them. Anyways..I'm confused about the differences with Processor Speed, Memory (RAM), Hard Drive Capacity. What would a typical college senior need... I might be majoring in biology or engineering....also...is there a difference in the operating system for xp and mac...its seems like everyone believe there is a big difference....but to me....i can get online ...so its okay....what would be the difference in operating system.....i have been a faithful pc person...but has have a lot of trouble with it...so want to go to mac..dunno...dink its cool....</p>
<p>Don't get a mac because it's cool, you will regret it. The operating system is significantly different. Unless you want to deal with dual boot using Boot Camp or Parallels to run Windows in a virtual machine, Windows will be inaccessible. You can't play most games on it, for example. On a PC, you're usually OK as long as you don't install random crap, whereas there just isn't a Mac version of those programs (usually).</p>
<p>Now if you actually like the OS and really want to get a Mac, buy the cheapest MacBook, you don't need anything else for bio/eng. The costs are high enough as it is. If you have money to spare, spend it on the RAM..you probably won't use the hard drive that much and the processor differences are minimal. You can save a ton of money by buying the RAM separately and installing it yourself, as Apple (and other OEMs) charge ridiculous amounts for upgrades. But don't do that unless you (or someone you know) knows a bit about computer hardware.</p>
<p>Macs are great.</p>
<p>And if you needed to run any games or windows programs, you can always boot it up in XP.</p>
<p>Any macbook or iMac would be fine.</p>
<p>For processor speed it should not matter much for you.</p>
<p>For hard drive you can look at how big your current hard drive is and decide how much you will need.</p>
<p>For RAM I would probably get 2 gigs because it is better for multitasking ect.</p>
<p>But DO NOT BUY THE RAM FROM APPLE.</p>
<p>They charge way too much. Buy it from like Memory</a> upgrades, flash media, and usb storage at Crucial.com</p>
<p>well...one of the reasons that i am getting a mac is because i have a lot of trouble with it...i am not the computer geek...and everytime something goes wrong...i have to take it to the repair shop and it cost money to get it fix...i hope the mac doesn't do that....another reason is because..i see a lot of college student using mac...so i didn't now...so...</p>
<p>what is the difference between hardware and memory....right now i have a memory of 512mb....is that good or bad....</p>
<p>this is what i plan on getting...tell me if it is okay...</p>
<p>macbook pro...15.4 inches 2400mhz...and 2000 0r 4000mb...probably the 2000...and 160 GB....is this sufficent....i read it somewhere on this forum that college student need a large hard drive b/c of all the work needed for the four years....is this true...</p>
<p>Well a MacBook Pro is a lot better then a MacBook and way better then the computer you have now with 512mb of RAM.</p>
<p>If you have the money, why not go for the Pro. It will last you longer.</p>
<p>They come standard with 2GB of ram which will be fine for you.</p>
<p>Maybe get a bigger Hard Drive because if you are going to spend over 2.5 grand on a computer it is worth it to give it more HD space so it will last longer.</p>
<p>This would be a great computer.</p>
<p>There are rumors that they are going to update the MacBook Pro soon but no one knows when and people have been waiting for months. So if you are not that techie then it would be fine to buy now. But if you do not need it until september there might be a new update soon if you can wait.</p>
<p>a normal Macbook is perfectly fine for you...a Pro is when it gets overpriced. if you have the money and do anything 3D graphics-intensive regularly, go for it, but otherwise no. get the base model and if you add anything, just get the warranty. RAM can be had for cheaper, and if you don't store movies on your computer there's no point in getting a larger hard drive, and even if you did you could just buy an external. there is really no reason to upgrade the hard drive.</p>
<p>I'm going to offer you the best advice and clear up somethings for you.</p>
<p>First a brief explanation of the computer terms you're unclear on.</p>
<p>Operating System = This is the main program everything runs off. Windows XP is an operating system. OS X Tiger (10.4) is an operating system. Microsoft Word is just a program that can run in either OS.</p>
<p>Harddrive: This is the device that stores all your documents, music, videos, programs, and operating system. It really depends on the things you do. Think of the harddrive as the space you have to add files to your computers. 80gb is the basic capacity for most computers nowadays. I think that's good enough for most people. If you have a lot of music and pictures you may consider getting a bit more, say 120GB. As you can tell, harddrive capacity is measured by GB (Gigabytes).</p>
<p>Memory: Think of this as your short term memory in your brain. It's function is to store file for whatever programs you are currently using and whatever other computer resources are being used. Essentially the more memory (also known as RAM), the better off you are. For Windows XP, 1GB is recommended. For Windows Vista, 2GB is recommended. For Mac OS X Leopard (10.5), 2GB is recommended. Like harddrive capacity, memory is also measured in MB or GB (MegaBytes or GigaBytes). However Memory on regular desktops and laptops can usually only go up to 4GB. Anything less than 2GB for a laptop and you're computer may not be running too good in 2 years. This is due to the fact that programs and updates require a faster CPU and/or more memory as time goes by.</p>
