Mac or PC laptop for college?

Question

I'm trying to decide whether to get a Macbook or a Dell laptop for college. I know Macbooks are generally better but I've grown up on PCs and know more about them. However, I have used a Mac before and I know the basics. As far as checking with the college first, I am going to a big school that would support both Macs and PCs. Plus, I don't plan on majoring in anything that would involve major programing. (My major would be either Education or Environmental Studies.)

So which one should I get?

Answer 1

Depends on what you plan to use it for. You probably will be using it in classes, but at home you might want to do some other stuff, light gaming etc. As far as durability goes, a Mac is always better, as well as cost-effectiveness: Macs don't need system maintenance and anti-virus software which is quite pricey. Of course, should you go with Windows you have to buy that stuff, and I would recommend a backup HDD so if the thing breaks you don't loose all your hard work. In the end, it's just a fight between price, durability and general system stability. If you aren't going to be using exotic software, you can always go with the Mac, but if you will be using that stuff, there is a wider choice for Windows. As far as cash is concerned, Windows is the better choice, but that depends on your current financial situation: remember that Apple give discounts for students, as logn as you order from the online store from your campus network. And, Macs are more stable in general.

Answer 2

Well, your assumption that "Macs are generally better" is incorrect. Macs are just different, not better.



Considering that Macs are overpriced and you're more familiar with PCs, I'd get a Windows-based PC. Plus, PCs are strong at doing all the basic college tasks.

Answer 3

i got to say get a pc! i think its much cheaper and affordable. macs will and can break ur pockets however mac is a good machine. but like a old friend said to me,macs are for ppl that are useing it for more advance stuff like video edit, heavey making music and so on thas why some djs at partys used them and famous youtube parters! if your not doin all that then why get a mac? also some ppl complain about pcs getting viruses and thats a stupid excuse if you think your going to download alot of stuff from unknown sources and not get a virus then you must be stupid! both pc and mac have there ups and downs. however i cant force you to get a pc but i do recommend it. the choice is yours =)

Answer 4

they do the same thing. they both can get a virus. but the mac is usually marked up in price by 60%. people who have switched to mac from a pc, only changes there browsing behavior and are more aware of what they are doing. if they used this behavior with a pc. then they would not have gotten viruses. go with a pc.

Answer 5

You obviously havnt used macs much "I know Macbooks are generally better"



Mac is the 5th best OS imo, windows 7 comes 3rd



get the dell, it will have windows 7 on it which more people use so its easier to troubleshoot problems, + mac is .... no offence apple fanboys but its bad :S

Answer 6

I think macbooks are overpriced.I suggest you get a Asus Or Hp Laptop it is a pretty good computer and it has an excellent cpu and graphics card. It can run almost anything you throw at it.



HP Envy 14-1160se Beats Edition 14.5-Inch Black Laptop PC - Up to 6.5 Hours of Battery Life

*Intel Core i5-460M Processor N950 (2.53GHz); 4GB DDR3 SDRAM memory (2 x 2GB) (expandable to 8GB); 640GB (7200 RPM) Serial ATA hard drive; Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

*14.5 Inch diagonal High-Definition HP BrightView Infinity LED Display (1366 x 768), ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 switchable graphics with 1GB dedicated DDR3 memory up to 2714MB total graphics memory

*External Ports: 2-in-1 memory card reader; 3 USB 2.0 (3rd port shared with eSATA); 1 HDMI; 1 RJ -45 (LAN); 1 Headphone-out/Microphone-in combo jack (compatible with 3.5mm 4-conductor jack with stereo audio and mono mic)

*Slot-Loading SuperMulti 8X DVD±R/RW with Double Layer Support; Beats Audio; Integrated 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN; Wireless LAN 802.11b/g/n WLAN & Bluetooth

*Aluminum in black with soft-touch surfaces threaded throughout the body; HP TrueVision HD Webcam with integrated microphone; Full-size red backlit island-style keyboard; HP Clickpad with On/Off button

Answer 7

my advice is to get the dell laptop, because most of colleges and universities use PC instead of MAC due it's compatibility issues with the servers.

MAC is good, but PC is better for college and educational purposes.

Answer 8

Well I could pick PC since they are more availability of 3rd party programs.

Mac are usually monopolized for you to buy Apple programs among the long list of things.

Look into Asus Laptops.

Answer 9

If you're not doing any video/audio/photo editing, and you're already used to PCs, then you might as well just get a relativel inexpensive laptop. I love my iMac (moreso than any PC), but there's no real point to paying extra for one for what you're going into.

Answer 10

its better that you go for a good nicely configured laptop..yes macbooks are generally better than laptops but..they are ain't friendly unless you knew how to use macbooks and they are very expensive.

Answer 11

pc definitely