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Best Laptop/OS for Comp Science Degree?

What laptop would be best for a computer science degree? I feel like Windows is the obvious choice as you could then just smack Linux on it if needed whereas a lot of people seem to buy Macbooks for Comp Sci and I am wondering why. I know they have nice keyboards but is that all or am I missing something. Don't really want to go over 1k on a laptop. Suggestions?
(edited 4 years ago)
Original post by NerfTachanka1
What laptop would be best for a computer science degree? I feel like Windows is the obvious choice as you could then just smack Linux on it if needed whereas a lot of people seem to buy Macbooks for Comp Sci and I am wondering why. I know they have nice keyboards but is that all or am I missing something.

If you like Windows, then Windows is fine (and as you said, dual boot linux). MacOS can be good as it uses a terminal, but you'll likely learn linux in your degree anyway. I'm not sure if dualbooting is more difficult or not on a Mac, I've only done it on Windows. It really depends on what you prefer.
Personally I prefer using macOS over Windows as its built on Unix and still has a huge amount of support from mainstream applications. The build quality on macBook Pros is also top notch and well worth with price
Original post by NerfTachanka1
What laptop would be best for a computer science degree? I feel like Windows is the obvious choice as you could then just smack Linux on it if needed whereas a lot of people seem to buy Macbooks for Comp Sci and I am wondering why. I know they have nice keyboards but is that all or am I missing something.

Generally speaking, best is whatever you are most comfortable with. Outside some niche scenarios, like how iOS requires a MacBook for development, there's no need to use a specific OS.

Odds are your degree will primarily focus on Windows, possibly with an element of Linux. Install whichever you want and virtualise or dual boot the other. If you need to do anything with MacOS or iOS you'll almost certainly be provided with devices. The only reason to buy a MacBook is because you want one, and on balance I'd opt for Windows based devices if I were looking at the premium market.

What laptop is in itself a totally different question. Outside MacOS and MacBooks you can install basically any OS on any hardware you want. What laptop to buy is going to come down to things like budget and user requirements rather than OS choice.

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