<p>I got a Macbook. It is an amazing computer. I'm majoring in BME. Should I have gotten a PC?</p>
<p>I couldn't agree with UriA more, 512 MB is the bare minimum. Get at least 1 Gig!</p>
<p>
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sky - all extensions are the same. .doc, .xls, you can change to other formats.
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I have opened openoffice files in MS office, and did notice some things coming out a bit funky. Not all the time, but it happens enough for me to get MS Office 2007 when I get my new computer instead of relying on openoffice.</p>
<p>That's cool, My opinion is that ms products - not worth a cent.</p>
<p>For desktops - check out the pentium D too its a beast</p>
<p>Get which ever computer you want. It's stupid to buy a computer based on the major you're choosing as an undergraduate. Who knows if you'll stay in the major or not. Also, most libraries the software needed for any class, why pay money for something you can use for free?</p>
<p>UriA, what in the world are you smoking?</p>
<p>pentium D is the most watered-down piece of ***** ever, i hope you weren't serious with that one</p>
<p>but UriA is right with the self-built computers</p>
<p>it takes no more than an hour to put together the parts and you get a far superior computer for however much you spent as opposed to a name brand pos computer that probably uses pos parts (that is if you go the desktop route)</p>
<p>if you decide to go laptop, i would recommend either a macbook or a dell (dells are horrible for desktops but they build solid laptops for a lot cheaper than any other crappy brand i.e. toshiba)</p>
<p>whether you are getting a laptop or a desktop, i will recommend you to get an intel duo core with at least 1 gig of ram (512 will cause some lag, while 2 gigs is overkill for most people) HDD space we can't decide for you because you know yourself best</p>
<p>I was being sarcastic. Just as if i wrote GO FOR THE CELERON ITS SMOKING</p>
<p>haha for sure</p>
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if you decide to go laptop, i would recommend either a macbook or a dell (dells are horrible for desktops but they build solid laptops for a lot cheaper than any other crappy brand i.e. toshiba)
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Very interesting... I have heard exactly the opposite from people who I know that have Dell computers. everybody with a desktop loves theirs, and everybody with a laptop has had major problems.</p>
<p>from personal experience stay away from dell laptops and desktops. their customer service is junk. I would recommend putting together your own desktop. It's a good learning experience. If not order from tigerdirect, newegg, or others who assemble pcs themselves and ship them out. You save money and get better quality parts. Dell uses cheap made in china parts. I had a dell inspiron E1505 specs were great but the quality was junk. I now have a sony vaio and love it. it feels very strong and durable. Macbooks are great as well and can now run windows!</p>
<p>I second the Macbook suggestion. Certainly the Macs are expensive, but they function well, have excellent aesthetics, and are the most versatile of any brand. On what other laptop might one easily run Windows, Linux and OSX?</p>
<p>Don't waste your time with a Crapbook. I may still be in HS, but a year of frustrations (not to say there aren't some OSX features I like, Expose mainly) just don't justify the added price. Even though Apple finally realized that 1gb is the absolute minimum OSX needs, it's still going to cost more. Most of the programs you'll want/need are Windows, and why use up even more HD space to install Bootcamp, when you could just get a PC and save a lot of cash? Macbooks have plenty of gimmicks to make it seem worthwhile - and then it's just a poorly (hardware wise) designed laptop that has plenty of shiny effects, but is highly underwhelming. Macbook Pros are still not worth the price compared to an equivalent PC, but they are much better designed.</p>
<p>Dell gets most of its poor(ish) reputation because of the bloatware they install to keep their prices so low. The solution: reinstall XP with none of the crap, and you have a great hardware deal. If you want some nerd cred, dual boot Ubuntu or another distro. Hardware wise, it doesn't matter who you buy from, as long as you get some decent components. Core2Duo + 1gb + non-integrated graphics + however much HD space you need + cd/dvd burner can be found for under 1k.</p>
<p>I disagree. Dell hardware is junk. They are known for having junk batteries and mother boards. Buy based on reliability/durability and regardless of how opinionated anyone may be as far as what company fits them best - apple is king, nothing will be more reliable</p>
<p>Uh ohhhhhh, we're gonna get into the "Pc vs Apple" debate. How about you try out different laptops, and buy the one that you like the best?</p>
<p>I don't care if it's a junk or not, I got my dell for less than $700 and it's still working alright. If this thing broke down next year or two years from now, I don't mind spending another $700 to get another dell. I won't spend $1400 for macbook pro that may or may not last for 4 years.</p>
<p>i have a different concept. if you are going to buy a 2k laptop, why not buy a new laptop every summer for 800-1k for the same or even better specs! I saw a Dell XPS sell for 700, it once cost 3200. Think about it, you will probably need a laptop that can live through 4 years of train/bus commuting and other stuff. The best option would be to get a notebook which has a wide option of upgrading than buying a two year old HP. OR buy a really expensive one with an excellent warranty. not worth it though. I bought a pc 2 two weeks before the Duo core technology, it works good. but hey its still old.</p>
<p>well dell's use lower-end mobo's, memory, and their own crappy proprietary PSU (so you can't replace it with a better on e)</p>
<p>with that being said, the quality of memory a computer uses affects its performance very little (the timings on the ram are looser on cheap rams, but you're only losing a few tenths of a second at most), and the crappy motherboard and power supply run fine unless it dies</p>
<p>of course dell's are inferior, but they're not as bad as most people make them out to be</p>