Laptop for Uni?!

*giggles*

This should settle it:
http://www.apple.com/ie/getamac/faq/

Getting there

I found in first year that i didnt really need one. The comps in the library and the the family one at home were sufficient. However I did really need to get one for 2nd yr on. Id advise you to get one during the year when the prices are low.


Also be aware that the second you get a laptop you sign your life away to facebook, boards, emails etc. The actually productive time on ur laptop is minimal

pljudge321

Pretty indispensable im my opinion, especially coming up to exam time when every computer in the college will be gone as soon as the doors open.

I'd recommend getting the laptop I have or one of the many competitor clones of it. Its reasonably cheap, small and light enough to be extremely portable with a big enough screen to be practical and a full size keyboard. Battery lasts a good 8+ hours if you coax it.

http://www.acerdirect.co.uk/Acer_Timeline_1810TZ_Laptop_LX.PJ502.051/version.asp

highlydebased

*giggles* wrote: »

So....what is the best laptop for uni???

Granted Macs are pricey and sometimes not compatible, but is it worth the money and pain to get a cheaper one that will last half as long and is more susceptible to getting viruses? I'm confused.com

Any sort of computer is equally as likely to get a virus or similar of somekind, IMO.

Ian Beale

Get whichever one you like using the most, there's no "best" one there's pros and cons for both. If it's just a general course I'd recommend a cheap laptop for under €500, no point spending more then you need too, college is expensive enough as it is.

+1 to getting there's post, you will end up spending more time not doing work with it :pac:

ldxo15wus6fpgm

*giggles* wrote: »

This should settle it:
http://www.apple.com/ie/getamac/faq/

Oh yes, because the company trying to sell you the product aren't going to be biased at all. :rolleyes:

Hookie

Piste wrote: »

Like Sillymoo said, if you go to RCSI you'll be given a decent laptop when you start. I couldn't imagine doing first year without mine. That said, I found it so much easier to print off notes and write down additional information from books onto the lecture notes, I got very distracted by Facebook when I brought my laptop to lectures in semester 1. I mainly use it for reading journal articles or looking up things I don't understand from Dr. Wikipedia.



Well now lads, he said fact, in caps, so it must be true

Whats the deal with RCSI.. do they just give you a certain laptop and you pay it off in fees etc or can you actually choose which one you want eg. macbook vs dell etc?

I want to buy a macbook one of these days (can get it ex vat so im saving a good bit there - more than if i was to get the student offer on macs) but im a bit scared it'll end up being a pain in the ass when it comes to college and all notes and projects are done on office.

Hoping to do med, have UCD first then RCSI - Im pretty sure a mac is fine for UCD but have you noticed many in RCSI with them considering there's a good chance i'll end up there?

aghhh decisions!!

i like pie

Hookie wrote: »

Whats the deal with RCSI.. do they just give you a certain laptop and you pay it off in fees etc or can you actually choose which one you want eg. macbook vs dell etc?

I want to buy a macbook one of these days (can get it ex vat so im saving a good bit there - more than if i was to get the student offer on macs) but im a bit scared it'll end up being a pain in the ass when it comes to college and all notes and projects are done on office.

Hoping to do med, have UCD first then RCSI - Im pretty sure a mac is fine for UCD but have you noticed many in RCSI with them considering there's a good chance i'll end up there?

aghhh decisions!!

as far as i know rcsi students got dell laptops last year, the price of these laptops is included in the fee that you must pay at the start of the year, i think it's roughly 2,000

Professional Griefer

Neon-Circles wrote: »

Any sort of computer is equally as likely to get a virus or similar of somekind, IMO.

Not really. You see when people create things like viruses they make them for PC's, I have no idea if its harder to make them for macs or whatever. But if you had a mac, you would want to be fairly stupid, and download just about everything going to get a virus. Mac's are very safe when it comes to viruses. Plus, there is always a update on the software.
But at the same time, thats not to say a mac won't get a virus. Its just not as likely. I love my mac

HQvhs

i like pie wrote: »

as far as i know rcsi students got dell laptops last year, the price of these laptops is included in the fee that you must pay at the start of the year, i think it's roughly 2,000

We got a HP Compaq 610 in RCSI with Windows Vista Business (sigh, Vista...) and Microsoft Office 2007. The specs are decent and it does the job.
I previously had a macbook which I sold when I got this laptop (it was 3 years old at that stage). I wouldn't have the biggest experience of pcs but this is alright, but a mac is much more user friendly I suppose, and less prone to the crashing and occasional slowness of this laptop.

Anyway, in RCSI there are still a solid (albeit small) contingent who hold to their previous macs and use them. We don't need any software that isn't available on mac.

