<p>I'm saving for my college computer and am seeking advice on which to use, PC or Mac. Should I buy a PC or Mac? Desktop or laptop? Any advice will be very much appreciated by me and all those others out there who need to buy a new computer for college. Thanks!!!</p>
<p>I am more of a PC fan (especially with Windows 7 instead of Vista). Of course, Macs would be more beneficial if you’re into graphic designing and whatnot. While the interface is more user friendly, PCs seem to have more of an advantage here. At least I know that’s the case if you’re in Wharton. We have a class that requires a program that doesn’t run on Macs, though if you load Windows onto a Mac, you’re pretty set. Just personal preference, I guess.</p>
<p>Hey xstingx,</p>
<p>I’ll be going to Wharton next year and I had a question about the whole mac vs. pc question within the context of Wharton classes. I was wondering if there was any kind of specific preference for one or the other within Wharton. Also, I’m kind of leaning towards a Mac with boot camp on it and I’m just wondering how common that is. Basically, I’m just looking for some advice within the context of Wharton. Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>For Wharton, generally PC is overwhelmingly preferred. I don’t know if that changes if you’re running bootcamp, I’ve never heard of anyone doing that anyway. </p>
<p>If you are in engineering, PC or else you will be laughed at.</p>
<p>If you are in the college and doing something like Political Science that doesn’t have a lot of computer program requirements or anything, it’s really up to the individual person. I have a 13 inch Mac that I wouldn’t trade for anything.</p>
<p>FightingQuaker, can you be more specific? What do you like about Mac? </p>
<p>I will be a Wharton student and I’ve heard rumors that a PC is the way to go. I’ve walked through the Huntsman building many times and I’ve never seen a Macbook in use in the computer rooms. Everyone seems to have a PC. Is this correct? Although Mac does run many PC-based programs, I’ve heard it can be unreliable at times. Can you imagine the horror of having your system crash just before a big assignment/presentation is due? Even so I lean towards Apple products, so I’m hoping to hear something from a Mac-using Wharton student.</p>
<p>Any out there?</p>
<p>^I’m not a Wharton student but a mac is much more reliable.</p>
<p>If you do get a Mac, no matter what school you are in, be sure to get Office for Mac. Although the Mac versions of Word, PowerPoint, Excel (Pages, Keynote, and whatever the hell it is called) has a “save as .doc/.ppt/.xcel” feature, sometimes things get lost in translation. I personally don’t know a single Wharton student that has a Mac, and I have a feeling that Macs might be difficult once you have to take OPIM. Also, you will be laughed at taking out a Mac in Huntsman if you are a Wharton student, for what it’s worth. </p>
<p>I love my Mac because it works well for me. It’s very “FightingQuaker-friendly.” User-friendliness is rather relative. But on my Mac I can play study for a class using digital flashcards, record myself butchering a song on my guitar, and play MarioKart 64 in the same hour. Yeah you can do those things on PCs too, but I personally love how everything works on this Mac. </p>
<p>On another note, I strongly suggest that students don’t buy a laptop larger than 15 inches. Lugging a large computer around becomes super annoying. 13 inches is the perfect size, in my opinion.</p>
<p>OPIM 101, which every Wharton student needs to take (except those pursuing dual degree) requires a program called Crystal Ball. It only works for Windows. I know a lot of people in Wharton who have Macs, actually, and loaded Windows onto their Macs to run Crystal Ball, which worked well for them. Macs tend to run into more problems in Wharton, but yeah.</p>
<p>And I agree, nothing bigger than 15"… you need to lug the laptop around more than you think. I have a whopping 17.4" laptop that’s 7.5 lbs with the battery in, and oh man, it hurts. Writing seminar required me to lug it back and forth and I wanted to shoot myself in the face. I treat my laptop as a desktop, but yeah… Go for smaller, haha.</p>
<p>15" MBP, dual boot Windows 7. Best of both worlds.</p>