<p>CPU: This is like the heart/brain. Essentially everything that is running on your computer has to go through the CPU. The faster the CPU the better. However there are many different types of CPU models out there for Intel and AMD (the two big CPU manufacturers). For Macs you don't really have to worry too much about it since they all use the same CPU essentially, only the speed is different. 2Ghz is a good middle point. Anything less than that, your computer may run fine for a year, maybe two, but it would start to slow down after a while. This is due to the fact that programs and updates require a faster CPU and/or more memory as time goes by.</p>
<p>Common misconception is that if you have a lot of files you need a really big harddrive. This is not always the case. Music files are generally bigger than typed documents. Video files are generally bigger than music files. For example, you could have 15,000 word documents and only take up .5 GB on a 80GB harddrive. However you could have 3,000 songs taking up 15GB on a 80GB harddrive. Or even 100 videos taking up 60GB. You see how that works? Picture files are another thing that can be confusing to measure. I've worked with a lot of laptops at my school where students have 10,000 pictures taking up a good 15GB because most of them are in really high resolution. It all depends on how you take the pictures on your camera. The higher the resolution the more it'll take up on your harddrive.</p>
<p>Now for the advice: You want to get a Mac? Do not get one just yet. Go to your nearest Apple Store. They have a genius bar there where you can test out Apple products. You can ask questions as well. They will let you know what will work and what you need. If you like the Mac OS X you then come back here and ask us any questions that weren't answered very clearly. A couple of things to keep in mind, Macs aren't immune to breaking down. They use the same computer parts that PCs use, the difference being that it's just all tailored to work with Macs. You'll also hear about Macs being immune to viruses which isn't true either. To date there have not been any serious viruses on OS X in the wild but a couple of 'viruses' which were more of a hoax on the user than anything else. Also keep in mind very carefully the programs you are comfortable using in Windows. Generally there is a Mac version available. Sometimes it may be the exact equivalent but other times it lacks certain features which can be annoying. Don't worry too much about the comments on how overpriced Macs are. Macs tend to hold value much better than PCs in the long run. I like to tell people thinking about getting a Mac that you basically end up paying for what you get. If you buy a cheap $300 computer, don't expect it to last you very long or be very good. Of course it isn't always the case that high priced items are of quality value but with computers it generally is (at least for the pre-built market). The last thing is if you consider buying a Mac is to not get upgrades through Apple. They will charge you up the ass for small upgrades. You are much better off getting the parts off a site like Newegg or Buy.com and paying someone to install the parts for you. For a laptop all you could really upgrade is the memory to get better performance, possibly the harddrive if you need more space. Lastly, if you do decide on getting on a Mac, you'll probably be good with a MacBook, not the MacBook Pro.</p>
<p>I think that about covers it. Don't buy it thinking you'll love it. Also wait til you get closer to entering college as computers are constantly getting updated with better hardware. Good luck.</p>
<p>Wow!! That's for the info! What's the difference between a MacBook and a MacBook Pro?</p>
<p>MB:
-Cheaper ($)
-13.3 inch screen.
-Mostly plastic. Black or white.
-Smaller, much more portable.
-Integrated graphics- will not do intensive 3D work, whether that is in engineering, 3D Design, or video games.</p>
<p>MBP:
-More expensive.
-15.4 inch or 17 inch screen.
-Aluminum, silver only. Build quality of the case is higher.
-Is more "luggable" than portable.
-All of the ports of the MB, plus some.
-Dedicated 3D means games, 3D work, etc.</p>
<p>Most users should probably pick the MB over the MBP. The portability is much better, less weight, much less expensive, and it's pretty capable. If you need some of the bells and whistles of the MBP- added ports, bigger screen, graphics card- you'd obviously want to go with that.</p>
<p>If I were to pick for myself (I'm a PC guy and this is really just hypothetical ;) ), I'd get an MBP, as I'd want the graphics card for some of my apps. I know a very satisfied MB owner and a satisfied MBP owner. The MBP owner loves her laptop, but she doesn't use the capabilities and wishes she went with the smaller MB instead :)</p>
<p>while integrated graphics may not to engineering work extremely well, an 8600M GT is really overkill x10, and it's not worth an extra $1000 just for that.</p>
<p>the Pro has the Santa Rosa chipset (or whatever its called), normal Macbook does not. however, most people (including the OP) won't know the difference.</p>
<p>anyway, wait til around July. the product line should get a refresh around then.</p>
<p>I have 2 questions to add ( sorry to use your thread but it seemed it would add to the conversation)</p>
<p>1) Is the Aperture application available on a Macbook?</p>
<p>2) This may sound stupid, but how does one go about getting Micorsoft Office on to a Mac?</p>
<p>Seeing as Apple develops Aperture it would be weird if it weren't available on the MacBook. So yes, it's available on the MacBook.</p>
<p>To get Microsoft Office for Mac, just go to a computer store that sells Mac software. Look for Microsoft Office 2008 for Macs (or the 2004 version if you prefer that version for whatever reason).</p>
<p>Many larger universities have "software assurance" contracts with "home media" deals, where they get apps like Microsoft Office for the cost of the disk ($5). Even if that is not the case, universities typically get substantial discounts.</p>
<p>Anyhow, 2008 is pretty superior, especially since it's a universal binary (doesn't have to emulate a PowerPC to run, so it should be quicker and put a lot less load on your laptop, which means better battery life).</p>