<p>Will MIT dorm desks hold/fit a full tower PC? Can I buy furniture for my dorm e.g. a big enough desk? I have a full tower PC i built 4 years ago and I just don't want to leave it at home, or disassemble it (feels like murdering it).</p>
<p>If full tower really isn't an option, do you guys think the desks will fit a mid tower then. Maybe a mini tower? (seriously)</p>
<p>*I don't like leaving my tower on the floor, if I have to, I'll rather not bring the tower to MIT then T.T</p>
<p>If you’re the kind of person that cares enough about using a desktop vs a laptop then you’ll be able to find space for it.</p>
<p>That said, is there any reason you don’t want your tower on the floor? I know most PSUs are bottom mounted nowadays, but you could always prop it up on a few books or something to keep it off the floor.</p>
<p>In most dorms you can add your own furniture to support your…needs.</p>
<p>Does there seem to be a strong preference for Macs or PCs on campus? Or is it just a matter of personal preference? </p>
<p>Is there usually someplace close by where you can get your computer repaired, if you are having problems?</p>
<p>MIT has a lot more Macs than the general population, probably around half. Many of the people with PCs will be running Ubuntu or some other Linux system on a Thinkpad :P</p>
<p>DD has been using a 13" MacBook Pro for high school.</p>
<p>She thinks that a 15" MacBook Pro would be better for college because it is much easier to work with 2 documents side by side.</p>
<p>Does that choice seem like a decent one? I don’t want to spend the money and then find out that I got her the wrong thing.</p>
<p>I solve that problem by using a 13" Macbook Air which I can plug into a 21" external monitor at my desk. </p>
<p>Productivity and portability when and as necessary.</p>
<p>^^Mr. Peterson, that’s actually so brilliant.
Air is so thin and easy to carry!</p>
<p>
People who are course 2 (mechanical engineering) need Windows for the software their classes requires.</p>
<p>If you’re in computational biology you’ll need Linux or Unix (Apple computers have Unix).</p>
<p>As far as I’m aware everything else is personal preference. MacBook Pros seem to be the most common computer.</p>
<p>
There’s an Apple store at the Cambridgeside Galleria mall, which is about a 10-minute walk from the northeastern edge of campus, and MIT Information Services provides computer repair services to students ([link](<a href=“Computer Repair | Information Systems & Technology”>Computer Repair | Information Systems & Technology)</a>).</p>
<p>Computer setup suggestion from MIT Chris, “I solve that problem by using a 13” Macbook Air which I can plug into a 21" external monitor at my desk. Productivity and portability when and as necessary."</p>
<p>Can any current students comment on this set-up? If your parents offered to get you a new computer setup, is this what you would ask for? In the up to $2,500 range.</p>
<p>^ Get two external hard drives (one for extra files, one to back up said extra files), and that would’ve worked great for me!</p>
<p>I’m not a current student, but I only graduated 6 months ago, so I’m barely irrelevant! :P</p>
<p>I’d go with something like a netbook along with a nice tower, but I’m also not a mac person and don’t actually like working on laptops.</p>
<p>Go Surface Pro 2 with an external monitor/mouse/keyboard. Great note-taking, excellent battery life, and stellar performance. Styli are actually useful.</p>
<p>So here are more questions:</p>
<p>1) Do I get to Pick my MIT dorm, like big or small, single or double</p>
<p>2) Will some MIT dorms fit a table, that will fit, a super tower PC nicely.</p>
<p>3) Is there KFC nearby MIT.</p>
<p>You get to rank the dorms, and the different dorms do vary in the kinds and size of rooms available. Once you’ve been assigned a dorm, there’s a process within each dorm for room assignment. You can indicate a preference for a single, and there are definitely more singles available to underclassmen at MIT than at other schools, but requesting a single isn’t a guarantee that you’ll get one.</p>
<p>How big is this table that you’re talking about? You can almost certainly fit something in, although if you have a small room, it might take up a considerable percentage of the space. I lived in a single in MacGregor all four years, and the rooms in MacGregor are 8 feet by 15 feet</p>
<p>There used to be a KFC within walking distance of MIT, but it looks like it has closed. There aren’t any in Cambridge now, and it looks like the closest one is in Allston – about a 30-minute trip by public transportation. (You do mean KFC like Kentucky Fried Chicken, right?)</p>
<p>I would get a Linux-capable machine or a Mac even if you’re not planning to need it. MIT’s own computing is Linux-based, and it’s really really nice to be able to use AFS to its full capabilities, or add myself to a mailing list without having to open webmoira or ssh. I can have dev servers on my laptop without having to boot a VM, and honestly, VMs are <em>slow</em>. Have debathena installed on my computer has just been.so.useful and I’m a biologist.</p>
<p>I would <em>not</em> get a surface as a primary computer, ever. No matter how much Microsoft tries to sell it, it’s ~useless for anything more than word documents or email. And you <em>can’t</em> install linux on it. Which might be meaningless elsewhere, but is more than a little obnoxious here.</p>
<p>ETA: Oh! I forgot the best reason to have linux/mac - git. Having version control is blasted useful no matter which field you’re in.</p>
<p>So will the dorms fit a desk big enough to fit a full tower PC on it?</p>
<p>How big are you talking, in actual measurements?</p>
<p>I’m with NightShadeQueen all the way. Don’t get a Surface as your primary computer. Don’t do it. No.</p>