What laptop and hard drive should I get? (1 Viewer)

[obliviousninja]

yup

could you provide further details what you hate about the OS

 

[thedemonpk3r]

Do you guys reckon a tablet or laptop would do for uni? I was gonna get surface pro 3 but I'm thinking otherwise

 

[seremify007]

Do you guys reckon a tablet or laptop would do for uni? I was gonna get surface pro 3 but I'm thinking otherwise

Depends on what degree you're doing and whether you want it for laptop use or tablet use. I think the Surface Pro 3 is one of those devices which looks and sounds amazing, but you need to really think whether or not it will work with your lifestyle.

Back to Op re tablet, don't forget you can get bluetooth keyboards. I personally use my iPad Air 2 with a Logitech k480 keyboard when I'm at a desk in my office, or the Logitech Keys to Go when I'm walking around. Alternatively you could always go for something like a keyboard case (don't cheap out- buy a branded one with a good quality and comfortable to use keyboard).

If it were me, I'd just get a Macbook Air 11" as that really nailed it for a great device for uni use. It's light, it's quick to turn on/off, lots of people have Macbook chargers you can borrow, great battery life, can run Windows if you really want, etc.

 

[anomalousdecay]

Try a surface or macbook air. How will you be using it? What types of things will you be running on it? A good laptop is one that suits your needs best.

Also, with external hard drives, you can shop around with that. Generally, out of trust for quality, WD and Seagate are the way to go with EHDDs. You can get 1 TB for around $89 to $99. I got my 1.5 TB for $99 on a bargain at Officeworks about a month ago.

As for SSDs, you might want a few things on your laptop to run off an SSD. Basically they allow for data transfer rate to be a lot quicker. The downfall with them is that they are quite expensive compared to Internal HDDs and it is difficult to find ones that can run 1+ TB.

I suggest with the laptop, you get an SSD and Internal HDD, depending on the laptop. Take into account the CPU being used as your SSD might not be as effective if the processor can't keep up with the transfer rate of data. But yeah around 120 or 240 GB of SSD should be fine for all your main programs and OS. I got my 240 GB Samsung EVO 840 for roughly $145 about a month ago from memory.

 

[thedemonpk3r]

Try a surface or macbook air. How will you be using it? What types of things will you be running on it? A good laptop is one that suits your needs best.

Also, with external hard drives, you can shop around with that. Generally, out of trust for quality, WD and Seagate are the way to go with EHDDs. You can get 1 TB for around $89 to $99. I got my 1.5 TB for $99 on a bargain at Officeworks about a month ago.

As for SSDs, you might want a few things on your laptop to run off an SSD. Basically they allow for data transfer rate to be a lot quicker. The downfall with them is that they are quite expensive compared to Internal HDDs and it is difficult to find ones that can run 1+ TB.

I suggest with the laptop, you get an SSD and Internal HDD, depending on the laptop. Take into account the CPU being used as your SSD might not be as effective if the processor can't keep up with the transfer rate of data. But yeah around 120 or 240 GB of SSD should be fine for all your main programs and OS. I got my 240 GB Samsung EVO 840 for roughly $145 about a month ago from memory.

What would I need a hard drive for anyway with so much memory?

 

[seremify007]

For what it's worth also be mindful of this rumour. http://iphone.appleinsider.com/arti...-macbook-air-refresh-begins-pruning-inventory

IMO there are a lot of factors to consider in how you intend to use device and whether you have other computers with bigger fixed storage or cloud storage readily available.

 

[anomalousdecay]

What would I need a hard drive for anyway with so much memory?

As I said, it depends on your needs. Also another reason why I said it depends on the laptop. I used up already 100 GB of my SSD within a month. Transferred a lot of other stuff from my old computer which took up roughly 200 GB of my SSHD and roughly another 50 GB on top of that was added for some programs which I needed to install.

So taking my case as an example, some people do indeed need a lot of storage. Some don't. It depends on what the machine is being used for.

 

[obliviousninja]

Depends on what degree you're doing and whether you want it for laptop use or tablet use. I think the Surface Pro 3 is one of those devices which looks and sounds amazing, but you need to really think whether or not it will work with your lifestyle.

Back to Op re tablet, don't forget you can get bluetooth keyboards. I personally use my iPad Air 2 with a Logitech k480 keyboard when I'm at a desk in my office, or the Logitech Keys to Go when I'm walking around. Alternatively you could always go for something like a keyboard case (don't cheap out- buy a branded one with a good quality and comfortable to use keyboard).

