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Computer Science 4w
What laptop would be good for a CS degree? Both reliable and generally affordable
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Anonymous 4w

Windows

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Anonymous 4w

Probably a reliable and generally affordable one. (Real answer: it can depend on your institution. We were provided with lab computers that had special network access that we couldn't really replicate on our laptops, so it didn’t really matter. Some schools have student bodies with a high rate of windows or mac. Your IT department should know if there's a dominant OS)

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Anonymous 4w

My HP Omen laptop got me through 3 years so far and its still doing great. Macs are okay but AVOID LINUX for school. There will be classes that require software which does not run on Linux!!! Dual booting is fine but don't get too ambitious

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Anonymous 4w

Thank you everyone for your suggestions! I should hopefully have a nice working laptop by tomorrow!

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Anonymous 4w

Prioritize screen size/quality and keyboard quality. If you have a slightly higher budget, buying a model with a better CPU will futureproof your purchase for a bit longer and save some frustration.

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Anonymous 4w

Mac with m1

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Anonymous replying to -> #3 4w

wym bro avoid linux lmao ive been running linux the whole time. The only time i needed windows was for operating systems to like, compile shit for windows, and for that i use a vm

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Anonymous replying to -> #3 4w

That's so interesting. All our lab computers ran exclusively linux. What kind of program were you in, if I may ask?

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Anonymous replying to -> #4 4w

I'm a senior who was CS for 3 semesters then switched to IT. The reason I say avoid Linux is cuz it will make your life harder. You don't want to be stuck troubleshooting your VM at 10pm on a Sunday.

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Anonymous replying to -> #3 4w

I mean… If one’s about to go deep on AI (and that THE place to be rn) - Linux is the truest path, if I can put it this way. But what makes u so against it tho..? I would understand that 10-15 years ago, but today’s Linux (e.g. Ubuntu) is an absolute blast to work with. No more closed-source drivers issues.

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Anonymous replying to -> #5 4w

I'm against it because my school requires Respondus Lockdown Browser which does not support Linux and also purposely doesn't work on VMs. I love Linux for personal/work use but its a pain in the ass for school

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Anonymous replying to -> #7 4w

Or some other m series in house chip

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