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Need Some Serious Mac/PC/College Advice

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es94
Posts: 291 - Karma: 67
So I turned 18 yesterday and got a 13" MBP a birthday/graduation gift. The thing is, I am going to college next year for mechanical engineering and I know that AutoCAD works for macs but I know that a good number of other engineering programs are windows based. The Best Buy guy was preaching pretty hard for mac because he said their graphics card would do me better and all that and he seemed to be pretty confident it was good for mech. engineering.

However, I have some anti-Mac friends who are going all doomsday and telling me how screwed I am for having a MBP and heading into mech. engineering but I want to know how much truth there is to this? I understand a little about dual-booting and running windows but if someone could let me know if I made a shit situation for myself or if I will be fine I would genuinely appreciate it.
May 28 2012 11:17AM
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es94
Posts: 291 - Karma: 67
Forgot to add that another guy I know told me that most of the more inexpensive stuff like AutoCAD can be used on the mac platform but for the really intense and more expensive engineering software programs I would be using the college's engineering computer lab anyways. So he basically said that the higher level windows based stuff isn't stuff that many kids have on their own computers anyways so i don't need to worry because I will just be doing that shit on the school's computers.
May 28 2012 11:26AM
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corona
Posts: 12803 - Karma: 32,817
that dude's an idiot. you can get the exact same graphics card in a mac as you can in a windows machine. and I'm 100% sure your mac isn't going to come stock with the best graphics card on the market.
May 28 2012 11:29AM
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corona
Posts: 12803 - Karma: 32,817
also, if you're worried about not being able to use programs that you need to then partition your drive and put windows on one. then you have your bases set. windows and mac os.
May 28 2012 11:30AM
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bdarb207
Posts: 3057 - Karma: 438
^ yes but if you're doing partial amounts of work on your mac then working on it further in the lab is where problems can ensue from formatting back and forth and ish. When i was working for my cousins engineering firm he told me no macs just because going between the two was a headache. I'm sure you can make it work but a windows machine like a desktop may not be a bad idea and you can build pretty high powered machines fairly inexpensively, the software is what starts getting pricey but your school will prolly hook that up i'd imagine. enjoy college mang
May 28 2012 11:31AM
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bdarb207
Posts: 3057 - Karma: 438
however, what vinnie said if you have one cp only. ha
May 28 2012 11:32AM
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es94
Posts: 291 - Karma: 67
Yeah I understand that and I will upgrade it if I need to but I don't think that will be a problem. I am more concerned about how well I will be able to run windows based shit with Boot Camp or if I even need to worry about that stuff because no students buy it anyway.
May 28 2012 11:33AM
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KyleA
Posts: 865 - Karma: 510
I just graduated with a degree in ME.  I had similar concerns to you going into college so I opted to get a rather pricey windows based laptop.  It was terrible.  After my freshman year I sold it for enough to purchase a 15" MBP.  Three years later I do not regret my decision at all.  You will spend a great deal of time in your schools computer lab regardless of what type of operating system you have.  You may want to dual boot to run Solidworks, but that is about it.  The majority of things you will be doing on your laptop will most likely be using Matlab, Excel, and Word for lab reports, all of which are available for the Mac OS. 

A 13" MBP is also very transportable, and will fit well on the tiny writing surfaces in the classrooms.   
May 28 2012 11:33AM
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45.
Posts: 3164 - Karma: 170
Im a junior in ME and have a macbook pro. I know quite a few good friends in the program that also have macs. Hell, half our engineering labs are mac based.

The whole "mac's are great for engineering" argument is so far from valid now. Your computer will do just fine for all basic tasks you will need to perform. The only thing I could see not working, would be some programming classes, but you take those in PC lab's and can VPN to your school account on your mac and make it a windows machine anyways.
May 28 2012 11:35AM
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soupysoups
Posts: 99 - Karma: 29
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May 28 2012 11:45AM
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.newman.
Posts: 1552 - Karma: 236
I havent had any issues just because I can use the lab whenever i need it, but that varies school by school. Basically you should be fine and you can adapt when the challenges occur.

