<p>DD will be attending Tech come August, and I wanted to know if Tech was like other colleges and had a site that is for only Tech students. I am sure DD knows, but I feel as if Tech students and parents can give better input.</p>
<p>UMDCP has great discounts with Apple and HP, better than anywhere you can find. We got DS's MAC laptop upgraded, printer and an I touch for less than anything we found on the web or at stores. Additionally since we bought through the UMD IT we got 4 yrs of coverage regarding repair or replacement for free.</p>
<p>Does Tech have this kind of thing?</p>
<p>I own a HP at home, but I will admit that I think MAC is better regarding viruses. Remember this is for my DD and we will be 4 hrs away. I will not be able to help her get rid of a virus over the phone.</p>
<p>What if the computer crashes? Is there a difference in getting assistance on campus for MAC compared to Microsoft?</p>
<p>In short computers for dummies...say the op systems don't matter regarding majors, which is better for the dummy to get it back up and running?</p>
<p>To reiterate what chuy said in the other thread, be wary about buying Macs, because you’re really paying several hundred extra dollars for the brand. This is alleviated somewhat in August when Apple throws in a free iPod with the Mac, but you have to judge for yourself if that’s worth the extra cost.</p>
<p>If you buy a computer at the Virginia Tech Bookstore you get a warranty for a couple of years in most cases. To be honest though, you’re probably not going to run into any viruses or complete system failures unless you’re poking around in places you shouldn’t (e.g. messing with the HDD partitions, editing the registry, etc.). That goes for Mac and PC. I’d ask your daughter what she wants. She’s going to be the one using the computer all of the time.</p>
<p>If you buy a computer at VT they’ll fix most of what goes wrong with it, hardware wise at least. You’ll have to comparison shop to see if the VT bookstore has better prices than elsewhere, but the on-site support is probably worth it. My computer had to have hardware replaced 4 times over 3 years (that is not typical) and they did it quickly each time since I had the warranty. I THINK that they fix your computer quicker if it’s a PC since they do the PC repairs on site and have to send the Mac repairs to Apple, but I’m not sure about that. The warranty isn’t free though.</p>
<p>Mac is better with viruses because it is a less popular platform so there are fewer viruses developed for it. It also has less software in general developed for it. Get a good anti-virus and don’t illegally download stuff off of the internet and 90% of the time you’re not going to have a virus problem on a PC.</p>
<p>If your daughter really wants a Mac, doesn’t like to play games on her computer and you have the cash to burn go ahead and get a Mac. If she’s on the fence save yourself a few hundred bucks and try to push her toward PC.</p>
<p>SO in other words MAC and DELL/HP (or other Microsoft companies) have no VTECH IT reduce rates regarding laptops? What you are saying is I am better off buying a laptop from UMDCP because DS1 attends since Tech does not has a that perk.</p>
<p>Reiteration…UMDCP has a deal with MAC through the college, but Tech does not have this program?. I got DS his laptop upgraded, a HP printer and an ITouch for the same price as the lowest quality MAC through APPLE website, and you are saying Tech -Apple has no difference?</p>
<p>During the summer MAC sale, you can get school discounts at an Apple store if your daughter has her school ID already. (At least it worked that way two years ago for D1)</p>
<p>Right now, there are some pretty amazing deal in their bookstore.
[Virginia</a> Tech Bookstore - Clearance](<a href=“efollett”>efollett)
You can pretty much get a one year old dell powerhouse with a price of netbook.</p>