Recommendation for a college student laptop

[weisan]

My daughter just called and said she lost her laptop. I won't go into too much details except... <sigh>

She's been pretty good in taking care of herself at college and being independent and all that, paying for her own living expenses but this one is a bit over her budget, she needs help from us.

She is a business major, don't do gaming or graphics-intensive tasks. Any good recommendation on an affordable, decent laptop for college use?

My first instinct is to go to Costco - yeah, you know me.
https://www.costco.com/laptops.html

I really can't tell the difference in one from the other, except the price difference. I used to enjoy comparing specs in computer hardware but in recent years I have lost interests and become quite adverse to technology so I quite out of it with the latest PC tech and trends. Personally, I am using a 5-year-old Acer Chromebook to do everything. :p

Her old laptop was a Dell XPS i5 - 9560 (http://outlet.us.dell.com/ArbOnlineSales/Online/SecondaryInventorySearch.aspx?c=us&cs=22&l=en&s=dfh&sign=PXhcOSHtr1T4IOw%2fPR7UdQWAIsSmccU7KKdqa02xjor LvY55bymtwRa5azlDjW0JPWkgz8a6hbY6BYc8w4VeO3DTvIpYm kFYUJBdVHYQoKBSaDCApYhaSn1J2ubglLvtKetK1%2bYkVyi4% 2brsVTHsXJHTCCrjHR7sujRv%2fb6GpNgcwhh8SXT7sF78zk0x c%2fK0c)

Tech Specs
Processor: Intel Core 7th Generation i5-7300HQ Processor (Quad Core, up to 3.50 GHz, 6M Cache, 45W)
Windows 10 Home 64bit English
256GB PCIe M.2 NVMe Class 40 Solid State Drive
8 GB DDR4 Non-ECC SDRAM 2400MHz (2x4GB)
15.6inch FHD (1920 x 1080) InfinityEdge
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 4GB
Dell Outlet XPS 15 - 9560 Laptop

[Bentley]

So I've been to this story. My experience is that Windows machines are too susceptible to viruses and the like. Spent a bunch of time with cleaning up the computer or my oldest till I got her a Mac. You can get good deals for returns on Ebay . Universities are crawling with viruses and malware, save yourself the headache.

[parris]

It may sound nuts but when shopping for a laptop for our son I scored a very good deal at Best Buy in their open box section. As far as brand hp, asus, lenovo, and a few others have good reps.

I used the Best Buy credit card with 12 months same as cash offer. This was another small reason for us to go with Best Buy.

[ultraman6970]

Whatever you buy think on getting the top tear warranty even if the kid kills the computer on purpose.

[zzy]

When Costco has sales their electronics prices are unbeatable. If it's just a schoolwork/social media laptop consider a used off-lease Thinkpad. They hold up decently and if it takes a fall it's not the end of the world. But educate your daughter on the importance of data backups early. Investing in cloud based storage may save some major headaches down the road.

[rePhil]

Get her a Mac along with Apple care. You will pay more up front but be better off in the long run.

[RFC]

Another option is to get her a refurbished laptop. These have all been worked over, so the bugs should be worked out.

I just bought a refurbished HP Elitebook from Best Buy for less than $300. It showed up in two days in great shape and ready to go.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/searchpage.jsp?cp=1&searchType=search&_dyncharset=UTF-8&ks=960&sc=Global&list=y&usc=All%20Categories&type=page&id=pcat17071&iht=n&seeAll=&browsedCategory=pcmcat219300050014&st=categoryid%24pcmcat219300050014&qp=brand_facet%3DBrand~HP&sp=-bestsellingsort%20skuidsaas

[slowpoke]

I would normally suggest an Apple computer, but it does come at a higher price, and if your daughter needs to use Excel on a near daily basis, that might be an issue (feature parity for MS Office between macOS vs. Windows has improved, but I don't think they're totally 1:1).

