Laptop needed or not?
Hello, i am gonna start university in september and i am doing computer science(BSc) at Kingston University.
I was thinking about the modules and the work and learning i will do and when i am at uni i think most of it will be done on the universities desktops which will have the specialised software needed. But if i have lectures where i have to take lots of notes. What would be the best way to take these notes.e.g. Online like on a laptop or physical notes.
If i choose laptop then i would need to get a new laptop which can assist me with that and not just in writing notes but doing coding or homework and stuff, cause my current one is 4 years old and the it only runs like an hour without being plugged in and i dont wanna be plugging my laptop at uni cause its just an inconvineance. Like i can use that laptop at home easily but i think it will not be able to use it at school.
I geuss i could also write physical notes amd but i have a problem with this as i dont know how to keep it organised cause in year 13 i just had lots of scattered notes which didnt help.
Another option i saw was that to write physical notes on paper or book and then transfer them to icloud so i can access them on my laptop too.
But any thoughts suggestions on what option i should use will be helpful.
I was thinking about the modules and the work and learning i will do and when i am at uni i think most of it will be done on the universities desktops which will have the specialised software needed. But if i have lectures where i have to take lots of notes. What would be the best way to take these notes.e.g. Online like on a laptop or physical notes.
If i choose laptop then i would need to get a new laptop which can assist me with that and not just in writing notes but doing coding or homework and stuff, cause my current one is 4 years old and the it only runs like an hour without being plugged in and i dont wanna be plugging my laptop at uni cause its just an inconvineance. Like i can use that laptop at home easily but i think it will not be able to use it at school.
I geuss i could also write physical notes amd but i have a problem with this as i dont know how to keep it organised cause in year 13 i just had lots of scattered notes which didnt help.
Another option i saw was that to write physical notes on paper or book and then transfer them to icloud so i can access them on my laptop too.
But any thoughts suggestions on what option i should use will be helpful.
Labs and other facilities like the library may technically be enough, but having your own computer is going to give you flexibility on where and when you can do work outside of class time, give you options on how you write and organise your notes, etc. Late night last minute work being submitted 6 minutes before the deadline are done a lot more comfortably from your desk in halls rather than having to stay in the library, for example.
(edited 1 month ago)
Original post by Fhello
Hello, i am gonna start university in september and i am doing computer science(BSc) at Kingston University.
I was thinking about the modules and the work and learning i will do and when i am at uni i think most of it will be done on the universities desktops which will have the specialised software needed. But if i have lectures where i have to take lots of notes. What would be the best way to take these notes.e.g. Online like on a laptop or physical notes.
If i choose laptop then i would need to get a new laptop which can assist me with that and not just in writing notes but doing coding or homework and stuff, cause my current one is 4 years old and the it only runs like an hour without being plugged in and i dont wanna be plugging my laptop at uni cause its just an inconvineance. Like i can use that laptop at home easily but i think it will not be able to use it at school.
I geuss i could also write physical notes amd but i have a problem with this as i dont know how to keep it organised cause in year 13 i just had lots of scattered notes which didnt help.
Another option i saw was that to write physical notes on paper or book and then transfer them to icloud so i can access them on my laptop too.
But any thoughts suggestions on what option i should use will be helpful.
I was thinking about the modules and the work and learning i will do and when i am at uni i think most of it will be done on the universities desktops which will have the specialised software needed. But if i have lectures where i have to take lots of notes. What would be the best way to take these notes.e.g. Online like on a laptop or physical notes.
If i choose laptop then i would need to get a new laptop which can assist me with that and not just in writing notes but doing coding or homework and stuff, cause my current one is 4 years old and the it only runs like an hour without being plugged in and i dont wanna be plugging my laptop at uni cause its just an inconvineance. Like i can use that laptop at home easily but i think it will not be able to use it at school.
I geuss i could also write physical notes amd but i have a problem with this as i dont know how to keep it organised cause in year 13 i just had lots of scattered notes which didnt help.
