I am look for a 15.6 laptop with i7 and 8GM RAM. For CS group project meeting/working together, I need to bring my laptop. Do I need to bring my laptop to class at all? Is the laptop needed in lab/discuss session? The answers to these questions will help me decide whether it is OK to buy a 4.5 lb laptop rather than a more expensive sub 3.5 lb laptop.
Is a laptop with 250GB SSD good enough since model with 500GB SSD is quite a bit more expensive? That alone may lead me to choose a model/configuration with non SSD drive.
Is it necessary to run Linux inside a VM (such as VirtualBox or WMware) under Windows or OSX for CS 61A or CS61B etc.? I think if I need to run Linux under a VM, 15.6 inch screen size is the minimum screen size to do any meaningful work in the guest OS environment. Have anyone try running Linux under VM with a 14 inch or smaller screen laptop? How is the experience?
Do CS students do their programming assignments mostly in their apartment/dorm room? If so, is having a 20inch or larger external monitor useful?
How do students turn in programming class assignment? (Online submit, print hard copy or both) If hard copy is required, is it better to have a inkjet in you room? The reason behind this is the printing center in the dorm close quite early and you never know when your will fix the last bug in your programming assignment.
Any suggestion for makes/models that I should consider will be greatly appreciated.