If you do go Apple, then I would suggest shopping their refurbished section (https://www.apple.com/shop/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/macbook_pro/13), or buying from B&H Photo or Adorama. If you live outside of NY, you can avoid paying sales tax with the latter retailers (not that I advocate not paying sales tax, but it is $100+ difference).

If she is fine with a Windows machine, look into Lenovo Thinkpad X or T-series, Dell XPS, HP Spectre.

[buddybikes]

Business major - generally Windows. Mac if other major. 90+ chance they will be going into a Windows environment when entering workforce.

Remember when my daughter went to school, it was a requirement for Bus majors (she wasn't so got her a mac).

[Llewellyn]

Get her anything apart from a Dell......warranty service is complete s***e

[duff_duffy]

Just get a cheap Windows machine. School should be able to provide free MS programs she’ll need. As others said, unless doing graphics intensive stuff no need for buying anything expensive. Schools should be able to provide free virus protection as well. One of perks of all those student feee is programs are often given out to students.

[bikinchris]

I bought the laptop I am on from Costco. I don't do gaming, but I did buy the ASUS Republic of Gaming computer with the Solid State Drive. I LOVE this laptop. Boots up in a few seconds and it's ready to go.
Highly recommended.

[RFC]

I bought the laptop I am on from Costco. I don't do gaming, but I did buy the ASUS Republic of Gaming computer with the Solid State Drive. I LOVE this laptop. Boots up in a few seconds and it's ready to go.
Highly recommended.


My HP has a SSD and, yes, it's fast. That will eventually be the way of the personal computer world.

[kramnnim]

If she doesn't do anything graphics intensive, the old one was way overkill, no need for the 1050.

Something like this would be more than enough... https://slickdeals.net/f/11556303-costco-members-acer-swift-3-14-laptop-i5-8250u-256gb-ssd-8gb-ram-565?src=catpage_catnav_computers

[kramnnim]

Also, is the old laptop now in the hands of someone who would be able to steal private information from it?

[yinzerniner]

Unless she only knows MacOS or her classes are intensive in that ecosystem I'd highly recommend staying away. Over the past 3 years Apple has been weaning itself off of PCs as a customer base and as such the amount of computer you get relative to Windows machines has only gotten worse. For the same capability and power you used to pay about a 30% premium, but nowaday's it's more like 50%.

It would help if the OP stated a rough budget, since the difference in laptop prices for quality you get is quite steep.

Purchasing from Costco is a great idea since their warranty is still the best, even though it's been scaled back because of some unscrupulous customers. I'd stay away from Dell or Alienware, HP is hit and miss, Asus is generally still very good, Lenova regular is hit and miss but their Thinkpads are generally still decent, Microsoft Surfaces are very robust and nice but their touchscreen OS is still very much a work in progress. Once you're set on budget, get the one with best reviews with best processor and screen, then upgrade HD and memory later. Good luck

[a4a]

If you can afford it... MacBook Pro. Hands down. Even business majors. Excel is close enough and the move from OSX to Windows is child's play for a college student. SSD is fast and cloud storage means storage isn't as big of an issue as it was in the past (just about all of my students use Google Docs)

If money is the primary driver... open box, refurbished or one of the dozen Windows-based PCs. Just make sure it has an up to date version of Windows.

[BobO]

I use a $700 Lenovo Yoga for CAD work and 3D modeling. 15.5", 256 SSD, 16GB ram, 2gig Nvidia video. Mine has been bombproof for two years. That's a whole lot of capability for the money assuming the use of cloud services for file storage.

[weisan]

Also, is the old laptop now in the hands of someone who would be able to steal private information from it?

I appreciate all the recommendations so far, I read every single one of them. Lots of great suggestions and wisdom.

Kram pal, good point, thanks for the reminder, I will check with my daughter.

[jwalther]

Might want to check this out: https://www.collegestudentinsurance.com/

I bought plans for both of my kids.

