Hardware/Software Suggestions for College Student
Hey guys. In the fall I am starting my first year at King's College in Pennsylvania as an Honors English Major with the intent of going to Law School. The question is.. What should I buy for my 4 years.
(The following at EDU pricing)
I know that I will buy a TiBook because I prefer the screen size, thinness, and power advantages it has over the top of the line iBook. I will also purchase Office v.X.
What else do you guys suggest for productivity and fun?
(The following at EDU pricing)
I know that I will buy a TiBook because I prefer the screen size, thinness, and power advantages it has over the top of the line iBook. I will also purchase Office v.X.
What else do you guys suggest for productivity and fun?
Comments
don't just blow all the cash at once though. spread it out
TiBook; top of the line, lotsa memory. It will last 3-4 years.
External mouse is crucial as well.
Printer! Printer is crucial... yet can be overlooked. 10 cents a page and walking to the computer lab to pick stuff up is a pain in the ass.
Speakers. Must have something with a bit of juice- soundsticks are probably a good price/performance compromise... I went overboard
Headphones are also a must, as roommates don't have the same tastes in music...
As for Office v.X, shoot me an email.
I bought the original PB G4, 500Mhz. I was the first person in Princeton to have one, even before Rob Sedgewick (cs prof), who's on the board of Adobe. The stares were cool, but now it seems like 50% of the profs in the engineering and sciences own them. It's a great computer, and I paid a good bit for it. ($3300 with discount, yikes!)
I have to say, though, that it's not going to last me until graduation. Chances are that I'll give it to my mother and buy the next PB within a year. Hopefully a good one will come out on MWSF. Of course, I'm a geeky EE major who requires the cutting edge, so the short lifespan is expected.
Recommendations:
- Pro Mouse. Mice are nice.
- headphones. I never really use speakers. I bought a good set of headphones instead. If you want speakers, also think about the Klipsch stuff. They pump out a lot more sound than the Soundsticks for the same price. When you listen to metal, that extra kick is nice to have.
-Case. Whatever. Just make sure it has good padding, etc.
-Printer? Not all colleges charge for printing, and you may live on top of a printing cluster.
-Games? I have no time for serious games, so I stick to stuff I can play for stress relief & kicks. Namely emulated console stuff and EV.
-Powerade caps. To prop up the back end of the computer to make it easier to type. The Dr. Bott PowerBook stand cost a lot more.
-A piece of keyboard sized cloth to use when transporting. Keeps oils off of the screen, and prevents scratch marks.
- Microshaft Intellimouse Optical: It's a great, cheap, and light mouse that is perfect for almost everything. If you don't want that one, definitely get a mouse with TWO buttons and a scroll wheel. Optical is best.
- An inexpensive LASER printer: Let me say that again...get a LASER printer. You will find that hardly ever will you need color. Instead, save money on toner and get better quality printout with a LASER printer. Your papers will be that much more impressive, and when you send out resumes, laser is a must.
- A Zip Drive: There will be times where you have to share files with someone else in a class, present a powerpoint presentation in a classroom, etc. and a Zip drive will be your best way to go for this. Save all that stuff on 100MB disks, as 250 drives are still not saturated enough into the market. Take my advice on this...get a Zip drive. You won't think you'll need one until you could really use one.
- A PDA w/ pocket keyboard: Not only will you be able to keep up with damn near everything possible with your PDA, but with the keyboard attached in class, you will be a note-taking machine! Whip out the keyboard and PDA, type to your heart's content, and then download the notes into your computer to print them off. You can then search for terms in your notes, give the notes to others...great stuff.
- A 25' Ethernet cable to keep solely in your laptop case: It's always nice to have a Cat 5 cable on hand when you have to hook up your Powerbook in the library, someone's dorm room, etc.
- Various audio/video cables and adaptors: You also never know when you might need to hook your laptop up to a TV, stereo, etc. for a group project, or in someone's dorm or apartment. If you have the right cables with the laptop all the time, you can't go wrong.
- A LAPTOP LOCK and METAL suitcase lock: A laptop computer screams, "take me, I'm expensive!" With a laptop lock, it ain't going anywhere. Now a tip: If you need to store your laptop in its case somewhere for a while, but you don't want the computer or bag walking away, lock the laptop to the table as you normally would, and then put it inside the case. Zip the case shut around the cable and lock the case shut with the suitcase lock. Then, the entire case is teathered to the table. If someone wants to take it, they'd have to get the case open and THEN somehow free the laptop from the lock.
These are things that have worked well for me and my Powerbook. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.Unless, of course, you are planning to use the couch more than the desk...
Dirt cheap.
Lots a 'free' software around campus.
Better porn compatibility. A Freshman needs this!
Won't have to waste money on a lock and cable.