Another option i saw was that to write physical notes on paper or book and then transfer them to icloud so i can access them on my laptop too.
But any thoughts suggestions on what option i should use will be helpful.
Hey @Fhello
Congrats and Welcome to Kingston.
Kingston has labs and access to computers in library's as well, so even if you do not bring your laptop you'll be fine. Also all the teaching material will be available on Canvas so in many classes you might not even be taking heavy notes.
If i were you, i would always carry a notebook for notes, and the laptop for first few classes and then figure out in which class i'll need the laptop and when i can do without it. And maybe once you start you can invest in a new laptop accordingly.
Hope this helps a bit!
Ravina
(Kingston student Rep)
Original post by Fhello
Hello, i am gonna start university in september and i am doing computer science(BSc) at Kingston University.
I was thinking about the modules and the work and learning i will do and when i am at uni i think most of it will be done on the universities desktops which will have the specialised software needed. But if i have lectures where i have to take lots of notes. What would be the best way to take these notes.e.g. Online like on a laptop or physical notes.
If i choose laptop then i would need to get a new laptop which can assist me with that and not just in writing notes but doing coding or homework and stuff, cause my current one is 4 years old and the it only runs like an hour without being plugged in and i dont wanna be plugging my laptop at uni cause its just an inconvineance. Like i can use that laptop at home easily but i think it will not be able to use it at school.
I geuss i could also write physical notes amd but i have a problem with this as i dont know how to keep it organised cause in year 13 i just had lots of scattered notes which didnt help.
Another option i saw was that to write physical notes on paper or book and then transfer them to icloud so i can access them on my laptop too.
But any thoughts suggestions on what option i should use will be helpful.
I was thinking about the modules and the work and learning i will do and when i am at uni i think most of it will be done on the universities desktops which will have the specialised software needed. But if i have lectures where i have to take lots of notes. What would be the best way to take these notes.e.g. Online like on a laptop or physical notes.
If i choose laptop then i would need to get a new laptop which can assist me with that and not just in writing notes but doing coding or homework and stuff, cause my current one is 4 years old and the it only runs like an hour without being plugged in and i dont wanna be plugging my laptop at uni cause its just an inconvineance. Like i can use that laptop at home easily but i think it will not be able to use it at school.
I geuss i could also write physical notes amd but i have a problem with this as i dont know how to keep it organised cause in year 13 i just had lots of scattered notes which didnt help.
Another option i saw was that to write physical notes on paper or book and then transfer them to icloud so i can access them on my laptop too.
But any thoughts suggestions on what option i should use will be helpful.
Hi,
Although a lot of work can be done from the university's desktop computers, it's normally best to have your own laptop, especially for work that you might need to get done at home over the breaks, if your moving out for university. I have a few friends who have completed computer science degrees, and they have all found having their own personal laptop really beneficial.
In terms of plugging in laptops, most universities have lots of outlets, which are used regularly by all students. I don't know of any student who hasn't needed to plug their laptop in to charge, at some point. If you feel that you do need to upgrade your laptop, I would recommend you wait and see what laptop your lecturers recommend for your course.
Writing physical notes isn't that common among students, as a lot of lecture materials are now online, so it can be accessed at a later date. I have only really ever made physical notes, when planning out assignments, not really for note taking.
Suzan - Student Ambassador 🙂
(MSc Criminology student)
If your 4 year old laptop ran on the battery for several hours when new: buy and install a new battery. It will cost you about £35 - depending on make and model of your laptop. Installing it should be a doddle for someone with an interest in computers.
If you're running Linux - which you should be as a CS student - you may need to tweak a few things / install some power management software in order to get Windows competitive battery life. Plenty of guides online on how to do this.
If your laptop had poor battery life when new, you could buy a really nice used portable premium business laptop with decent battery life for £150 to £300.
If you're running Linux - which you should be as a CS student - you may need to tweak a few things / install some power management software in order to get Windows competitive battery life. Plenty of guides online on how to do this.
