Best computer for anthropology

[Anthrolover2008]

I am trying to decide what kind of computer I should get for grad school. My loyal little macbook has served me well, but definitely needs to be replaced for grad school. What kind of computer should I get? PC or Mac?

 

For computers in anthropology, I do know that software compatibility and physical durability might be some key issues. Are there semi-universal software programs that are ONLY mac or PC in anthropology?

 

Macs (in my experience) are much more physically durable than PC's, but don't play well with PC software. I know that Macs are also significantly more expensive, but can last much longer. However, if it isn't compatible with the software I need then that's not great either.

 

I realize this is a very sensitive topic for many people and passions rise. I am a very low-tech person and don't really care about all the different specifications of different computers. Let's keep this discussion focused on how well the computer fits with ANTHROPOLOGY, not how good it is in general.

 

What is your opinion?

[pears]

I've had the same experience: Macs seem to last longer (if you take really good care of them.. damn my klutziness & my laptop's water sensitivity!), & I strongly prefer the Mac OS styles to Windows ones, although I can work fine in either. However, I might argue that PCs are a better choice for anthropology — perhaps this is specific to archaeology — because of the greater availability of software for Windows. For example, GIS is pretty much essential to my "on season" work in the summer, yet ESRI (the standard in GIS software, as far as I know) only produces software for Windows. That said, I have no experience running Windows on a Mac, and limited experience with other software on PCs (Koha, Re:Discovery, et al) but not Macs, i.e., I don't know whether they're Windows-only programs. As long as you're in an academic environment or a well-funded professional environment, though, I'm sure there should be some degree of availability of & accessibility to Windows for software use.

[anthropologygeek]

I have a dell laptop and Mac book pro. The dell was giving to me for my fellowship, it was included in the fellowship. I use my Mac book pro but with a lot of stat programs they give a month free before you must pay like a grand so I used both for this so I wouldn't have to pay

[1leafy]

I agree with pears that a PC will probably serve you best if you're mainly involved in archaeology (GIS work). I personally prefer Macs because, as people have said, Macs are really long-lasting and are not virus-prone. My first Mac is 6 years old and is still in great condition and running smoothly. It's now my desktop computer, and I recently bought the new Air with the student discount and it has been very easy to travel with.

 

Bonus: qualitative software ATLAS.ti and NVivo will both be released for Mac this summer!

[KingScilla]

My tips for getting a PC for grad school would be something along the lines of:

-Something without a lot of "bloatware"  IE: preloaded junk programs you dont need and take up space on the comp

-durability. pay a little extra and get a laptop comprised of metal instead of plastic. It will double the lifetime of the pc.

-portability

-pricetag

-specs. Usually for the type of software i've used so far in my studies even the most consuming programs tend to run on most set ups (albeit sloooooooowwwwlly)

 

Basically I'd go with something like a Lenovo. For a decent price you can get something durable, portable, with high specs and very little bloatware.

Check them out if you want. They have models from the very low end all the way to the highest specs for gaming and whatnot.

 

unbiased by the way... i have an HP

[mutualist007]

I had a 2008 MacBook running a program called "Parallels" which allows you to launch into Windows from the Mac OS, or reboot into Windows. It was very convenient.

 

Personally I use Linux a lot, Ubuntu and Linux Mint specifically, and there is a lot of free genetics and science software, GIS too, available in the open source community. It also seems to be preferred by some labs when it comes to using the smaller specialized genetics algorithmic applications, or using the 'R' programming language.

 

As far as hardware is concerned, Apple is very consistent with quality. I feel like there is a lot of hit or miss variance with Intel/AMD PC based hardware. Go with a Macbook for the main travel laptop. You can always add an install of Linux or Windows to it later if you want.

 

A scratch built Linux desktop workstation may be a good option too since desktops don't always have the video power to run ArcGIS well. Below I listed some US companies that build laptops and desktops with quality parts and with Linux preinstalled. They will also offer to load Windows too. Faster quad or more processor, good quality video card and 8GB+ of RAM is recommended for anything GIS related though. And a sizeable monitor or two cheap 17" ones linked together will work too.

 

 

Linux Systems that offer everything + Windows boot option installed:

ZaReason

http://zareason.com/shop/Desktops/

 

System76

https://www.system76.com/home/

[Canis]

If you want the most flexibility, get another Mac. You can dual or triple boot Windows, Linux and Mac OS easily and have all three operating systems available if needed. In my experience the majority of anthro faculty may have a university provided PC on their desk, but their personal machine is a mac.

[anthropologygeek]

Canis- schools aren't specifically PC. My undergrad was apple, my masters uni was dell, and my phd was apple but I assume your uni is pc

[pears]

If you want the most flexibility, get another Mac. You can dual or triple boot Windows, Linux and Mac OS easily and have all three operating systems available if needed. In my experience the majority of anthro faculty may have a university provided PC on their desk, but their personal machine is a mac.

 

Semi-related: any advice on how to dual boot Windows with Mac OS? I can send you a PM, if that's easier.

[Canis]

Semi-related: any advice on how to dual boot Windows with Mac OS? I can send you a PM, if that's easier.

 

https://www.apple.com/support/bootcamp/

[hurricane92]

I have to admit that I find it hard to give you advice on this. I haven't used laptops for a while now and that's why I would personally go for a pc. I assume you won't be playing anthropology games that have big system requirements, so in this case, any new pc you buy should be able to cope with the tasks you'll have to solve. From what I've read at https://thinkmobiles.com/blog/best-pc-optimization-software/, Computers, especially those running on Windows, can easily become corrupt and slow over time. Resulting in unpredictable behavior, sluggishness, incorrect files, and software, etc. That's why you might also need a pc optimization software to help carry out usual tasks again and to clean up. Good luck to you!