Why are students buying 500 Euro laptops?

Noodleworm

You don't need a high end computer for IT, programming requires very little from a computer.
I do Multimedia, which requires a lot.

The Waltzing Consumer

Teutorix wrote: »

Most people who go to college doing IT/computer science are pretty clueless about computers. Explains the high dropout rates.

yeah, the feckers, they go and apply for a course they know nothing about, having not done computer science in school, the lazy bastards, then those feckers, the cheek of them, they go and buy an essential part of that learning experience, do these eejits think they will learn anything about computers by buying a computer :eek:

MySelf56

they need to update facebuke, need to look at failed video's again and again, watching lil porn etc. Its must have fashion accessory for students Laptop and iIphone.

If any students have MAC their parents are nama bailed out developers or estate agents or illicit drugs business. :D:D

Teutorix

The Waltzing Consumer wrote: »

yeah, the feckers, they go and apply for a course they know nothing about, having not done computer science in school, the lazy bastards, then those feckers, the cheek of them, they go and buy an essential part of that learning experience, do these eejits think they will learn anything about computers by buying a computer :eek:

I didnt say they shouldnt buy a computer I was just pointing out that alot of people who go to study computer science know comparatively little about computers. Like the few of my friends who went to study it.

A V A

i have a mac 17" the top one , but i fcukin worked my arse off and saved aswell to get it , didnt get it handed it to me !!!!:D:D:D oh wait im not a student ???:rolleyes:

Nulty

Noodleworm wrote: »

You don't need a high end computer for IT, programming requires very little from a computer.
I do Multimedia, which requires a lot.

I won't get into it with you here but I need a relatively advanced computer. I will be freelancing and that means browser testing, graphic editing, local server, etc running simultaneously. and like I said the more I pay now the longer it will be before I pay again

Nulty

Teutorix wrote: »

I didnt say they shouldnt buy a computer I was just pointing out that alot of people who go to study computer science know comparatively little about computers. Like the few of my friends who went to study it.

?

You gotta start somewhere mate (dunno why I wrote that)

Teutorix

Nulty wrote: »

?

You gotta start somewhere mate (dunno why I wrote that)

It was in response to a person saying that a CS student should be able to build a cheap PC. :rolleyes:

oldyouth

Side issue but still on topic. If I want to buy any item with the money I have earned, after tax, it's no bloody concern of anybody else. If it's an educational tool such as a high spec laptop that might give my son the edge over the next person, well it's money well spent in my opinion.

Having these options is why I work hard and take care of the bills

Dublin_Gunner

steve06 wrote: »

Vista is completely useless. Even with admin rights you have to agree to everything. It's always been a pain in the ass to use.

Evidently for those who don't know how to use it. Vista was MUCH better than XP imo. You can turn off all the annoying stuff.

Win 7 is far superior to them both mind you.

On the subject of a netbook.

Student - Look at my shiny new €300 netbook with super fast 8GB SSD!
Lecturer - Here's a disk with the software you need, you'll need 3gb space to install with your project files.
Student -

Teutorix

Dublin_Gunner wrote: »

Student - Look at my shiny new €300 netbook with super fast 8GB SSD!
Lecturer - Here's a disk with the software you need, you'll need 3gb space to install with your project files.
Student -

8GB? my music folder alone is 35 :eek:

Nulty

Someone suggested I get the SSD but they're just far too expensive and small.

number10a

ILA wrote: »

I don't want college fees reintroduced. I'd have to pay them then as well, I already pay 1,500 or five netbooks, for the privledge of being here with grant leechs.

And you, of course, would not be one of those "leeches" if you were eligible, would you? Clearly, being the concerned citizen, you'd refuse it for the sake of the National Debt. Sensing sour grapes here........

ptwitb wrote: »

Open your eyes guys they're getting the grant only half of the maintenance grant is needed for rent/food/transport everyone knows that! And in this recesion the government is still giving out free money

I dunno where you you went to college, or what magical happy low-rent village on top of a wind-swept mountain you're thinking of, but if you live in most student accommodation in Cork or Dublin (and probably the other cities too) ALL of your grant gets spent on rent, and rent alone.

kowloon

The SSDs in some of the netbooks aren't all that hot, usually low end ones with crappy controllers. Go for a decent sized drive, you'll have it filled with crap in no time.
I managed to use CAD on a netbook for a while; had to plug it into a decent monitor just to have the space for the toolbars, but it can be done. In an emergency.

orourkeda

To watch free porn

nogoodnamesleft

When I was in college doing my undergrad I got an laptop in 4th year as it was becoming increasingly difficult to get PCs to check college email, to do college assignments. Some of the college assignments requires specialist software some of it freeware (Jbuilder) and some of it which wasnt (licensed software for development purposes). It would have been near impossible to do my course and get a decent degree without one (BSc from the dept of Electrical and Electronic engineering).

