Mac or Windows Laptop for School?

[unknownmiscreant]

Just now, Drak3 said:

A single USB-C to A dongle is enough, or OP can just get a dual interface flash drive. Or something like Samsung's T3 or T5, and a type C to C cable.

At my school at least, teachers got one USB drive handed around the class. I'm not saying a dongle isn't viable, its just that I prefer to have the damn dongle built into my machine, as then its one thing to carry rather than 2.

[Drak3]

Just now, unknownmiscreant said:

At my school at least, teachers got one USB drive handed around the class. I'm not saying a dongle isn't viable, its just that I prefer to have the damn dongle built into my machine, as then its one thing to carry rather than 2.

It's not ideal, but I wouldn't let easily adapted IO be the factor that makes or break buying a laptop if it was what I wanted or needed in every other capacity.

[Drak3]

OP, if you decide to get a new MacBook Pro, and decide to get a dock. Give consideration to Microsoft's Lumia 950 dock (aka the HD-500) if you can find it.

 

I can verify that it will do HDMI out and act as a USB Hub. I haven't tested the DisplayPort, but I do think it should work. OSX recognizes it.

 

They went for $100 new when Microsoft was selling them. If you find some extra stock or a lovingly used one for less, you've got a great dock.

[unknownmiscreant]

26 minutes ago, Drak3 said:

It's not ideal, but I wouldn't let easily adapted IO be the factor that makes or break buying a laptop if it was what I wanted or needed in every other capacity.

True, but for me at least, having some IO (that doesn't require a dongle) is a must.

[Drak3]

Just now, unknownmiscreant said:

True, but for me at least, having some IO (that doesn't require a dongle) is a must.

Apple still sells the 3rd gen MacBook Pro 15" for people that want that option.

[Eclypseon]

Having used both (Mac & Windows) laptops for college & postgrad studies, I've found that each brings a slightly different set of advantages and disadvantages. 

 

The questions from other replies are all very valid: Your budget, needs, etc. I'm sure you'll take them all into account  

 

TL;DR:

It's hard to answer a question like this briefly. The best I can do: Both platforms nowadays offer some pretty impressive advantages against their competition. The question comes to which advantages mean the most to  YOU? What will YOU need most in your academic career? What tools will you need now? Later? What are you willing to replace later in exchange to a better advantage now?

 

 

--verbose

 

Disclaimer: This is my personal experience. Others will assuredly be different.

Take with Grain of Salt

 

I'd say that, the Mac/Win divide (in my own experience) can be quantified below:

 

Mac Advantages:

• *Generally longer life of the hardware
• Generally more stable software for the life of the device
• Free updates to OS
• Extremely lightweight when hauling around in a backpack
• Durable construction for the form factor
• **Mac 'feels' (to me anyway) like art/media/content creation was "made" to be run on them. All the flashy graphic/media design tools tend to feel most fluid when running on Mac.

Mac Disadvantages:

• Games on Mac... there are many... but there are NOT ALL of them.  
• Usually much pricier for the same hardware compared to Windows machines
• Limited compatibility with specialized educational programs
  • Things like specialized acounting/engineering/sceince/video/photo software
  • If you're considering one of these specialties, this will be important
• Macs often run hot. If you live somewhere warm (like me), a hot laptop on your lap might be a discomfort that outweighs the benefits
• The small form factor Macs (as we all know) have far fewer I/O than many of their Windows counterparts

* My old PowerPC apple lasted 7 years before the HD seized. My current MacBook Pro is in its 6th year and has only needed a battery unit replaced

** Tools that are $1000+ for content creation on windows (Hello Adobe) I have found in very suitable alternatives on a mac for one tenth the price.

 

Windows Advantages

• Games on Windows... just about all games work... but you need a machine powerful ($$$) enough to pull it off.
• If you haven't used Mac, the familiar Windows environment and UI will be a welcome sight, especially in the panic moments when you have to crank out an essay you didn't realize was due until that morning.
• As noted in Mac Disad's, nearly all software that you might need in school will run on modern windows.
• There are more than a few internet based scholastic activities that require Flash/Internet Exp--I mean... Edge/Chrome on Windows/etc. and some just have trouble running on Mac browsers (Firefox for Mac included ). You'll almost never have such issues on windows.

