[Sayris]

Heya,

I am wanting to do a computer science course at university, and am now thinking of getting a Macbook.

Thing is, if i am going to spend that much money now, i want it to serve me well when i go onto university, so i was wondering, what would be the best Macbook for me to get while at university, i can only really stretch to about £1100 pounds at the most.

I was mostly thinking of a Macbook Pro, but would i miss out on much going for an Air instead?

[bitofagenius]

I have a macbook pro and it's really really good, I definitely think it's worth the splurge and I do think that it's a lot better than the macbook air too - the only thing particularly special about a normal mac and air is that an air is incredibly thin and light, however I still don't think it has an particular advantage - whereas when it comes to actual computing the pro is awesome!

[Mulder]

I really wouldn't recommend a mac if you're doing comp sci.

If you're doing the arts side of it then maybe, but for programming and so on you'd be best sticking to a Windows machine I think.

Plus you'd get more bang for your buck, too, as Apple stuff is more expensive.

[kittyb99]

I've got an iMac, and find that the big screen is really useful for working. Though iMac is no good for you if you need it to be portable! You can run both Windows OS and Mac OS on a Mac, so programming compatibility issues can easily be avoided! You do need to get your own copy of Windows though; Mac doesn't come preloaded with it

[tooosh]

(Original post by kittyb99)
I've got an iMac, and find that the big screen is really useful for working. Though iMac is no good for you if you need it to be portable! You can run both Windows OS and Mac OS on a Mac, so programming compatibility issues can easily be avoided! You do need to get your own copy of Windows though; Mac doesn't come preloaded with it

You could have got a big screen with Windows.

You don't need a Mac for CS. The MBP would be the best to get, but a Windows laptop would be an even better value option.

[nicatre]

A Big Mac.

[lex25288]

Get it with the education programme, it's gonna be much cheaper!

This was posted from The Student Room's Android App on my Galaxy Nexus

[elenii]

If you're set on getting a Mac, then go for a Macbook Pro.

[tazarooni89]

(Original post by bitofagenius)
I have a macbook pro and it's really really good, I definitely think it's worth the splurge and I do think that it's a lot better than the macbook air too - the only thing particularly special about a normal mac and air is that an air is incredibly thin and light, however I still don't think it has an particular advantage - whereas when it comes to actual computing the pro is awesome!

Why is the pro better than the air when it comes to actual computing?

[Wick3d]

No Mac. Get a friggin normal laptop like must sane people! Especially for computer science!

Edit: Oh piss off to all the neggers flipping retarded apple fanboys, MACS ARE USELESS!

[raaachek]

Mac cost 99999999999£

best ever pc cost 100£

[Venomilys]

the best mac is the one that's the cheapest because you are throwing away less money.

[Sayris]

The reason i want to get a Mac is mostly for security. I have a Windows Laptop at the moment which i spent around £800 last year, with an i7, Dedicated Graphics and 4GB of RAM, However, it has slowed down to a halt, with bot hardware and software issues that started to occur the moment the warranty dropped off, add to that the multitude of viruses it picks up without me even trying and it's a hassle i don't want to face while in university.

[Intriguing Alias]

(Original post by tazarooni89)
Why is the pro better than the air when it comes to actual computing?

_____________

(Original post by Sayris)
The reason i want to get a Mac is mostly for security. I have a Windows Laptop at the moment which i spent around £800 last year, with an i7, Dedicated Graphics and 4GB of RAM, However, it has slowed down to a halt, with bot hardware and software issues that started to occur the moment the warranty dropped off, add to that the multitude of viruses it picks up without me even trying and it's a hassle i don't want to face while in university.

Tried reinstalling windows? Seems pretty ridiculous that you'd get that many viruses - did you even bother getting an anti virus? Most people nowadays rarely get viruses and you don't really need to bother trying to stop them much either. Windows Firewall and Windows Security Essentials is more than enough.