[oldpotatoe]

So I've been to this story. My experience is that Windows machines are too susceptible to viruses and the like. Spent a bunch of time with cleaning up the computer or my oldest till I got her a Mac. You can get good deals for returns on Ebay . Universities are crawling with viruses and malware, save yourself the headache.

What he said..go to a Mac repair place to find a second, refurb or here...but Weisan-pal won't see this..:):eek:

https://www.apple.com/shop/browse/home/specialdeals/mac?afid=p238%7CswV6AcU5P-dc_mtid_1870765e38482_pcrid_267746665191_&cid=aos-us-kwgo-mac--slid--product-

I appreciate all the recommendations so far, I read every single one of them.

ahhh, nope..

[stev0]

A bit late to the party, but this scratches your costco itch (which also gives you a 2 year warranty), is affordable, spec'd more than good enough for a student's needs (outside hardware intensive stuff like video editing), thin/light, and has decent battery life.

Costco - Acer Swift 3 (https://www.costco.com/Acer-Swift-3-Laptop---Intel-Core-i5---1080p.product.100376947.html)

[biker72]

Try Dell Outlet. A Celeron processor would work for spreadsheets...etc.

[AngryScientist]

it may not be a popular opinion, but i'm an HP believer.

my work laptop, which is treated to a very difficult life of NYC commuting and stuffed into my carry-on at least a few times a month to fly with, subway life, etc - has held up flawlessly for a few years of what i consider hard duty.

i also bought a cheap refurbished unit to run zwift on for home, and it too has been excellent. it was like $250 or something and has not left me wanting for more power.

[drewski]

A few things to consider:

1. Battery life is a key consideration.
2. Some of the university's sell protection with tech support on site. So if you can get a laptop at a school discount with protection and tech support do it.
3. Consider cloud back up and if not get a hard drive backup or even better a laptop with 2 hardrives.
4. I like have Mac's but I prefer Lenovo and HP for laptops.
5. Get more SDram than you need I would min. 16 GB. Its not much more expensive and it helps if you the student is working with a large data set.

[duff_duffy]

I’m actually going to try and pick up the Acer from Costco for family member...is there a way to get a day pass there instead of buying a membership?

[yinzerniner]

I’m actually going to try and pick up the Acer from Costco for family member...is there a way to get a day pass there instead of buying a membership?

It's $60, which you'll save twice as much just on pizza and churros alone on the first visit!

But for real they have a great refund policy, even on memberships which are fully refundable if you're not satisfied (although I highly doubt you would be).

https://www.costco.com/member-privileges-conditions.html

[Ozz]

it may not be a popular opinion, but i'm an HP believer.

my work laptop, which is treated to a very difficult life of NYC commuting and stuffed into my carry-on at least a few times a month to fly with, subway life, etc - has held up flawlessly for a few years of what i consider hard duty.

i also bought a cheap refurbished unit to run zwift on for home, and it too has been excellent. it was like $250 or something and has not left me wanting for more power.

+1 - My wife has a HP Spectre laptop...it has crazy long battery life, super thin but seems really solid/sturdy.

I've had good luck buying family computers from the Microsoft Store...great support and the computer don't come loaded with software you don't need/want.

[C40_guy]

Might want to check this out: https://www.collegestudentinsurance.com/

I bought plans for both of my kids.

Your homeowner's insurance may also cover the loss. Worth a call.

[C40_guy]

I bought a fully loaded (used) MacBook Air on CL for $650, with most of the AppleCare warranty still in place.

If you are going Mac, and I would strongly suggest it, I'd be careful about the new MacBooks. They use the new USB-C connectors, which might be great...but I have a ton of existing USB cables that would need to be replaced.

In my experience, Macs seem to last a long time, seldom have any issues, and if you need help, there's a genius just waiting to help at an Apple Store. Their customer service is unmatched.