BTW the standard college PC when I was there was a 233Mhz MMX processor Dell yoke. This was in the University of Limerick in 2006! They were upgrading them that year thou :P

+ it was handy for porn, watching movies on the colleges LANs on campus and file sharing.

Still have it and after a few repairs it still works (BIOS upgrade - solve overheating prob of processor, new keyboard - ribbon cable had become damaged, OS upgrades etc etc).

worded

www.lenovo.ie make good laptops most of the time.

Whats your favourite model of laptop?

kumate_champ07

I got a 2000euro loan from the credit union for a laptop. the laptop died a couple of weeks ago, got 60euro left to pay and then the loan is cleared!
:rolleyes:

It wasn't me!

Never having spent more than €300 on anything is nothing to be proud of. It's just a lifestyle choice you've made. I've spent thousands on things I wanted, because I earned the money, and it's mine to decide the fate of.

ED E

orourkeda wrote: »

To watch free porn

May as well put those HEA lines to good use.

bnt

I was wanting a netbook before there was such as thing as a netbook, but a 7" type was too small, so I waited till I could get a 10" one with a decent keyboard and 40GB of SSD. That was over two years ago and it's still going strong. Ubuntu Linux with OpenOffice, and Xournal for annotating PDF notes. Only thing missing: no pen or touch screen, so note-taking in lectures can be a clunky.

I haven't read all 12 pages here, but from what I've read, some folks don't understand that there are real advantages to a netbook for students at college. It's small, so you can use it on any poky little desk, and lecturers are less likely to complain. It's light, which really helps when you're schlepping it around all day, and you can usually leave the power adaptor at home. It's quiet - no leaf-blowers firing up in the Library. You can still use a college computer for any "heavy lifting" - it's not an either-or proposition. Just look after your data: make regular backups to flash card/stick and use something like Dropbox for "core" data that you really can't afford to lose.

LowOdour

I bought a dell inpiron 8200 back in 2002...it had a pentium 4 processor, 256mb ram and a 20gb hard drive.It cost me 2000 euro. i developed software on it and it worked fine throught college and only died last year on me. It would be worth about 50 euro now (id you could find a laptop which such low spec)!!

Tails142

I have never spent less than €1000 on a PC or Laptop.

Someone said it earlier, buy cheap, buy twice!

Thinking of getting a new ASUS laptop now for about €1800.

Laptop I have at the moment was purchased in 2003, used it all throughout college and paid the extra for a small laptop with a DVD drive, 10" Sony for around 1700. At the time it was the smallest laptop going and netbook was a word that hadnt been coined. Its still going strong 7 years later although the performance is less than adequate for what I'm trying to do these days. Either way, if it had've been a cheaper rig I went with at the start I doubt very much I'd still have it now.

Having said that though the laptop was only for short-term use while I was actually in the college. I have used it only vary rarely at home, I don't know how anyone can stand to work on a laptop for long periods of time, I absolutely have to use a desktop if I'm going to be working for any length of time, and with the work I'm doing and hobbies I have I make full use of a 4-core high spec machine.

The girlfriend wanted a cheap laptop there a couple of years ago so I got her an alright specced Dell for €250. It is grand for a bit of browsing, especially the way she does it, with just the one window, but the battery performance is absolutely dire and she has done nothing but complain about it since she got it.

The way I browse on the internet it wouldnt be long before I have about 20 windows open and about as many tabs in each, so its good to have the bit of grunt in the CPU to back that up.

rhythm90

ILA wrote: »

Every time I come on Boards and look in the computer related forums, there's college students looking for advice on laptops to buy for "college work" and surfing the internet. Every thread posted they're looking for €500+ laptops

I recently got a new Acer Aspire One netbook for €300 Euro, over the option of a perfect refurbished laptop from a good supplier for €170 Euro which would more than do the work and leisure use they claim to want.