For this, we pay an IT fee every year (roughly €375 iirc), but we also get a new laptop in 4th med. This fee is fairly high (though the laptop is worth roughly €1000 when you include add ons, the bag, and such) but they don't itemise it which is a shame. But, in fairness to them, they do have a very good IT system. All lecture notes are online at least a week before the lecture as well as extra material; there are dissection videos, online tutorials (sigh), and it's all reasonably easy to use. Because of this, I can't possibly see how anyone could get through college without a laptop.

Hookie

Thanks guys.. Think im just gonna go ahead and order a macbook. Have a new dell coming next week as a replacement for my old one on the guarantee so gonna trade my parents that for the macbook.. so i'll still have the windows/MS in the house if i reeeally need it.

But to get back on topic, I's agree with what others said about waiting til you start college and see what offers there are within your college/course. At least then you'll know what you need so can shop around for the best deal. When i started commerce in UCD we had to get a dell but now im pretty sure they have different options with HP laptops, dell, and macs are also supported afaik. What you need will really depend on campus and course requirements.

ayumi

does every course require a laptop,for examply what would u need to do on a laptop in a sciences course and the applications u would need?
also what are the most popular laptops universities ask for

Podgoricka

I would say YES. Im heading into second year in ul. and in ul there isnt a whole lot of public computers etc.. For work and what not i found it would have been difficult with out my laptop. ok for example, if you even wanna skype home or friends, go onto online banking, facebook, research, buy stuff online, book flights etc etc, you can just do it from your room.. no need to be waiting around for a public computer or even leaving your house. (do i sound lazy??:o)

But for sure i think its a solid investment and you will have it for your time in college of you look after it.. you said you were hoping to do medicine. thats a 7 yr course right? so think of it like this, if you were to but a good spec laptop for 700 squids ( it would be dam sure to last you ) thats only €100 a yr.

Podgoricka

ayumi wrote: »

does every course require a laptop,for examply what would u need to do on a laptop in a sciences course and the applications u would need?
also what are the most popular laptops universities ask for

Not many "require" a laptop, there just so handy when you have your own. Im doing science and i have one.. could do with out (.... wait no i couldnt.. :eek:) but its so handy for study when you wanna look into something and for reports etc.. as for the applications, if you get yourself Microsoft office 2007, you should be sorted!! if there is other specific soft ware needed the college will tell you and maybe even provide it..

lc2010

Hookie wrote: »

Thanks guys.. Think im just gonna go ahead and order a macbook. Have a new dell coming next week as a replacement for my old one on the guarantee so gonna trade my parents that for the macbook.. so i'll still have the windows/MS in the house if i reeeally need it.

You can buy microsoft office for the mac now which makes the macs compatible with almost all documents.
They have it in pc world for like 100euro and you can use it with 3 different macs.

Jay P

ayumi wrote: »

does every course require a laptop,for examply what would u need to do on a laptop in a sciences course and the applications u would need?
also what are the most popular laptops universities ask for

The only thing you'd properly need a laptop for is looking at your notes, so you need Adobe reader for that, and that's free.
Sometimes you'd need one for doing assignments, so something like Microsoft Word would be needed. With science courses, some of them have assignments to be submitted and completed online.

To be honest, you don't need a laptop for all that. You'd be able to do everything with the computers they have in college, and by printing out your notes. But a laptop would make it handier for all these things. If you do get a laptop, you don't need anything really expensive. Something totally basic, like a netbook, would be perfect.

That's not to say that spending money on a decent laptop is a bad idea. It's nice to have a nice laptop!

Junior D

well,

i'll be headin to dentistry in trinners and as far as i know the course is fairly computer orientated and i'm just wondering if anyone knows this is true? and if so what kind of laptop would i need?

*giggles*

I don't think I need a laptop for my course, but as you said it would be handy. I was thinking of getting a notebook, something like this:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-VPCM12M1E-Netbook-Processor-Windows/dp/B003N195V8/ref=pd_sim_sbs_ce_2
Wise decision?

Noodleworm

Netbooks are NOT built to last and will fell up with junk pretty easily.
I got a dell laptop under two years ago for 700, now I'm giving that to my parents to become the family computer and have ordered a macbook. Im a really heavy computer user though. I need a lot of software for my course so I still have a powerful desktop running windows for that. but I took my laptop to classes, and home every weekend... it was really heavy to carry around, not to mention it was already slowing down.

The 13" macbook is only 1/3rd the weight of a standard laptop , with 10 hour battery so its much better for travelling and has the same specs as my old laptop, not to mention they crash less.

with the education discount you get about €100 off on the apple website, and the thing with ipods is rebate... So for an 8gb ipod touch you buy it with your mac, pay for it, then get about €160 back on it later, leaving it at about €29.

*giggles*

I've been thinking of getting a Mac for a long time and I would love one. But I don't have the money for it right now and was thinking this netbook would suffice until I have enough funds for a loverly Mac

ldxo15wus6fpgm

Got myself a spanking new acer 5740 with an i3 processor (cha-ching!) 3gb ram 320gb hdd and dvd-rw drive for €525 on fleabay. Happy as larry