I'm a CS major; should I get a MacBook or a MacBook Pro?

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>Hi all,</p>

<p>This fall I will be going off to college (don't ask me where yet, arg!) as a Computer Science major. I will be purchasing either an Apple MacBook or MacBook Pro - you won't be able to sway me from the brand : )</p>

<p>What I am trying to figure out is if I need to go Pro or not. I predict that in my college coursework I will need to run not only OS X, but also Windows and Linux very often; for this reason an Apple notebook will suit me well as it is capable of either dual-booting or running virtualization software (Parallels Desktop or VMWare Fusion). I am going to use either Parallels or VMWare because I don't want to have the inconvenience of rebooting in order to switch operating systems.</p>

<p>So: for running Parallels or VMWare, will a MacBook suit me fine, or will I need to upgrade to the MacBook Pro in order to get decent performance? Does anyone have any real-world experience with this? I would be fine going with a MacBook, but NOT if it stutters or gets bogged down when running Windows or Linux in Parallels or VMWare.</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>I actually notice that quiet a few of the CS professors use macs around here. I rarely if ever find myself <em>needing</em> Windows, though I often just choose to develop in it. Though Linux is pretty useful – but again a lot of the linux things can be done in OS X.</p>

3

<p>I agree. By “around here,” do you mean CC, or at your school? If so, which school do you go to?</p>

4

<p>My entire CS department used Mac’s for the professors. Though most just installed ubuntu or something on it instead of Macosx. Its just what the school bought.</p>

<p>I would just go for the Macbook, but wait untill June 4th or so when they bundle the free ipod for academic purchase.</p>

5

<p>Can anyone speak to my question above? Mainly, is a MacBook enough to virtualize Windows and Linux (not simultaneously) on a day-to-day basis without being slow?</p>

6

<p>^DS finds that windows runs a tiny bit slower but faster than his 2002 IBM T30. His 2006 Macbook Pro runs hotter than a Wintel unit.</p>

7

<p>Can’t you always run programs remotely off of some more powerful servers provided by the school? I know my roommates never ran their programs locally.</p>

<p>Also, you should wait until you become associated with your school so you can get their educational discount no matter what you’re purchasing.</p>

8

<p>Depends. If you’re a CS major, you may need to run Windows… virtual machines will run more smoothly with dedicated graphics, and a 15" screen, IMO, is a must if you are doing more than one thing at once. The Macbook won’t necessarily bog, mainly due to the fact that it and it’s big brother MBP share the same line of processors and memory. No matter which you buy, I HIGHLY recommend installing 4GB of RAM. You can buy this through the Apple website with a custom config, or, alternatively and much more cheaply, you can buy third party RAM (I recommend Crucial or OWC). The new integrated graphics in both the MB & MBP are very nice as well. I will say that the Macbook and Macbook Pro have never been more similar, so if you are strapped for cash, make sure you get at least the 2.4 Ghz Core 2 Duo, along with 4GB of RAM, no matter which you choose.<br>
MBP:
+Much higher quality, 15" screen
+Discrete graphics along with integrated graphics (if you want to play ANY games that are even remotely recent, you’ll need the discrete graphics)
+Firewire 800 port (if you do ANY digital video/image/audio work w/ an external drive, FW800 is important, esp. considering the new MB doesn’t even have FW400)
+Expresscard slot - If you ever need special ports or more USB/FW ports, you can always buy an Expresscard expansion - a nice backup to have
+If you get a machine other than the base 2.4 Ghz model, the L2 cache is twice as big (helps performance), and the machine comes stock with 4GB of RAM)
-Costs a lot of $ for what you’re getting (OS X makes up the difference for me :p)
-15" model may be too big for you if you want super portable (still fairly light, though)</p>

<p>MB:
+Compact, 13" screen - very portable
+Cheaper than the MBP
-No Firewire ports at all
-Still quite expensive if you want the 2.4 Ghz processor - I think the 2.0 is a tad… eh, well, not as fast as the 2.4 :slight_smile: To future-proof, get the fastest processor you can afford
-13" screen is cheap and fairly low quality
-No backlit keys on base model</p>

<p>So to sum it up: if you want portable, low cost, with decent power, and you don’t plan on doing any multimedia work or playing games, get the Macbook. If you need to do anything remotely intensive, get the Macbook Pro.</p>

