<p>Hi,</p>
<p>My laptop (macbook pro-not doing that again) is basically about dead and so Im looking to get a new computer.</p>
<p>Cant decide whether I should get a laptop or a desktop-laptop combo. Im going to be in computer science (programming, Visual Studio, etc) and do some graphic design on the side (mostly job-related), so I need a fairly powerful system either way. Currently living in the dorms, although there appears to be enough room for a desktop and two monitors to fit.</p>
<p>What I'd plan on doing desktop-wise is to get (probably build) a pretty powerful desktop and have two monitors for it for multitasking related things and then get a good but lower-powered laptop for word processing and the like.</p>
<p>If I got a laptop, I would need a fairly powerful one with 15" screen and not heavy since Id want to carry it around and actually use it as a laptop.</p>
<p>In terms of pricing, the laptop I was considering getting (thinkpad) would be expensive enough where getting a desktop and a low-powered laptop would basically equal about the same price. </p>
<p>Thanks in advance for any help yall can give me.</p>
<p>The HPs are awesome, provide excellent performance at a low price. I’m gonna be a freshman next year I’m planning on taking my 17in laptop and a secondary 22in monitor which I’d leave in the dorm and just extend my laptop onto. I do flash stuff on the side so the extra real estate helps :)</p>
<p>What’s wrong with your MacBook Pro?</p>
<p>I’d go with a Sandy Bridge i5-2500 or i7 desktop with a modest graphics card.</p>
<p>CS student’s don’t really bring their laptops to class, they use the provided computers in the lab most.</p>
<p>BCEagle- I agree, I would go the build-it-yourself route, but don’t get a i5-2500, get a i52500k so you can overclock that bad-boy. (It’s only $30 more) Also, if going the Sandy Bridge route, steer clear of the i7 the only difference is hyper-threading which you will not use in CS or gaming.</p>
<p>Be aware though, if you build a Sandy Bridge machine, you are going to run into around a $1000 dollar hit on your wallet. I just built my Sandy Bridge rig and I got away with about $900. If you want to run 2 monitors I recommend a HD 6850/6870 graphics card at about 175-200 bucks.</p>
<p>If you want to go ahead with a desktop laptop combo, A safe bet is the Phenom II x4 for cheaper. If you want some recommendation I can post.</p>
<p>I have the 2500K but I don’t have any intention on overclocking. I also have two Nehalem i7 systems and there is a slight advantage in smoothness with hyperthreading. The prices on those Nehalem systems were really attractive (I bought them used) and the i5s weren’t out yet.</p>
<p>I spent about $1,400 on my Sandy Bridge system which included an SSD and monitor.</p>
<p>You’ve gotten some great advice so far. As a CS major with a bit of graphics design, you will really actually be able to see the benefits of a higher-end CPU, whether it be a smoother graphics editing experience or a 10min compile being cut to 5min. This also includes extra smoothness in Virtual Machines, which you will be dealing with eventually if you’re truly enthusiastic about the major.</p>
<p>My personal advice is: outside the graphics card, spend between $500-$800 on the system. $500 if you wait until all the deal-of-the-years come, $800 if you just hit up the regular sites, spend wisely, and get a system without too much of an effort deal-searching.</p>
<p>Then, spend $300 on a netbook.</p>
<p>I’m a CS major, and the desktop + netbook combo has worked so much better for me than a laptop ever has. When I want power, I have it in my desktop, and when I want portability, the netbook weighs almost nothing (and has an almost unbeatable battery life to boot). I spent $600 on my desktop and $250 on my netbook – the combination is at least 3x better than my $1000 laptop. :)</p>
<p>I’d argue that you can take advantage of the hyperthreading for some CS stuff, but not the stuff you usually see in class. If you decide to write a program to bruteforce passwords (after the theory was mentioned in a security class), you decide to do a highly parallelized recompile of an OS (after getting somewhat comfy with *NIX), or you decide to run several virtual machines (to test out the dozens of OSes that your friends say you must try), hyperthreading will come in handy. The better question is whether or not it’s worth the extra money. To be honest, I’d say: it was worth the $200 in terms of fun, but in all practicality, it’s a waste.</p>
<p>I second excelblue’s post, excellent recommendation. But in my opinion, the extra money spent on a hyper-threading capable PCU isn’t worth it for the most part.</p>
<p>To each their own though.</p>