<p>How do we know what to get? Does Cornell have a requirement or anything?</p>
<p>No, there is no specific laptop required. If you're in the engineering school you may need a PC because of some computer programs you may have to run for some classes. Other than that I would say about 40% of Cornellians have macs and 60% have PCs. The Cornell Store offers discounts on laptops so check there before buying anywhere else.</p>
<p>if you go to cit.cornell.edu you can see Cornell's minimum requirements for laptops.</p>
<p>Other than that....the brand is up to you. However, I do recommend checking with your college b/c like the previous poster mentioned some programs may not be compatible with certain systems. Also consider purchasing your laptop through the Cornell Store as you'll get a discount on the computer and any additional software you might want to add on.</p>
<p>I think PCs are the safer way to go, and you should expect to spend between $500 and $1000 for one. If you have more money to spend, Macs are fairly popular and powerful.</p>
<p>what are the main differences between Macs and PCs, and how do I know which one to get? I have a PC now and no experience with Macs, but everyone seems to love them...</p>
<p>If you're comfortable with your PC there's no reason to switch now. I switched to Mac because I had problems with every PC I owned and my (almost) 5 year old Mac is amazing. The new Macs are very powerful and have a good lifespan.</p>
<p>If you have the money to spend I would recommend a Mac. But, if you prefer to save some money stick with PC. I've heard great things about the Dell XPS.</p>
<p>is it okay to get a mac if you're going into engineering?</p>
<p>I've heard that some computer programs needed for engineering run only on Windows. However...if you've got the money you can set up a Mac to run Windows and switch between the operating systems with one button.</p>
<p>However...I suggest you call someone in engineering to see what they recommend.</p>
<p>get a mac. theres no other option</p>
<p>i think hotel school only takes pc/windows..
but i'm not 100% sure</p>
<p>^I've seen plenty of hotelies with Macs</p>
<p>It seems to me like Apple has been gaining a lot of popularity because their products have an air of being aesthetically pleasing and futuristic. But... if you look at other products that don't get so much press coverage, you can find the same types of features at a lower price. The potential risk you might be running is unreliable tech support from a less well-known company. However, as someone who likes to fiddle around with electronics, I feel safe making the warranty void and doing some customization with these cheaper gadgets. As a PC user, taking the Apple plunge seems like making myself dependent on Apple support when I could fix my own problems with Windows. </p>
<p>Anyways, I (engineering student) bought a Thinkpad T61p a few days ago, and it's supposed to arrive in a few weeks. It's several hundred dollars cheaper than the comparable Macbook Pro ($1461 for the T61p after taxes and coupons as opposed to ~$2000 for Macbook Pro after the Cornell discount). </p>
<p>Bottom line, buy what you want. If you want a cool-looking, trendy computer, you're not a PC-holic, and you're okay with coughing up extra cash for similar performance, get a mac. But if you're more traditional, stick with a cheap, but solid PC.</p>
<p>anonymous89, I ran Mac OS X Leopard on a PC i built. I don't know why anyone would be dependent on tech support if something goes wrong. I either figured out everything on my own, or found it on the web. Same way I figured out what I know about windows. I am far more advanced in computer knowledge than the average user, but once you get the hang of it, Leopard is easier to use than windows.</p>
<p>There are some windows based laptops that will run leopard perfectly (the most common issue is wifi) if you get a copy of kalyway or similar installer package online. It is not legal however, and is much more difficult than just buying a mac. I really prefer the apple software though. I plan to buy a real mac laptop because I don't want to deal with people asking me how I am running apple software on a regular laptop, I don't care on my desktop though.</p>
<p>but with pcs you also have to worry about them getting viruses and breaking all the time.</p>
<p>Well, I dunno. I know that many people get viruses using Windows, but I've never had any problems like that, and I use pirated software all the time. Maybe I've just been extremely lucky? I clean my registry and startup applications every now and then but that's about it. </p>
<p>As for Apple-based software, I'm not much of a graphic designer or a movie editor. I use it more for coding (How would Apple handle compiling C# and C++ code? I never bothered to research that) and playing games. </p>
<p>I've heard many good things about Leopard and its stability, but I can't see any other reason that explains why it's so much better than everything else. It doesn't run as many softwares as Windows, it doesn't offer the freedom of UNIX, and its aesthetics seem overdone. Windows seems just fine to me...</p>
<p>Oh, and I have some questions about Mac computers... How does the BIOS (or something that works as an equivalent) work? Can you overclock your GPU and CPU as easily as some PC's can?</p>
<p>I have never had an actual mac, but on my custom built 'hackintosh', I overclocked my intel e8400 from 3 to 3.8ghz and FSB to 1600mhz. Because I have a regular motherboard I can do whatever. I have no idea about the bios' on mac's though. I wouldn't want to overclock a notebook anyways though because heat is already a major concern in them.</p>
<p>Granted, notebooks are bad for overclocking. But specifically, the T61p tends to run cool, so I might give that a shot. Macbooks seem to run pretty hot.</p>
<p>Will I suffer if I opt to get a desktop rather than a laptop?</p>
<p>Desktops are pretty inconvenient....the desk you'll have in your dorm isn't very big and the desktop will take up quite a bit of space. You also might want to leave your dorm to do wanted. Yes, there are computer labs but they tend to get very busy during certain periods in the semester and having a computer to use isn't guaranteed.</p>
<p>I highly recommend you bring a laptop over a desktop.</p>