Just sayin' :)

[zennmotion]

Get one of the Lenovo Think Pad series. I had a long conversation this week with a laptop repair guy who does contract home visits for several manufacturers- he came to our house 4 times in a month to try to resolve what in the end was a lemon (my wife's Lenovo Yoga FWIW) that Lenovo will likely replace at this point under extended warranty, having already tried a new hard drive, system board, monitor and keyboard, it's got a poltergeist in it apparently that nobody can figure out. That said, his advice was to point out that Dell, (and possibly Lenovo and others) has a manufacturing quota in their plants of 18 assembled laptops per HOUR per assembly worker. That has to be brutal and has to lead to loose hardware, etc that escape Quality Control because it's all closed up before it's checked. The main advantage from his point of view of Lenovo, specifically the Think Pads is that they are still supported by IBM/USA technicians, unlike most manufacturers who support from overseas call centers. The main players all have similar machines with the same hardware, but they differ in their level of support. Think Pads are workhorse business laptops. I'm using one now that's been flawless over 6 hard years of developing country travel, plugged into third world power grids and IP networks and totally abused beyond "normal" use- (does your desk get covered with dust from Saharan sandstorms? Mine does a couple of months each year). The one I had before this one has been handed over to a young college student, now nearly 10 years old and also still working fine, "upgraded" to Win7 to enable new software. Buy whatever machine, but pay attention to the support and get the extended warranty. And FFS, backup your data religiously!

[froze]

You didn't say how much you wanted to spend. But if she is studying business then she needs a PC not a Mac, the entire business world works on the PC system, so get a PC so she will be familiar with it when she goes out into the workforce after graduation. Mac is the most reliable hardware of any PC but again the business world only plays with PC's.

That said, according to statistics Lenovo, HP and Dell computers (in order from 1st place to third) are the most reliable currently made for the PC world. I would make sure it has the I7 1080 processor, get a solid state drive with 512 gb of space (solid state is not only faster but it's more durable to shock), make sure it has at least 16 gigs of ram, and the unit is designed for Windows 10. If low cost is important to you then the Thinkpad T480s is the best buy, if you want something where money is no object then consider the Thinkpad X1 Carbon business laptop, this thing has a lot of features. You can read about them and buy them at Costco and it comes with an automatic 2 year warranty from Costco, and lemons such as the Lenovo that zennmotion spoke of would be taken care of prompto by Costco. Any brand can have lemons, even Macs, even poor reputation brands can have a good one last forever, but you want to take your chances with a company that has known good reliability records for their computers.

[verticaldoug]

I don't know where she is attending school, but it is more than likely the school has a buying guide for computers, local discounts, and maybe a showcase. UofM has a showcase for helping in making the decision.
http://computershowcase.umich.edu/new-students/general2.php

My daughter was a business/IMS double and used both Mac and Windows throughout college. She now works for a tech startup and is all Mac all the time. I think the old adage Windows for business is a bit dated.

[BobbyJones]

Being an Apple guy, I just went through this process with a friend and had to do some Windows PC shopping. She was coming off an inexpensive "emergency" purchase that wasn't up to basic business productivity needs. If you're sticking with a Windows based machine, I'd say make sure you're spec'ed at least i7 / 512ssd / 16gb RAM Regardless of the brand.

It'll be a little future proof and much like bikes if you amortized the extra couple of hundred $$$ over a few years....

She ended up with a Loaded Dell Inspiron 5000 from B&H for under a grand. Allegedly the screen is a bit lacking and battery life isn't excellent, but the horsepower is there for multitasking.

[unterhausen]

my son has a chromebook. He's pretty happy with it.

[froze]

My daughter was a business/IMS double and used both Mac and Windows throughout college. She now works for a tech startup and is all Mac all the time. I think the old adage Windows for business is a bit dated.

I thought you may be correct since my thought on this goes back a few years, but after doing a computer search I found it's still pretty accurate. This site in regards to comparing the two types: https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/120-small-business-computer-systems.html
Said this: "Outside of the design world, PCs are the general industry standard for business users. With the widespread use of PCs, your employees are likely to be familiar and comfortable with using a PC laptop at work."

