Laptop or Tablet for University (Computer Science) Budget $1500

Lokyyy4 on 20/07/2022 - 01:03
Last edited 20/07/2022 - 12:13 by 1 other user

Hi everyone,

I'm thinking of buying either a laptop or tablet before university starts. I'm studying computer science so a decent (reliable) lightweight device that has good battery life and is relatively powerful is a must.

I already have a bulky (around 3.5kg with charger) Lenovo gaming laptop. Although I intend to use this for the time being, it'll be great to have another device for when I'm on the go to take notes, do assignments, access my textbooks etc. I would also like to do light coding and developing on it just to save time with assignments until I get home.

I was thinking of purchasing a Samsung S7 FE tablet, however, since it's Android I don't know how compatible it may be with modern IDEs or developing in general, in fact I'm not even sure it has options to code.

In terms of a laptop, I have no idea what I'm going to purchase but I have a budget of around $1500.

Could you please recommend a laptop or tablet that can meet my needs?

Computing Computer Laptop Tablet

Comments

  • Quantumcat on 20/07/2022 - 06:48
    +6

    Yout don't really want to be doing programming assignments on two different laptops. You'll have to keep troubleshooting why something will work on one but not the other. And each project will have hundreds of libraries each with a dozen files. Transferring those from laptop to laptop will take ages (even though the total size isn't too large, there is an overhead of time per each file). And redownloading the whole lot each time could take 15 minutes. Also stay clear of Android tablets, even if it is possible to use some version of the IDE you are using it is going to be SO hard to figure out how to make it work. Avoid the headache. You want a Windows machine (mac possible, but you'll spend extra time figuring out where to find the mac version of the software the teacher tells you to install, and spend time troubleshooting why something won't work and never know if it is because it is a mac or you've done something wrong somewhere. You'd have to be very dedicated to Apple and have experience with macs to get a mac at this point).

    Also a gaming laptop won't necessarily be good for programming - mine is a decent Dell XPS 15 but it really struggles with games. Whatever is in your laptop that makes it good for games won't necessarily help out with programming.

    Maybe consider getting a Dell XPS 13 so it is nice and light, and keep your gaming laptop just for gaming. Whatever you end up getting, just make sure it can connect to multiple monitors (some tablets or cheaper laptops might not be able to). It is very handy to have your IDE on one screen, a tutorial or stack overflow article on another screen, and the assignment questions on your laptop screen. You don't need to spend your whole $1500, you don't need anything very flash for programming. Just needs to not be deathly slow and be able to connect to multiple monitors.

    Edit: oh and if you want something very light and don't mind spending a larger chunk of that $1500, surface pros are nice, and you can buy "docking stations" that make it simple to plug them into your monitors at home with a single cord. A few of my colleagues used them. They are more expensive for the quality of computer than something else but if you have the cash to spend and you want ultra light it might work for you.

  • TheBird on 20/07/2022 - 06:55

    What you need depends on what you're using. What you will use will depend on what languages you'll be coding in. Windows really does seem to be dominating development at the moment, so I'd suggest a windows machine. I'm personally using a piece of crap old i5 8gb ram I had in storage and it handles visual studio and intellij just fine for simple stuff in class, so pick up whatever windows machine fancies you. Take a look at the Microsoft surface pros. They're a bit pricey, but they might be what you're looking for.

    If I were you, I'd lug around your bulky laptop until you get deeper into your studies.

    As for Android tablet, they're well worth grabbing one reading ebooks, but for coding.. nope.

  • ctd on 20/07/2022 - 06:58
    +2

    I strongly recommend a laptop over a tablet to you. Tablets are great, but the problem particularly for compsci is you won't be able to run the software you need on it for things like programming and other software you might need for your courses. Some people online will claim otherwise but it usually involves making compromises like programming inside a web browser or using remote desktop to another computer.

    As for which laptop, I'd look at the M1 Macbook Air. It's a little old now but it'll fit in your budget and the battery/performance is still phenomenal.

    It might also be worth holding off for a bit and seeing what other people in your course use. Not saying you should buy the same thing, but you might get a better idea of what works for them and what might work for you.

    • chartparker on 20/07/2022 - 08:21

      There's also refurbished XPS 13 9305 which is on sale at Dell at the moment. Could be a good budget option if the 1165G7 is good enough for your needs and/or you prefer Windows over macOS

  • avoidfullprice on 20/07/2022 - 07:37

    I would also like to do light coding and developing on it just to save time with assignments until I get home

    Some assignments can be small in code but need to process large volume of data. Sometimes it is just easier to remote into on uni server and run it there.

    it'll be great to have another device for when I'm on the go to take notes, do assignments, access my textbooks etc.

    Take notes with your phone. Take photos for maths and physics stuff. Not sure how many prescribed textbook comes in digital format thesedays

    In terms of a laptop, I have no idea what I'm going to purchase but I have a budget of around $1500.

    CS is still a three year degree, right? Do one semester first and see what you really need.

  • boomramada on 20/07/2022 - 08:30
    +1

    Get a surface pro or XPS 13, perfectly enough for any kind of programming for uni student. If screen is too small, plugin into a bigger monitor once you home.

    If you into apple, go for Macbook Air.

    Avoid android, unless you want to draw pictures during the lectures.

  • seraphim2017 on 20/07/2022 - 13:00
    -2

    Just checking.

    OP is doing a computer science degree? Which means would in theory be sort of fairly expert at computers already? And yet are asking IT type questions on a a bargain hunting forum?

    Just checking.

    If programming, then https://www.techradar.com/au/news/best-laptop-for-programmin… (3 second google)

    If just using for office and study, then anything works that will last the day on battery, cheap asus ryzen 5 5500u for sub $900 from ozbargain?.

    • okyyy4 on 20/07/2022 - 13:08

      I'm trying to get general suggestions that I can compare with my own research before deciding, sometimes there's gems that are available which I'm not aware of.

  • forged on 21/07/2022 - 13:45

    In a CS degree you’ll most likely just be using Python, C, JS, maybe some databases - for this kind of work, M1/M2 MacBook is very well supported. For whatever reason, there tend to be a decent number of Mac users in faculty, so you should have a fairly easy time getting support.

  • BadAtEveryGame on 21/07/2022 - 19:32
    +2

    Hey, I happen to be a first year CS student at UNSW. In my experience, we were initially made to remote into a Linux environment which the uni servers run, but we quickly moved on to using a VS Code and accessing our files and terminal using ssh-fs.

    You're unlikely to need any sort of high-end hardware for the most part - in fact, I rarely have to use my laptop, as I'm usually either at home, or in a computing lab. And even then I'm just running VS Code with a couple browser tabs. Many of my course tutors and lecturers use Macbooks - I'm not entirely sure why, but it is what it is. Do not buy an Android tablet.

    With my current experience I'd recommend just running with your current laptop and seeing how often you need to use it, you can go from there once you know your use-case.

    The hardware requirements could change as you get into higher-level courses, so I'd advise you to join a Discord server for your university's CS society and ask around :)

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