Remember you did say fun! Now after buying the cheapest computer you can find, you put the rest towards beer and other associated extra curriculars. The 2000 or so you can save by going DELL plus 'free' software, ought to keep your brain well lubricated till summer.
download aquisition (<a href="http://www.xlfie.org"; target="_blank">xlife.org</a>) to hop on gnutella and that beautiful university network.. also get smb browse (<a href="http://www.versiontracker.com"; target="_blank">versiontracker</a>) so you can check out the pc users drives on the local network and laugh at the fools with their c drive shared out
go optical mouse.. make sure to get a dual optical, ms or logitech are good bets
nice printer, this is important... i dumped my epson 780 for a samsung ml-1210 monochrome laser, great prints, $170, only black and white but all my papers only need black and white (duh), as an english major a nice printer will be a blessing.
that's all i can think of off the top of my head...
oh yeah... wolfenstein mp test, runs great on the ti's and is a buncha fun with 25 ping
1) Desktops suck. Don't buy a desktop, because they take up a lot of space and you can't take it home on vacation.
2) I haven't needed a full size keyboard. The TiBook keyboard is quite adequate.
3) The lower price of the PC is offset by all of the viruses you WILL get if you have a PC. Iam on a team of students who act as computer servicemen. I have seen viruses corrupt entire hard drives far too frequently.
4) Who needs a zip drive when your campus is on a network? Plus you'll have the CDR for the times when you need to move a lot of data.
5) Airport is great if you have access to wireless.
6) Since you plan to be an English major, a laser printer is not a bad idea, since you will be printing an awful lot of papers. I'm an engineer, and a lot of my work is transmitted electronically, but how can you expect a 19th century english class to step into the 21st?
[ 03-27-2002: Message edited by: Splinemodel ]</p>
Ok, but seriously then.
The laser printer suggestion is a good one, the color in inkjet ussually goes for naught anyway. However, don't buy either software or a laser printer untill you get your butt on campus. When I was an undergrad, I paid ten dollars a year for access to a semi-private computer lab. My ten bucks covered use of the lab and ALL PRINTING COSTS! I'd have easily spent more than that on ink/toner and paper for my home printer, or using copy cards to print from the undergrad comp labs. Look around, you may find a similar deal on your campus.
Secondly, many campuses offer steep discounts on Office. And we're not talking 'student price' here. A lot of universities have deals worked out where they will sell you a university license very cheap. Just the disc and serial number. It's a full version, but you have to get technical support through the school, and you don't get any manuals, etc etc... Here we can get Office (the full version) for 90 dollars, and some schools can do even better than that.
(((((( Diablo II )))))))
Great fun
"Master" of the mac
<strong>Secondly, many campuses offer steep discounts on Office. And we're not talking 'student price' here. A lot of universities have deals worked out where they will sell you a university license very cheap. Just the disc and serial number. It's a full version, but you have to get technical support through the school, and you don't get any manuals, etc etc... Here we can get Office (the full version) for 90 dollars, and some schools can do even better than that.</strong><hr></blockquote>
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee sells office for $25. Did I mention, Milwaukee is the BEER CAPITAL of the U.S. if you have any financial aid money left over!!!
I am also looking for a computer to last me for at least 4 years. I have 2 years left of school and then will hopefully get a teaching job. I am looking at the PowerMac 867s and 933s. Any recomendations? I am leaning towards the 867. I do light video and picture editing, use PowerPoint a ton, and am an MP3 fiend. Let me know.
[ 03-27-2002: Message edited by: PowerMatt ]</p>
All available MSFT products are $5 a disk.
Thats:
Win98SE
WinNT4
WinME
Win2K
WinXP
Office 2001
Office 2000
Office v.X
Office XP
Visual Studio
Laser Printer:
I already have an hp LaserJet 1200 series. It is the BEST $400 laser printer on the market- beautiful, stunning, and consistant. Most likely, I will set up an airport network to access it within my house. (Actually found it at BEST BUY; Currently connected to my B&W G3
Laptop Case/Lock:
Yes, I will definitely buy a nice one since I will commute the 15 miles a day to school. I am not familiar with all of the case companies though.
External Speakers- Games/ Optical Mouse/ Keyboard:
I can type comfortably on the new iBook's keyboard (100+ total pages) so I imagine the TiBook must not be much of a strech. Yes, I will purchase an optical mouse too- haven't mastered the trackpad yet. External speakers are really a luxury item for me right now since I'll mainly be using headphones/earbuds (Games too... I'll be getting them throughout the year :-) )
ZipDrive:
My B&W G3 has a zip drive so if I need to transport something like that for a presentation, I can use that one (Unless I have a prof. who MUST have it on zip every single day). Splinemodel is right- I can use CD-R/RW for most of my data transporting needs.
PDA (W/ Pocket Keyboard):
Let's review: Laptop, Cell Phone, PDA..... it just screams CONVERGENCE!!! I think that Handspring Treo is looking good right about now- best part: I don't even have to buy a pocket keyboard <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" />
Cables/ Adapters, etc.
My head is spinning <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" /> .