In addition to that Mac only accounts for 7.3 percent of the market share, so there is an extremely good chance she won't be using Mac in the business world; and because of that market share entrepreneurs who were in businesses that focused on customer service seemed to overwhelmingly favor PCs, partially because of the familiarity factor. In addition to that Macs are hard to connect to a private/shared network, unlike Windows computers. I run a small business and about 2 years ago I had a guy that had a Mac system try to send me a document scan, our systems wouldn't allow it so he had to FedEx to me which cost him money; that guy early this year converted over to PC because he was having other business related issues that the Mac wasn't compatible with.

While there is an argument that Mac is safer against phishing and malware etc but that's only because the market share is so low that hackers deem Mac not worth it, that's good for people using Macs but if the tables were flipped and Mac was the head of the market share then Mac would be getting attacked and not PC based machines.

[weisan]

my son has a chromebook. He's pretty happy with it.

My daughter is pretty happy with our chromebooks too (we got three). She's 5 and this all she does. :D

[weisan]

Really appreciate all the inputs so far, very interesting perspectives from different quarters.

To answer some of questions being asked:

My daughter is majoring in Business/Management Information Systems at McCombs School of Business | University of Texas at Austin. Her current plan is to finish up her business degree in two years' time and then continue on to medical school.

Regarding Mac and PC - just want to note one observation. I take the train to work and all the programmers/developers on board are working away on Macs.

[vqdriver]

TL DR

I plan on approaching this for my own kids differently than I did for myself in college when something as pricey as a laptop was considered an investment. Nowadays even a laptop can be "disposable." I would lean towards something more connected and lightweight like a Surface tablet. They can run all the office software you need, most of which these days is available online anyways with little computer overhead. All the documents and data is saved to the cloud so even if the device itself is lost she will still have all of her work and pictures Etc. Plus they're much cheaper than a Powerhouse notebook

Fwiw, I don't buy into Apple machines being less susceptible to malware. In my experience they bog down and slow down with use just the same. At least with a PC machine it's a no-brainer to wipe it out to factory default every year or so. Especially so if you save to the cloud

Edit: in regards to software, you can pay for Microsoft Office subscription which your daughter might be able to get cheaper (or even free) than you can via a student version. Have her see what resources the school can provide

[zennmotion]

Really appreciate all the inputs so far, very interesting perspectives from different quarters.

To answer some of questions being asked:

My daughter is majoring in Business/Management Information Systems at McCombs School of Business | University of Texas at Austin. Her current plan is to finish up her business degree in two years' time and then continue on to medical school.

Regarding Mac and PC - just want to note one observation. I take the train to work and all the programmers/developers on board are working away on Macs.

I’m agnostic since I have little experience with a Mac. However, to add to your data point my work involves interactions with US Government agencies (all PC), financial institutions (all PC), west coast foundations- silicon valley do-gooders (mostly PC some Mac), creative type website designers and media people (mostly Mac), large and small private sector business consulting firms (all PC), and academics (mostly PC, some younger ones on Macs). Design, graphics, programming is arguably better on a Mac. But to play nice with common MS Office applications for business (Excel, PowerPoint, Project, advanced Outlook tasks) and other common business applications (statistical tools like STATA, SPSS, common database engines like SQL and Oracle) is still more seamless with a PC. A business PC is not optimized for gaming, or media, or graphic design, but still better for a business student IMO. I still curse the untimely updates and Microsoft’s use of consumers for beta testing against their will, but things have gotten much better with Win10 in recent years. For better or worse, the PC platform is still the standard for business.

By the way, losing a laptop?:help: FWIW I lost a car once. Away on a business trip for 6 weeks, came back to where I thought I parked it on a DC city street and it was gone. I wasn't sure of my memory of where it was, wandered for 2 weeks around several neighborhoods,took another month to realize it had been stolen. Police didn't even bother with a report. We all have those days- give the kid a break, and a budget, and a plan to prevent next time...

[zennmotion]

TL DR

I would lean towards something more connected and lightweight like a Surface tablet. They can run all the office software you need, most of which these days is available online anyways with little computer overhead.

