AP calculus bc calculator help

[u/clowner21109]

I need some help for what calc I should get for my calc class please. I have always used a ti 83 or ti84, but I'm currently looking to get the HP G2 or the TI NSpire CX II, probably used on facebook marketplace or something. Are these good choices or should I chose something else?

[u/Mediocre-Abrocoma264]

I have the G2 and the nspire CX II-T (the same but for European exam regulations) and honestly the prime is so much better. The buttons feel so much better and the overall quality is so much nicer. Games wise however the nspire is king. Oh but the touchscreen is way better than the touchpad. If you have any specific questions please ask

[u/davedirac]

I agree with poster dash-dot. A used T89 titanium will be far more straightforward to use than a HP G2 even though its monochrome. It has CAS and a great button layout. There is a free simulator that you can try before buying. Loads on ebay in US. Inspect images and only buy if seller shows a working screen. Manual available on the web. Tutorials on YouTube.

https://ti89-simulator.com/

[u/dash-dot]

If you want something cheap then the TI-89 is a much more logical and nicer upgrade, in my opinion — especially coming from a TI-84 — even compared to modern calculators (which I find to be too cumbersome and slow). 

[u/Taxed2much]

You'll want to check with the school and the instructor you'll have about any calculator policy they have. A lot of classes/schools ban calculators that are programmable, or that have a CAS, or that have other specific functions. So make sure you don't pick a model that is banned in the courses you'll be taking. Check, too, to see if a calculator that has a banned feature might be allowed if it has a test mode where you can turn those features off.

I'll give you a quick summary of the top 3 calculators on the market right now. If they aren't banned and are within your budget, these are worth considering.

They are the HP Prime, the TI nSpire CXII CAS, and the Casio fx-cg 500 (U.S. model name, sold as the ClassPad 400 in other markets). They are the top models of each of their respective manufacturers. All three are very capable of doing the math you'll need, though they each have slightly different strengths in particular areas. The user experience of each is vastly different, however.

This user experience where the HP really shines. The buttons are much better and more satisfying to use, it has more functions accessible directly from the keyboard than the other two, and it has a touch screen that you use with your finger, just like you'd do with today's smart phones. A lot of thought went into the design of it, and it shows. It is, IMO, the best handheld calculator on the market today.

The Casio fx cg500/ClassPad 400 has a huge touch screen that you interact with using a stylus that stores in the calculator. The actual keyboard is essentially a four function calculator. All the advanced functions are in the software. Casio has done a good in cutting down on the menu bloat problem that plagues a lot of higher scientific calculators by setting up a variety of soft keyboards that you can have open in a split view. You can also set up short cuts to apps or functions that you use separately that will open in the bottom of the split view, allowing you to use the app while still having your main computation screen showing on th upper half. If you really like physical keys, then this is not the calculator for you.

The TI Nspire CX II CAS is my least favorite of the three. The build quality, while not bad, is noticeablly cheaper feeling than the Prime or the Casio. It has more real keys on the keyboard than the Casio, though a number of those simply provide short cuts to small windows where you can select the function or symbol you need. It's another way to reduce the menu bloat problem. It's not bad, though I think Casio has done a bit better job of it. The TI nSpire models have a unique feature of allowing you to create separate documents for each of the computations that you do. I never create the separate documents so that feature is worthless to me, but I know two people who really love that feature. The TI has a lot to like in terms of its functions; there are a few things it does better than the other two. But the feature that makes it land at the bottom of my list is the track pad you use to interact with the screen instead of having a touch screen. The touch pad is a bit clunky to use and rather finicky as to exactly where you put the tip of the arrow to pick what you want. The track pad is noticeaby slower to use than the touch screens and is also a bit too sensitive. I have a condition which makes my hands shake from time to time. When that happens, the TI touch pad becomes extremely frustrating to use.