<p>I plan becoming a cs major but I don't know what laptop to get. I have come down to a couple of choices. The first is a mbp 15, a dell xps, or the xps + mac mini. The reasoning behind these choices are that I want a computer that I can use to develop and game. The dell is able provide both of these, except that it does not have xcode which is a bummer cause I wanted to do some developing for apple. Also, the mbp can run win7 via bootcamp. The third option would give me the best of both worlds, but is it sensible?( I plan on going to Texas Tech, A&M, or University of Texas)</p>
<p>I also am interested in knowing this.</p>
<p>Now, personally, I find this question hard to believe. CS major would never ask such a question; they already know the answer. I just have a feeling that you might not do well in CS. You will be competing with kids that have been programming for years.</p>
<p>Just get any damn laptop.</p>
<p>A computer with an OS and development environment that is the same as, or similar to, that used in your CS courses would allow for doing work while not connected to the campus computing network.</p>
<p>The MBP 15 would be my personal choice. I also used an MSI with windows/linux dual boot for quite awhile. </p>
<p>You can likely get slightly better graphics hardware for cheaper overall if you choose a PC-based laptop, but it is likely to be some desktop replacement that weighs 30 lbs and puts on a laser light show complete with fog effects when you turn it on.</p>
<p>Davidthefat’s attitude isn’t relevant. There are computer programming majors who didn’t program before they went into their major. Math skills are far more beneficial than programming skills (and gaming skills.) </p>
<p>It’s likely dated since my daughter graduated in 2009 but she was able to get a Dell from the online outlet store that was a 2 year old refurbished (leased to businesses) and it was a much better machine than she would have afforded otherwise. She set it up to boot in either Windows or Linux. For grad school, she insisted on getting a Mac.</p>
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<p>Don’t listen to this guy. Lots of people major in CS without prior programming experience (or with little) even at top schools, and many decide to major in CS without programming experience after taking an intro CS course. In my CS 1 class (Java class), a bunch of the kids thought that they are veteran programmers because they know a little bit of C or HTML. Most of them weren’t any better off than the inexperienced bunch by the end of the class. The only advantage they had, in my opinion, was being more interested.</p>
<p>I agree that what computer you get isn’t hugely important. If you get a gaming laptop, it will far exceed your CS needs since it will have more than enough processing power and RAM.</p>
<p>Agree with BP and KA. E.g., I’ve known a number PhDs in other fields (e.g., chemistry, i.e., really smart) who land in a CS job because such jobs are available, pay well and are fun. As long as you have the aptitude, your background can be secondary. One of my top programming colleagues at Apple was an art major.</p>
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<p>Typically, such people are self-educated (not uneducated) in CS. CS happens to be a subject where self-education is more easily available, more common, and most accepted than others – although most people who go into CS these days do have some formal education in the subject.</p>
<p>Continuing self-education of new topics in CS is necessary for continuing a career.</p>
<p>Pros and Cons to whatever machine you decide to go with. As a CS major myself, I replaced my old PC laptop before entering college with a 15" MacBook Pro. I couldn’t be happier with my decision (though it did come with a hefty price-tag). I love Windows too, and I have installed Windows 7 via VMWare/BootCamp (if you know about that) for reasons when I absolutely need a Windows computer. </p>
<p>My (very, very) short list of Pros & Cons for Mac computers:</p>
<p>Pros:
Instant Wake/Sleep - all you have to do is shut the laptop, it goes into sleep and wakes up lighting fast when you open it again. I hated waiting minutes for my old windows laptop to boot up especially when I had stuff that needed to be done quickly. </p>
<p>The gestures on the MacBooks are so amazing and no other company can compete with that right now. It’s so easy to multitask, and to a CS major, that’s crucial. For example, If i’m working on a coding project and i need to slide back and forth between my compiler and my internet browser to look stuff up, it takes just the swipe of the fingers to move from application to application. It is seriously art in motion haha. </p>
<p>Cons:</p>
<p>Compatibility issues with older applications/ other applications only available on windows. Its only a slight issue nowadays, but there are still a lot of cases where you are limited by what you can do because you can’t utilize a program that’s only available on the windows architecture.</p>