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University of Cambridge Freshers Megathread 2016

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Original post by Serine Soul
Can someone please recommend me a good laptop under £400?

I want something small and lightweight :/


This (bit big... 17 inches) should fit all your word processing and web browsing needs with some room to spare: http://www.dell.com/uk/business/p/inspiron-17-5758-laptop/pd?oc=bn57820&model_id=inspiron-17-5758-laptop

Cheaper, smaller (but better, imo): http://www.dell.com/uk/business/p/vostro-15-3558-laptop/pd?oc=bnv5830s&model_id=vostro-15-3558-laptop is more than enough to do what you need and is from a v. reliable brand. Feel free to message me on fb if you want to bounce off any ideas on laptops, I've had to look into more than my fair share of them.
Original post by Zacken
This (bit big... 17 inches) should fit all your word processing and web browsing needs with some room to spare: http://www.dell.com/uk/business/p/inspiron-17-5758-laptop/pd?oc=bn57820&model_id=inspiron-17-5758-laptop

Cheaper, smaller (but better, imo): http://www.dell.com/uk/business/p/vostro-15-3558-laptop/pd?oc=bnv5830s&model_id=vostro-15-3558-laptop is more than enough to do what you need and is from a v. reliable brand. Feel free to message me on fb if you want to bounce off any ideas on laptops, I've had to look into more than my fair share of them.


I wouldn't necessarily say 15 inches is a small portable laptop, but if you want a 15 inch dell rn you'd be better off with this http://www.dell.com/uk/business/p/latitude-3550-laptop/pd?oc=ca001l3550ltsemea&ref=PD_OC especially if you fiddle around with some options, plus can get a bag for it for like £1 which might help with transporting it. I would consider how you're mainly going to use it and whether you really will want to take it everywhere serine, I'd say 17 is more of a desktop replacement, 15ish is a little big for taking everywhere every day but is small enough that it can be taken places when needs be, but you do get the advantage of a more readable screen when used in your room the library etc etc compared to say a 13inch laptop.
Original post by samb1234
I wouldn't necessarily say 15 inches is a small portable laptop, but if you want a 15 inch dell rn you'd be better off with this http://www.dell.com/uk/business/p/latitude-3550-laptop/pd?oc=ca001l3550ltsemea&ref=PD_OC especially if you fiddle around with some options, plus can get a bag for it for like £1 which might help with transporting it. I would consider how you're mainly going to use it and whether you really will want to take it everywhere serine, I'd say 17 is more of a desktop replacement, 15ish is a little big for taking everywhere every day but is small enough that it can be taken places when needs be, but you do get the advantage of a more readable screen when used in your room the library etc etc compared to say a 13inch laptop.


yeah fair enough, I've never tried anything smaller than a 15 inch, thought they were wayyyy too tiny and my current 15 inch laptop is easily transportable if you get one of those soft cotton-ish (or whatever soft material it is) sleeves that you can tuck under your arm like a file and walk around with, admittedly my laptop is a bit on the light side (XPS 15) so could be biased there. D'you know how computer heavy the natsci course at Cambridge is? I'm sure anything overly hectic could be done on their computers, but stuff like plotting complicated data logs on memory hungry apps or something, is that the sort of stuff you'd be expected to do on a laptop?

oh and @serine soul, should probably mention that you could wait till you get a email from cambridge so you can get the nice student discount off on the Dell PC's.

just checked your link out samb, that's one nice deal. I'd totally go for that.
Original post by Zacken
yeah fair enough, I've never tried anything smaller than a 15 inch, thought they were wayyyy too tiny and my current 15 inch laptop is easily transportable if you get one of those soft cotton-ish (or whatever soft material it is) sleeves that you can tuck under your arm like a file and walk around with, admittedly my laptop is a bit on the light side (XPS 15) so could be biased there. D'you know how computer heavy the natsci course at Cambridge is? I'm sure anything overly hectic could be done on their computers, but stuff like plotting complicated data logs on memory hungry apps or something, is that the sort of stuff you'd be expected to do on a laptop?

oh and @serine soul, should probably mention that you could wait till you get a email from cambridge so you can get the nice student discount off on the Dell PC's.

just checked your link out samb, that's one nice deal. I'd totally go for that.


Yeah its a pretty nice deal, 8gb ram full hd ips screen etc etc. There are also some options that make it even cheaper (e.g. can save 20 ish if you dont want a backlit keyboard, a bit more if you're happy for it to ship with windows 8.1, as well as the option to add a bag that's rrp 46 for £1). I don't really know how computer heavy it is, i'd assume that the biological side is probably a bit less heavy than the physical (i'm not sure biological uses matlab for instance). 8gb ram is pretty standard so should be fine memory wise, just might be a little slow for some more cpu intensive tasks but can always use their pcs if it becomes an issue for certain tasks but i doubt you'd have many issues
Original post by samb1234
Yeah its a pretty nice deal, 8gb ram full hd ips screen etc etc. There are also some options that make it even cheaper (e.g. can save 20 ish if you dont want a backlit keyboard, a bit more if you're happy for it to ship with windows 8.1, as well as the option to add a bag that's rrp 46 for £1). I don't really know how computer heavy it is, i'd assume that the biological side is probably a bit less heavy than the physical (i'm not sure biological uses matlab for instance). 8gb ram is pretty standard so should be fine memory wise, just might be a little slow for some more cpu intensive tasks but can always use their pcs if it becomes an issue for certain tasks but i doubt you'd have many issues


yeah cheers, sounds like the best fit for her. It's stupidly affordable as well. Would recommend the backlight though, it looks amazing. Plus it's really convenient at night. Although, tbf not sure it's worth 20 quid...