<p>Even better, get a 14" PC with decent specs for $1k that’ll beat any $2k mac, install Linux and dual boot Windows (or just install Windows on a virtual machine if you don’t need to use extremely intensive Windows programs so you can have it running at the same time). Linux is just as stable as OS X as they’re both built on Unix architecture. And you don’t have to pay a fortune for it.</p>
<p>my friend is an ITA (tech support) he was constantly fixing mac’s connectivity</p>
<p>Is there any advantage in buying the computer at Penn? Do they load a different Penn-friendly software packages? Is is that much cheaper than retail outlets offering educational pricing? Thanks.</p>
<p>There is no point to buying computers through Penn, you’d probably be able to find a better deal by yourself.</p>
<p>I was an ITA this past academic year, and we had huge problems with getting Macs to connect to the internet. Basically, we could’ve guaranteed all Window based computers to connect, but not Macs. They were just being arbitrary and took forever to do. At the beginning of the school year, we did not have official support of Snow Leopard, but I don’t know whether the kinks have been worked out now.</p>
<p>penn gives you the best deal on the computer when you get all the options and warranties.</p>
<p>TevashSzat, as an ITA I value your opinion. Please be brutally honest. I will be in the Wharton program. I am leaning towards a Macbook but I don’t want to invite problems. What do you recommend? Triple thanks!!!</p>
<p>@Hope Full</p>
<p>I’m afraid that I can’t be exactly neutral since I have always hated Mac computers. I’d personally suggest something Windows based, but then again, I am biased.</p>
<p>Well, here are the pros and cons: Macs sometimes don’t play too nicely with AirPennNet. It might take a bit to set up the internet depending on how lucky you are, but after the initial setup, the vast majority of Macs are fine.</p>
<p>With Windows, the setup internet wise is fine, but then you may run into troubles further on depending on how computer literate wise. As much as I hate to admit it, Macs are usually more idiot proof than Windows.</p>
<p>That being said, most of the other arguments have been endlessly argued back and forth by the respective Windows and Mac fanboys.</p>
<p>I do not know the operating system requirements of Wharton. I would recommend you contact Whartonites about them, but then again, you can always boot into Windows with a Mac.</p>
<p>Ultimately, it comes down to personal preference. There are plenty of people on campus with Macs and plenty of people happy with them.</p>
<p>What computer you should buy is totally dependent on which OS you prefer. I have a macbook and tons of other wharton students I know also use macs.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry at all about about OPIM 101 with a mac (same goes if you want a Linux-only setup). You don’t even need Microsoft Office for the class. Just download Open Office, make the spreadsheet on your computer (the formulas will not be lost in MSOffice/OOo conversion), then go to a Huntsman computer lab or borrow a friend’s Windows computer to run Excel Solver and Crystal Ball. If you made your spreadsheet correctly (the excel part in OPIM 101 is very basic), you shouldn’t spend more than 30 minutes in a lab the entire semester. The exam is also not on a computer, so no worries about needing those windows-only add-ins to study. If you take like a heavy-hitting optimization theory course in the OPIM department or another class that requires excel add-ins, then maybe you’ll have a slight inconvenience.</p>
<p>Most software you need should run on a Mac, like MSOffice/Open Office, R or JMP for Stats, Matlab, etc. Macs aren’t all that special to be honest, but if you have one it’s not a problem for wharton courses.</p>
<p>Get a MacBook, and you can get Windows 7 for like $30 from Microsoft. Or if you don’t want to sully your baby, you can just use the computer labs in Huntsman Hall. ;)</p>
<p>If you’re in SEAS or Wharton get a PC. A Lenovo Thinkpad from the bookstore to be exact.</p>
<p>For College, if you’re artsy or simply like Apple you may get a Mac. Just try out a friends’ first.</p>
<p>whartonite1, </p>
<p>What does the Lenovo Thinkpad offer for you to recommend it so highly? Thanks.</p>