Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Laptop for university

Options
  • 28-08-2012 9:24pm
    #1
    Darth Frodo
    Registered Users Posts: 72 ✭✭


    Hi guys, I will soon be attending university and doing a degree in Maths and Physics.

    I'm going to need to buy a laptop. If anyone has any advice as to what I will need as a Maths and/or physics student I would be most appreciative.
    • Processor Speed?
    • GPU?
    • RAM?
    • Programs?

    Thanks!


Comments

  • Options
    #2
    Frolick
    Registered Users Posts: 144 ✭✭Frolick


    How much you willing to spend?


  • Options
    #3
    BroLo
    Registered Users Posts: 607 ✭✭✭BroLo


    It all depends on what you want to spend. Wait until you start college because they might have a recommended laptop for your course, they did for mine (Engineering).

    I then went and got the same spec for a lower price than the original (mainly because the one they suggested was out of production).

    They will also tell you what course-specific programs you need. You will need the basics such as a web browser, word processor (office package), PDF viewer, antivirus (internet security) etc.

    For an office package check out LibraOffice. It's free so if you don't like it you can get Microsoft Office. I also recommend Avast, you get a free 20-30 day trial of the full internet security and then you revert back to the free antivirus (which is amazing, has caught a few things on mine, even from reputable enough sites).

    Software4Students offer good prices on paid software such as Windows, Microsoft Office, Kaspersky.


  • Options
    #4
    garv123
    Registered Users Posts: 6,576 ✭✭✭garv123


    Darth Frodo wrote: »
    Hi guys, I will soon be attending university and doing a degree in Maths and Physics.

    I'm going to need to buy a laptop. If anyone has any advice as to what I will need as a Maths and/or physics student I would be most appreciative.
    • Processor Speed?
    • GPU?
    • RAM?
    • Programs?

    Thanks!

    For 90% of courses you wont need anything fancy. I see a lot of people even use netbooks.

    Around this time of the year you will find argos will have sales on laptops.
    You can pick up a really good laptop for 400euro and it will be more than you'll probably need.

    http://www.argos.ie/static/Browse/ID72/14419039/c_1/1%7Ccategory_root%7COffice%2C+PCs+and+phones%7C14418968/c_2/2%7Ccat_14418968%7CLaptops+and+netbooks%7C14419039.htm


  • Options
    #5
    BroLo
    Registered Users Posts: 607 ✭✭✭BroLo


    garv123 wrote: »
    For 90% of courses you wont need anything fancy. I see a lot of people even use netbooks.

    Around this time of the year you will find argos will have sales on laptops.
    You can pick up a really good laptop for 400euro and it will be more than you'll probably need.

    http://www.argos.ie/static/Browse/ID72/14419039/c_1/1%7Ccategory_root%7COffice%2C+PCs+and+phones%7C14418968/c_2/2%7Ccat_14418968%7CLaptops+and+netbooks%7C14419039.htm

    For Maths & Physics a nettop wouldn't cut it I think. There would be some heavy enough programs they would need I think, so a decent laptop would be required.

    As I said hold off until after your orientation, they may have a suggested one which you can use to find a cheaper/better alternative. They did for my course. If you don't get one in orientation, email the course head and ask them if they have suggestions.


  • Options
    #6
    Tea_Bag
    Registered Users Posts: 4,983 ✭✭✭Tea_Bag


    while I would never suggest a netbook, cause they're rubbish, you won't need anything special for Maths and physics, just something to do lab reports on. the lab will provide laptops for the duration of the lab whenever you need to run some simulation program etc.

    you don't even need a laptop to be fair, you could easily do your work in one of the PC rooms scattered around the place.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #7
    garv123
    Registered Users Posts: 6,576 ✭✭✭garv123


    I wasn't suggesting getting one either. Just pointing out a lot of students use them..
    I'm using one the last month while my laptop is in the shop and they're sh!te :mad: and this one is only 8 months old.


  • Options
    #8
    J_E
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,734 ✭✭✭J_E


    Just get a lower end laptop that suits your needs, if there are any heavy programs, there will be computers scattered around the college for specialist work. Recommend you look for an i3 processor, , 2.00 Ghz or above that number. Not a Pentium Dual Core or Celeron. 3-4GB RAM, at least 320GB. You don't seem to be needing anything expensive so why buy expensive? HP Pavilion G6's seem to be the old reliable in this category but I'm not a fan of the trackpad texture on some of them, makes my fingers numb. Get yourself down to a computer store like PC World and try some of them out. If you see one you enjoy and it has sufficient specs, see can you get the best deal online.

    If you're planning to use your laptop for a bit of light gaming it's worth looking for a dedicated GPU as well, but this bumps prices. Be careful as well, a lot of laptops are branded as if they have dedicated cards (ATi Vision I think they're calling it now?) when they only have a bare-bones integrated solution.


Advertisement