Which MacBook Pro for Uni?

LMr Brown on 29/12/2016 - 13:46
Last edited 29/12/2016 - 14:50

Hey everyone,

Next year, I'm thinking of undertaking an electrical engineering degree which lasts for around 5 years. Currently, I'm using a $500 Acer laptop and it has pretty much been dying on me for quite a while (requiring multiple restarts, and the wifi not working time to time).

Anyways, I'm thinking of purchasing a macbook pro for my degree, and I'm debating between whether to get a 13-inch 2016 model or the 15-inch 2015 model, as they are both the same price.

What are your thoughts on this? I'm looking for a laptop which is portable and has enough battery life, whilst at the same time being able to handle the various programs needed for my degree. Although, the major factor that will influence my wallet is the lifespan of the laptop. I really want one that will serve me well across the 5 years of my uni degree.

Benefits of the 15inch seem to be the additional power, a reliable battery and ports. Whilst the 13inch would be significantly lighter, and have various new features such as touch ID.

Thanks in advance :)

UPDATE: Just thought that I would indicate that I'm pretty certain that I want to buy a mac over a windows laptop

Poll Options

  • 29
    2016 13-inch MacBook Pro
  • 30
    2015 15-inch Macbook Pro
  • 13
    2015 13-inch MacBook Pro
Computing

Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 29/12/2016 - 14:08
    +14

    I'm thinking of undertaking an electrical engineering degree which lasts for around 5 years

    So are you doing an electrical engineering degree or not? Why is it 5 years? Do it at a G8 university and it'll be 4 years.

    Many electrical engineers have no problem with a MacBook these days, because computers are available at university with the software you need. But I would recommend getting a Windows laptop. This is especially useful if you do analog electronics and PCB/IC design.

    IF you get a MacBook, you won't be able to install the special software needed for those applications unless you install windows. Many engineers also use torrents to download cracked software. Most torrents are not supported on the MacBook.

    I did an electrical engineering degree a number of years ago and I wouldn't recommend buying a MacBook. If you're happy with dual booting, then go right ahead.

    It has become extremely difficult to customise or even change the battery of an Apple MacBook. At the end of your degree, you can swap the battery of your Dell Latitude or Lenovo Thinkpad quite easily to give it many more years of use.
    Just wait until February next year and buy the new Lenovo Thinkpad or Dell Latitude business laptop with Kaby Lake processors. They will last you 5 years if not 10 years if you are willing to take care of it.

    edit - I have Macbooks in my house and I have a MAC OS sierra VM, so I don't really have anything against Apple products. I just think their lack of port options and ridiculous price make them an impractical piece of hardware. Don't bother with the 2015 Macbooks. They're just out of date with their hardware and not worth the amount Apple are asking for.

    • Mr Brown on 29/12/2016 - 14:32
      +1

      Thanks for the reply fredz. The degree is 5 years because it incorporates a masters into the degree (done at UNSW), so that you complete it in 5 years instead of 6. I'm more interested in it because it'll give me the opportunity to broaden my knowledge as you get to combine an additional minor in a field of your choice alongside with conducting a research project in your 5th year. I know that it won't really increase my job prospects, although then again I hope to increase my employability by aiming for good marks along with getting as much work experience as I can get.

      In regards to choosing a laptop, I've decided to choose a Mac over windows after heaps of research. The major reason is due to convenience, reliability and the ability to use family sharing. I have nothing against windows, although I think that i prefer the MacOs after playing around with it for a while.

      • atj on 29/12/2016 - 14:40
        +2

        In case you haven't seen it there seems to be discounts for UNSW students. I haven't looked in to pricing though so it may well be cheaper via some other means (discounted JB cards at a 10% off sale or the like).

        • Mr Brown on 29/12/2016 - 15:30

          Wowzers, thanks heaps for that link, never knew that existed! :D It appears to give around a 9% discount on the macbooks (8.81% to be precise). So the 10% sales might be better.

          Although, with 10% off sales at retailers, is it possible to customise the RAM, storage and CPU? Since I would like to make sure that the ram is 16gb, and the storage 512gb.

          (Also out of interest, the standard education pricing is only 5% off, so this link is fantastic, thanks again!)

        • kathmandu-jeff on 29/12/2016 - 15:43

          @Mr Brown: I am in the same situation as you, beginning an engineering (aerospace)/science degree next year and looking into buying a mac.
          I know that JB Hi-Fi exclude build to order macs from the 10% sales. Education discounts from apple therefore are your best bet if you want to customise and have a discount as well.

        • Mr Brown on 29/12/2016 - 15:53

          @kathmandu-jeff: Ah thanks for clearing that up. Then I guess that atj's link is the way to go.

          Good luck with your degree! So pumped for uni to start :D

          Out of interest, what kind of mac are you thinking of getting?

