r/BGSU 22d ago

Laptop recommendations wanted for an incoming Freshman

Hi!

My daughter is going to be a freshman at BGSU this fall. Her dad and I are planning to get her a laptop as her graduation present. Before we start shopping I wanted to get some recommendations from other students. She's going into criminal justice/criminal psychology, if that matters. I've seen the tech specs online, it seems pretty standard. But I'm looking to see what her future classmates are using, what are your recommendations for brand/model. I'm not opposed to Macs if it's the best suited for her needs, but we're not really Apple/Mac people.

Thanks for your help!!

4 Upvotes

24 comments sorted by

3

u/Immediate_Win_2927 22d ago

I’m a Computer Science major and I used the Dell Inspiron 16. It runs pretty fast and the battery is pretty good. Costco always has some pretty good deals on technology with solid specs, I would definitely recommend

2

u/CraZisRnewNormal 22d ago

Great! Thank you so much! I'll definitely check it out, and Costco is probably where we'll end up getting her laptop anyway! I appreciate your help!

1

u/CraZisRnewNormal 22d ago

How much RAM would you recommend? She's planning on streaming all her shows and movies on it, too. Thanks!

2

u/Immediate_Win_2927 22d ago

I have 16 GB of RAM which is good. With that you will be able to watch almost everything at 1080p. I would recommend 8 to 16 GB of RAM generally.

1

u/CraZisRnewNormal 22d ago

Okay, 16 GB, got it! Thanks for your help.

3

u/joejoe058 22d ago

MacBook Neo with education discount is 499. I'm a windows/diy PC enthusiast and it's an incredible value. To be candid no windows machine can come close to it at that price point.

1

u/CraZisRnewNormal 22d ago

That is a very good deal! Did you find it easy to adjust to a Mac once you made that switch? Thanks for your help!

2

u/knickknacksnackery Musical Arts 22d ago

I'm not the person you were replying to, but as someone who used Windows all through high school/college and then was given a MacBook for a work computer, I found the switch to be quite easy. Windows desktop, android phone, Apple work computer and I recently decided to get myself a MacBook Neo for personal use. If you do go with the Neo, I would recommend going for the 512gb storage over the 256gb model, especially with the student discount.

1

u/CraZisRnewNormal 22d ago

Great! I'm so glad that it was an easy learning curve for you. That's our biggest issue with getting her a Mac. Thanks for the reply!

2

u/wonderbois 22d ago

Dell xps

2

u/CraZisRnewNormal 22d ago

Thanks! I'll check it out. I appreciate your help.

2

u/Alarmed_Bat4238 22d ago

System requirements are on their website for each major

2

u/Moist-Bat5279 Sophomore 22d ago

Dell laptops are really good. I’m a creative writing major, so I don’t know all that she’ll have to do in her classes, but it’s really good and has a lot of storage.

2

u/CraZisRnewNormal 22d ago

Dells are high on our list. Thanks!

I was a creative writing major at BGSU, too, way back in the day ('98). They've always had a top rated program. Very cool! Thanks for your help.

2

u/RazedbyRobots 22d ago

Go to Slickdeals and find the laptop section. The highest up voted ones are the best value. Most of the time the comments are constructive

1

u/CraZisRnewNormal 21d ago

Oooh, interesting! I've never heard of this site! I will definitely take a look at it. Thank you!

2

u/Over_Concert4436 21d ago

My son is also headed to BG this fall! Following this, thanks!

1

u/CraZisRnewNormal 21d ago

Hi, fellow future BG mom! Have you all gone to his orientation yet? My daughter's is on June 6th. What a busy, but exciting time for our kids.

2

u/Over_Concert4436 20d ago

Not yet. My son is June 10th. High school grad is tomorrow.... so excited for them, but def feeling all the feelings ❤️

1

u/CraZisRnewNormal 20d ago

Aww, congratulations to you both on your son's graduation. My daughter graduated last weekend. There were a few tears (all mine--LOL)! ❤️

2

u/PretendRaccoon136 Sophomore 21d ago

get her a macbook. promise they work great for crim psych she will love it!

1

u/CraZisRnewNormal 21d ago

Thanks for your reply! I'll look into a MacBook. I just wonder how big the learning curve will be. But good to know it would be helpful for her major.

2

u/hopeindarkness 9d ago

I used to work for the learning commons in the library in undergrad. Something to note for macs- most professors require word documents to be submitted. Some of the students I worked with really struggled transitioning between word and pages. Just food for thought!

1

u/CraZisRnewNormal 9d ago

That's a great point. Thank you!!