HELP: What technological gadgets I need for Computer Science course?

Original post by Shadrack97

mate. 50 quid is nothing in a month. considering people spend more on alcohol, cigarettes etc

If he cant handle finance fair enough, but ill be going to university in September and il know i can easily afford 50 quid in a month. Anyone who can handle their finance properly can do it, including a student.

But you could of bought something outright, without paying any interest using the student loan you get? I'm confused as to why you think getting finance on something is a good idea which will last your WHOLE 3 years as a student???

£50 a month is a lot fyi (coming from a 31 y/o so have some experience with managing dd's). :smile:

Reply 22

Original post by nutz99

My son will be doing CS this September and has an iMac which he dual boots plus a Macbook pro. Do you think that is sufficient to get him through the course or would a cheap Windows laptop be needed?

Mac will be fine, you will only need 1 computer, theres virtualisation for anything thats windows/Linux specific (we had a BASH course in our first term which used Linux terminal, people that used mac's/Windows just installed PuTTY instead).

Reply 23

Original post by loooopppyyy

You forget a macbook is an investment, they can easily last 4-5 years, and are renound for their reliability.
Fair enough, you have more life experience than me as im only 20, but considering most people have contract phones and other stuff on finance, having ONE 50 pound direct debit coming out isn't bad

Reply 24

Original post by Shadrack97

In the grand scheme of things no it isn't, however when a large student loan and an interest free overdraft for new students are also available, then getting a £50 dd with interest is. :P

I wasn't trying to play the seniority card, we've all been there (myself included getting a 42" state of the art TV 10 years ago which would normally cost £750 on finance, I ended up paying nearly 2k over 5 years :s-smilie:

on a buy now, pay later scheme), I was just throwing an air of caution as what might not seem a lot now, £50 on a low income over the next 3 years is actually much more than you first realise.

Reply 25

Original post by loooopppyyy

on a buy now, pay later scheme), I was just throwing an air of caution as what might not seem a lot now, £50 on a low income over the next 3 years is actually much more than you first realise.

Its over 2 years mate, sorry to burst the bubble.
Its fixed rate interest
I dont see how its any different from getting a phone on contract.

Reply 26

Caius Filimon

Original post by Shadrack97

Get a macbook on finance through apple!
Ive got a macbook and i pay 53 quid a month for it, best decision ive ever made

Buying a macbook for anything less than 30% of its market share was never a remotely smart decission lmao

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Reply 27

Original post by Caius Filimon

Buying a macbook for anything less than 30% of its market share was never a remotely smart decission lmao

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just admit you cant afford it, no need to be condescending

Reply 28

I have noticed that many ppls have MACs, but I personally would say.
MACs I would use on an expert basis.

I can't say that I know Linux, but it would be good to test it out.

You will find that on some modules, you will have to install stuff, but be aware that they may have attached premium statuses and make sure your not installing more than just the item you supposed to desire.

Your tutor expect you to be aware of this before you start your course.
The proof is in the pudding, so to speak.

So, do try and make a little saving where possible. (I can coco🙄).

Right, back to device to use.
It's Windows to use and the reason is simply, price and its use for learning the basics to computing.

Another reason is, it's the world docs are based on and realise, other than hardware. It's every word that you create a; webpage (browser), program, applications are made by.

Literally, your thoughts written INTO the Virtual world.

I hope I am opening up the universe in your mind the threshold I hope you will come to step over.
You will find that your first year will be your foundation and then you will be catapulted into your 2nd year and put together what you didn't think you were capable of.

Again, Good Luck😊

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Reply 29

In short, studying is not about MAC, but you will be making your way there, but it's not to say Apple don't provide vast array, (array, will be a subject you will learn about as an entity of its own with it rights) of apps that you will need to study with. (Note: I wanted to bold this sentence/paragraph, but have to faf about to get there.)
Take to and look into the untold matter that Apple have included (MSO) Microsoft Office into there library, for simply convenience.

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Reply 30

No, make no mistake about depending on the Uni to supply for All Of Your Needs
Lose that frame

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Reply 31

Original post by Jeffrey Valerie

For computer science the reverse is true :smile:

, most of the issues you face installing and utilising Linux to its maximum potential will have relevance to most of the programming aspects you will encounter in the modules.

It's no coincidence that ALL our lecturers use Linux and MOST workplaces use Linux, if/when you go on placements having a preference to Linux when you attend the intervies WILL make you more employable, this isn't an opinion, its fact.

Windows has its use, I wholehartedly admit to my desktop running Windows as other OS's are poor when it comes to gaming, but if your using a laptop solely for programming, Linux or Mac is the way to go (but as with anything, you are paying a premium simply for the brand when it comes to Mac's).

Reply 32

BBS_

You can get those extremely cheap square monitors (the one you always see around schools) easily, while they're crap for videos, games etc they work well for workstation monitors.

Apple do a student discount if you were able to get it direct without a contract - most contract providers are easy to haggle if you call up too. I called Vodaphone and got my phone contract down 30% by ringing and asking for a manager.

