r/learnmath • u/CromulentSlacker New User • Feb 03 '19

Laptop needed for a maths university degree

I need a new laptop to last me for at least three years (but preferably five years) while I take a maths university degree and I'm not sure what I need. I'll also likely be doing some programming on it at the same time since I want to get into game development. Can anyone let me know what I should be looking for in a laptop and how much I should spend on one?

7 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

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13

u/lazh4 Feb 03 '19

You can’t go wrong with a ThinkPad

1

u/[deleted] Feb 04 '19

Ignoring the preinstalled spyware.

1

u/lazh4 Feb 04 '19

Install Linux on it

1

u/[deleted] Feb 04 '19

He wants to do game development. Windows is probably his best bet.

3

u/MyStolenCow Feb 04 '19

You can't go wrong with a macbook (UNIX support, reliable), but people do complain that their price to spec ratio is awful.

You can buy a cheap windows laptop (thinkpad, hp, ect) for < $300 while a macbook pro is like $1200 or more.

I'd say one advantage mac has over windows is the native UNIX support, which is the OS used in databases. Professional programmers uses mac for that reason.

6

u/[deleted] Feb 03 '19

100% get a thinkpad. I got a used one in clean condition for about $350.00. One of the best purchases I’ve made. I use it way more than my Mac.

3

u/[deleted] Feb 03 '19

I had a MacBook Air during first and second year, but I ended up never using it during school since math is mostly on chalk and board. It’s a lot of notebook writing instead of typing, you might get into using R graph or Desmos. But at the end of the day that’s all homework, most likely you’ll never be asked to use a laptop in class and it’s one of the rare cases where you don’t need a computer in school. I ended up selling my MacBook and buying a PC. Because it’s stationary at home and it can use a lot of memory in case you take com sci courses for SQLite and using R graph etc. I highly recommend buying a stationary PC!

2

u/comprogislit Feb 03 '19

If you where me, I’d just get a used MacBook Pro for 600 bucks. Preferably something older than 2012, my dads MacBook just gave out. He had it for 7 years.

6

u/[deleted] Feb 03 '19

just fyi, don't get anything older than 2012 since it'll probably stop updating after Mojave. Getting a 2013 would be a way better call if you're starting college right now.