        • kathmandu-jeff on 29/12/2016 - 15:58

          @Mr Brown: 2016 13 inch 512 GB MacBook Pro with touchbar. I'm probably going to upgrade the ram to 16 GB.
          Reason for choosing a mac over windows is how well it integrates with my other apple devices and because I plan on learning and coding iOS apps.
          I will also be dual booting windows 10.
          Good luck for your degree also :)

        • Mr Brown on 29/12/2016 - 16:01

          @kathmandu-jeff: Yeah I think that I'm more swaying towards that as well. Although, I'm being slightly tempted by the 15inch educational prices, so I'll need to decide between those two xD

        • kathmandu-jeff on 29/12/2016 - 16:08
          +1

          @Mr Brown: keep in mind that the 15 inch is less portable and has worse battery life however it does have discrete graphics.

        • Mr Brown on 29/12/2016 - 16:19

          @kathmandu-jeff: Yeah, portability seems to be the major downside of a 15-inch. And to be honest, I don't think discrete graphics would make a massive impact for me as I won't really be doing video/photo editing of the laptop.

          Maybe i should just stick with 13-inch then …

          Would the 13inch having dual core processors make much of a difference compared to the quad-core processors in the 15inch?

        • kathmandu-jeff on 29/12/2016 - 16:39

          @Mr Brown: everyday web browsing etc won't make a difference.
          I cannot however comment on engineering specific software. I plan on using my desktop at home for more intensive tasks. It may be wise to ask the university on the hardware requirements.
          I have prioritised portability and battery life over performance.

        • Mr Brown on 29/12/2016 - 16:50

          @kathmandu-jeff: Yeah, I just sent an email earlier today asking what programs are used for electrical engineering. Hopefully that'll in the decision making process :)

        • entropysbane on 29/12/2016 - 17:56

          @Mr Brown: yes the 15 inch would be much higher performance. I am not sure the difference is worth the price though.
          the 15 inches are fast, light and compact compared with most wintel 15s on the market, but the 13 is the most portable simply due to size.

          I would have thought for engineering though, and this kind of money, you would would want a windows equivalent. However, expect that similar performance (portability, speed, discrete graphics, NVMe storage, USB-C/TB3) would not be that different in price.

        • Mr Brown on 30/12/2016 - 17:34

          @entropysbane: Yeah, I've looked around at prices and seems like the dell xps range and the surfacebook are similar in price.

          Still debating with the 15 and 13 inch, I'll wait til the uni gets back to me on what software they use before deciding that

      • Tech5 on 30/12/2016 - 18:54

        I'm not too sure where you get convenience and reliability from. They are overrated with Macs and it is not always the case. For example, I've gone through 3 windows laptops so far, without a single one breaking or causing trouble. Each used for 2-4 years. My partner went through 2 macbooks in the last 3 years due to hardware failure

        • Gina Rinehart on 31/12/2016 - 17:40
          +1

          I love Windows as much as the next person, and have never owned a Mac, but seriously.. the amount of frustration with drivers and shit that some people wouldn't have the patience or expertise to fix really bothers me. Sometimes a Mac is the way to go, they are good at doing simple / having it just work. You can never deny that.

          As for failures, that all depends on a number of factors and it sounds like your partner had some bad luck, I've got family/friends who have had very reliable Macs.

        • Tech5 on 01/01/2017 - 02:23

          @brezzo: They can be reliable that is true, but my main point is that it is the luck of the draw in terms of reliability.

        • cheng2008 on 01/01/2017 - 14:22

          @zhuang281: Haven't had any real trouble with any of my macs, but since they have the same parts as windows laptops I'd say it's not necessarily reliability that's the issue. It's more that there are plenty of apple stores you can take it to if you have an issue, straight away. You can get it looked at/get it fixed all in the same day. With others you will have to post it off, wait a couple of days, then get it back.

  • atj on 29/12/2016 - 14:26
    +1

    It has become extremely difficult to customise or even change the battery of an Apple MacBook. At the end of your degree, you can swap the battery of your Dell Latitude or Lenovo Thinkpad quite easily to give it many more years of use.

    If you're near to an Apple store they're pretty transparent about out of warranty battery replacements: https://support.apple.com/en-au/mac-notebooks/repair/service…

    • Mr Brown on 29/12/2016 - 14:33

      thanks for the list of prices, haven't seen that before so really helpful. :)

  • bjdchwr on 29/12/2016 - 14:29
    +14

    If you are doing a Engineering degree… you should get a windows laptop. There are quite a bit of choice of nice laptops on the market.

    As long as I am OK with both of the platform and I am an owner of a Macbook Pro, I wouldn't recommend MacBook to Engineering students.

    My major at the Uni was Mechanical Engineering and I do know that the majority of the Engineering and simulation softwares ONLY run under windows! Now I am an IT guy at school and I think Macbooks are great for art designs and videos, etc.