alright thanks man
Original post by Zacken
yeah cheers, sounds like the best fit for her. It's stupidly affordable as well. Would recommend the backlight though, it looks amazing. Plus it's really convenient at night. Although, tbf not sure it's worth 20 quid...

alright thanks man


It's a good deal but not necessarily the best fit. It really depends on the size requirements, but as 15inch laptops go for that price (considering its 30% off its rrp) you wont find much better laptops on paper, but would be worth trying to find some reviews of it (although bear in mind laptop reviews are a bit of a minefield, there are so many different specs of the same laptop that you need to take them with a pinch of salt as the version they have may differ quite significantly to the one you get)
Yo guys.

NatSci (physical) fresher here, name's Vincent Proud Incase you wanna Facebook me, though I rarely update it, I just use messenger, so it my profile seems like it was construed by a 13 year old - that's because it was! :wink:

Guna be staying in Hughes Hall, both excited and nervous at the same time, but looking forward to meeting some of you. I got any Physics buddies in this thread? :P
Original post by samb1234
Yeah its a pretty nice deal, 8gb ram full hd ips screen etc etc. There are also some options that make it even cheaper (e.g. can save 20 ish if you dont want a backlit keyboard, a bit more if you're happy for it to ship with windows 8.1, as well as the option to add a bag that's rrp 46 for £1). I don't really know how computer heavy it is, i'd assume that the biological side is probably a bit less heavy than the physical (i'm not sure biological uses matlab for instance). 8gb ram is pretty standard so should be fine memory wise, just might be a little slow for some more cpu intensive tasks but can always use their pcs if it becomes an issue for certain tasks but i doubt you'd have many issues


Actually mat bio has way more matlab than SciComp for the Phys NatScis, although SciComp is more mathematical, but the bios definitely have more in terms of time, they even have an exam on it iirc, whereas Phys are just assessed through small projects.
I have a few questions:

Does everyone really cycle in cambridge? I am really bad at cycling and don't want to be left out with everyone cycling everywhere....

I will be going to robinson college - are there any other people going there too?

How good is the location?
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by PhysicsIP2016
Anyone going to the London 'Welcome to Cambridge' event?


I want to go to this event but there is no information on the link you posted.

Will it mainly be alumni or new students?
Original post by Serine Soul
Can someone please recommend me a good laptop under £400?

I want something small and lightweight :/

My IT guy told a few weeks ago HP's laptop is quite good these days for 'reasonably-priced' range.
Original post by nucleus123
I have a few questions:

Does everyone really cycle in cambridge? I am really bad at cycling and don't want to be left out with everyone cycling everywhere....

I will be going to robinson college - are there any other people going there too?

How good is the location?


Large majority do but certainly not everyone.
It definitely makes your life easier if you cycle as it saves you a lot time and time is really precious when you're a Cambridge student, but Cambridge is not a place for a novice/inexperienced cyclist with lots of other bikes and cars & tourists everywhere on their narrow roads.

Robinson is just outside the town centre to the west. I know a couple of students who were at Robinson who couldn't cycle, so they walked everywhere. But their departments were not too far from the college.
It's about 15/20min walk to the town centre, so it's definitely doable without a bike.
What will you be studying = where is your department?
If your department is in Sedgwick Site, it's very straightforward route on Grange Road which has a proper cycle lane marked on the road and it'd take only a few min on a bike, so it's not too bad for not-so-experienced cyclist. (Though there'll be hundreds of other cyclists whizzing through the road just before 9 am lecture......)

If you already have a bike or can borrow someone's for a while, it may be a good idea to practice on it until October, then decide if you'll be cycling in Cambridge or not.
Over many years, I've seen quite a few wobbly cyclists on Cambridge roads when I was driving (I have a few ex-cam students in th family) and it stops my heart every time I see them, but I seem to see their kind more often at the beginning of a new academic year and much less towards the end of the year, presumably they got better gradually. (Unless they all got killed in an accident......jk :tongue:) your home is much safer place to practice cycling than Cambridge........
Original post by Zacken


*gulps* I'm only able to get a 30 kg suitcase on the plane. :tongue:


Boy's life is much easier than girl's because they don't have to have so many clothes and shoes .......:tongue:
And internationals are on the college's priority list for people who can use the college's beddings like duvet/pillow/sheets. Those are the bulkiest things home students have to take with them....and bring home, at every start/end of terms.......along with their bike.

