Alter-Bridge

Good news Muse thread, I've been accepted into the University of Sydney again.

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New To Town With A Made Up Name

In The Angel's City

Chasing Fortune And Fame

09/03/2012

Emperor's Child

Congrats! ...but again?

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You can call me Jack

edgeyyz

Congrats I think. Yes, we'll go with that. Congrats!

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slipknot5678

Sounds like good news to me.

Congratulations Will 2!

Alter-Bridge

I first started university in 2011, but dropped out.

In a more interesting case, Muse thread, I am again in need of your help. I need a new computer and have a few issues I'd like your opinions on.

Desktop or Laptop? I know desktops obviously possess higher processing power, but I'm not a game and I never do anything really intense. I feel that the portability of a laptop might come in handy, even though I never feel the need to use a computer when I'm not at home. However, I am looking to do some sort of recording and/or video editing in the future. Most laptops are capable of this nowadays, right? What should I be looking for? I guess I should say I'm leaning towards laptop.

The second option is yes, I know, I am considering getting a Mac. Anyone have any experience? The pro-Mac crowd seem to say things like "they just work" which are pretty much completely biased, useless and stupid things to say. From what I can see, for the same price I can get a non-Mac computer with much higher specs, but I've read that Mac computers can run faster/smoother despite the lower specs because they OS and the hardware work well together or whatever.

Thanks for any help.

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New To Town With A Made Up Name

In The Angel's City

Chasing Fortune And Fame

09/03/2012

Dan_5893

Go PC. There's a reason that nearly every recording studio I've ever been to runs Windows XP. It's the most stable OS that they ever put out and it's the most compatible OS as well. The new Mac OS is a bit temperamental, they're usually alright though.

My laptop is 2 years old (running Windows 7) and it's been capable of video editing and recording since I bought it.

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edgeyyz

I'd recommend PC, and laptop. Nowadays, you can do pretty much anything you need to on a good laptop, and a good PC will be far less expensive than a comparable Mac. If you'll be working at a desk a lot, I recommend getting a cooling pad for it as well.

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Sampy

I have a Mac, which I bought purely for university. They used Logic as their main DAW so I got a MacBook Pro to allow me to work on things without having to book computer time. I dropped out shortly after getting it, but I've still got it and since my PC died it's been my only computer

I often hear that "Mac's are so restrictive compared to PC's blah blah blah" But honestly I haven't come across anything that I can do on a PC that I can't do on my Mac (barring running Windows software ). Sure, I have to use the terminal sometimes, but that's just taught me more about computers.

However, I never recommend them to people because, in most cases, they can do so much better for the money. Unless you need something Apple specific, don't bother.

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"Music snobbery is the worst kind of snobbery. 'Oh, you like those noises? Those sounds in your ear? Do you like them? They're the wrong sounds. You should like these sounds in your ear.'"
- Dara O'Briain

Emperor's Child

I've found that having a laptop has come in handy for uni... it takes up less desk space, and you can take it to the library because it's more portable.

I'd stick with windows too. You might find that some uni software you use is windows only (depends on your degree?) and it's a much better option for your wallet.

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You can call me Jack

Alter-Bridge

Macbooks look awesome. A big plus in my book, but I think I will be following the general consensus of the wisdom in this thread. Thanks guys!

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New To Town With A Made Up Name

In The Angel's City

Chasing Fortune And Fame

09/03/2012

BenRaah

Having a laptop is definitely useful for uni, though I'd say unless your course uses a lot of mac-exclusive software there's little point forking out the extra for a macbook.

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NakedInTheRain

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Pedalboard Thread Native: The Fuzzy Little Man Peach

NeutralFan

Personally I'd recommend getting a desktop PC - and building it yourself.

Personally I very rarely find that I need anything more than my phone when I'm out and about, so I have no need to lug around a laptop (of course, you might not be the same). The other thing with a laptop is that it's very difficult to modify or upgrade it in the future, due to space restrictions and the warranty. Laptops and laptop parts are nowhere near as modular as desktop-size parts, so you can't just chop and change like you can with a desktop. Also, you're stuck with paying the manufacturer's price, and their markup - i.e, you're not always paying a fair price. Not to say they're all rip-offs though.

With a desktop you get to have a lot more control over what you end up with, you can get better value for money in parts and, if you build it yourself, you not only get to pick exactly what you want and know exactly where everything is if you need or want to change anything about in future, but also have the advantage of everything being under seperate warranties (which might sound confusing, but is actually generally a pro since they are almost always longer and you don't have to send the whole thing away if one component goes tits-up). Most importantly of all, building it by yourself is also significantly cheaper. It's really very easy too if you take the time to read up a bit on it beforehand. Plus, if you're a nerd like me, it's actually fun.

And yeah, Windows > Mac OS (not that you've got much choice if you do decide to build it yourself). You'll have to choose between Windows 7 and 8 though, which is a difficult choice. Personally I'd actually pick Linux over (or at least in conjunction with) either of them, but that's probably not convenient for your use.

If it was my choice, I'd design a desktop, buy the bits, throw it together, put Linux and Win 7 on it, and love it eternally (or something).

Edit: On the other hand, portability might be a bit more of a consideration if you're going to be pulling it around Uni. Should've probably read your post a bit better.

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LOOK

Call me Neutral.


I am back in beige.

HIBERNIAN FC
SCOTTISH CUP WINNERS 12/13

Alter-Bridge

I'd probably only take it to Uni if I'm writing an essay in the library, I'd never take it to a lecture or anything like that. Of course, the library has computers but there's usually a fight to the death involved in getting one. And none of those computers would be my computer.

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New To Town With A Made Up Name

In The Angel's City

Chasing Fortune And Fame

09/03/2012

NakedInTheRain

my macbook pro has lasted me twice as long as any windows laptop has. just saying.

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Pedalboard Thread Native: The Fuzzy Little Man Peach

Alter-Bridge

I don't take anecdotal evidence.

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New To Town With A Made Up Name

In The Angel's City

Chasing Fortune And Fame

09/03/2012

NakedInTheRain

neither do i. but i do take first-hand experience.

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Pedalboard Thread Native: The Fuzzy Little Man Peach

Emperor's Child

No, I've never taken mine to a lecture either but they're especially handy for group work in the library as (at least at Plymouth Uni) there's no space for groups around computers and like you said there's often a fight to the death for them between about 9 and 5. I don't know what course your doing, but if it's just a load of essays this might not be such an issue. That said, I always did essays in the library alongside others (only our Business module had essays). It's nice to have the chance to bounce questions off others, and watnot.

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You can call me Jack

Dan_5893

The option that I've considered is getting a good Desktop PC for home, and then getting a Netbook or tablet to take around with me. The HP and Acer netbooks are pretty good for the price, they're really portable and have great battery life. If you're only using it for Uni applications you'll be fine. Then you'd have a desktop at home to do all the intensive stuff.

The bonus there is that you can constantly upgrade a desktop computer much more easily than you can a laptop, and you're also getting the best of both worlds.

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