    In other words, I am still recommending MacBook to some of our students but they are NOT designed for Engineering students.

    Let me give you some of the examples: Solidworks, altium designer, keil uvision - I have used all of them and it seems all of the 3 software have Windows version only… I wouldn't even try to run it on my Macbook - I have parallel desktop installed but I use Microsoft Office 16. The Mac version of the Microsoft Office is hard to use…

    You might argue that you can install Bootcamp… Well, it's working to some extent but it's a hassle to switch between the platforms, plus driver issues may be another problem. Engineering softwares are mostly resource hungry so we can't expect it would run smoothly under virtual machines - like VMVare or Parallel Desktop…unless you get a very high hardware specs and it will cost you $$$$.

    Please think before you buy it…

    • Mr Brown on 29/12/2016 - 14:39
      -5

      Thanks for the thoughtful reply.

      I've actually tried out the mac version of microsoft office, and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. It did many of the things that I needed and I believe that it'll fulfill my requirements at university.

      Also, I'm happy to run BootCamp where needed and have heard that booting windows isn't that slow on the mac. Also, if I really have to due to system requirements, I'll be happy to use one of the computers at uni where I have to. (Would save me from buying the software as well)

      • bjdchwr on 29/12/2016 - 14:54
        +2

        I was amazed by the MacOS when I got my MacBook Pro in 2013. Before that time, I was purely a Windows guy and I got my IT support skills throughout the year of volunteering, helping outs, and small business.

        Having a MacBook is also kind of strategy to get some experience in Xcode and MacOS support and I think I made a right decision when I purchased the Macbook. Unfortunately, I am kind of into the Apple's ecosystem and I purchased a bit of the expensive software - Final Cut Pro for example…

        I am currently keeping electronics as my personal hobbies and I have successfully integrated them in some sort of the teaching at school. I get dedicated working machines at home for doing those work - like micro-controller programming and a little bit modelling. Basically I didn't give up my engineering career and I am happy to keep doing those kind of small projects in spare time. I am planning to buy a decent 3D printer in 2017…

        Back to the topic, I tried BootCamp before but I erased the partition soon after that.
        Storage is a bit of pain for SSD drives so if you really want to buy a MacBook, make sure you plan ahead for the storage.
        The RAM should be at least 16G (mine got 8GB but I am a little bit regret for this amount of RAM).

        It's a hassle to run Solidworks under virtual machines so I would guess you need BootCamp definitely.

        • Mr Brown on 29/12/2016 - 15:35
          +1

          Oh wow, the things that you seem to be doing sound amazing. Also +1 for integrating your electronics hobbies into school. We did electronics last semester in physics and it was really lacking in applications of the theory in the form of practical work, and I'm pumped to hear about people teaching it right! :)

          And yeah, I'm thinking of getting 16gig ram and 512gb storage.

          Would you recommend a 15 or 13-inch for uni? Also, would it be worth going for a 2016 model or 2015? I'm not sure whether I'll use the laptop to take notes in lectures, because I reckon that pen and paper is the way to go for me, although I'll probs keep it handy in a bag if i need to google stuff. But pen and paper seems the way to go … especially with the maths.

        • bjdchwr on 29/12/2016 - 17:21
          +1

          @Mr Brown:

          I would think a 15 inch would be better however you might lose a bit of the flexibility.

          My Mechanical Engineering field requires dedicated graphics to run solidworks but I would think you need a more power hungry CPU rather than GPU…

          I think 2016 model touch bar is quite fancy, if you use Bootcamp most of the time you may find some higher end 2015 model at a cheaper price.

          When I was at uni, especially the last year, I used Livescribe smartpen for note taking (I could see some of my classmates were using it as well) - unfortunately both of my smartpens are dead now because of the failure OLED display…

          I think nowadays you might just use a pen and paper to start with and see whether you need a fancy note-taking equipments…

          PS: above is just my person opinion :-) All the best for your Engineering degree!

        • Mr Brown on 30/12/2016 - 17:39

          @bjdchwr: Yeah dedicated graphics might be nice for power hungry software.

          At the moment, it's around $3000 for the 13-inch and $3500 for the 15-inch with both of them having the same ram and storage. So it'll be a tough call.

          Yeah, pen and paper seems like the way to go. I might also end up re-writing important notes on my laptop after lectures, more as a form of study/revision along with easy access if I ever need it in the future.

          Thanks again for your insight, it really helps hearing from an engineer :D

        • RoJeR on 30/12/2016 - 19:09

          @Mr Brown:
          With prices that close I'd go the 15 inch. I just completed a computer science degree part time. My 2012 13 inch is still going strong. According to battery utilities it stil has 95% of its original capacity. Just do the right things and lithium batteries last a really long time. Google for how to treat them. I enjoyed the portability of the 13inch but if the prices were only $500 different when I bought I would have gone the15 inch for sure. More screen space (native resolution) as well as quad core processing and discreet CPU. I reckon you'll appreciate all that when using engineering software. As for using windows on it you may find you can get a free copy of windows through the university via Microsofts Dreamspark or whatever it's called now. Also my uni has free office 365 for all your devices while you're a student, I expect other unis are the same.