Have you ever written a major report on a tablet? With figures, imbedded tables and spreadsheets? Used track changes with multiple authors/commenters? Connected to a large monitor so several windows can be seen at one time? A tablet might work for a high school kid or a household, but I would not consider it a serious tool for a business major specializing in MIS. I do like tablets for the plane, reading in bed, or light work in a coffee shop.

[froze]

Regarding Mac and PC - just want to note one observation. I take the train to work and all the programmers/developers on board are working away on Macs.

But programmers and developers are not business people in that sense, they are designers and Mac's rule that area of the world. If you read the site I gave I think it mentions that.

[unterhausen]

My daughter is pretty happy with our chromebooks too (we got three). She's 5 and this all she does. :D

my son is a math major. He's going to be a senior this year, but all he is taking is graduate math courses. Lots of programs have a web version and the computing power is on the server. I feel like a business major isn't going to stress a laptop to the same degree that he does. He has a really nice desktop that he doesn't use.

I know someone that does everything on a Surface. He's a Ph.D. mechanical engineer and does a lot of solidworks and matlab. It's a pretty good computer. He has a couple of 30 inch monitors that he hooks it up to, carries it back and forth between home and work.

[vqdriver]

agreed.
i think MS's nomenclature is misleading however, since a surface tab is really only called that because of its interface. i wouldn't consider it in the same category as android or ipad tablets. its somewhere in the middle ground between a tablet and pc.

obviously a legit computer can't be beat for all that you mention. but we're still talking about a student here, ostensibly carrying this thing daily from dorm to classes to study groups etc... and there is always going be a tradeoff between portability and power. my point was that you can get away without paying for power or storage by offloading those demands from the device to the internet. this is especially so on a college campus because connectivity is everywhere.

now, if specific programs need to be installed and run locally, then compatibility needs to be considered. but for typical student applications like office docs, spreadsheets, powerpoint, etc. then the surface pro is quite capable. a 'real' keyboard and mouse at home makes things easier when you need to hunker down for the big stuff


Have you ever written a major report on a tablet? With figures, imbedded tables and spreadsheets? Used track changes with multiple authors/commenters? Connected to a large monitor so several windows can be seen at one time? A tablet might work for a high school kid or a household, but I would not consider it a serious tool for a business major specializing in MIS. I do like tablets for the plane, reading in bed, or light work in a coffee shop.

[bikinchris]

I just came from Costco and looked at the ASUS Republic Of Gamers 17 inch I wrote about earlier. It is a far better computer than the Dell XPS you listed in the OP. Better in every aspect and lower in price.

[rustychisel]

Long term Mac user here, own and work on a 12 year old Macbook Pro, but also use PCs as I teach university students... digital design, media law & journalism.

The survey says 'Macbook Air' by a 90/10 majority.

The students love 'em, the IT department hate anything Mac because they're 1990s gumbies and expect to have lots of work to do.

Basically, from my point of view, downtime, failures and issues such as viral infection, bad software porting and silly little installations (like printer drivers) means a PC is going to be out of service for a proportion of it's intended lifetime.

Mac is going to be in operation all the time for a long time, usually flawlessly (unless your daughter runs into mixed environment issues).

[pbarry]

I just came from Costco and looked at the ASUS Republic Of Gamers 17 inch I wrote about earlier. It is a far better computer than the Dell XPS you listed in the OP. Better in every aspect and lower in price.

^^The Asus is impressive, especially for the $$. Helped a friend research gaming laptops, and this came out on top for value.

[tbike4]

I work in the IT dept at my job. I use a Mac as some of the proprietary software is web based so I can choose the platform. I run Windows on the Mac with Paralells and move to a Windows PC 4 chairs away to use a thermal printer. Some guys in the office HATE Apple big time and stay away from the Mac. I used to be a total Mac fanboy but now I use it because it works. I don't need Defender or run Malwarebytes every week.