If it were me, I'd just get a Macbook Air 11" as that really nailed it for a great device for uni use. It's light, it's quick to turn on/off, lots of people have Macbook chargers you can borrow, great battery life, can run Windows if you really want, etc.

Personally I think its one of the 'would not buy' laptops. Screen is way too small. 13" is a minimum.

 

[Bingobango]

Yeah I would definitely be getting the Pro w/ Retina over the Air (in fact, I did, just a few weeks ago). As far as "portability" it is virtually exactly the same. The pro is a little bit heavier, but it's nothing to be worrying about. If you're worried about the difference in weight between an Air and a Pro, then you should be worried about the difference in weight between a tablet and an Air. The specs on the pro are also just a lot better, really, and with a ~$150 student discount or something like that there's no reason not to pay the extra few hundred bucks (unless you can't). Pretty sure all the specs are better, and there's two USB ports so you wouldn't really need to pay extra for external ports.

But yeah I'd just go with the Macbook. With the discount, it's fairish value, and if you get Apple care you're in the clear. JB had a Toshiba P50 B01R for an equivalent price with better specs (without SSD) a while ago, and I considered that over a Mac, but for uni, I wouldn't bother with another laptop really if you like the Mac OS.

 

[obliviousninja]

Yeah I would definitely be getting the Pro w/ Retina over the Air (in fact, I did, just a few weeks ago). As far as "portability" it is virtually exactly the same. The pro is a little bit heavier, but it's nothing to be worrying about. If you're worried about the difference in weight between an Air and a Pro, then you should be worried about the difference in weight between a tablet and an Air. The specs on the pro are also just a lot better, really, and with a ~$150 student discount or something like that there's no reason not to pay the extra few hundred bucks (unless you can't). Pretty sure all the specs are better, and there's two USB ports so you wouldn't really need to pay extra for external ports.

But yeah I'd just go with the Macbook. With the discount, it's fairish value, and if you get Apple care you're in the clear. JB had a Toshiba P50 B01R for an equivalent price with better specs (without SSD) a while ago, and I considered that over a Mac, but for uni, I wouldn't bother with another laptop really if you like the Mac OS.

Congrats, welcome to the macbook pro master race ~

 

[thedemonpk3r]

Yeah I would definitely be getting the Pro w/ Retina over the Air (in fact, I did, just a few weeks ago). As far as "portability" it is virtually exactly the same. The pro is a little bit heavier, but it's nothing to be worrying about. If you're worried about the difference in weight between an Air and a Pro, then you should be worried about the difference in weight between a tablet and an Air. The specs on the pro are also just a lot better, really, and with a ~$150 student discount or something like that there's no reason not to pay the extra few hundred bucks (unless you can't). Pretty sure all the specs are better, and there's two USB ports so you wouldn't really need to pay extra for external ports.

But yeah I'd just go with the Macbook. With the discount, it's fairish value, and if you get Apple care you're in the clear. JB had a Toshiba P50 B01R for an equivalent price with better specs (without SSD) a while ago, and I considered that over a Mac, but for uni, I wouldn't bother with another laptop really if you like the Mac OS.

How do I get a student discount, and at what stores is that applicable to?

 

[Bingobango]

Congrats, welcome to the macbook pro master race ~

#macmasterrace

To get discount, utilise interwebs and type "Apple Store student discount". Should take you to the discounted store.

 

[obliviousninja]

#macmasterrace

To get discount, utilise interwebs and type "Apple Store student discount". Should take you to the discounted store.

tbh i think you made the rookie error. you can get it cheaper at jb hi-fi. every now and then they do the 15% discount of all apple products.

 

[snowflakeptical]

Answering your questions chronologically:

1. If you want a lightweight laptop, look into ultrabooks (a brand name for thin laptops such as macbooks). All ultrabooks are quite expensive, however the main benefit over regular laptops is portability (lightweight) and battery life. I'm using a Dell XPS 13 2015 (bought with a 15%-off coupon).
2. I'm confused because you say you want a tablet with an attachable keyboard but then you ask for laptop suggestions?
3. If you NEED an external hard drive (in the case where your laptop hard drive doesn't suffice), then any usb 3.0 one from a reputable company would be fine.

it is either a laptop or a tablet with laptop accessories just compact enough to bring around

Yeah, I know (I use desktop tho)

But I thought you were coming from the context of you considering a tablet or so? If so, mice are irrelevant haha

I'm IMPLYING he's an ass and I'M PRYING open his ass

HAHA ^ (best one I've done LOL)

I'm gonna treat the tablet (if I choose to get one) as I would with a laptop. I don't want my hands used in a tiny space

100 bucks you haven't seen one irl. Pre much essentially the same thickness as the air. Like the back of the base is the same height except on the air this narrows down. So its only like 1cm difference. And the air is only 250g lighter.