<p>I myself will be getting a Macbook Pro for college (If I can afford it haha).</p>

<p>EDIT: I see that your main concern is being able to virtualize Windows/Linux. I say, better safe than sorry. Buy the MBP and don’t look back. You never know what other capabilities you may need in the future, and the MBP’s Expresscard slot may come in handy.</p>

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<p>By around here I meant JHU.</p>

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<p>We have three MacBook Pros. 15 inch models for the kids (one is a CS major) and the 17 inch model for me (I’m a software engineer). Son loves his MacBook Pro - he has it setup in in dual-boot mode. He does a lot of his Linux programming on Mac OSX and then uploads the complete programs to the department Linux servers for submission. He also has to use Windows for some classes and he just boots to Windows to do them. He does some gaming too which is why we went with the Dual-Boot approach.</p>

<p>If you live near an Apple Store, I’d suggest dropping in and asking an associate for a MacBook with Parallels to play around with to see if it has enough performance-wise for you.</p>

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<p>IMO performance shouldn’t be that much of an issue unless you need heavy graphics (ie: gaming, high end editing etc). I based my decision off of preference; personally I liked the smaller, more compact 13" over the 15" pro. Also know that the macbook can only come from apple with a 5400 rpm hard drive (assuming you don’t pay an arm and a leg for a solid state), whereas there is an optional upgrade for the pros to have a 7200 rpm hard drive. I haven’t noticed any slow down due to the decreased speed though on my new macbook (coming from my old laptop with a 7200 rpm drive).</p>

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<p>^Very good point that I missed. 7200 rpm is a must, IMO.</p>

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<p>7200 RPM is nice. At home I have a TB drive with USB/eSATA/Firewire and I often boot Mac OSX off of the external drive - the performance between the two is noticeable.</p>

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<p>Thanks everyone for the replies! Much appreciated. Most have echoed my own decision process. Personally, the 4GB RAM upgrade will be a given, and I’m either looking at a MB or a 15" MBP - not a 17" MBP. Besides lots of virtualization, I plan to do lots of multimedia stuff - in iTunes, iPhoto, iWeb, the iWork apps, and Adobe CS4 (Design Basic edition to be specific) - but only occasional iMovie and iDVD usage. Would a discrete graphics chip really help for virtualization and/or these multimedia uses? I imagine that most of the time I would stay on integrated graphics anyway, for battery life purposes. And I wouldn’t, say, be doing heavy Photoshop in OS X while also running Vista in Parallels or VMWare. I might spring for the 7200 RPM drive upgrade on the MBP, too… then again there are a lot of things I would spring for from Apple : )</p>

<p>Edit: And I’m not a gamer at all.</p>

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<p>Discrete graphics are just nice to have in case you ever need them. If you need them down the road and don’t have them, you will slap yourself.</p>

16

<p>look into corporate class dell precision M4400, Same price point. much better processor and graphics and built like a tank. Looks a lot more professional too</p>

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<p>^Too bad it runs Windows.</p>

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<p>^too bad you need windows to run half of your stuff, even if you run windows on “Mac”. The reality is software developers cater to windows not mac.</p>

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<p>^ There are PC labs for that very reason. A personal laptop should not be influenced by that fact, and I would really like to see what you’re basing that fact off of.</p>

<p>Also, to answer your earlier comment: I am using the MB integrated graphics and have yet to have any problems or slowdowns with any of the iLife suite or photoshop (granted I don’t do much heavy usage). Keep in mind this is when running the machine through an external monitor at 1920x1080.</p>

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<p>“The reality is software developers cater to windows not mac.”</p>

<p>That’s not my reality and I’ve been a developer since 1980.</p>

<p>There was an article on SlashDot recently on schools looking at replacing computer labs with areas where students could plug their own laptops in and otherwise socialize or compute together. Not a popular idea on SlashDot because of the fond memories of CS geeks working on their labs until 3:00 AM but it could be a useful reallocation of university resources. Our son seldom goes to the computer lab at his university other than to print things out. He typically does his work on his MacBook Pro and uses the university lab hardware remotely.This also allows him to do his homework when he doesn’t have any customers at his tutoring job or when he’s at home.</p>