I am looking to purchase a laptop that will last me the five years that I will be at Northeastern. I will be using the device a lot because of my major.
I contacted the Dean and talked to a few students in the Computer Science school and they all recommend using what “I am most comfortable with.” That being said, I’ve used Macbook for six years. She said it’s split 50/50 between Mac/PC within the college.
What is this importance of each of these features to you?
Size: 13" vs 15"
Flash Storage: 512GB vs 1TB ($500 upgrade)
Processor (also an expensive upgrade)
I am not concerned with $$$ as long as it is reliable and will last 5+ years.
If someone thinks a MacBook Air is better for any reason, please speak up.
512 gigs is probably enough, though you’ll probably want to brink an external hard drive for backup.
The screen size is personal preference. Try each one out. Same with air vs pro.
For the processor, ask the school, as it will depend on what tasks you have to do. However, STAY AWAY FROM THE NEW 12 INCH MACBOOK. The Core M chip is way too anemic for pretty much anything substantial.
NEU CS student here, If you’re comfortable with Mac, I think it’s the best option.
Screen size isn’t that needed, go with whatever you want.
Get the smaller hard drive and have an external/backup or both. You won’t need extra space.
I got an accelerated processor myself. I’ve heard its not that worth it, but it makes a small difference. You won’t need it for anything the school wants you to run, but I prefer it for personal use.
Go with the Pro.
PS: You could do CS on a decked out toaster so long as it’s OS is Mac/Windows/Linux. Nothing you do will test your hardware limits. Pick based off the OS you feel most comfortable on.
screen size does not matter.what matter is the resolution. if you gonna code a lot, I think you would want to work with external monitor and external keyboard. (Laptop by design is not that ergonamic for hours of coding.)
I think 500gb is plenty for any human being. you can always get external hard drive. or just clean up the PC.
get 13" macbook pro retina. you want the resolution .
512GB flash is more than enough. I wouldn’t go 1TB. I don’t think it will really matter whether Mac or PC unless you game. If you game at all then go with a nice Alienware 13 or of the like. If you don’t game, you will do the same work with a Mac just fine, and bootcamp is a useful tool for adding windows on a Mac, in my experience.