        • Mr Brown on 30/12/2016 - 19:22

          @RoJeR: Thanks for your input :) I had a look at ways of maintaining the battery and will be sure to follow them.

          I will need to look into the free windows as well.

          The only downside of going for the 15-inch seems to be portability but it might be worth the sacrifice for the power. Although, it shouldn't be too bad considering that i've been taking a 15inch laptop to school pretty each day over the past 2 years. And it was quite a heavy laptop i might add … considering that i rode to school xD

      • [Deactivated] on 29/12/2016 - 22:12
        +2

        The entire point of buying a Mac is buying into the closed garden ecosystem. If you're going to install Windows on it, literally why bother. Some people value the Apple OS experience highly to warrant using an inferior product specification-wise, but as of now Macbook is an awful purchase (it stuck with Haswell for 3 years and 5 refreshes despite newer technology coming out, the current Skylake model is already deprecated with Kaby Lake coming out a few months after it)

        • Daabido on 31/12/2016 - 13:13
          +1

          Why bother? To have the best of both worlds no doubt. When you don't need the Windows-only specific software for your degree, you can enjoy just doing stuff in macOS. Then if you do need Windows, shut down (saving the previous state of your OS) and reboot into Windows within 30 seconds. I have both macOS and Windows on my MacBook Air. The only addition you may need is a mouse, because on the MacBook Air the trackpad is hypersensitive in Windows 10.

  • Cheap Charlie on 29/12/2016 - 14:32
    +1

    I'm looking for a laptop which is portable and has enough battery life

    When I think portability I think external dimensions and weight. Macbook Pro tends to be porky (albiet well built).
    Devices such as the DELL XPS series with the infinity display tend to offer a smaller form factor for their given screen size (perhaps a way to have you cake and eat it too?) There may be other windows based alternatives which have taken a similar approach?

    able to handle the various programs needed for my degree

    May be worth reaching out and determining exactly what your requirements are here

    the major factor that will influence my wallet is the lifespan of the laptop. I really want one that will serve me well across the 5 years of my uni degree.

    I would suggest the Macbook Pro fits this criterion off the back of their build and the 2016 series featuring reasonably late CPU's and NVME storage solutions which goes some ways in terms of the ability to run future softwares.
    Others may also last the distance, however I would imagine most windows based laptops with daily usage after 5 years will be due for an upgrade.

    • Mr Brown on 29/12/2016 - 14:47
      -1

      Yeah I really love the design and the build of the MacBook, and don't mind having it weigh a few more grams here and there to compensate for that. And yeah, I've done a bit of research on whirlpool about program requirements, and it seems that students with macbooks seem to be going alright, although I'll do some more research and report back here for future OzBargainers.

      Thanks for the reply :)

  • nubzy on 29/12/2016 - 15:29
    +2

    None mate..

    The Macbooks are overpriced for the specs they offer. Look at the Dell XPS range, the Lenovo Yoga 910 is also very nice.

    • Mr Brown on 29/12/2016 - 15:37
      +2

      Haha, I must admit that Mac are overpriced, although I'm making the decision knowing that and more choosing it due to the OS, and other things discussed earlier.

      I must say that the xps range does look mighty fine though.

      • Yamai on 31/12/2016 - 10:42

        But the OS is useless for your chosen degree? It sounds like you WANT a Mac, but NEED a windows based laptop.

        • Daabido on 31/12/2016 - 13:20

          Explain why it is useless. With the ability to dual boot or run virtualisation software there is nothing that he cannot do with a Mac. It might be a little more complicated but there will be extended down time where the OP will be just chilling with his computer. If he prefers macOS over Windows, then that slightly more complex setup will be well and truely repaid by the thousands of hours of using his prefered OS over a five year degree.

        • Yamai on 31/12/2016 - 18:16

          The absurdity of buying a Mac to run Windows is extreme, as others have said all his scholastic programs are windows based, so you're going to dualboot just so you can do what exactly? Use safari?, when you could have bought a laptop that could have done it all in the first place, for less money.

    • entropysbane on 29/12/2016 - 18:06

      Certainly the new prices suck the big one. You might find though that a similarly specced WinTel machine would not be that different. Those XPS' for example are not that cheap at list price, and I suspect would be outperformed by the MBP. And might not come off that well physically compared in the flesh.
      The Yogo is an MBA competitor.
      HP has really lifted its game in recent years. I have an i7 x360 spectre which would be somewhere between an MBA and the low end MBP without touchbar performance and spec wise, and it was about $2299 list. That is low end MBP territory.

