Laptop!

[poissono]

So as I am looking to start grad school as an (bio)engineer, I figure it's time to break the piggy bank and replace the old laptop I bought in 2007 (still rocking Vista...). I'm not much a Mac fan, and will mostly be using it for work in Matlab and general home use. Function >> form. Any recommendations from you lovely folks?

[juilletmercredi]

Before I switched to a Mac, I had a Toshiba that I liked.  Their quality has been going down in recent years but generally speaking, they are solid machines, last a decent amount of time and have features that a grad student would appreciate (large hard drives, durability, backlit keyboards for those late nights).

 

Other good PC brands are Lenovo and Asus.  I had a Sony I did not like (they are overpriced and flimsy).  Dells are hit or miss.  The build quality on their business line is better, as is the support.

 

I would also value portability a lot as a grad student.  I take my computer pretty much everywhere with me, so I really appreciate the lightweight MacBook Pro.  If I were in the PC market, I would probably be looking at ultrabooks.

[ion_exchanger]

I also agree that Dells are hit or miss. I personally had an HP that I loved. The only reason that it did not last was because I kept dropping it. On the other hand, I have dropped my Dells countless times and they have survived. If I were not treating myself to a Mac, I would try a Toshiba next. I have heard good things about them.

[kimbokrn]

I'd recommend a Thinkpad if you're thinking of getting a PC.  Solid build quality.

[merrysoprano]

Any suggestions for someone coming to the PC side of things after five years on a Mac? While I want it for grad school work, I also (haha) am hoping to play more video games on it than I could on my Mac.

[TeaGirl]

I'm definitely getting a fully pimped out ultrabook. Unless price is an issue or you're looking for high speed gaming capabilities with full-on graphics then that's what I would recommend. However, I also really don't like tiny laptops and small screens either where I have to squint while using a bunch of different programs, so I'm seriously eying the Samsung 15" series 9. My sister got one free at her work and I really liked it. It's a beautiful machine, light, has a big screen, and seemed pretty solid (as long as you're not playing frisbee with it). For the full specs it's expensive, but I only buy a new laptop every 4-5 years so I'm treating myself

 

I would recommend at minimum a 14" screen minimum in general so you can see what you're doing/programming. Few things are worse than using Matlab on a small 12-13" screen with all the windows that barely fit.

I did the whole weighing the regular heavier laptop vs. ultrabook for a long time, pros and cons. I figure if my 5 year old Acer (really suprised by its long life and how well it still runs) runs Matlab, LabVIEW, AutoCAD, a virtual machine, the sims 3 (albeit on low graphics) plus some other heavier duty engineering software with no problems, any upgrade is going to be just fine. The important thing is keep your laptop cleaned up (file and application wise) and uninstall unneeded additional background running things as much as possible.

I was sold by the light weight after lugging my current 7.3lbs around forever, the doubled or tripled battery life, and the speed of a solid state drive. I thought about touch, but too small screens and not really something I require.

 

If you don't want an ultrabook, I recommend Lenovo. The Thinkpad X1 has good reviews. They don't make beautiful laptops, but they're solid and last.

HPs seem poorly engineered (I heard lots of problems with friends) and the batteries fail a lot.

My acer does heat up really badly in the summer, but I don't know if this is a persistent issue across models, so look that up before you buy one.

[33andathirdRPM]

I'd recommend a Thinkpad if you're thinking of getting a PC.  Solid build quality.

 

+1.

 

I love my Lenovo W520 ThinkPad. Discrete video card (although the thing will get VERY hot if you try to play a game), 4 RAM slots (because blowing money on RAM overkill is fun!), virtually no bloatware, durable build quality.

[ion_exchanger]

I will agree with HP battery life. The battery failed after about a year and a half, and would not stay charged for more than 10 minutes unplugged. The port for the plug of the HP that I had was also flimsy, and wore easily. Maybe I received a lemon.

[grazzle]

I currently have an HP elite book that I love. My husband has the lenovo equivalent, and he loves it. Both are about 12", which has never bothered me when using excel or spss.

I'm thinking of getting a surface pro next, mostly just for windows 8. Also, I think it will be a little more portable than my 3lb elitebook.

But I'm waiting to see if anything cool comes out between now and Augus before I pull the trigger.

[rising_star]

I have a netbook and an ultrabook. I like them both but the netbook is starting to fail after 3+ years of near daily usage. I also have an external monitor and keyboard, which I view as essential for any serious work. For reference, my netbook is an Asus eee pc and my ultrabook is a Samsung Series 5 Ultra.

[2012girl]

I wanted to show support for my Asus k50IJ that I got in July 2010 after my Compaq computer crashed. The Compaq constantly overheated and would do many automatic shutdowns, so it wasn't a big surprise...but still, I'd only had the machine for two year, smh. A coworker of my mother's who's tech savvy recommend Asus to me and I'm forever grateful!

The only problem ive had in the last year is that the computer will freeze for a little bit every now and then...but I never have to restart, after 3 to 5 minutes the computer corrects itself. My computer is not the best for portability, but I think Asus has some brands that are lighter weight now.

The battery worked pretty great, only recently have I had to replace the battery & the adapter cord, which I think is normal since I've had this laptop for over 2 years.

I'll likely be looking into a new computer before I start grad school in the fall and will hope to get another Asus! 