If your laptop had poor battery life when new, you could buy a really nice used portable premium business laptop with decent battery life for £150 to £300.
What make and model is your 4 year old laptop?
Just checking in case it's one of those laptops with 2 or more battery options, with your particular example having had the lowered powered battery from new.
Although I suspect you probably have a gaming laptop, where the gaming performance was created at the expense of battery life. This would make it a fine computer for doing assignments and projects at your home-base.
What will your mobility profile be at uni? As in how much walking & public transport will you be doing with your laptop? And how physically strong are you on the dainty to Olympic weightlifter scale?
This will determine the best size laptop for you.
From there you can look out for deals on specific laptops.
There's no value in buying new laptops. Consumer grade laptops tend to be plasticky and prone to hinges, lids failing from everyday use. As well as the keyboards being quite nasty to type on. Premium business laptops is where you can find the engineering quality, but they're too expensive new. Depreciation on business IT equipment is a wonderful thing for the buyer.
Refurbished is largely a marketing con. Refurbished may mean something on a 1960's Rolls Royce. On a laptop it means nothing of significance. All they do to refurbish laptops is to remove any stickers, run the built-in diagnostics, give it the once over with some furniture cleaner. A refurbished laptop won't be any more reliable nor long lasting than a fully working non-refurbished laptop.
Just checking in case it's one of those laptops with 2 or more battery options, with your particular example having had the lowered powered battery from new.
Although I suspect you probably have a gaming laptop, where the gaming performance was created at the expense of battery life. This would make it a fine computer for doing assignments and projects at your home-base.
What will your mobility profile be at uni? As in how much walking & public transport will you be doing with your laptop? And how physically strong are you on the dainty to Olympic weightlifter scale?
This will determine the best size laptop for you.
From there you can look out for deals on specific laptops.
There's no value in buying new laptops. Consumer grade laptops tend to be plasticky and prone to hinges, lids failing from everyday use. As well as the keyboards being quite nasty to type on. Premium business laptops is where you can find the engineering quality, but they're too expensive new. Depreciation on business IT equipment is a wonderful thing for the buyer.
Refurbished is largely a marketing con. Refurbished may mean something on a 1960's Rolls Royce. On a laptop it means nothing of significance. All they do to refurbish laptops is to remove any stickers, run the built-in diagnostics, give it the once over with some furniture cleaner. A refurbished laptop won't be any more reliable nor long lasting than a fully working non-refurbished laptop.
So basically my current laptop, i have had it for four years now and i bought it from ebay and it is a used laptop, so not new at all. And from the start it only runs for 1 hour without charging.
The laptop is a lenovo laptop although i dont know the exact model but its not a thinkpad laptop.
And its not a gaming laptop.
For university i am commuting from home and the commute is like 1.15 hrs by bus or 30 mins by train.
If i take the bus i would have to walk 15 minutes to get to uni unless i can get the unis bus that takes us to the campus but the timing varies.
And i dont mind carrying the laptop as long as its not too big.
The laptop is a lenovo laptop although i dont know the exact model but its not a thinkpad laptop.
And its not a gaming laptop.
For university i am commuting from home and the commute is like 1.15 hrs by bus or 30 mins by train.
If i take the bus i would have to walk 15 minutes to get to uni unless i can get the unis bus that takes us to the campus but the timing varies.
And i dont mind carrying the laptop as long as its not too big.
You should be able to find your Lenovo model details by putting your serial number into here:
https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/gb/en/warranty-lookup#/
If the serial number has faded from the base of your laptop, power off your laptop. Power it on and keep tapping the F2 key to make it boot into the BIOS screen. That screen should display your model number and your serial number.
Your Lenovo laptop came with a tired battery when you bought it. Since then you've been lucky that it hasn't gotten a lot worse.
What CPU, RAM, hard drive does your Lenovo have? If it's like a 6th gen Intel i5 with 8 GB RAM and an SSD, your laptop with a new battery (plus maybe a few tweaks to extend battery life like turning down the screen brightness) should be fine for supporting your CS studies.