  • [Deactivated] on 29/12/2016 - 16:45
    +11

    Okay. You're just wasting everyone's time.

    You are better suited to discussing this with the Apple goobers on whirlpool.

    The tl;dr of this thread is not about engineering. It's about MacBook pro 2015 or 2016. I'm sure you'll find hundreds of videos on youtube too.

    Things like 13" vs 15" is up to you. If you're an anorexic stick, then get a 13". The 15" is only 1.8kg, which is incredibly light for the average man.

    • [Deactivated] on 29/12/2016 - 22:16
      +5

      Yep. This thread seems like a thinly veiled "praise me on my wise purchase decision". You don't NEED a laptop to do a uni degree, lab computers and pen/paper is enough. If it tickle your fancy and you're willing to pay for it, buy it, don't use "I'm starting xyz course" to have strangers on the internet justify your decision

      • [Deactivated] on 29/12/2016 - 22:24
        +4

        You don't NEED a laptop to do a uni degree, lab computers and pen/paper is enough

        Exactly. The fact that he's doing it at UNSW makes this comment even more true. I did my entire 7 years at uni without a laptop.

        • gimli on 30/12/2016 - 22:22
          +1

          Yeah but 19 years ago most people didn't have laptops.

          Get with the times

        • [Deactivated] on 31/12/2016 - 15:27

          @Gimli:

          I didn't do my degree 19 years ago. If you go to university now, there are many engineers who don't bring their laptops to class. Lab computers are good enough.

  • srhardy on 30/12/2016 - 09:04
    +2

    if your going 512gb, dual boot is the way to go & you can also run windows in a VM (virtual machine which can be handy, I like XP or windows7)

    OSX comes with the program to partition the HD and drivers for Windows 10 (mac hardware make great windows pc's)

    The cheapest way to get a windows licence is to download the ISO (DVD) from MICROSOFT and buy a key for it from kinguin.net for a fraction of the price!

    • Mr Brown on 30/12/2016 - 17:46
      +1

      thanks for the cheap way to windows! :D

  • greyeye on 30/12/2016 - 10:29

    i'd pick 13.
    I own 2012 macbook pro 13 retina. It still runs perfectly fine and have no issues (256G SSD, 8G RAM)
    even run Xcode, few VMs (vmware fusion) ,etc
    its definitely not for a 3d game, but I have windows desktop for that purpose, otherwise, i play lot of 2d/2.5D indie games and macbook 2012 is still perfectly fine.

    • Mr Brown on 30/12/2016 - 17:49

      Do you find not having dedicated graphics impacting overall performance when you use these various programs?

      • greyeye on 12/01/2017 - 12:07

        not at all, intel HD is good enough for almost anything.
        again, i dont play a lot of hardcode 3D, minecraft, roblox are ones that my kids play on the macbook and its fine.

        I used to own 2015 Macbook pro 15in with GPU, and it actually annoyed me more as fans run at a higher speed when intel HD didnt need to.
        downloaded the program to control GPU selector and lock it at the end.

  • epicttiimm on 30/12/2016 - 19:13
    +2

    You are wasting your money on a Mac for engineering mate. Design or Architecture? Go ahead. But literally all engineering software only runs on Windows, and if you are boot camping then you lose already meager SSD space so what's the point anyways? The new Macs are useless for real work.

    Kaby Lake? No
    DDR4 or 16+GB RAM? No
    Quad core on 13"? No
    Cheap/Reasonable Price? No

    This is coming from a diehard Apple user. XPS or Spectre is your best bet.

    • Mr Brown on 30/12/2016 - 19:27

      Yeah I'm thinking of getting Mac mainly because a lot of my relatives who have done engineering have used macs and they only praise it.

      The xps and the mac range seem to be similarly priced (looking at the 15inch models), and considering that you get the best of both worlds with the mac i seem inclined to choose that over the xps.

      Also by getting the mac, I'm able to family share, and considering that we have a lot of software already on MacOS this might be helpful for little projects from time to time.

      • PVA on 30/12/2016 - 19:36
        +1

        watch out for battery life on the new macbook pro. life is meant to be poor as somedays it lasts 8 hours, somedays doing the same thing it will be 3 hours. US consumer reports tested all the different models and it happened to all of them for no real reason, just random battery life on different times. That's why its the first apple laptop they dont recommend to buy. http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/macbook-pro…
        and 9-5 sites poll says most people get under 5 hours, not anwhere near what apple says.

        • Mr Brown on 30/12/2016 - 19:44

          Yeah I heard about that :(

          At the moment, I'm waiting it out to see how apple reacts and to see whether an update is able to resolve the issue.