Often the same students protest against fees and claim they can't afford course materials, but where the hell are they getting €500+ for high end laptops?

Is there someone giving free money out again? I thought Anglo had stopped lending!

Find me a laptop for €170 that is capable of running the entire Adobe CS5 suite and 3D Studio Max and I'll thank your post OP.

CountingCrows

Tails142 wrote: »

The way I browse on the internet it wouldnt be long before I have about 20 windows open and about as many tabs in each, so its good to have the bit of grunt in the CPU to back that up.

20*20= 400 open web pages:eek: WTF?

rhythm90

CountingCrows wrote: »

20*20= 400 open web pages:eek: WTF?

Gotta let the porno buffer mate

Blowfish

candlelover wrote: »

BUT if they are an IT student shouldn't they be able to build a better computer for cheaper?

PC yes, but laptop parts are pretty much impossible to source.

Noodleworm wrote: »

You don't need a high end computer for IT, programming requires very little from a computer.
I do Multimedia, which requires a lot.

It depends on what you are programming. HPC/3D stuff needs powerful machines. A decently large screen when coding helps too.

Interceptor

I staggered drunk into my bedroom after passing my first year exams and stood on my HP laptop, cracking the screen and shattering the case so the battery fell out. Students shouldn't be allowed to have nice stuff...

'cptr

Copper23

candlelover wrote: »

BUT if they are an IT student shouldn't they be able to build a better computer for cheaper?

Why would someone who's studying for an IT Engineering Profession be able/want to do the work of tech support/Ops? If anything thats the COMPLETE opposite profession.

If you wanna be tech support/ or Ops.. go for it... But I'm pretty sure anyone with an engineering degree like that can earn a few more Euro's actually putting it to use than learning to turn a screwdriver.

I'll take it you've never worked in an office :rolleyes:

flash1080

Copper23 wrote: »

Why would someone who's studying for an IT Engineering Profession be able/want to do the work of tech support/Ops? If anything thats the COMPLETE opposite profession.

If you wanna be tech support/ or Ops.. go for it... But I'm pretty sure anyone with an engineering degree like that can earn a few more Euro's actually putting it to use than learning to turn a screwdriver.

I'll take it you've never worked in an office :rolleyes:

It's handy to be able to do a bit of practical work too. I worked in an office, on occasion I needed to use tools on the shop floor like a grit blaster, a cutter, etc. It'd be fairly embarrassing if I couldn't do that. At very least you should be willing to learn a bit of practical stuff. It's much easier to get a bit of practical experience building a computer than to get access to machines, safer too.

Mr Benevolent

ILA wrote: »

€300 is the most I've spent in life for any item so far, and that was for a netbook last week.

Oh for god's sake.

KindOfIrish

Teutorix wrote: »

If all you need it for is facebook and college work you could buy one for €50

Sure you can, but it doesn't look cool:D

Hobbes

Teutorix wrote: »

Not much point having OSX then is there when a normal laptop is cheaper?

Then you install Parallels along with the windows partition so that you don't even need to boot up into the Windows OS (the windows apps look and feel like OSX).

People who buy macs tend to have the money to begin with.

Depends on the software, but a lot of them allow you to run render farms. Haven't looked at them in a while but Truespace for example 7 years ago you could have a render farm to do the donkey work. All you needed was a network connection.

Hobbes

If money was no object I'd say go with an IPad 3G version and an ipod touch (or nano with camera if you can get it).

So you have the ipod touch for recording the lecture and copying the whiteboards. IPad has all the office suite stuff on it, PDF reader, Browser, can draw as well as type, good battery and no noise from it. Also you can remote desktop/VNC into your work box at home if needed.

Depends on what you are learning though.

Mister Man

Mine cost 600 =P LOL Who care's? It's up to you how much you spend.!

Iron Hide

500 euro for a laptop is pretty mid range tbh. Plus i'de love to try and do my programming modules on a netbook, *boom*

Copper23

Iron Hide wrote: »

500 euro for a laptop is pretty mid range tbh. Plus i'de love to try and do my programming modules on a netbook, *boom*

What kind of college programming module would blow up a notebook?

