PC vs Mac laptop for research.

[kdilks]

well, the only information your post added is that you are a nasty, bitter human being. I like being an idiot better (also I'm not, so score 2 on you, buddy).

I'd like to confirm what acs said about PC's slowing down a little when flipping between programs when compared to doing the same task on a Mac. And I'd also like to confirm you are a giant asshat. Way to go douche, nice way to destroy a civil and pretty objective discussion (in my opinion).

Way to keep it up by continuing to throw out petty insults .

I'll civilly add to the discussion and elaborate on my comment by saying that it's irresponsibly ignorant to insinuate that PCs aren't capable of running more than one program at once, and hopefully it's clear to everybody else that the opinions of people that think so should not be given a modicum of gravitas.

[prolixity]

It's as simple as this: If you know how to maintain a computer, go for PC; there's no reason to go for a Mac. Otherwise, go for a Mac.

Lol, why does this sort of technical elitism stereotype persist? I design and talk with sophisticated instruments such as airborne mass spectrometers, spectrophotometers, quartz microbalances, etc. all the time with my tiny macbook. It doesn't matter what operating system you're using since you're talking using an interface, and who really needs to mess with hardware anymore besides upgrading RAM for most mundane daily tasks?

Hell, on my 3 year-old Macbook I can run molecular docking simulations/graphical manipulations, a variety of mathematics suites, etc. etc. ad infinitum. And it still works flawlessly.

I haven't used a PC laptop in 3 years, but my experience before my Macbook was one of frequent software/hardware problems. I'm sure there are plenty of equally reliable PCs and I don't issue blanket statements, but I have to recommend macbooks for their sheer utility and durability.

[jplunk85]

I bought the 13.3" Macbook Pro with 3-year warranty. This particular model has all the hardware specs as the 15", just a little bit cheaper. Plus, I got the student discount and further discounted by buying refurbished.

Can't wait 'til it arrives! Thanks for your thoughts, folks.

[natsteel]

I'd like to confirm what acs said about PC's slowing down a little when flipping between programs when compared to doing the same task on a Mac. And I'd also like to confirm you are a giant asshat. Way to go douche, nice way to destroy a civil and pretty objective discussion (in my opinion).

The fact of the matter is that multitasking efficiency on either Macs or PCs has far more to do with the size of your RAM than the operating system itself. A PC with 4GB of RAM will be more efficient at multitasking than a Mac with 2GB of RAM, especially if it's running Windows 7 and not Vista. I have used PCs for 20 years and I know how to maintain and troubleshoot them. I also recently got a new MacBook Pro. I like OSX alot and find myself using my MBP even when I'm home with my PC desktop with better specs. As far as operating systems go, it seems to just be personal preference. But the multitasking issue has more to do with hardware than software.

Edited March 28, 2010 by natsteel

[Jae B.]

I've used a MacBook throughout college. I definitely recommend going for the MacBook Pro -- it's a nice, speedy machine -- vs. the bottom-of-the-line Mac, which may cause more difficulty when multitasking. As the poster above said, specs are the most important thing.

The journalism school I'm most likely to be going to primarily uses Macs, so I'm right on target!

Office works okay on Macs (takes an annoying while to open and save on Macs with lower-specs), but as someone else pointed out, the transfer between machines isn't perfect for heavily-formatted documents. I've been disappointed many a time when my fancy cover page appeared as a mangled mess on another computer. One time my favorite font didn't come across somehow, and got replaced with what looked like American Typerwriter in size 16! I always have to examine Word docs before I print.

Therefore, I tend to use regular old TextEdit for papers.

Does anyone use iWork to make nice documents? I've noticed professors use it for good-looking presentations.