The laptop will probably be fine, I've used Netbeans, visual studio and such on some absolutely awful school PCs without issue, you'll probably end up spending ages compiling anything though,

Microsoft Azure offer a free month and student subscriptions for Virtual machines if you want a really fast test box to do things in VM and such: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/pricing/member-offers/imagine/

Also, as you're firming Kent they have the £2k per year 'Academic excellence' scholarship if you get AAA/DDD, so you could get a laptop with that :P

Reply 33

Caius Filimon

Original post by Shadrack97

just admit you cant afford it, no need to be condescending

I can afford top of the line PC parts worth more than second hand cars.

I cannot however afford, mentally, to waste money so horribly. It's about the bang for your buck.

Sometimes, being condescending is warranted. The specs and prices are all out available to the public, you know?

Reply 34

Original post by Caius Filimon

if your looking at it from a specs stand point, then your not very smart anyway.
because the mac is an incredibly optimised laptop, that doesn't warrant stupid out of touch specs.

i slightly agree on the price as they are expensive, but not anymore than buying a comparable iPhone.
50 pound a month for a laptop is not bad at all.

Reply 35

dragonkeeper999

OP: You really don't need to buy a new laptop, and certainly not a tablet. Your current laptop should be absolutely fine for everything you do at uni during the first few years of your degree anyway (so buying a top spec one now is a waste of money, wait until you actually need it) and your uni will have plenty of computer rooms/ computers in the library if there is any specialist software you need to use.

I have an iPad mini and it's completely useless for things like taking notes. I've never known anyone to take notes on a tablet, even typing notes on a laptop is really rare. Just handwrite notes with pen and paper - you'll learn a lot more that way anyway, and it's a lot easier than trying to write out maths equations or diagrams on a computer/ tablet.

Genuinely, please DON'T buy anything until you've at least got to uni and tried out your current laptop with the course. If you do in fact find that you need a higher spec laptop because the facilities at your uni aren't very good or the course is more demanding than expected, your uni may be able to lend you one or help you buy one at a discounted price. They will at least be able to advise you on the best kit to buy for your budget, rather than random students on an internet forum...

Reply 36

Caius Filimon

Original post by Shadrack97

I don't think you're very knowledgeable in the differences in the levels of performance in between pc laptops and mac laptops. You are correct that specs are not everything, but optimization can only get you so far when the macbook's specs are less than 1/4th that of a pc laptop. I think you underestimate the optimization of pc laptops and overestimate that of macbooks (PCs use RAM more efficiently than macs, for example)

I am talking about price as well; if one takes the time to research pc laptops, he will most likely end up with a significantly cheaper and yet better (performance wise, not just specs wise) laptop than a macbook.

It's true that OS-wise, the Mac is 'easier' to understand and use. Is it worth a 50% price hike while receiving the same performance? I think that people who say yes to that either have far too much money to waste (not use) or are exceedingly lazy

But then, it's not my money. If the happiness of a slightly easier to use operating system is so tremendous that it's worth paying twice as much in some cases, then go for it. It's good for the economy...

Reply 37

JackG9

Original post by squirrology

BACKGROUND: I am going to uni in about 8 months and I'm already thinking about what technological gadgets I will need for my Computer Science course.

Ideally, I wanted a dual screen set-up, but I've realised that this is not feasible as unfortunately I only have about £150 of savings in my junior ISA account and I won't even be able to afford to buy a new high spec laptop.

I used the student finance calculator, which stated that I am entitled to the full loan amount, yet I have already done calculations relating to how much I would have left after accommodation costs, and I'll only be left with roughly £300 to survive on for 3 months :/ I do have a laptop but I've had it for about 4 years and I do not think it would be suitable for me to take to uni as it only has 4GB of RAM, and 1000GB HDD.

I can't even save up more money, I spend about £100 a week getting to sixth form (an hour & 30 minutes) a day to get there, which includes 2 trains & a bus. I can't get a part-time job as I do not have time for one, I don't get home from school until 6 and weekends I'm doing coursework/revision.

SO I am thinking of getting an iPad Pro on contract, I have heard this is good for note taking, and I will only be paying £35 a month for it. The only thing is would an iPad be sufficient for a Computer Science course..

TLDR; I'M ******* POOR ATM, WOULD AN IPAD PRO BE SUFFICIENT FOR A COMPUTER SCIENCE COURSE UNTIL I CAN AFFORD A LAPTOP.

I am also doing computer science however I ****ing know that any apple product is a disgusting choice. If you study computer science and want apple products please re-consider your course. I would suggest a cheap laptop like the chromebook. Although the specs aren't great it's ideal to be carrying around and storing notes on and i think it would save you a lot of money. Put it this way your ipad is going to cost you more over three or four months than a chromebook will cost you full stop.

Reply 38

Am not sure on all Uni's spending on all the state of the art devices.
But when our class were given module 'ON and NOS', we were given a ISO image of MSWIN7 and MSWIN8 Server, which we were to install on our own PCs in the application Virtual Box (VB), where we had to configure, join client to server and check our testing results.

But this may be because am not living in the Uni college premise and therefore take my work home to study.

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Reply 39