  • Tejas57 on 30/12/2016 - 19:19

    any reason why you would not get a macbook air? portability is a major factor when you are lugigng it to uni every day.

    i am finishing a bachelor of IT with a 13" macbook air (i got the 256gb version so i can dual boot between windows and mac) and have no issues.

    i started my degree with a 15" dell and it was painful to lug that to uni every day

    • Mr Brown on 30/12/2016 - 19:30
      +1

      I would have considered getting a macbook air if I was staying at home for uni, although I'll be living on campus without access to the windows desktop that I built.

      This is why I'm considering a macbook pro, as I think that the extra processing power will definitely help with some of the power hungry software used.

      Yeah a 15" might be a bit heavy, although I'm used to carrying a lot of textbooks around when I ride, so it shouldn't be too bad considering that I'm living on campus next year.

  • Thundaja on 30/12/2016 - 19:42
    +3

    Going to throw my 2c in here as a final year EE student who has used a 2014 (Retina) Macbook Pro since his first year (i5, 256GB 8GB RAM). There is going to be a lot to cover here.

    TL;DR:
    Macs are great. I own one. Really handy for EE as MacOS is Unix based. Not worth $2500 price tag though. I see more and more students using Surfaces (lots of SP3 and SP4 users!) these days. Go a Surface (you can dual boot Linux) over a Mac for the first 2 years as there is a TON of maths and the pen will come in handy. You can also go a Windows laptop and install Linux (try Elementary OS if you want the Mac feel). If you have to have a Mac, go a cheaper one with Type A USB ports. You won't need a great deal of power.

    You are going to be plugging quite a few things into the PC: So a USB Type A connection is a must. This means getting either a 2015 model or a 2016 model with a Type C -> Type A adaptor.

    Despite doing EE, you aren't going to need a great deal of power (surprisingly!)
    The i5/8GB has been more than fine for my needs. A friend of mine has the smaller 12" Macbook with an m3 processor and hasn't run into any power issues either (the single USB C port on the other hand has caused him headaches!)

    In terms of the programs you need not being available on a Mac… I don't see it being a major issue for a few reasons:
    1 - Any software that is 100% required will be available on University computers within a lab environment.
    2 - Most universities will offer a "Remote Desktop" environment that will allow you to access the software installed on university PCs through your own.
    3 - You can install Windows on your Mac using Bootcamp.
    4 - You can install Windows in a VM (like Parallels or VMWare Fusion) that will allow you to run the programs you need without leaving MacOS.

    There were only 2 essential "windows only" programs I've needed in my time at Uni, and both were available on the Uni PCs.

    I have literally beat my Mac around and it has never let me down, plus the battery life is great! My only complaint would be the 256GB of storage. If you are running another OS like Windows or Linux the space can get a bit tight… I'd pay the extra and bump to 512GB if I could.

    Now for the flip side of the coin:
    It is not worth spending a small fortune on a Macbook Pro
    I paid approx $1600 for mine before one of the price increases. The equivalent model is now around $2500.
    I love my Mac, but I don't think that it's $2500 good, especially as a Uni student.

    Your first 2 years are going to be very theory/mathematics based and this is where a MS Surface Pro/Pen/Handwriting combo will be MAJORLY advantageous (seriously, there is LOTS of equations - try typing these out). I had both a Macbook Pro and Surface Pro 2 in my first year. The SP2 was essential in Year 1 and Year 2 (semester 1) given all the theory - Macbook wasn't really used a great deal. However, in my third year, this switched: Lots more reports, lots more programming etc etc to the point where my SP2 has been gathering dust for the last 12 months.

    Really TL;DR:
    Get something like a Surface for the first 2 years - PC+handwriting combo is hard to beat.
    OR
    Get a decent Windows PC for less and install Linux/Elementary OS.
    OR
    If you really must get a Mac, don't spend more than $1600 (go for an Air).

    • Mr Brown on 30/12/2016 - 20:27

      Wowzers, thanks for the super informative info. Really helpful hearing from a student who has studied Electrical :D

      The only reason why I'm considering a Mac is because I've received a AAA scholarship at UNSW which opens up this opportunity for me that i otherwise would not have. However, I still don't want to waste the money given on something that I won't use, but considering that I'm using my laptop everyday I'm happy to pay a little bit extra which i why I'm considering the pro over the air. Along with the fact that it would be my go to device whilst living on campus.

      I prefer the pros over the airs mainly because the air really hasn't be updated in quite a long time, and the build quality of a pro seems to suggest that it will be a lot more durable leading it to hopefully last the 5 years of my degree.

      And yes, I'm thinking of getting a 512gb sdd so that I'm able to use bootcamp whenever I have to. Although, i'm leaning towards the 2016 model due to the newer processors and a lighter design despite the sacrifice of many ports.

      One of my friends at school used a surface pro, and I must admit that I wasn't a fan of it as I found the keyboard annoying and prefer something more solid. This is why i considered the surface book initially, although this is quite expensive which is why I then started to consider the macbooks as they are around the same price and i prefer the OS much more due to the productivity it offers.

