Laptop for Cell and Molecular Biology?

[ScienceTrip]

Hey everyone. 

 

I'm applying to grad school for biology (probably molecular and cell or something of that nature) with a planned entry of fall 2015. My parents have agreed to help me out a bit on getting a new laptop this fall (I'm currently working a research job) and was wondering what type of laptop I should get.

 

I've never really shopped for one before (my undergrad school issued us one), so I'm not quite sure not only what I should get, but what exactly I should be looking for. This will probably be my only computer, so I need it for both work and home. Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[biotechie]

Keep in mind that some labs will issue you a computer, and if they do that, you won't need a super powerful laptop. I used a Mac in my old lab, but my new lab uses PC, and I was given a desktop to work on. Half of the time, I'm using remote access on my 13in retina macbook pro when I'm at home to do work on my Windows computer in the lab; I have programs installed there that I didn't want to buy a license to have on my own computer.

 

Just make sure you have a good processor, 8+ GB of ram, and a decently large hard drive (I've got 1TB). I've switched over to using solid state drives as my last two drives crashed after only a year or so. SSD's don't last forever, but there isn't so much moving around mechanically, and I feel like things open faster. If you're going to be doing lots of modeling, there are additional graphics things you need to work out, but I don't have info on that.

 

I really like the retina display on my macbook pro for editing/viewing fluorescent images I've taken of cells and tissues, and there are lots of PC laptops with screens as good, too. 8 GB of ram is good enough for me to run photoshop and a bunch of other programs simultaneously, though it does sap my battery. Normally it lasts 7-8hours, but with photoshop running, it is down to about 4.

 

If you're taking it to and from school, make sure it is light enough and small enough to be easily portable. I ride the bus and I'm small, so I didn't want a behemoth laptop. This one is fine for me.

[starofdawn]

biotechie, I was just wondering if there would be any headache if I did lab work on a PC and had another laptop as a Mac Air. Does it create any problems for you? Are you able to easily transport data from one computer to another (do you need to?)?

[biotechie]

biotechie, I was just wondering if there would be any headache if I did lab work on a PC and had another laptop as a Mac Air. Does it create any problems for you? Are you able to easily transport data from one computer to another (do you need to?)?

 

So far, it hasn't been an issue as I can do remote access to my school PC to do the things or use programs that my mac doesn't like or that I don't have on my mac. Most programs have a mac version, so if they're not too expensive and you don't have remote access capabilities, you can go that route. I like the remote access route because then I don't need to constantly keep a backup drive with me to shuttle between the computers. You should avoid cloud systems unless you can ensure they're keeping your data safe and encrypted. Some molecular biology students have access to patient data, so you likely won't be allowed to use the cloud.