Which device for uni?

I need to buy a computer or tablet(then attached a keyboard but im unsrue which brand or make. I don't want an apple as there is software I need to download and it is not available on Apple devices. FYI im doing a computer science course so I think I will need quite a lot of memory when it comes to coding and files etc. I've been looking at what people currenlty have but the variety is so large, I haven't narrowed anything down.

Reply 1

University of Bath

Official Rep

Hey anon,

Congrats on getting into CS - huge kudos for that as its a very popular course!

I did not do CS myself so can't advise from personal experience, but at the end of the day it comes down to...

Does it need particular software? In your case it sounds like it does. What OS will run them best? If not Apple, then what about an up-to-date Windows? I absolutely loved my Dell Laptop at uni, so I'd recommend that brand. I believe they're also used in some large businesses.

Your budget - how much do you realistically want to spend on your equipment bearing in mind your other costs at uni? I'd advise that you don't need the tip-top brand, but just something that does the job well for your purposes.

Processor - I would take a look at the RAM, speed and efficiency of common processors such as Intel and AMD/AMD Ryzen and see which suits your needs best. There are a lot of articles on line about this!

Final piece of advice - do you know who your personal tutor or any of your lecturers are yet? Perhaps email them and see what they think. Alternatively, why not ask some CS students this question on Unibuddy? They're possibly the best source of advice for this kind of thing.