      SIDE NOTE: Out of interest, how often do you find yourself using your laptop in lectures? Since I feel like i might try using pen and paper during the first few weeks, since as you said, doing maths on a computer is really annoying. And I prefer using grid paper to get my thoughts across which i can then later annotate and highlight all my mistakes (so I don't make then again :P). Although, I have a Wacom tablet lying around which i occasionally use for doing maths on a computer and i might do this if I get a Mac.

      Also, out of interest, what software did you use throughout your degree?

      Thanks again for the help, it's good to know that I don't need a powerhouse :) Also, awesome job on getting so far with EE, I've heard constantly that it is not an easy degree at all due to the amount of maths in it, so you have achieved heaps by getting through 4 years. Good luck with your engineering career!! :D

  • Lastora on 30/12/2016 - 19:51

    I've done my four years of software engineering and a year of master without a laptop.

    For engineering though, Windows is better for a lot of software compatibility. If you are going to bootcamp and run Windows it's just pointless.

  • leighjames on 30/12/2016 - 21:03

    You've already made your decision about Hardware.

    Foucs on the following:
    - Support all software packages: Install a Virtual Machine with a Windows Enviroment on your Mac. Virtual Box, VM Fusion and Paraelles are all suitable.
    - Buy the newest Mac possible to ensure it get through the lifespan.
    - Apple Care - From experience I don't purchase it. You get 2 years with Apple in AUS.
    - Buy the 15in because it has a graphics card, will result in improved performance
    - Battery life still reasonable at 15inch
    - Wait to get your student email account, then puchase at education pricing - The uni should get you Microsoft Office for free.

  • rgr on 30/12/2016 - 22:34
    +1

    get the macbook air and use the campus computers to offload the lab/prac work. you dont want to be fiddling with installing windows and applications on your mac to do your work when you could easily switch computers in a lab when a PC acts up.

  • DrDollar on 30/12/2016 - 22:49
    +1

    I'd go for which ever is most expensive so you can demonstrate your dedication to the Apple gods.

    If you must… Buy an Air - They are lightweight and have good battery life, still decent hardware. If you are travelling often and want to be using it on the go, Air is a must.

  • chubbygeek on 31/12/2016 - 00:21

    Just wanted to share as I recently went through a similar decision on what Macbook to buy.

    After waiting for a Macbook Pro refresh (and being quite disappointed), I ended up choosing the previous (still available) Macbook Pro 13" Retina 2015 model (RRP $1999) over the new Macbook Pro 13" without Touchbar (RRP $2199).

    Why? The new one is too expensive and most people will need dongles/adapters to use with the four USB Type-C ports. Touch ID is cool but wouldn't be a deciding factor. The 2015 model is only 1 year older but performance is almost just as good and it has all the normal ports - usb, card reader, hdmi, etc - and a better battery too. Yes, the new base model has a 256GB hdd over the previous with 128GB, but usb sticks/portable hdds/SD cards can solve that issue at a fraction of the $200 price difference.

    I ended up paying $1708 though Officeworks after price matching JB Hifi's 10% off Apple sale. Not a bad price I reckon.

    Another great alternative is the Macbook Air 13"… if I didn't already own a 2011 model (that's nowhere near as good as the current Air), this is the one I'd buy. Amazing battery life, lightweight, enough power for 90% of users, cheaper than the Pro. Only downside is its screen resolution still being only 1440x900… full hd or higher would make this almost perfect.

  • TurkishDelight on 31/12/2016 - 01:00

    2013 Mac Pro Retina Display. Nothing will come closer to this (performance+Budget) and do not buy anything except macbook, one of the best decision you will ever make (compared to shitty laps out there).

    This is what I would buy- http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/melbourne-cbd/laptops/macbook…

    • Daabido on 31/12/2016 - 17:18

      You referenced a desktop (Mac Pro), a different Mac laptop (MacBook) and linked to a MacBook Pro.

      Just being pendantic.

  • This Guy on 31/12/2016 - 01:14
    +1

    Do you want a laptop to take notes and write reports? Buy a MacBook Air.

    Do you want a laptop to save you time and improve your grades in the later years of your EE degree? Buy a windows quad core with an ssd and USB ports.

    I went from a pass student to a distinction student with no change in work load just by using a quad core laptop instead of the slow, old POS lab computers to do my work.

    When you have a faster computer than your fellow students you can test your designs properly and iterate efficiently instead of waiting five minutes for each simulation to run like your colleague. Projects become fun!

    I don't think you noticed, but no EE's here recommended a mac. We all recommended windows. Mac's are feasible, but are ~$1k over priced for an EE degree.

    • doodo477 on 31/12/2016 - 01:55

      I seriously doubt you went from a pass student to a distinction student from moving to a quad core laptop.