FFS, I could have done my college programming on the back of a napkin.

bnt

Iron Hide wrote: »

500 euro for a laptop is pretty mid range tbh. Plus i'de love to try and do my programming modules on a netbook, *boom*

I did a C++ course at UCD, and had no problem compiling all the exercises on my netbook with g++. I've also used it to compile fairly large applications (which I didn't write!) from source. It gets slightly warm if I do that.

Are you doing any modules on the history of computing? When Bjarne Stroustrup was creating C++, he worked on CPUs such as the Motorola 68000 at clock speeds around 10 MHz, and RAM sizes in the kilobytes. This netbook has a dual core Intel Atom with a clock speed of 1.60 GHz (1600 MHz) and 1GB of RAM. Kids of today, I dunno ...

Unregistered.

Copper23 wrote: »

What kind of college programming module would blow up a notebook?

Must be using MS Visual Studio.:rolleyes:

thetonynator

ILA wrote: »

Every time I come on Boards and look in the computer related forums, there's college students looking for advice on laptops to buy for "college work" and surfing the internet. Every thread posted they're looking for €500+ laptops

I recently got a new Acer Aspire One netbook for €300 Euro, over the option of a perfect refurbished laptop from a good supplier for €170 Euro which would more than do the work and leisure use they claim to want.

Often the same students protest against fees and claim they can't afford course materials, but where the hell are they getting €500+ for high end laptops?

Is there someone giving free money out again? I thought Anglo had stopped lending!

Hate to be you. My acer aspire one netbook ( the best of the ones you can get) cost only 200 . . .:P

phantom_lord

Why are people buying expenise pcs to be future proof? Surely buying a mid-range pc now, and another mid-range in a few years is going to work out cheaper and leave you in a better position? Considering the premium you're paying for high end components now, and the rate new stuff comes and the general drop in price of computers over time.

Saila

phantom_lord wrote: »

Why are people buying expenise pcs to be future proof? Surely buying a mid-range pc now, and another mid-range in a few years is going to work out cheaper and leave you in a better position? Considering the premium you're paying for high end components now, and the rate new stuff comes and the general drop in price of computers over time.

sssssssshh talking sense has no place here

Daisy03

I hate when people bring up fees in arguments like this. Even with "free fees" we still have to pay around 1500 euro every year in registration fees. Thats before we buy books, materials, accomodation and travel costs and the list goes on... A laptop is essential for students. I think it is better to pay a little more for a quality laptop that will last the duration of your course than a cheap one that risks crashing after a year or two.

questioner

maybe this has been mentioned already - couldnt be arsed reading the whole thirteen pages but ubuntu and a cheap lappy have been suggested as an alternative to win 7/vista. havent tried it yet but i will soon enough id say, have a netbook at the moment and its doing me fine for everthing.

it was exceptionally good value though, 3gb ddr3 ram, ion graphics card, atom 270 for 350 euro.

partyatmygaff

Teutorix wrote: »

My friends laptop cost €50 and has a 6 second boot time. :rolleyes:

Even a bare Linux kernel wouldn't boot up in six seconds. Least of all not on a €50 laptop.

BaconZombie

I've a 286 Laptop that will boot into MS-DOS 3.2 in ~5 seconds.

partyatmygaff wrote: »

Even a bare Linux kernel wouldn't boot up in six seconds. Least of all not on a €50 laptop.

partyatmygaff

BaconZombie wrote: »

I've a 286 Laptop that will boot into MS-DOS 3.2 in ~5 seconds.

Including BIOS POST and all other pre-startup sequences?

FruitLover

Daisy03 wrote: »

I think it is better to pay a little more for a quality laptop that will last the duration of your course than a cheap one that risks crashing after a year or two.

Can you explain to us how a cheaper laptop might magically 'start crashing after a year or two'? Do you believe that buying one with slower processor or less memory or drive capacity is automatically more prone to failure?

Conversely, do you believe that paying more for a computer automatically ensures 'quality'?

I've used a netbook as my primary computer (incl desktop duties) for a year or so now, without any issues, and I'm a power user. It would certainly do a student for their basic needs.

MIN2511

candlelover wrote: »

BUT if they are an IT student shouldn't they be able to build a better computer for cheaper?

I LMAO when i read that... :rolleyes:

Son Of A Vidic

Teutorix wrote: »

You can build a gaming PC for €500 for gods sake.

Technically yes, but high end - no.