I am planning on purchasing a new computer when I attend GaTech
All suggestions are welcome
Budget is around 1500USD (Max)
PC or laptop?
You can get any laptop, but having worked at GT, I know that you can’t go wrong with a Mac Pro. When new employees come at GT (I worked in a technical division), those who needed it and required a work computer were offered Macs (at least I was). The Mac is the best, and most reliable solution.
@Jubilantlearner -GT publishes computer requirements every year so I would check this link: http://www.sco.gatech.edu/req_hw As the requirement recommends, I suggest you buy more memory and “processing/ram” (forgive me I am not tech savy) than you think you will need. My DD said that has been very useful since she has to run a lot of programs and do so much technical work on her laptop. Also every Tech student gets a free subscription to Office365 so you don’t need to buy that.
My DD recommend’s a laptop-there will be group projects and other classroom requirements so most GT students I know use a laptop. My DD is an ME major with a CS minor and she has found that macs do not work as well with the programs and classes she has to take or use. She has a Lenovo that has worked out very well and had it built for her online. It may take a couple of weeks so be sure you do it before school starts. She found some great discount coupons on ebates and used those to bring the price down to your budget level. Normally I don’t recommend buying service packages, but with being so far from home and with no car my DD bought a service package from Lenovo at a huge discount and has gotten her money’s worth. She bought the one where the service tech comes to her and has used it (not due to any issues with the quality of the laptop issues) but other things.
I recommend you post your question over at the Georgia Tech reddit forum. Students have posted the question there before and GT students have said the following are good for CS majors: Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro, Dell XPS15.
They also warned “For a CS major, I would probably lean against a laptop with a high DPI. A lot of programs don’t do high DPI that well.”
Hope this info helps.
Thank you much!!! I think i’d go with the Dell XPS15 after doing a whole afternoon of research and comparison !!
While I sort of agree with the comment by itsv, Windows systems are not known for their longevity (especially Dell’s). The Mac Pro will last you your college career, and especially if you’re majoring in CS, its the computer to go for. Interestingly, what you’ll see is that when you get a job at a company in the future, they always offer Mac’s (or an allowance). I think you should get a Mac - but that’s your choice ultimatley.
Haha @college450 that’s a valid point, I don’t want to start another Windows vs Apple fight… But I will seriously consider both. Thanks for the reply
No problem. Congratulations on your admission to GT, and best wishes to you! I’m sure you have a bright and very successful future ahead of you.
My son will attend GaTech this fall. He writes programs for robotics competition at high school and he had also built games for iPhone. He has several computers at home but he always use Mac for programming. He got his brother’s 6 years old Mac and upgraded it himself. It works fantastic.