      I tend to find the Mac book pro's to be pretty high quality regarding computing performance and also quality of the display. Their is simply a lot of cheap ass crap windows laptops out there with only 1-3 hour real life battery life. You can find a windows laptop with similar or better spec's than a macbook pro but over-all it's going to be a major PITA to find one and customise it to your requirement's.

      The other thing no one has talked about is who much is the posters time is worth? No one on this board has talked about Microsoft PITA update system is and driver nightmares that you get into. This is not including stupid viruses and maintenance problems you get with windows system's.

      Another advantage no one has talked about is the inbuilt shell and rich GNU tool's you have on the mac that out of the gate with xcode gives him a leg up with deploying binary modules to RISC boards and also embedded systems.

      • This Guy on 31/12/2016 - 21:05

        Reviewing my marks you are right. I went from pass average to credit average with distinctions for project heavy subjects.

        Your arguments against windows were fixed around a decade ago with vista SP's and win 7.

        Command prompt worked fine for me.

  • ipiok on 31/12/2016 - 09:09
    +5

    So it sounds more like you're wanting people to justify your choice. The problem is, as many others have pointed out…. Many programs that you will need to use on a day-to-day basis require windows to run. Honestly, do you really want to dual boot in and out of different operating systems…. I get you're caught up in the Apple hype and like the snazzy "time machine" that does backups and the flashy interface that even I will admit is appealing… but it's not functional for what you need to do!

    Seriously, use your head. 5 years of dual booting in and out of windows and OSX every time your professor asks you to bring up schematics..

  • nickster9999 on 31/12/2016 - 11:09
    +2

    I have the new Macbook Pro.

    My advice: buy an Apple certified refurb of the previous model.

    Seriously, there is no justification whatsoever for the $3,000+ price for this new Macbook Pro. I had the previous Macbook Pro and the new one is hardly any better overall. The only reason I bought the new Macbook Pro was because I was able to sell my old one for $1,200.

    Buy a refurb here: http://www.apple.com/au/shop/browse/home/specialdeals/mac

  • p1 ama on 31/12/2016 - 11:25
    +2

    The whole Mac is better than Windows laptops and that Windows laptops are all POS is completely false. Let me explain why.

    Most people go out with a budget of like $1,000 and buy the biggest, most powerful Windows laptop they can buy, then they realise that it's huge, the battery life is crap, it's loud and it's plasticky. They vow to never buy a Windows laptop again and then shell out $3,000 for their next Apple laptop. Which is going to be a better product? Obviously the $3k machine, not the $1k machine.

    If you're willing to spend a decent amount on a Windows machine, you'll get some very nice products. Have a look at the Dell XPS 15, for example. Much better value than a 15" MBP and also much more practical.

    Like with everyone else, I strongly recommend a Windows machine. I teach at university (statistics) and I regularly use software packages such as Eviews, Stata, SAS, SPSS…etc. Whilst most of these packages are available on macOS, you'll find that the Windows versions are usually better, same with MS Office and the like.

    I actually used to own a Macbook Pro 15" Retina and whilst it was a great machine, it just wasn't practical for what I wanted to use it for. Sure, Boot Camp is an okay solution, but the problem is, you never really want to be juggling two OSes. Everything is just a pain, storage is painful, the whole rebooting every time you want to change is stupid and ultimately, you'll end up using Windows, which the Macbook is horrendously bad for - its keyboard works horribly under Windows because the keys aren't the same…etc. Ultimately, going back around in a full circle, you're better off with a Windows machine.

    • [Deactivated] on 31/12/2016 - 15:32

      Most people go out with a budget of like $1,000 and buy the biggest, most powerful Windows laptop they can buy, then they realise that it's huge, the battery life is crap, it's loud and it's plasticky. They vow to never buy a Windows laptop again and then shell out $3,000 for their next Apple laptop. Which is going to be a better product? Obviously the $3k machine, not the $1k machine

      If everyone bought a business Windows laptop, then that bullshit argument you mentioned would disappear.
      In America, they use HP/Dell business laptops in intelligence, at NASA, at massive tech companies (and MACS) and in congress. These people are the ones who NEED reliability and they go with HP/Dell, because Apple cannot meet their needs.

  • T1OOO on 31/12/2016 - 16:59

    Don't get a 15" they are too big to carry around. 13" is the go. Also consider the zenbook 3 it's very very light weight. Smaller and lighter than the MacBook Air but it's got some bad reviews however check it out for ur self.

  • StewBalls on 31/12/2016 - 22:58
    +1

    LOL, just put an Apple sticker on any old laptop if you really want that all important coffee shop street cred! ;)

  • langitbiru on 01/01/2017 - 14:24

    try refurbish apple product.
    go to apple website, scroll to the very bottom, check refurbish link

  • jerjergege on 11/01/2017 - 08:08

    None, get a razer.

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