The Mac/Windows debate will go on forever, or until Apple gives up on the personal computer. For me it's a personal preference and I am willing to pay the premium for my choice.

If a user is competent on one platform she can move easily to the other. It's just some software, files and folders. Like buying a bicycle it may boil down to the way it looks or feels.

Don't get me started on the Edge browser. :eek:

[rustychisel]

I used to be a total Mac fanboy but now I use it because it works.

I strongly resemble this remark. :rolleyes:

[oldpotatoe]

Some guys in the office HATE Apple big time and stay away from the Mac. I used to be a total Mac fanboy but now I use it because it works. I don't need Defender or run Malwarebytes every week.

The Mac/Windows debate will go on forever, or until Apple gives up on the personal computer. For me it's a personal preference and I am willing to pay the premium for my choice.

If a user is competent on one platform she can move easily to the other. It's just some software, files and folders. Like buying a bicycle it may boil down to the way it looks or feels.

Don't get me started on the Edge browser. :eek:

Yeegads!!! Change the computer terms to bike components and it's the same..:eek:

[unterhausen]

it's funny, I used to help take care of a lot of windows PCs used by grad students. I was happily using a 10 year old dell, that is "too slow"for their software. Strangely, I could run the same software as them without issue, especially after I installed an ssd. They just fill computers up with cruft and then are surprised they don't have any cpu cycles or memory left. My favorite example of this was someone complaining about their computer being too slow. They had installed a plugin that limited how much time they could spend on facebook. It was taking up 100 percent cpu. Yes, microsoft is to blame for some of this, but so are their customers.

Okay, so microsoft makes everyone an admin on non-domain computers and all you have to do to get infected is click a button. That is definitely their fault. But windows can be locked down pretty well and is still usable.

My neighbor came over about a problem with his mac. Turns out there was some malware that wanted his root login credentials so it could fully infest his computer. I established that he didn't actually know the root password, deleted the file that was asking, and told him it wasn't a problem.

My mom loved apple. She even had a Newton, that's how much she loved apple. I kinda liked it because my brother is a compsci mac user, so if she had problems, my answer was "ask Ben." I did have to install a new version of firefox on her laptop once apple stopped supporting it. That wasn't much fun. I think most compsci academics use a mac, it's a really nice platform for development.

[NYCfixie]

...I think the old adage Windows for business is a bit dated.

As is the old adage the Macs are only for design work...


There is a great deal of good information here so I am not sure how much I can add other than after using and supporting both for more than 20 years, I am platform agnostic. They both have their merits. Whenever someone asks me for a recommendation, I simply ask what software and services they will be using. If 100% web based, get whatever you like. Otherwise, the needed software will make the decision for you.

And, schools usually recommend something based on the above. Many MBA and Data Analytics programs require Windows due to the software. Many design programs require a Mac due to the software. Engineering can go either way.

[NYCfixie]

Really appreciate all the inputs so far, very interesting perspectives from different quarters.

To answer some of questions being asked:

My daughter is majoring in Business/Management Information Systems at McCombs School of Business | University of Texas at Austin. Her current plan is to finish up her business degree in two years' time and then continue on to medical school.

Regarding Mac and PC - just want to note one observation. I take the train to work and all the programmers/developers on board are working away on Macs.


Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner (for me).

Here is your answer:
"Students should have a notebook computer that is capable of running the most current version of Microsoft Windows and Office. For business students, Windows PC’s are recommended over Apple Macs. Some McCombs classes use software that can only run on Microsoft Windows. Others use program functions (for example, in Excel) that are not supported in the Mac version of the software. Students who have Macs can run Windows programs, but doing so can sometimes be complicated and/or frustrating. Students who have a Mac should be prepared to: Install Windows on their Mac using Boot Camp. Use virtualization software (e.g. Parallels or VMware Fusion). Invest time to learn these products and to troubleshoot compatibility issues that may arise. This guidance is especially important for students who think they might want to be an MIS major. Tablet computers (e.g., iPads, Android devices) cannot be used in place of a notebook computer"

https://my.mccombs.utexas.edu/BBA/mccombs-parents-council/Student%20Resources%20for%20Parents




/close thread

[kramnnim]

Puzzled by the Mac suggestions. If the daughter would have lost the bike she rides to classes with, would we suggest that Weisan-pal replace it with a Parlee with Ultegra di2?