Windows Disad's:

• Windows can somewhat 'feel' less stable... invariably, this will happen when you're trying to meet an urgent assignment deadline.
• While the budget line of Windows laptops is attractive... I usually haven't seen the greatest life out of the hardware. Which, as noted, will always bite you the night of a pending deadline (dat Murphy's Law).
• For the same performance/budget, you'll probably have to get a heavier and/or larger form factor windows laptop for the same thing in a small form Mac.
• If you buy a laptop off the shelf with Windows preinstalled... odds are you won't get a free upgrade to the next Windows version included, though YMMV.

 

Summary:

I've left out of the discussion anything related to VMware and running one OS inside another. Though that shouldn't be discounted in your decision, as an advantage on one platform can be brought into the other through such tools.

Dual Boot on Mac is also an option to mitigate certain shortcomings that MacOS might have.

 

In the end... the tool depends on the need. If all you need is access to the internet/G-docs and a mobile gaming solution, the choice should probably be Windows in the form/hardware config that you prefer.

 

If you want access to content creation software that runs well on Mac and to keep the ultra-light + high performance form common to the platform, then a MacBook sounds like a viable option.

 

Try not to make your decision on the "coolness" factor unless all other things are truly equal. Keep to your budget and try to anticipate the lifetime of the hardware and the lifetime of your needs for that particular function.

 

You're doing well to gather your research. I'm sure you'll find the best option for you soon

 

Happy Hunting!

 

[Drak3]

6 minutes ago, Eclypseon said:

*Mac 'feels' (to me anyway) like art/media/content creation was "made" to be run on them. All the flashy graphic/media design tools tend to feel most fluid when running on Mac.

I disagree. It seems that Apple made content creation softwares runs better than multiplats on higher end hardware ran with Linux or Windows. One of the few perks on being the only OEM to use your OS.

 

8 minutes ago, Eclypseon said:

If you buy a laptop off the shelf with Windows preinstalled... odd are you won't get a free upgrade to the next Windows version included, thought YMMV.

That only happens if the OEM completely drops all support for the device (which is fairly rare), or the manufacturer of an exact component (CPU, iGPU, etc) stops providing drivers altogether.

 

9 minutes ago, Eclypseon said:

Try not to make your decision on the "coolness" factor unless all other things are truly equal.

Bonobo WS wins if we come down to the coolness factor. What's cooler than a laptop that crushes most highschoolers' desktops, and definitely crushed every system at school?

 

Pyo.

[Eclypseon]

3 minutes ago, Drak3 said:

I disagree. It seems that Apple made content creation softwares runs better than multiplats on higher end hardware ran with Linux or Windows. One of the few perks on being the only OEM to use your OS.

 

That only happens if the OEM completely drops all support for the device (which is fairly rare), or the manufacturer of an exact component (CPU, iGPU, etc) stops providing drivers altogether.

 

Bonobo WS wins if we come down to the coolness factor. What's cooler than a laptop that crushes most highschoolers' desktops, and definitely crushed every system at school?

 

Pyo.

Good points by @Drak3... As I noted, this was merely my experience and Your Mileage May Vary  

 

@cw49327 You picked a great question for the LTT forum  You're going to get LOTS of good feedback from many perspectives. I'm sure you'll be making an informed decision when you do!

 

[Drak3]

Just now, Eclypseon said:

You're going to get LOTS of good feedback from many perspectives.

I had to look at your post count to verify that you're new here. The LTT forum is very polarized on Apple Products. You'll get a large amount of fanboy and counter-culture arguments 9 times out of 10.

 

The fact that this thread hasn't devolved into nigh flameware surprises me.

 

Pyo.

[Eclypseon]

Just now, Drak3 said:

I had to look at your post count to verify that you're new here. The LTT forum is very polarized on Apple Products. You'll get a large amount of fanboy and counter-culture arguments 9 times out of 10.

 

The fact that this thread hasn't devolved into nigh flameware surprises me.

 

Pyo.

"New" may be relative  I've been a reader of the forums for many years, and in the tech industry for much much longer. And I'd like to think we're, as a culture, able to evolve beyond the flame wars and into the age of Linus Tech Tips-esqe open minded evaluation and discussion.

 

I think @cw49327 asked a very reasonable (and common) question for a lot of people considering a large and very important purchase. It behooves me to give an honest evaluation from my perspective. 

 

I'm very glad others have had different experiences and can share them. It helps the OP make a well informed decision, even if it isn't the one I might have made in similar circumstances.

 

But I'm probably fooling myself with silly over optimism. 

[Drak3]

Just now, Eclypseon said:

But I'm probably fooling myself with silly over optimism.

Yes. You are.