I have seen all of those because of the rich kids who bring them everywhere. Usually macbooks, a few airs and sometimes a pro. However the pro's ratio of keyboard to mouse pad is 1:1 so the keyboard area would be too small. Plus the base of the laptop is too rectangular prism-y

Depends on what degree you're doing and whether you want it for laptop use or tablet use. I think the Surface Pro 3 is one of those devices which looks and sounds amazing, but you need to really think whether or not it will work with your lifestyle.

Back to Op re tablet, don't forget you can get bluetooth keyboards. I personally use my iPad Air 2 with a Logitech k480 keyboard when I'm at a desk in my office, or the Logitech Keys to Go when I'm walking around. Alternatively you could always go for something like a keyboard case (don't cheap out- buy a branded one with a good quality and comfortable to use keyboard).

If it were me, I'd just get a Macbook Air 11" as that really nailed it for a great device for uni use. It's light, it's quick to turn on/off, lots of people have Macbook chargers you can borrow, great battery life, can run Windows if you really want, etc.

yeah, those are the ones I'm thinking about.

Try a surface or macbook air. How will you be using it? What types of things will you be running on it? A good laptop is one that suits your needs best.

Also, with external hard drives, you can shop around with that. Generally, out of trust for quality, WD and Seagate are the way to go with EHDDs. You can get 1 TB for around $89 to $99. I got my 1.5 TB for $99 on a bargain at Officeworks about a month ago.

As for SSDs, you might want a few things on your laptop to run off an SSD. Basically they allow for data transfer rate to be a lot quicker. The downfall with them is that they are quite expensive compared to Internal HDDs and it is difficult to find ones that can run 1+ TB.

I suggest with the laptop, you get an SSD and Internal HDD, depending on the laptop. Take into account the CPU being used as your SSD might not be as effective if the processor can't keep up with the transfer rate of data. But yeah around 120 or 240 GB of SSD should be fine for all your main programs and OS. I got my 240 GB Samsung EVO 840 for roughly $145 about a month ago from memory.

not much except for internet and Microsoft office, some random hobbies
I don't think I need a ssd so I'll get a hard drive. Haha those school sales

What would I need a hard drive for anyway with so much memory?

I'm getting it 'cause it's portable and I can give/take files off people

 

[Zeref]

You can always run windows on it..

ehhh don't want to go through the hassle of changing it

could you provide further details what you hate about the OS

I simply don't like the way it looks etc. I feel it's not really bang for your buck.

 

[seremify007]

Personally I think its one of the 'would not buy' laptops. Screen is way too small. 13" is a minimum.

Depends what you're used to and what you're comparing it with. Back when I was in uni I was commuting from the Hills district to UNSW so having a smaller lighter laptop was great. I never found the 11" screen to be an issue compared to my netbook's 9". But it depends on what you plan to use it for and how you plan to use it. If I ever needed bigger screen I had an external monitor at home which I used.

 

[seremify007]

How do I get a student discount, and at what stores is that applicable to?

Applies to most Apple products actually- you can get it from Apple Store or the education store online.

But IMO the discounts on laptops/computers is better if you get it at 10% off at Dick Smith sales or JB Hifi.

 

[thedemonpk3r]

Applies to most Apple products actually- you can get it from Apple Store or the education store online.

But IMO the discounts on laptops/computers is better if you get it at 10% off at Dick Smith sales or JB Hifi.

So what your saying is that I can get a discount from the apple store if I tell them I'm a uni student? Sounds pretty unheard of? How much of a discount can I get?

 

[CaptainPrice]

So what your saying is that I can get a discount from the apple store if I tell them I'm a uni student? Sounds pretty unheard of? How much of a discount can I get?

I think it's 5-10%, and surprised you haven't, on their online shop it's kind of obvious

 

[obliviousninja]

I simply don't like the way it looks etc. I feel it's not really bang for your buck.

What. LOL.

All these arguments ive heard against the mac OS have been as wafty as yours.
Please explain what you mean.