[kramnnim]

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner (for me).

Here is your answer:
"Students should have a notebook computer that is capable of running the most current version of Microsoft Windows and Office. For business students, Windows PC’s are recommended over Apple Macs. Some McCombs classes use software that can only run on Microsoft Windows. Others use program functions (for example, in Excel) that are not supported in the Mac version of the software. Students who have Macs can run Windows programs, but doing so can sometimes be complicated and/or frustrating. Students who have a Mac should be prepared to: Install Windows on their Mac using Boot Camp. Use virtualization software (e.g. Parallels or VMware Fusion). Invest time to learn these products and to troubleshoot compatibility issues that may arise. This guidance is especially important for students who think they might want to be an MIS major. Tablet computers (e.g., iPads, Android devices) cannot be used in place of a notebook computer"

https://my.mccombs.utexas.edu/BBA/mccombs-parents-council/Student%20Resources%20for%20Parents


/close thread

:hello::hello::hello:

[NYCfixie]

And, having several doctors in my family, most health e-record systems are windows based so if she is going to Medical School, windows based computer might be the better option (assuming it will last that long). Many Heath Informatics programs are also windows based, so there is that too.

/really close thread now

[weisan]

Again, I appreciate hearing all the different perspectives. When I started this thread, that was my intent.

NYC pal, thanks for chiming in.

Negative. It's not your place to suggest closing this thread, or anyone else.

I am sorry pal. You forget yourself.

Let your own argument stand on its own merit...or not. Don't worry about other people .

Carry on.

[shinomaster]

I got my Lenovo Laptop in 2012!! and it's still works great, I've had no issues or any complaints ( well except the battery could stay charged longer).
It's a great tool. It's not light compared to my girlfriends mac but it was about $550 or so... I can get another one in a few years and be ahead of her.

[tylercheung]

In these days of virtualization, windows lock-in is a thing of the past. On a good Mac w VMWare, parallels, or virtualbox, it shouldn’t matter.

The amusing thing is the most recent Microsoft reorg axed their Windows division and folded it into their office 365 crowd.

The cool kids run a Windows instance on Amazon cloud from their iPads...

[kgbianchi]

I have been watching this thread since I am also in the situation to buy my daughter her first computer for university.

I have had great success with out mid 2013 Mac book Pro and decided to get her a Mac Book Air. I know it is a bit pricey compared to the pc options, but I appreciate the longevity and ease of service over time and more options for inputs. Even my daughter still uses the flash card slot for SLR pics and the USB slot that is still present on the Mac Book Air.

Good Luck with your selection.

[CunegoFan]

I just came from Costco and looked at the ASUS Republic Of Gamers 17 inch I wrote about earlier. It is a far better computer than the Dell XPS you listed in the OP. Better in every aspect and lower in price.

17 inches is freakin huge. It is like lugging around a suitcase in a Tokyo subway. The result of stuffing high end Nvidia graphics into a laptop is sound like a jet taking off when the fans inevitably ramp up and a battery life that might make it though watching the latest Marvel crapfest, if you are lucky. Those gaming laptops are fine for neckbeards who don't want to cart their liquid cooled desktop rigs to a LAN party but they are not very practical for the facial follicly challenged who just need a quiet laptop that does not require them to sit next to a power outlet to get through the day.

If a Mac would work then I would wait for WWDC next month to see if Apple updates the Macbook Air and doesn't ruin it by using the unreliable keyboard on the current MBPs. That may be hoping for too much but you never know; Jony Ive may not have had time to screw up the Air after banging his nose into one of his glass walls at HQ.