Hi I am going to college and I need a laptop for daily use and that I can use around the campus, I am studying genetic engineering if that would help. I also program a lot using c++ and java, I might game but it's optional. Well I'm down to Mac OS or windows 7 or 8. General requirements would be or more than:
500gb at 3800rpm
4gb ram ddr3
Intel core 7 graphics and mother board
15in screen
Webcam
PS: I will be on it 24/7 so long life.
Well, pointing to the roots of this thread, I have a few comments to make.
1.- I don't know what software will you use in genetic engineering, so I can't recommend MAC or Windows up to this point
2.- HDD is fine. Mine is 320GB and I have my old laptop's HDD (R.I.P my friend >: ) as an external unit because I work in lot of places and sometimes is better for me to have my data in my pocket. About the RPM, most of the laptops today have hard drive disks at more than 4200rpm
3.- RAM. Ding dong! Here comes the funny part, if you have enough money to spend I would put a bit more of emphasis in the RAM. Sometimes it will determine if the lap will work flawlessly or not and 4GB should be the MINIMUM.
4.- CPU. Core I5? Ok, it's a fine CPU and integrates the intel HD graphics. If you will not use it for gaming and the lap has no dedicated graphic card it will be ok. Core I7 might be a bit too much for the lap and knowing that it will be ON 24/7/365 days per year because it produces a bit too much of heat. Even a Core I3 may be good for you.
5.- SO. MAC or Win? Or GNU/Linux? This question is for another topic and might be the root of a lot of senseless discussions in this thread.
6.- Scripting. Perl, ruby and python have their respective interpreters in Windows the same way they have in MAC OS. No big deal. If you are going to use it to code your own apps you should have no problems with that.
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Okay, if I were you I would ask your teachers and the personnel at charge of your genetic engineering faculty what software do they use and obviously in which OS are running them. That would be a better information about what laptop you should buy than everything I post in this thread.