 

1 minute ago, Eclypseon said:

And I'd like to think we're, as a culture, able to evolve beyond the flame wars

Capable, yes. Have we yet done that? No. Slowly getting there, but not there yet.

 

Pyo.

[Carbongrip]

The world runs on windows unless your doing content creation for studios like Pixar or taking a major to work for a studio.

 

For school I think you would benefit from a Windows machine with a touch screen and pen for taking notes, you can do 360 laptops or Surface tablets for note taking. Macs have no point if your not using them with proprietary software like Final Cut, Compressor, etc., you get better hardware in a Dell XPS for the price if you don't need Final Cut.

[Drak3]

3 minutes ago, Carbongrip said:

For school I think you would benefit from a Windows machine with a touch screen and pen for taking notes, you can do 360 laptops or Surface tablets for note taking.

For most people, typing is faster than writing. And the keyboard on the MacBook and Pro are virtually silent.

 

4 minutes ago, Carbongrip said:

The world runs on windows

Most servers are running either Linux or Unix. Our phones, again, either Linux or Unix. The only aspect that Windows runs the world comes down to clients that are running workloads that can be easily done on Linux or OS X, or if you have an Xbox.

 

5 minutes ago, Carbongrip said:

Macs have no point if your not using them with proprietary software like Final Cut, Compressor, etc.

Optimization and preference. Also, some multiplat softwares can run better on OS X than Windows at the same hardware level.

 

Not to mention how OS X only needs to be optimized for a small hardware segment, which means fewer bugs and better performance out of the hardware when dealing with things like hypervisors and productivity software.

 

It's a steep price difference to swallow, but one that can be justified both by need, and by want, from the machine.

 

[Drak3]

If you really can't decide, you could buy a MacBook Pro, use Bootcamp to throw Win10 on it, and then run Ubuntu in Hyper-V.

 

Kappa.

 

Pyo.

[noobs guid to marsterrace]

On 18/09/2017 at 8:16 AM, cw49327 said:

I am in High School

 

I would try and find something with a touch screen. 2 in1s arent so good it doesn't add much more functional.

 

If you want to game on it check out the pascal laptop guide 

[noobs guid to marsterrace]

On 18/09/2017 at 10:38 AM, Drak3 said:

For most people, typing is faster than writing. And the keyboard on the MacBook and Pro are virtually silent.

 

Most servers are running either Linux or Unix. Our phones, again, either Linux or Unix. The only aspect that Windows runs the world comes down to clients that are running workloads that can be easily done on Linux or OS X, or if you have an Xbox.

 

Optimization and preference. Also, some multiplat softwares can run better on OS X than Windows at the same hardware level.

 

Not to mention how OS X only needs to be optimized for a small hardware segment, which means fewer bugs and better performance out of the hardware when dealing with things like hypervisors and productivity software.

 

It's a steep price difference to swallow, but one that can be justified both by need, and by want, from the machine.

 

The reason macs are silent is because the fans don't turn on until it gets to 90c.

Get some thing linx it really isnt that complex.

Macs do manage to get more out of the hard were but the hardware is under powered to the point that the software can't  make up for it. 

[noobs guid to marsterrace]

Windows and android  (linux) have about the same market share about 30%. Were as in the enterprise its almost all linux. Os x has a small market share. 

 

This shouldnt influence what you bye.

[Drak3]

25 minutes ago, noobs guid to marsterrace said:

Macs do manage to get more out of the hard were but the hardware is under powered to the point that the software can't  make up for it. 

I've got a laptop that can keep up with my desktop in video editing, despite having 2 less cores (7700HQ vs 5930K), lower clockspeed (2.8GHz bave/3.8GHz boost vs 4.5GHz) when IPC only gives the 7700HQ a 5% per clock advantage, lower end GPU (Radeon Pro 555 vs RX 470/GTX1080 combo).

 

For Hypervisors, Linux can only take the cake due to KVM. Windows' Hyper-V just recently can do passthrough, but there is no capability to dedicate physical cores with ANY hypervisor.

 

29 minutes ago, noobs guid to marsterrace said:

The reason macs are silent is because the fans don't turn on until it gets to 90c.

My MacBook Pro turns its fan on well before 90c, and it still is pretty damn quiet.

[Shiv78]

On 9/20/2017 at 6:43 AM, noobs guid to marsterrace said:

The reason macs are silent is because the fans don't turn on until it gets to 90c.

 

when they do turn on, they sound like a jet. no exaggeration, they are loud as FUCK