Whichever platform they are comfortable with right now. It is necessary to have Word, excel and maybe even PowerPoint for classes. I have a PC and Mac so I have choices. PC is my main platform and I have no problems with it when doing assignments.I worried about this myself before coming here, but what I have learned is that it really doesn't matter, and go with what you are comfortable with/ what you know. That being said, I like my mac. If you plan on using CAD, then you need an intel processor mac so that you can boot in windows when it comes time to open AutoCAD. Otherwise, you can find most applications will work for either platform. If you also CAD a lot, then don't worry about weight, get a large screen so you don't kill your eyes.
There is little need for a certain computer, just as long as you can get work done on it and you feel comfortable using it. Some programs are native/only run on certain operating systems, so that may be a reason to go with that system, AutoCAD is a good example. We have access to different platforms through the many clusters on campus as well.
I've been very happy with a macbook pro 15.4" running both Mac OS and Windows XP. It allows me to run any program I need for any class at a reasonable speed, including CAD with 3D and Pro Tools. I would suggest that new students try to get a warranty that will last for their time at CMU, because many of us don't have money to replace it during college.If they plan on being PTM students I would suggest a windows laptop of some sort. Specifically for SM/PM students they should have a full Microsoft Office package which includes publisher. A lot of drama students have Dell's from the Inspiron series. If they get a Dell they should get the 3 year gold package insurance, I have it and it's been really easy to have any problems fixed.
PCIf they are PTM kids, looking to do Production/Stage Management, I found it difficult to use Microsoft on PCs while at school and then do the homework on my Mac...The interface is not, in fact, exactly the same, and I mostly did all my work at school. It was just too difficult.
Go with something dependable with a lot of ram, otherwise, any type of visualization software freezes up. I liked my Acer, but it seems to have had a short life. Anything you do for production management needs to be done on a PC because Mac's version of office does not work for what David has us do. IBM laptops seem to last without to much maintenance.
I have a Macbook that runs 64 bit XP.Go for a laptop over a desktop.
Pro: you have both, and it's really sexy.
Con: Windows programs are a little slower due to virtualization, but lag isn't that bad. If I'm doing something that needs a lot of resources, I reboot as XP.
This computer is awesome if you're like me and do both design and PTM (and pretty awesome if you have no idea what you'll be doing for the rest of your stay at CMU).
Tell them that a copy of Windows at the computer store costs like 15 dollars (or something ridiculously cheap), so they don't need to worry about the cost of the second OS.
Get on that is as small as you can deal with. Its so much easier to be able to have your computer available to use at school rather than having to use the cluster and you dont realize until you have carried around a computer for 4 years that 12'' is so much lighter than 14''.
(i would even say get a tiny 10'' laptop to carry and have a bigger keyboard and monitor in your room you can use.
Also go for the better battery, outlets are hard to come by in some classrooms and it sucks to have your computer die on you.
As for Mac vs. PC i would say a PC is better. Main reason AutoCad is not a mac based program and you will use AutoCad (but that only applies to DPs), there are other programs i have come across in the PTM world (calendar creator) that are only PC and I remember Jessika had tons of problems with excel transferring files from her mac to a pc (getpiviot data is hard enough to learn without something happening b/c your on a mac and david holcomb has a pc).
however, my next computer is going to be a mac over a pc, just becuase macs dont breakdown as much and there are lots of apple stores i can go to if something breaks and i have yet to find a dell or hp store and it sucks talking to people in India for 3 hours when you need to get your computer fixed.
and CMU is more of a mac campus.
but the only way i would get a mac over a PC is if it had windows on it.
so my final say is, if you can afford it get a mac with windows on it.
if not, get a PC and make sure it had a long lasting battery and its very light.
and dont get vista, you cannot print to trogdor or edit the ptm webpage on a vista computer.
also if you have a choice between something like a dell or some weird brand like segar, dont go for the weird brand, even if it is cheaper, no one will be able to help you fix it (i know from experience).
oh and tell them to get an external hard drive and to always back up your files.
A word on form factor:Laptop for sure is a must have. PC vs Mac is kinda irrelevant but I lean in favor of macs. Speed isn't an issue until you get to CAD 3D or Vectorworks Rendering, but small is nice to carry around on campus. I have a desktop also so that I can be more flexible and use less wireless bandwidth.
13.3" or 14" widescreen is a great form factor for a laptop. I find mine easily portable but big enough for most tasks. I have a pc but Apple also makes a couple in that size now too. They are a good compromise of size and processing power.
If I were to do it again now I would get a simple and cheap ultra portable laptop with a small solid state hard drive for internet and word processing. Then I would have a more powerful desktop to leave at home to run more resource intensive programs on.
Purchase an apple computer. Runs faster, less susceptible to virus's. They also hold up well to being dropped several times (I would know).Many people in drama have macs, I cannot speak for all of them, but I found the operating system to be smoother and Macs to be generally easier computers to use. For years there was a bog debate about macs and PCs for compatibility issues, recently, since 2006 this has been less of a problem due to the integration of intel processors into the full line of Macintosh computers. The campus computer store sells copies of Windows XP professional for $15 which will let students run boot camp on their macs and have a fully functional windows machine alongside their mac. Of course if there is no need for the macintosh side of the computer then students would be better off going with the PC option. The whole platform debate really comes down to what is comfortable for the user and what they are used to.
Apple has good customer service, if theirs a problem you can speak to someone in plain English and have it fixed very quickly.
You can even install windows and run AutoCAD and the like. Its like having both operating systems in one.
Laptops are a good idea, not that they would be used in all classes, but the ability to be portable when necessary is very nice. Just make sure that whatever computer you bring to drama is robust enough to handle very frequent use.
As far as software:
Microsoft office for sure
Autocad if you want to for class
Sound editing software is really nice (free from joe pino, i can't remember the url)
Photoshop or equivalent is nice as well
As far as my personal solution:
At home (in my dorm) I have a 24" Intel iMac with a 2.8 Ghz Core 2 duo processor, 2 GB of ram, and 500 GB of hard drive space
in addition I carry my 15" Powerbook G4, still a useful machine even though it is almost 3 years old, (Note: I bought this computer new back in high school and have just kept using it, I would only have one computer if it was not for this older machine and i would not necessarily by two new computers to come to college)
This has worked very well for me, I have had no problem making things work between platforms or integrating anything into the schools network.
1 comment:
Some people have way too many computers.
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