You'll probably need to buy quite a lot of stuff when you arrived in Cambridge, unless you're planning to pack your plate, cups, cutlery and pots and pans in your 30 kg suitcase. :tongue:
Most of things are easily available in the shops in town centre, but If you want to know the places where you can buy things cheaper, let me know. :wink:

And as I said before somewhere in this forum, order some stuff online and have them delivered to your college.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Zacken
yeah fair enough, I've never tried anything smaller than a 15 inch, thought they were wayyyy too tiny and my current 15 inch laptop is easily transportable if you get one of those soft cotton-ish (or whatever soft material it is) sleeves that you can tuck under your arm like a file and walk around with, admittedly my laptop is a bit on the light side (XPS 15) so could be biased there. D'you know how computer heavy the natsci course at Cambridge is? I'm sure anything overly hectic could be done on their computers, but stuff like plotting complicated data logs on memory hungry apps or something, is that the sort of stuff you'd be expected to do on a laptop?

oh and @serine soul, should probably mention that you could wait till you get a email from cambridge so you can get the nice student discount off on the Dell PC's.

just checked your link out samb, that's one nice deal. I'd totally go for that.


Make sure you get one which is small enough to put in your backpack (or a bag you'll be using to carry your daily stuf) .
You'll probably carry it around every day to/from college/department/library/etc. You don't want something reasonably compact and light .....and robust. It'll have to survive lots of bumps.
A 12" or maybe 13" laptop is much more compact but still very useable imho. You can always get a separate flat screen monitor to plug into when in your room (approx £50-£100)

Also Latitude is Dell's business brand and is very reliable and sturdy. Good idea for a student. Vostro is also one of their business brands but I'd say Latitude is more robust.

And regarding discounts, you will also qualify for free Microsoft Office. So don't buy it bundled in your laptop.

Oh and Apple Education discounts too, if you fancy a Macbook (not -£400 though...)
Do any mathmos know what is best for the programming we have to use?
Macbook or windows, cause I have a Macbook but i don't think i will take it as I may leave it at home for my little brother to do his little yr 7 hw or whatever lol.



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Original post by Zacken
This (bit big... 17 inches) should fit all your word processing and web browsing needs with some room to spare: http://www.dell.com/uk/business/p/inspiron-17-5758-laptop/pd?oc=bn57820&model_id=inspiron-17-5758-laptop

Cheaper, smaller (but better, imo): http://www.dell.com/uk/business/p/vostro-15-3558-laptop/pd?oc=bnv5830s&model_id=vostro-15-3558-laptop is more than enough to do what you need and is from a v. reliable brand. Feel free to message me on fb if you want to bounce off any ideas on laptops, I've had to look into more than my fair share of them.

Thanks, I'll have a look! I was looking into some more smaller (around 11.6" ) but maybe these will be better
Original post by Zacken
D'you know how computer heavy the natsci course at Cambridge is? I'm sure anything overly hectic could be done on their computers, but stuff like plotting complicated data logs on memory hungry apps or something, is that the sort of stuff you'd be expected to do on a laptop?

oh and @serine soul, should probably mention that you could wait till you get a email from cambridge so you can get the nice student discount off on the Dell PC's.

just checked your link out samb, that's one nice deal. I'd totally go for that.

On the maths prep work I got, they said that I'll be using MatLab a lot, so I think I'll look for one with a good memory.

Yeah, I'm just looking for now, don't intend to buy until September
Original post by vincrows
My IT guy told a few weeks ago HP's laptop is quite good these days for 'reasonably-priced' range.

Thanks!
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by kn_dragon
I feel like there's no-one here from my college.. Anyone going to Caius in October??


Original post by niamhscarlett
Hello, I will be going to Caius too for PBS!


Hello! I’ve been accepted to Caius for Computer Science. Congratulations on meeting your offers.
Original post by Serine Soul
Thanks, I'll have a look! I was looking into some more smaller (around 11.6" ) but maybe these will be better

On the maths prep work I got, they said that I'll be using MatLab a lot, so I think I'll look for one with a good memory.

Yeah, I'm just looking for now, don't intend to buy until September

Thanks!


To add, my daughter is looking to buy a new laptop, too, to replace her old one that's completely battered by three years of bike ride in Cambridge and a year commuting to her masters course on London.
And that's why I asked my IT guy for advice. Sorry to the boys above but he didn't think Dell's laptop is not as good as it used to be these days since they changed their manufacturing base for reasonably-priced range laptops a few years ago. (Their top range is still good as they're manufactured in other factory)

But try to get one as good as you can afford. You'll be carrying it around a lot everyday, so it pays off better to get good one now and use it as long as possible than having to replace it sooner.
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Original post by physicsmaths
Do any mathmos know what is best for the programming we have to use?
Macbook or windows, cause I have a Macbook but i don't think i will take it as I may leave it at home for my little brother to do his little yr 7 hw or whatever lol.


Not 100% sure for matlab/maths, but Mac is usually considered better than Windows for programming, for various reasons.

Using some variant of Linux is usually considered even better.

Source: I will be a CompSci

Also, a second hand ThinkPad x230 is a cheap (~£200), rugged and relatively modern laptop, that isn't much bigger than a pad of A4 paper.
(edited 7 years ago)

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