Where will you be going to school?
May 28 2012 11:52AM
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es94
Posts: 291 - Karma: 67
^^ Im going to Northeastern
May 28 2012 12:18PM
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Karkoskier
Posts: 2999 - Karma: 4,661
I don't know much about computers but, I'm going to SUNY Potsdam next year for the 3/2 Physics and engineering program with Clarkson. I was going to buy a Mac for college, but when I was on tour they highly suggested I get a PC because that's what all of the computers in that program are, and they said it would just make things significantly easier. All of the computers in the libraries and stuff at Potsdam are Macs but you can log on and use either  Mac or PC software(if that's the proper term) just for the reason the Engineering majors need PC. So you should probably talk to someone at the college you're going to about what computers they use in their programs, because that's what really matters.
May 28 2012 12:29PM
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miroz
Posts: 10333 - Karma: 3,945
I'm a junior in ChemE and I have a 15" MBP. The MBP will do anything that a PC can. You can run MatLab, AutoCad, COMSOL, ChemDraw, really anything you need. You lose the lab -> laptop cross compatibility but don't let anyone scare you about your laptop. You're more than fine. No worries.
May 28 2012 12:31PM
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bigbromskier
Posts: 1175 - Karma: 330
Just use the computer lab for programs that won't work on the mac. I've found that even if you have the same programs on your home computer (i have a macbook pro too) there's the chance that they won't be the same version, or they won't have the same plugins/addons, for the most part making the files incompatible. I'm mostly talking autocad, adobe suite, and sketchup.
plus, I find it way easier to just go to the computer lab cause you aren't getting distracted by stuff at home and if you have questions there are usually other people around to help you out.

Also, I've found that, while mac is better for design stuff and most things overall (personally), PCs are better for technical stuff like autocad. and if you're printing stuff it's easier to just have your files configured on the computer in the lab so you can print it right off, rather than maybe working on something at home, configuring it to print, and then having to reconfigured it at the lab if it got thrown off in transition--usually not a big deal, but occasionally and i'd just rather avoid it all together.
May 28 2012 12:38PM
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Guck
Posts: 528 - Karma: 221
I'm in practically the same boat. I haven't purchased my laptop for college yet though. But, this summer, I am building my own home studio. Although Pro Tools is also Windows accessible, I like Logic and the OS platform much more for audio. So, i'm really torn in between the two. Especially because right now i'm typing on my shitty Windows laptop and it's really starting to become unbearable.
May 28 2012 1:24PM
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es94
Posts: 291 - Karma: 67
Alright thats a relief. Thanks for the info everyone
May 28 2012 3:51PM
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deleted5
Posts: 14507 - Karma: 13,507
I have no idea what is going on in this thread.
May 28 2012 4:02PM
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MNS
Posts: 5386 - Karma: 3,241
Well i have 3 friend who uust graduated ME this year. They all have macs. One used to have pc and said he hated it. Honestly though, pc fucking blows, keep the mac.
May 28 2012 4:19PM
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miroz
Posts: 10333 - Karma: 3,945
Such a useful post.
May 28 2012 5:08PM
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whoa-dere
Posts: 10596 - Karma: 7,105
linux
May 28 2012 5:22PM
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JAHpow
Posts: 7282 - Karma: 17,179
So I'm looking at getting a MacBook pro but idk whether to go for a 13" or a 15". I'm getting more and more into video editing so a 15" would be nice just to see everything better but is there a huge difference? I'm tempted just to go with a 13" as there is a large price difference between the two.
Jul 30 2012 4:43PM
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Lick
Posts: 1927 - Karma: 518
Honestly, just go return your Mac (I didn't really read the whole thing, just skimmed) if you bought one. And depending on how much you are tryna spend on a computer, I'd say invest in anywhere from a $400-$700 dollar PC running windows. I'd say get at least 4-8gb of RAM, and a pretty big hard drive (600gb-1tb). The processor wouldn't matter, just as long as it is an i5 or above if intel, and pretty much any AMD that comes in a laptop above $400 is good. That's pretty much all you will need and trust me you won't regret it if you go and get a PC
Jul 30 2012 4:52PM
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chicken
Posts: 6843 - Karma: 2,121
you will be absolotely fine with a mac. my brother is in mech eng. uses a 15"MBP no problem. you will use those programs a lot less than you think from what I heard and they are going to run better on the schools desktops than pretty much any laptop that you would want to haul around. As long as you can run matlab, a spreadsheet program, and a word processing program you will be fine. The stuff my brother makes in autocad is like super basic and I'm pretty sure doesn't push the limits of his graphics card.
Jul 30 2012 4:53PM
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Lick
Posts: 1927 - Karma: 518
Read my below post and just go with a PC, if you are set on a Mac and won't change your mind, go with the 13. Unless it's only like a 50 dollar difference (which it probably isn't because it an Apple) then go with the 15"
Jul 30 2012 4:53PM
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Lick
Posts: 1927 - Karma: 518
This. I took a class at my high school on AutoCAD, and those computer have 516mb of ram, and god knows what graphics card. It handled everything fine and we were making 3d "sketches" and everything. But still, I'd go PC.
Jul 30 2012 4:55PM
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jmasterp
Posts: 1976 - Karma: 233
Such a cool school.
Jul 30 2012 4:55PM
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JAHpow
Posts: 7282 - Karma: 17,179
^ I have been looking a PCs also but the ease of use that iMovie brings is what's making me turn towards a Mac. Is there an iMovie download for PC?
Jul 30 2012 4:58PM
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muFFn
Posts: 1040 - Karma: 74
My personal opinion is based on two years at a community college (I did dual enrollment for high school), so take this with a grain of salt.