[Sayris]

Maybe I exaggerated the amount of viruses, and yes I do have an anti virus. I have tried reinstalling windows which fixed the software issues but of course the hardware issues remained, then within a week I got those same software issues even with an anti virus.

This was posted from The Student Room's Android App on my Galaxy Nexus

[Darkphilosopher]

(Original post by Sayris)
The reason i want to get a Mac is mostly for security. I have a Windows Laptop at the moment which i spent around £800 last year, with an i7, Dedicated Graphics and 4GB of RAM, However, it has slowed down to a halt, with bot hardware and software issues that started to occur the moment the warranty dropped off, add to that the multitude of viruses it picks up without me even trying and it's a hassle i don't want to face while in university.

My pc is still going strong after 1yr and 3months. I've experienced no slow downs at all despite downloading hundreds of files/programs (legally of course) and having used 800/930GB of my HDD. (Was 900/930 until I deleted some gameplay recordings )

On top of that, my only "anti-virus" is Microsoft security Essentials which I've never used for a full scan. (Only a quick scan of some files that I download).

I really don't understand how people manage to pick up so many viruses

In response to the OP; Do the right thing, get a real computer (Or build one yourself )

[tooosh]

(Original post by Sayris)
The reason i want to get a Mac is mostly for security. I have a Windows Laptop at the moment which i spent around £800 last year, with an i7, Dedicated Graphics and 4GB of RAM, However, it has slowed down to a halt, with bot hardware and software issues that started to occur the moment the warranty dropped off, add to that the multitude of viruses it picks up without me even trying and it's a hassle i don't want to face while in university.

If you're still constantly getting viruses then you should probably get off those dodgy porn sites. Stick to what you know...
Seriously though, common sense won't even let me get a virus nowadays. Just don't click anything dodgy.

[Sayris]

Haha yeah, but in all seriousness I only have these problems with my laptop, my HOME BUILT desktop runs like an angel with not a single problem.

Also another reason I want a Mac is because I do a lot of freelance graphic design to earn cash on the side, also if I get the position of media officer on my schools year team I plan to start a school magazine so the efficiency of a Mac in these aspects will help a lot especially since a lot of the people interested in working on the magazine use Macs and the media department has an entire room of them for projects like that

This was posted from The Student Room's Android App on my Galaxy Nexus

[ANARCHY__]

(Original post by Sayris)
Heya,

I am wanting to do a computer science course at university, and am now thinking of getting a Macbook.

Thing is, if i am going to spend that much money now, i want it to serve me well when i go onto university, so i was wondering, what would be the best Macbook for me to get while at university, i can only really stretch to about £1100 pounds at the most.

I was mostly thinking of a Macbook Pro, but would i miss out on much going for an Air instead?

Getting a Macbook Pro would probably be best if you're looking for something to do your course on but, and I don't mean this to sound like bashing on Apple, I am unsure of the native IDEs you can get on Apple and how far you can go with programming.

I am not familiar with the OSX system so perhaps the IDEs supported are quite good but the stalwart is most definitely a PC or laptop. That said, I'm sure you'd be using your computer for a lot of things besides just working and the Mac is a great, versatile machine, relatively speaking.

What I'd do if I was you would be to take a look at the kind of widely supported IDEs you can get on a Mac and also what kind of equipment and software your course will be using because that may throw up some compatibility issues if you are using something alternative to the norm (i.e. Apple).

If you do decide to get a Mac, look to get it via the education discount and possibly through Quidco. If he hasn't commented already, I'd recommend speaking to Gofre about the best place to get one.

Hope that helps.

[Mad Vlad]

What irritates me about this sort of thread is the fact that nobody seems to ask the most important question:

(Original post by Sayris)
Heya,

I am wanting to do a computer science course at university, and am now thinking of getting a Macbook.

Thing is, if i am going to spend that much money now, i want it to serve me well when i go onto university, so i was wondering, what would be the best Macbook for me to get while at university, i can only really stretch to about £1100 pounds at the most.

I was mostly thinking of a Macbook Pro, but would i miss out on much going for an Air instead?

Why?