I hope there's some machines in the Asus brand that can fit your computer needs, good luck!!

[33andathirdRPM]

So as I am looking to start grad school as an (bio)engineer, I figure it's time to break the piggy bank and replace the old laptop I bought in 2007 (still rocking Vista...). I'm not much a Mac fan, and will mostly be using it for work in Matlab and general home use. Function >> form. Any recommendations from you lovely folks?

 

Also, keep an eye out for sales with stackable discounts (google search for manufacturer coupon codes) the stack an educational discount with it. My ThinkPad was ordinarily ~$1600 but I got it for $1100 (+ tax), upgraded battery included and free shipping.

[misskira]

Once you decide what you want, you can sign up for a deal alert on slickdeals. They will email you any sales that are posted for whatever keyword you want. Quite handy if you have a little to wait for a good price.

[queenleblanc]

I have an HP 8530w and it is a pound heavier than most, but with a big screen and a super-durable outer shell. Got it through Lenovo/IBM refurbished laptop program by way of an employees family and friends discount... Around $285 for the laptop complete with windows 7. Had to buy Microsoft office, but the academic package on microsoft's website was only $90 or so. I too love my Mac desktop, but most computer things I will need for this grad program require windows. I am not informed enough to partition my hard drive, nor did I want to do that to my Mac.

Edited March 1, 2013 by kcald716

[luce373]

Just chiming to say...be careful about Lenovo. Half of their computers are the more durable ThinkPads, and half are the much more shitty IdeaPads. My first year in grad school I got an IdeaPad from their website because there was some external coupon I found and it had really good specs. But it was defective (stopped charging itself when plugged in after a month, new motherboard caused constant blue screens, etc.) and the customer service was a nightmare. So be careful to stick with the ThinkPads if you decide to go Lenovo.

 

I ended up with a smaller 14" Dell xps, and I liked it a lot. After a student knocked it off my desk and broke it (I may actually have the worst luck with computers), I got a 14" Samsung Series 5 Ultrabook. I like both computers. After lugging around bigger laptops during undergrad, it's nice to have something light and easy to carry back and forth to the lab. Neither was on the expensive end, and both have specs that are just as good as the bigger IdeaPad.

[Seeking]

My HP laptop is more than 6 years old now and it never gave me trouble - whenever I had problems, it was because of my own fault.

 

Considering buying a Sony Vaio now. 

[33andathirdRPM]

My HP laptop is more than 6 years old now and it never gave me trouble - whenever I had problems, it was because of my own fault.

 

Considering buying a Sony Vaio now. 

 

Vaios can be finicky. Caveat emptor...

[ANDS!]

Thinkpad T430s (or a T420s if you can find it on the cheap).  And while the Ideapads are not as rock solid as the  Thinkpads (and aren't meant to be), the U series is a good buy for someone looking for Macbook aesthetics.

 

I would check the Lenovo Outlet for any of of them (I purchased my T430s there for about 200 bucks less than what eBayers wanted - and much less than buying new from Lenovo).

[Seeking]

Thanks for the advices!

[ak48]

If you could afford it, shell out the money for a macbook pro.

 

you can use bootcamp to install both OS X and Windows on it at the same time, so you won't run into any "Windows only" problems.

 

If not a macbook pro, the Lenovo Thinkpad is highly regarded for its quality.

[MerlotMonday]

You can't go wrong with a lenovo.

[Swagato]

Late-2010-and-onward Macbook Air (13", not 11"). I was going to upgrade to a Retina Macbook Pro, ditching my old 2008 MBPro, but an emergency with my cats made me buy a late-2010 Air. 

 

It's fantastic. So much lighter, the screen is not at all tiresome, the resolution is actually higher (15" 1440x900 versus 13" 1440x900), the battery life is phenomenal, and I don't miss the backlit keyboard at all. I'm actually disinclined to go for that Retina now, since I know it will be heavier, bulkier, etc. 

[quick1]

I used to highly recommend Macbook Pros (used one through most of my Masters program and work after) but recently upgraded to a Lenovo Thinkpad T430.  As other have said Asus and Lenovo tend to have decent quality laptops at a price a lot lower than Macbook Pros (my loaded T430 cost less than the base Macbook Pro). 

 

But since I'm a new fan of Lenovo I'll say a Lenovo Thinkpad (mainly the T series or if you need a bigger screen and extra video processing the W series). I've also heard good things about the X Series. But speaking for the T series, this is the iconic line with water resistant keyboard, internal roll cage, steel hinges, and has passed 8 of 9 military spec tests for durability and operation in many conditions. And it's the only laptop approved for use on the International Space Station. That's damn cool. Just upgrade to the higher screen resolution and keep Windows 7, trust me on this one. Lenovo has a new T431i line coming out soon as well.  

Edited March 19, 2013 by quickinstinct

[LeatherElbows]

I'll echo the Lenovo sentiments. I have a 2007 Thinkpad. The only problem I have ever had was the battery going out 2 years ago. I like no problems with my academic laptops.

[ak48]

Just bought a Samsung Series 7 Chronos laptop, fantastic machine!

 

Bit pricey at 1300, but it came with i7 processor, 8 GB Ram, 1 TB hard drive and a nice graphics card and touch screen at 15.6'' (altho the screen is clearly a gimmick).

 

Good value I think, at Best Buy