First- Im considering getting a macbook.
I dont want any opinions on the fact that it is a mac. Im perfectly fine that it runs OSX.



Im just wondering if its worth it to drop money on a laptop. Currently I have a desktop, an external hd, and lab computers on campus. Since I live off campus now though, I find myself sitting around doing nothing while im on campus. My reasoning for getting a laptop is that I feel like I would be more productive.

For example: Those long boring lectures? I could do work then instead of doodling!

Rendering out a 3d animation on my computer? Break out the laptop and leave the desktop to rendering!

"Why not just use a lab computer mb?"

Well, i think using lab computers is silly because most of the time there are classes using the labs, and if they're not I get stuck with a crappy eMac to try and do 3d work on.


The other thing im slightly nervous about is having another expensive peice of equipment to worry about


So anyway, do you think a laptop would make me more productive? Should I wait till my senior year of school to get one?
Who wants to give me money to pay for it?

The rule of thumb is that despite the fact you could be more productive with something you probably won't be.

My Toshiba laptop does me just fine. I spend those useless classes either playing games or working on semester projects.

Which doesn't mean you shouldn't get a laptop!

Make sure to get one with a fast processor. You know, for all that high-intensity word processing. And a high-end graphics card. For word art.

I use my laptop alot when away from home but I must admit I play more games than work.

I'll sell you an intel core 2 duo laptop with a 256 mobility MB video card and 120 GB of space, 2gb of DDR ram for $2000. 17" monitor comes with a battery and 2 AC adapters. 16x cd burner CD and DVD+/-. Its 1 week old.

I'd've got loads done with my powerbook at uni - when I had Geoff with me I used him lots, but the bugger was that he was bloody heavy, so usually got left at home!

I'd definitely shoot for a macbook if I were you mate

My sister bought a macbook and she really likes it. She had no exposure to osx except for playing with it in the apple store before buying it.

As I recommended to her, I recommend you purchase the applecare extended warranty. Especially on a laptop.

get the macbook

I was working on a MacBook the other day (replacing the LCD panel) at work and I must say that it was a pleasant experience. I'd really like to have one, but I'm going to wait until they're sporting Core 2 Duo. I'd rather have a MacBook Pro (Core 2 Duo), but they're a bit too expensive. I would highly suggest that you purchase a refurbished MacBook. You'll save yourself money and they have a good reputation.

what Mentat said.

its kinda funny. i either agree 100% with MMM, or 100% disagree to the point of wanting to strangle him.

i guess he's one of those "well balanced individuals" we hear so much about.

I was just looking at this.

Honestly, Everything about it is perfect. Asus makes cooler cases, but It's still ok. But really, 14 inch 1440x900 screen with a C2D and a 7700 go for $1600? I like it. I may get this when I have money.

I just got a a laptop a month or so ago, and I find that I'm getting some school work done when I'm out during the day more than I did otherwise. It's not really a drastic change though.

Dunno about you mate, but MB does coding and stuff so he might get more use out of a laptop than an English major (not that I know what you do :))

also, get the laptop. its worth it to have the extra entertainment/work for the day.

at least you're not sitting around doing nothing, neh?

Get an ultraportable. You aren't going to be doing 3D work on a laptop no matter how much you try to convince yourself otherwise. You also aren't going to play games on it. You'll probably also get sick of lugging it to classes after maybe a week. At least with an ultraportable you'll have something lightweight, cool-running and with a long battery life, so the once every 4 years you take a long plane flight you'll at least be able to watch a whole movie without having to swap batteries.

Besides, a year after that and you'll use it maybe once a week to read the forums before you go to bed. With an ultraportable you won't end up with a white-hot desktop replacement pinning you down to a burning bed.

Laptops suck.

I got my first laptop right around the time I started University, I've now been a student for almost 3 semesters. Here are my thoughts:

I went with a cheap laptop that was fairly small/light (14" widescreen). It has a 1.8 ghz sempron, ati radeon xpress 200m, and 512 mb of (i think) pc2700 ddr ram. Honestly, I don't regret not getting something more powerful. The truth of the matter is I feel that if I had gotten more of a performer I probably wouldn't have taken advantage of the extra power. I hardly ever am in a position where I'd want to play 3D games on it (I rarely even use an external mouse), most of the time I just do web stuff, word processing, and programming over SSH. Obviously there are people out there that have need for fast notebooks, I just encourage you to strongly think about if you're one of them. Of course, something to consider is the fact that lower-end notebooks are often cheaply made, and using an ultra-cheap notebook is not at all a pleasant experience (not to mention you'll probably be replacing it very quickly). Considering that it's something you'll be carrying around everywhere you go, it makes sense to get something relatively well made. I guess the trick is finding the balance (if I didn't have a laptop I'd probably get a MacBook).

Now, as far as using it in classes goes..

I can honestly say that out of the 15 courses I've so far been enrolled in, I've only had one where I can honestly say having a laptop has helped me. I find that the only time I can productively use it in class is when there is a lot of note taking to be done, and those notes do not involve and special diagrams or symbols. Since I'm a CS major most of my classes are computer science (in which case the lecture notes are always either in the courseware or powerpoint slides), math (diagrams and special symbols make note taking on a laptop difficult), and the odd elective (this is where I've actually been able to use it). I've occasionally also used it to view powerpoint slides even when they're already being projected, because it allows me to go forward or back to check my understanding of things. Honestly though, most of the time I take out my laptop in class I end up not paying any attention to the lecture and just goofing off, in which case why even go to class?

Now, even though I don't think laptops are very helpful in class most of the time, I still think every student should have one. There's something to be said for being able to just bust out the laptop and get some work done wherever you are. I use mine all the time in between classes, at my girlfriend's house, whereever. It also helps that my entire campus has wifi, I'm not sure if I'd enjoy the experience so much without that. It's also nice for quickly looking up information (like the phone number of a movie theatre), seeing if someone is on MSN, and even making voip calls during the day when I have a limited number of weekly daytime minutes for my cell phone.

So, I doubt I've been very helpful, but take from that what you will.

If you're getting a MacBook wait until they update the processor to CD2. Or get a MacBook Pro. I'm addicted to my laptop now. I do not know how I lived without one.