Guest moxiekat Posted June 3, 2005 Report Share Posted June 3, 2005 I'm entering UBC next year and am planning to buy a new laptop. Are there any group deals that I should wait until September for? Or should I run out and purchase one this summer? For the record, I know very little about computers, but I have been told I simply must buy a Mac, so that's what I'd be in the market for... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kupo Posted June 3, 2005 Report Share Posted June 3, 2005 hey moxiekat, If you considering a Mac, buying at the university OR the education store on the Apple website gives you discounts. For example, a 12.1 inch powerbook with the DVD burner costs $1899 CAD instead of the $2199 CAD available to normal consumers. A savings of $300 is not bad! I was looking at laptops at the UBC bookstore and they currently have promotions on top of the "education discount" they give you for Apple notebooks. I think they are shaving $100 off the 12.1 inch powerbook, so its $1800. As for PC laptops, I haven't found discounts like that because I haven't really looked all that hard, but someone else could give you more info on that. I just know Apple laptops have those prices because I'm contemplating on getting one, so I've paid attention to the rise and fall of prices over the last few months. There you have it. Some food for thought. Kupo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kupo Posted June 3, 2005 Report Share Posted June 3, 2005 BTW, that apple promotion is a "grad" promotion that lasts until June 30th. not sure what that means, but im interpreting that as a savings of $100 for any student that buys one during that time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TKP 123 Posted June 3, 2005 Report Share Posted June 3, 2005 Is there any reason why MAC are more preferrable than PCs? Is it just a personal preference, or that some softwares used in medical school are only MAC-compatible? Personally, I love PC much better, probably because I am used to it... Any clues why MAC? thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jochi1543 Posted June 3, 2005 Report Share Posted June 3, 2005 Unless the laptops they sell on campus have some specific features installed, you can save money by buying a used one. I bought my first used laptop on Ebay in 2002, it was a 2001 Sony Vaio model that sold for $2500 in 2001, pentium III and all that jazz. I got it in great condition (besides the battery that only lasted about an hour) for less than $1000. I pretty much destroyed that one by 1) vomiting on it (don't ask) 2) stepping on it (don't ask either), and decided to sell it for parts once I get back from Japan. I just ordered another Sony Vaio (diff model, don't remember now, but also Pentium III, DVD dock, and all that stuff) on Ebay for just $325+shipping. Just buy from people with a good feedback history and insure your shipments and you'll get a great deal safely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest moxiekat Posted June 3, 2005 Report Share Posted June 3, 2005 Thanks so much for all the great info, especially yours, kupo. I think there has to be some pretty good stories behind how Jochi's computers were destroyed. I'm going with Mac because I hear they have stonger durability and catch fewer viruses. My brother is in a professional school, and his toshiba PC fell apart about 2 days after the one year warranty expired! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mysticalbc Posted June 8, 2005 Report Share Posted June 8, 2005 so in terms of software compatibility, it doesnt matter if we get MAC or PC?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Crazypremed Posted June 8, 2005 Report Share Posted June 8, 2005 I personally suggest buying a PC, it's more compatible with school, work, and home use. I would also suggest getting a custom built PC laptop, you'll save tonnes of bucks. I managed to save over $300 bucks on my laptop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MekoMints Posted June 8, 2005 Report Share Posted June 8, 2005 crazypremed, just wondering how easy it is to custom built one? did you buy it from a big chain store or a local/priviate computer shop? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest smalltownchic Posted June 8, 2005 Report Share Posted June 8, 2005 If you are looking for a place to buy your computer, have a look at Costco. The selection sucks, but unless you are looking for something really specific they should have something that fits the bill. The reason I am recommending them is simply because they have a 6 month return policy on all computers and parts. If you don’t like it by Christmas time, return it and get all of your money back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Crazypremed Posted June 8, 2005 Report Share Posted June 8, 2005 I purchased my laptop through a local small computer shop. It is really easy to build a custom built laptop because they usually have pre-designed packages to choose from. Alternatively, you could also modify a pre-designed package or design your own laptop (i.e. you can choose the exterior casing, video card, hard drive size, dvd burner, etc...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest physiology Posted June 8, 2005 Report Share Posted June 8, 2005 Hello, The best part about the computer lab, besides the microscopes and slides of the kidney, there's an awesome laser printer (black and white) that automatically double-sides, prints 2/4/6/8 pages onto one and is extremely fast. It's also FREE to use. However, you must supply your own paper. You'll come to appreciate it before PBL next year as you madly rush to print your PBL notes at 7:55 am, and try to make it to PBl on time at 8. The sound of its beautiful hum, whipping out sheets 100x faster than my terrible bubble jet printer at home - gotta love it My point is you may want to hold off on buying a printer until after you've tried the printer in the LSC computer lab. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest btrots Posted June 9, 2005 Report Share Posted June 9, 2005 Hey Jochi, do you find the computers here in Japan generally blow? ie less computer for more money? I thought about buying a laptop here, but a trip out to Yodoyabashi camera quickly changed my mind...some cool ones I guess, but damn! Quite the pricetag. The general perception that Japan is full of cheap, high quality electronics is a crock, at least for the most part! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jochi1543 Posted June 9, 2005 Report Share Posted June 9, 2005 Yeah, I mean, I already knew I was gonna buy a used laptop because I have no money for a new one, but when I went to Sakuraya, I was surprised to see $3000 price tags on computers that didn't even have a pizza grill and a toilet attached to them. I agree, for most part, electronics in Japan are hardly cheaper than those in the US. Some of them are more elaborate, but the same stuff is at least the same price as it is in the US. Japan is crazy expensive, no matter what products you are trying to compare!:x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MekoMints Posted June 9, 2005 Report Share Posted June 9, 2005 Physiology, do you know if they have awesome computer lab with FREE whipping speed printers at the LSC's at IMP and NMP? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nicksinbc Posted June 9, 2005 Report Share Posted June 9, 2005 Hello all: My name is Nicole and my computer is misbehaving...TERRIBLY...which makes me just want to bawl. My hard-drive is so full with IMPORTANT @#%$ that I barely have enough memory for even the most basic operations (like downloading and reading my e-mail). I am looking into getting a new tower but have no idea as to what features to look for. Would someone please help me determine what to look for: For example: 1. what type of motherboard... 2. What type of hard drive 3. Which processors are best etc... 4. Should I get one with a CD burner or DVD burner etc. If you haven't noticed by now I am somewhat illiterate when it comes to hardware...any advice would be great. Since attending medschool in the fall will have a significant impact on my bank account and therefore limit my somewhat fun-loving lifestyle;) I would really like to keep my costs low. Does anyone know of any dealers/warehouse-type-places that offer good deals? Excited to meet you all in the fall. Thanks, Nicole Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TKP 123 Posted June 9, 2005 Report Share Posted June 9, 2005 I will still pick a PC because of the compatibility of the programs. Hopefully virus scanner and firewall will prevent the malicious stuff. TKP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mitchie41 Posted June 9, 2005 Report Share Posted June 9, 2005 Hey Nicole: For motherboards, I really like ASUS boards just 'cause they're probably the best known motherboard manufacturer. But I know people who will swear by Gigabyte boards because they're cheap and the tech support is apparently really good. As for hard drives, you can either get SerialATA(newer, faster, and has really small cables) or the older ATA drives. There's only like a $10 dollar difference between the two. For processors, your only choices are really Intel and AMD. Both have higher end processors(AMD 64, Pentium 4 HT) or low end ones(Semperon, Celeron). If you're just going to be running simple applications and browsing the web, the lower end processors should be fine. And finally, for the CD\DVD drive, it's again really a personal preference. You can buy a DVD burner for around $70 now, and you can burn like 8 CDs onto 1 DVD. A CD Burner will run around $40. For cheap computer parts, check out ATIC(http://www.atic.ca) or NCIX(http://www.ncix.com). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nicksinbc Posted June 10, 2005 Report Share Posted June 10, 2005 Hi TKP and Mitchie: Thanks for the advice. Really appreciate it. I am going to refrain from getting the lower end processors (celeron etc.). Their low costs are very tempting though. The problem is that I use my home PC for research purposes as well and so have SPSS and other stuff on it. I am going to opt for a more powerful processor as it may be more useful to me. I already know about 'ATIC'. I got my monitor from them last year. I will check out 'NCIX'. Wish I could buy the parts and assemble the stupid thing myself...only problem is I don't know how. I intend to learn how to do this some day...am sure that it could save me some bucks. Thanks for the help. Nicole Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest paradoxbox Posted June 13, 2005 Report Share Posted June 13, 2005 Hi, if you're just planning on using it for word processing there is definately no need for all kinds of fancy stuff like a 256mb graphics card and dolby 5.1 surround sound audio etc.. I bought a p3 500mhz Vaio laptop on ebay for 300 canadian a few weeks ago as a gap filler while I wait for my high end laptop to be ready ( a dell XPS gen 2, which cost about 4 grand..). It's completely adequate for taking notes in class as well as watching dvd movies. It's also extremely light (ultraportable) but the dvd is external which may or may not be bad for some people. I'll be selling it for a bit less than 300 bucks in a month or two so if anyone here wants it let me know. Otherwise, if you're just looking for a word processing computer that can handle the internet etc.. I'd recommend a lightweight portable computer like a Sony Vaio Z505 (mine) or a Dell Inspirion 2100 or Latitude 400. If you want something with beefy power and don't mind paying interest through the roof (around 110$/month payments for 2 years) grab yourself a dell XPS Generation 2, as it's probably faster and more mobile than your desktop pc will ever be, plus it's probably got more useful gadgets than your desktop too. And it looks cooler. If you get the 3 year warranty you can abuse it as much as you like and still get free parts from dell. This is the strong point of owning a dell and I can vouch for their warranty quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Asuna Med 2009 Posted June 20, 2005 Report Share Posted June 20, 2005 I'm just wondering from those of you who are current (or past) med students, is a home PC suitable for med school or should I be purchasing a notebook? Thanks a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lex Posted June 21, 2005 Report Share Posted June 21, 2005 it's not necessary by any means to have a laptop. some people do, most probably don't. laptops are convenient, but just like in any other application, it's always nice to have a desktop if you're not on the go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TKP 123 Posted June 21, 2005 Report Share Posted June 21, 2005 I got a question about the security of the lockers in the LSC building. Say, if we get a laptop, do you think it is safe to put it there when we have lectures? Also, is there a security guard on duty 24 hrs a day? Sorry for these silly questions, but it will give me a sense of what i will be doing this fall. thanks TKP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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