I found that having the same operating system as the school's library/lab setup to be very helpful. Working on a PC at home and a PC at the school allowed easy transitioning for projects. I had a few peers experience issues with quicktime conversion, power point, and other seemingly minor issues that become more than obnoxious. In many situations, a Mac using student would start on the library's Mac lab and think they were without worry, only to realize that the whole school is PC based and the Mac lab is isolated. So instead of plugging in a VGA cable or putting in a thumbdrive, they had to convert their files, copypasta their paper, or rebuild their project. Although these examples really come down to presentation and not work completion, it's just one little thing that can be an issue.

Once again, just of personal experience/observations.
Jul 30 2012 5:32PM
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Darth.Maul
Posts: 2472 - Karma: 652
Kinda off topic, but I'm going into Chemical Engineering and do you think I'll be using some windows only programs as well?
Jul 30 2012 5:46PM
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howlongcanausern
Posts: 4982 - Karma: 1,737
it's threads like these that make me wonder why people still use PCs
Jul 30 2012 5:50PM
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BrewskiJr
Posts: 5738 - Karma: 1,478
Because I'm a business student who runs deep excel/access programs which Mac's simply can't handle on any dual-boot software. Trust me. I know at least 10 of my friends in business who had mac's who had to rent Dell's cause dual-boot Excel and Access simply couldn't handle more than 3-4 spreadsheets or lines of data. It's ridiculous.
Jul 30 2012 5:58PM
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Balto
Posts: 25985 - Karma: 4,404
13" MBP's don't even have dedicated graphics cards
Jul 30 2012 6:01PM
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howlongcanausern
Posts: 4982 - Karma: 1,737
lol. $1500 facebook checking MACHINE
Jul 30 2012 6:07PM
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muFFn
Posts: 1040 - Karma: 74
This is a huge reason why I'm getting a PC. The University of Denver's business department makes it a requirement to have a PC for that and many other reasons.
Jul 30 2012 6:08PM
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.ZT.
Posts: 5679 - Karma: 2,792
My friends dad is a physic professor at Northeastern, but I really don't think it matters though what type of computer you have.
Jul 30 2012 6:13PM
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Blake.P
Posts: 9894 - Karma: 3,585
really, you want a mac for imovie? no there is not a iMovie download for pc, because i movie is shit. just buy something like adobe premier and after affects for way better movies
Jul 30 2012 6:17PM
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iRapeKittens
Posts: 416 - Karma: 46
Poptarts.
Jul 30 2012 6:20PM
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chicken
Posts: 6843 - Karma: 2,121
wtf? do you mean they couldn't run it on a virtual machine. I don't see how it would be any different when dual booting?

Anyways I see no reason why a science or engineering student would buy excel. I did, but would not again. Libre office does pretty much everything that excel does. I agree that excel is the best (in terms of features, not performance), but not for the extra money especially when it comes with shit like microsoft word.

I think for the most part if you have lots of data you will be using better statistic/graphing programs. I mean don't get me wrong, I use general-purspose spreadsheet programs every day, it's just generally for like
Jul 30 2012 8:32PM
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