<p>My S will be a freshman in engineering in the fall. He's starting off as an operations research major. We plan to get him a new laptop as a graduation gift. We asked when we were up there and they said that anything is fine and there are computer labs everywhere. That's good information, but what computer would work best for our S's personal use. He would prefer to not always depend on computer labs.</p>
<p>Both of the OR majors I knew this year had Macs. I’m not terribly sure if that meant much to them, but I also realize that many more people at Cornell (at least in my year) have Apple computers than anything else. I’m personally a big Windows person, but for personal use, he’s probably best going with whatever he is comfortable with. It’s certainly better than going with no lap top at all. Going to computers in labs and libraries can be a complete nuisance for first-year students. My laptop recently had a hardware issue for a few days and it completely set me back for a bit.</p>
<p>Is there any issue with software compatibility with mac’s for OR students? Our older son had to get a PC when he started engineering in 2006 - they actually made you purchase from them so everyone was on the same page. I think the current son would prefer a PC, because that’s what he’s used to, but we have a mac at home and it’s many fewer issues.</p>
<p>I am also starting in the fall in the engineering school and had a similar question. I am most likely majoring in operations research as well. I am much more familiar with Macs and was hoping I could continue this at Cornell. If I do use a Mac would you recommend also installing windows? Are there any drawbacks of using a Mac instead of PC during the first few years of engineering school?</p>
<p>As an engineer, using Windows computers has helped me out immensely, and I’ve come to like it a lot more than Linux or Mac.</p>
<p>It’s not the end of the world if you have a Macintosh. Mostly because 90% of the of the computer labs at Cornell have Windows. The other 10% are Linux, but usually these labs require special access such as being enrolled in certain courses.</p>
<p>In the end I found that using a Windows was very helpful. For instance, if I need to create or update a model in Solidworks or ANSYS Fluent at 4 AM I can do it in the comfort of my own home instead of having to expose myself to the winter outside.</p>
<p>I’m not an ORIE major, but I know they use programs like Matlab, Excel and related addons, CPLEX, etc. Most of these will work on a Mac, either by the program creators, or through virtual boxing (which is inconvenient).</p>
<p>So, it is definitely possible, but not ideal, to get through Engineering with a Mac.</p>
<p>However, if you’re buying a computer for your child, I would highly recommend knowing which operating system to use. If they have no preference, go for the Windows, because they will get you far more computing power for the price as well as a higher ceiling for processing. I know from experience that it’s easy to get very frustrated if you try to run Solidworks on average cpu and it ends up taking you five minutes to rotate a box fifteen degrees.</p>
<p>A second option I would mention is to hold off on getting a new computer until one semester in. If your child has their own computer right now regardless of desktop or laptop, they could bring it to college for to begin with. The reason why I recommend this is that your child may find himself joining, for instance, an engineering project team, or do research for a prof., or take a deep interest in comp sci and take a lot of classes or extracurriculars in a field that isn’t ORIE. Finally, your child may find that s/he doesn’t even like ORIE and ends up with a different major. This can save you a lot of money if you don’t end up buying a computer more powerful than s/he needs it to be, or vice versa. Plus you get to cash in on the great Black Friday or Winter electronics sales.</p>
<p>Final word: go with your child’s preference. If no preference, go Windows.</p>
<p>Thanks…he is definitely leaning PC with windows. A lot of changed since our other son did engineering, so I had to ask. Are there places on campus to for help with PC problems like viruses and the like? I think I remember that on one of our tours, but don’t remember if it was a Cornell tour. I know PC’s can have issues. My guess is he will do PC - I just wanted to confirm. THANKS SO MUCH for your lengthy and informative response!</p>
<p>Lenovo!!!</p>
<p>When we were visiting, the tourguide suggested that if you buy a computer through the Cornell store, you get access to on-site repair/troubleshooting service if anything goes wrong, that is not available if you bought your computer elsewhere. Is this true?</p>
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Swimmer726, your son will be fine with any laptops these days. I think people majoring in OR wouldn’t have to install any software that requires high-end performance machines. So, let him configure the laptop however he wants especially if he is into gaming.</p>
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mathmomvt, this is true. However, most companies these days provide free shipping for repairs, so it’s not going to be too different than having someone in the tech corner to look at it. Also, the person in the tech corner might not know everything. So, if they can’t fix it on the spot, they might ask you if you would like it to be sent to the manufacturer to be fixed, which is going to be the same procedure as how it would have been if you had not bought it from Cornell Store.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply. I do think that if the price is similar (which it ought to be, Cornell students get some discounts that seem comparable to what you might find elsewhere) it is beneficial to have the possibility of your computer being fixed on the spot if at all possible, rather than shipped back which would leave you without your computer for much longer.</p>