<p>I'm coming in as a freshman next year and I need to get a laptop for the undergrad years. I'm hoping to follow a premed track, and price isnt a huge issue, my parents and i are willing to shell good money for a good computer. Obviously I'd rather not pay a fortune if I can get around it, but I'm still at a loss. Any advice?</p>
<p>whatever you get, make sure it has WINDOWS XP...</p>
<p>VISTA is the new ME and will die soon enough ^_^</p>
<p>i bought a macbook today! with the new summer deal, it actually comes around to be 830 or so without tax. that's cheaper than a lot of pcs actually</p>
<p>mac books are cool if all you plan to do is surf the net, use office, and such...</p>
<p>not good for the more savvy users..</p>
<p>My parents bought me a Mac when I started college 4 years ago....it's still running as beautifully as it did the first time I turned it on :-)</p>
<p>I use it b/c it's the only computer used in my lab and is far superior for imaging and such...</p>
<p>What is the new summer deal?</p>
<p>I heard there is an annual deal on September that gives you a free i-pod with a purchase of a macbook.</p>
<p>I think that deal is still going on...you also get an education discount..which amounts to $100 off...$140 if you purchase through the Cornell store.</p>
<p>
[quote]
mac books are cool if all you plan to do is surf the net, use office, and such...</p>
<p>not good for the more savvy users..
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I disagree. Most savvy users will choose a Mac over a PC because of its UNIX underpinnings. For instance, my summer internship is through a major research group in Silicon Valley, and <em>all</em> of their staff use Macs (though, admittedly, a few have installed a flavor of Linux instead of Mac OS X). Anything you can do on a PC you can do equally as well on a Mac (if not better -- and that includes running Windows, whether through Boot Camp or virtualization programs such as Parallels Desktop for Mac).</p>
<p>The choice is entirely up to the end user, but don't write off getting a Mac without first trying one in full capacity. I used to be a big Mac naysayer because of my experiences with poorly-configured G3 eMacs that littered my high school, but once I stopped in and played with one of the first Intel machines at a local Apple Store, I absolutely fell in love with the systems. Great, solid components and a slick OS that can be as simple or as powerful as the owner would like.</p>
<p>The current deals for students are a free iPod nano ($199 value) or iPod Touch ($299 value) and a $99 discount on a printer (which will work out to be free for a few of the available models) with the purchase of a Mac. Be sure to seriously consider this offer -- you can always sell them on eBay or otherwise if you already have an iPod, so it will end up making the Mac even more affordable.</p>
<p>Tommy</p>
<p>Macbook Pro</p>
<p>Resurgam...what makes you say that Macs aren't for high end users? Is it just because of the stigma that is commonly associated with them or do you actually have reasons. Mac OS X - the new release - is one of the most complete operating systems on the market. It gives you the accessibility of linux with its Unix core, and standard 64bit ability, without all the hassels of linux. The same software works on Macs that works on any PC, unless you're a gamer then I give PC the edge, but otherwise I would contend that Macs are a much better bet than any PC. </p>
<p>Additionally, Google uses Macs.....I'd say they're pretty high-end end users...would you agree?</p>
<p>Edit: I just realized the I just said that exact same thing that tomathy said above....</p>
<p>tomathy, what u said was really helpful, but do you know where i can find information about that deal online? i was looking at the cornell store & apple store's sites & didn't see it</p>
<p>is anybody really going to help the kid who started this thread. Geesh. No one can mention getting a new computer without somehow sparking a Mac vs. PC debate. Get what YOU want, not what some strangers on CC demand you get. Go to the store, check online and find something YOU like.</p>
<p>Well...we did help out the OP. Then another poster made a comment and couldn't back it up with info....and it seems the posters on the Cornell forum don't take kindly to that :-)</p>
<p>offtocollege17: if you go the apple.com main store page and scroll down a bit, you'll see the offer for a free iPod with purchase of a Mac computer. </p>
<p>I don't think the Cornell store participates in this offer. However, if you don't want the iPod you get a $140 discount through the CU store whereas you get a $100 discount if you purchase through the Apple Store. It's totally up to you...</p>
<p>^but if you think about it, it would probably be better to get a free $300 iPod touch rather can just get $140 off the computer with no iPod...but hey...whatever floats your boat ;)</p>
<p>What type (Mac vs. Windows vs. other) of computer and what specs it should have highly depends on what you are going to be using it for. Gaming? Web browsing? Engineering? Video editing? etc, etc.</p>
<p>Yeah...it's an awesome deal...just depends on what you want! I mean...if you already have a new iPod...no sense in taking another new one :-)</p>
<p>you could sell the ipod on ebay if you don't want it, and it's like getting another 300 dollars off your laptop</p>
<p>I guess so...no sense in hijacking the thread over a simple issue</p>
<p>i think if you're going to buy a pc, you should definitely go for an Intel Core 2 Duo processor</p>