<p>Hi,</p>
<p>My son was accepted into Berkeley for Spring 2012. He entered as an Astrophysics major. Is there any recommendation for laptop/computer for physics/astrophysics majors?</p>
<p>thanks</p>
<p>HP dv6t quad
[HP</a> Pavilion dv6 and dv6t Quad Edition series | HP Official Store](<a href=“http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/computer_can_series.do?storeName=computer_store&category=notebooks&a1=See+all&v1=series&a2=Category&v2=High+performance&series_name=dv6tqe_series&jumpid=in_R329_prodexp/hhoslp/psg/notebooks/All_laptop_&_tablet_PC_series/dv6tqe_series]HP”>http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/computer_can_series.do?storeName=computer_store&category=notebooks&a1=See+all&v1=series&a2=Category&v2=High+performance&series_name=dv6tqe_series&jumpid=in_R329_prodexp/hhoslp/psg/notebooks/All_laptop_&_tablet_PC_series/dv6tqe_series)</p>
<p>or a HP ENVY. quad is better for performance, envy looks cooler.</p>
<p>other brands are either overexpensive (dell, apple) or just makes plain cr@p (asus, toshiba)</p>
<p>This previous poster really has little idea what he is talking about. HP is one of the worst brands when it comes to laptop performance over time. Their hardware and software issues are some of the biggest complaints among IT professionals.</p>
<p>A great choice for a scientist/math/physics person is a Lenovo. They have great keyboards, extremely difficult to mess up, and are generally regarded as the best built of the modern laptops. Asus is actually a strong company, but more for their upper end laptops.
Many IT/CS friends are huge fans of Satori/Clevo which are primarily bought from Malibal.</p>
<p>This list is copied from Reddit’s Suggest a laptop board</p>
<p>Quick Picks</p>
<p>Under $450 - Netbook/Subnotebook</p>
<pre><code>Lenovo x120e
HP DM1Z
Asus 1215
Acer 5253
</code></pre>
<p>$700-$1200- Midrange</p>
<pre><code>Lenovo Y570
Dell XPS 15
Asus N53/Acer AS5750
Dell XPS 17/MSI 16F2
</code></pre>
<p>$1200+ - Gaming/Desktop Replacement</p>
<pre><code>Asus G53/G73/G74
Clevo P150EM/P151EM/P170EM
Alienware M17xR3
Alienware M18x/Clevo P270 (np9170)
</code></pre>
<p>Ultraportables</p>
<pre><code>Clevo W110ER (Gaming)
Acer TimelineX
Sony Z Series
Lenovo Thinkpad x220
Lenovo Thinkpad X1
Macbook Air
</code></pre>
<p>I know I will get flamed for this, but IMO the best choice is a Macbook Air. It’s ultraportable and a desktop replacement at the same time. I admit that the cost of a MBA higher than that of other brands with the same performance but it’s well worth it.</p>
<p>I was an EECS major and I’ve never looked back since buying a Macbook. And btw, the majority of all CS professors and graduate students use Macbooks, they certainly know a bit about computers. However, if you are on a tight budget then another laptop will do just as well. If you don’t mind spending ~$1.5k, go for a Macbook.</p>
<p>^True. I haven’t seen a single professor of mine who owns a laptop other than a MacBook. I’m beginning to think that they’re given them by the University. Are they?</p>
<p>IMO regardless of major you can’t go wrong with an Ultrabook, maybe the Lenovo IdeaPad. Lightweight and long battery life.</p>
<p>I know that some schools have deals with Apple and Apple also has some generic discounts for teachers. I know my last semester math prof got a MB pro for next to nothing. But seriously don’t waste your money on a Macbook. An argument from authority like “the majority of all CS professors and graduate students use Macbooks, they certainly know a bit about computers” isn’t valid, especially without proof.</p>
<p>Today, Sager released their new line of laptops on xoticpc and the new ivybridge processors will be in them within the end of the month. They’re pretty fantastic and the price for performance is much better than Apple’s.</p>
<p>tl;dr if you’re concerned with aesthetics over function and have money to drop then maybe a Mac is for you. Otherwise, look at Sager/Lenovo/Asus</p>
<p>@jetlogic</p>
<p>hp is not a crap brand. I had a hp dv6 for 4 years now for high school and it never screwed up.</p>
<p>I also had a hp desktop (forgot the name) for 8 years now and I’m currently using it to post this reply.</p>
<p>Though do note you sometimes will get a DOA (dead on arrival) or vegetable no matter which brand you choose.</p>
<p>Also alienware is completely BS, overpriced, and works like sh1t. Same goes for the other brands you named jetlogic.</p>
<p>Personal anecdotes do not imply overall status.
notebookreview.com and reddit.com/r/suggestalaptop is my primary source for suggestions, and I guarantee that their collective knowledge is far greater than your personal experience. Alienware are pricey, but they are extremely well built and work well. Recall that you’re also paying for a lot of the custom aesthetics with alienware and they’re much more for serious gamers than for average college users.</p>
<p>If you say the same for the brands I named, you must really be living in a land of delusions. Without hesitation I will say that Lenovo’s are the best built laptops on the market (only laptop certified to go into space). Their customer service is top of the line as it is still routed through IBM, who used to own them. </p>
<p>Sager/Clevo are also fantastic and aren’t well known because they get rebranded and sold by bigger distributors. The new line of Sager has its uncustomized specs listed here
[Custom</a> Laptops, Gaming Notebooks, Custom Gaming Laptops | XOTIC PC](<a href=“http://www.xoticpc.com/custom-gaming-laptops-notebooks-clevo-sager-notebooks-ct-95_51_162.html]Custom”>Custom CLEVO Sager Gaming Laptops & Notebooks | XOTIC PC)</p>
<p>LOL @ “An argument from authority like ‘the majority of all CS professors and graduate students use Macbooks, they certainly know a bit about computers’ isn’t valid, especially without proof.”</p>
<p>So would you like us to take a picture of all the profs with macbooks and post it here? lol. People take things too seriously here. It’s just an observation. It’s up to the OP to decide whether he believes it or not. Besides, why should we believe everything you say? One website link sure does provide enough proof.</p>
<p>Windows with Ubuntu dual boot works great for me. For multimedia stuff I use Windows, and for programming and school related stuff I use Ubuntu.</p>
<p>Yeah a MacBook is probably better, but they are so expensive. I wouldn’t pay over $1000 for laptop unless I was in the highest income bracket in the United States.</p>
<p>Also a lot of the National Instrument software that I’ve had to use in my EE classes only work on Windows to the best of my knowledge.</p>
<p>I agree that Lenovo’s are good laptops that have a good price/performance ratio. In fact, in owned a Lenovo before I bought my Macbook. I’d say it’s the best PC/laptop brand out there. Unfortunately my Lenovo was stolen and that was the reason I changed to a Macbook. Now I think that you can’t even compare those two. In terms of pure performance you certainly get more for your money if you buy a Lenovo, but a Macbook is a whole different league. Sorry, but people who haven’t owned one simply cannot understand that. I wouldn’t change back to any PC laptops even if Macbooks costed 5 times what they do. And I am saying that as someone who uses his laptop 10+ hours every day, as my job is in CS and I was an EECS major. They may be overpriced, but IT IS a much better experience.</p>
<p>If I had to save money though I’d go for Lenovo.</p>
<p>^Yeah we were given Macbooks in my internship last summer and it was the best computer experience ever.</p>
<p>But cost is still a big issue for average middle class people.
</p>
<p>isn’t always a viable option for the average American :(.</p>