That's probably the cheapest option.
The next cheapest option is to get a laptop with an 8th gen intel CPU.
If you are of dainty / slight build; 13.3" is the size to go for, due to your extensive commute. EG
Dell Latitude 7300 for £75
If you are of medium build a 14" would be right for you. EG
Dell 7400 - Offer £135 for this
If you're built like a rugby prop forward a 15.6" or 16" would be right for you. EG
HP 850 G6 for £155 (check with seller that the screen has a resolution of 1920 or better)
If you're feeling more flush you could go for an 11th gen intel CPU or an AMD competitor from that generation. You wouldn't notice any difference in speed whatsoever for the vast majority of stuff you'd do on it. You would notice some difference for things like 4k video editing, photo editing with 45 mega pixel still photos, number crunching on spreadsheets with over 10,000 lines.
For 11th Gen Intel CPU's, if they come with a single RAM stick look to buy and install a 2nd twin RAM stick (should cost about £30), to unlock the Iris XE graphics.
13.3"
HP 830 G8 - check screen resolution is 1920 or better and offer £200 Buy charger separately, for about £20.
14"
HP 845 G8 for £268
15.6"
Dell 5520 for £199 These are plasticky compared to the magnesium / aluminium construction of all the other laptop examples. However the price is good for an 11th gen 15.6" laptop and they can take 2 internal hard drives. Useful for running Windows and Linux on the same laptop. Very fast 512 GB SSD's can be bought for £30.
I think there's a lot to be said for you turning up at uni with the cheapest laptop there, that's also the joint best. As it displays competence at IT procurement.
Running Linux instead of Windows or macOS also demonstrates competence.
https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/gb/en/warranty-lookup#/
If the serial number has faded from the base of your laptop, power off your laptop. Power it on and keep tapping the F2 key to make it boot into the BIOS screen. That screen should display your model number and your serial number.
Your Lenovo laptop came with a tired battery when you bought it. Since then you've been lucky that it hasn't gotten a lot worse.
What CPU, RAM, hard drive does your Lenovo have? If it's like a 6th gen Intel i5 with 8 GB RAM and an SSD, your laptop with a new battery (plus maybe a few tweaks to extend battery life like turning down the screen brightness) should be fine for supporting your CS studies.
That's probably the cheapest option.
The next cheapest option is to get a laptop with an 8th gen intel CPU.
If you are of dainty / slight build; 13.3" is the size to go for, due to your extensive commute. EG
Dell Latitude 7300 for £75
If you are of medium build a 14" would be right for you. EG
Dell 7400 - Offer £135 for this
If you're built like a rugby prop forward a 15.6" or 16" would be right for you. EG
HP 850 G6 for £155 (check with seller that the screen has a resolution of 1920 or better)
If you're feeling more flush you could go for an 11th gen intel CPU or an AMD competitor from that generation. You wouldn't notice any difference in speed whatsoever for the vast majority of stuff you'd do on it. You would notice some difference for things like 4k video editing, photo editing with 45 mega pixel still photos, number crunching on spreadsheets with over 10,000 lines.
For 11th Gen Intel CPU's, if they come with a single RAM stick look to buy and install a 2nd twin RAM stick (should cost about £30), to unlock the Iris XE graphics.
13.3"
HP 830 G8 - check screen resolution is 1920 or better and offer £200 Buy charger separately, for about £20.
14"
HP 845 G8 for £268
15.6"
Dell 5520 for £199 These are plasticky compared to the magnesium / aluminium construction of all the other laptop examples. However the price is good for an 11th gen 15.6" laptop and they can take 2 internal hard drives. Useful for running Windows and Linux on the same laptop. Very fast 512 GB SSD's can be bought for £30.
I think there's a lot to be said for you turning up at uni with the cheapest laptop there, that's also the joint best. As it displays competence at IT procurement.
Running Linux instead of Windows or macOS also demonstrates competence.
(edited 1 month ago)
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