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View Full Version : Tablets/Laptops etc for University.



Imyourhero
31-01-2014, 04:51 PM
Who could recommend a quality tablet or laptop which you find perfect for university. List some pros and cons e.g. battery life etc

q-money
31-01-2014, 05:03 PM
tablet - i have a google nexus 10

pros - google, android, drag & drop, thin, light, no DRM, HD screen
cons - android, battery charges slowly, struggles with some apps + super HD video - is a tablet so is kind of always one step behind a good laptop

i am still running a 3 year old ACER Core i3 laptop running windows 7 and i really can't fault it for performance, handles pretty much everything i throw at it and it was only 500 bucks. bought an HP core i5 thing for my old man at the same time and it's total shite, overheats, slow, absolute donkey. so yeah i'd back ACER at the lower end of the market

stay away from AMD chips if you can, i don't know if they've improved but everything i've ever used with them gets hot, one swallow doesn't make a summer though

i'd also advise against a macbook air for the same reason, i find they get hot and slow - stick with a macbook pro if you want to go this route, get an SSD drive in it if you can, will be a good machine, lots of students in my lab run them and we don't have that much trouble with them considering they're in use for most of the day, every day

look at some of the detachable tablet/laptop crossover things if you want - windows 8 is a dog though.

this wouldn't be my preference, separate tablets/laptops is the way to go - then it's down to price and what you can afford

what's your budget in total?

Imyourhero
31-01-2014, 05:25 PM
Thanks so much for the input Q, my personal preference would be a laptop as long as it is well sized for carrying around, reliable and has good battery life. Id probably say id like to keep the $ under $600, so might have to have a good look around- however listening to salespeople who pretty much know nothing and couldnt give a sh** does my head in.

Blackmac79
31-01-2014, 05:31 PM
Mac.

everything else is balls.

MFKS
31-01-2014, 05:57 PM
Me I use an Acer Aspire V3 571G

Can't find too many issues with it. Was a little over sensitive with keys being touched lightly ****ing shit up but installed a program to stop that.

As for portability. The weight issue doesn't bother me once you pack it into a bag and sling it over your shoulder. No issues really transporting it about going on flights other than having to pull it out for Screening at airports which is not really that much of a pain in the arse

Going overseas to Sth America have thought about Ipad/ Tablet option for internet access but just can't see the point. Will be taking the laptop as it achieves all I want and the benefits of something lighter/smaller to me are not there

My2BobsWorth
31-01-2014, 06:05 PM
Don't buy an Acer laptop, try Asus.

evolution
31-01-2014, 07:03 PM
Have had an Acer laptop since 2009. Don't have a desktop so it's my primary computer. The thing is still a beast.

Imyourhero
31-01-2014, 08:47 PM
Cheers boys for the responses, ill start looking into all your suggestions and see which ones appeal to me.

furns
31-01-2014, 10:42 PM
I was looking at laptops and tablets earlier as I am upgrading soon.
I would advise trawling whirlpool.net.au and checking out the model numbers on there once you have an idea of what you want.

GazFish35
31-01-2014, 10:51 PM
Build your own with dell?

My missus loved being able to tailor the machine she got.
Happy with the service etc

joel31
31-01-2014, 11:29 PM
Build your own with dell?

My missus loved being able to tailor the machine she got.
Happy with the service etc
dell batteries are crap

joel31
31-01-2014, 11:30 PM
I like my Acer i7 windows 7 good graphics that I got on some bargain site last year for $700 but its probs not the best for uni

weston
01-02-2014, 11:22 AM
Went to Harvey Norman yesterday to gey a tablet. Told the guy what I really wan it for is to run foxtel go and a few games. He checked it out on one of the asus tablets and it was compatible. Though I wanted the asus a step down from the one he checked (he checked it on that one because he had an account etc on there and he didn't on the one I was looking at and we both assumed that it would work on both as there were not really much different in specs). $200 later and the kne I got does not support foxtel go. FFS. So now I will miss the jets game though I downloaded an app that has highlights etc so it's not all bad. But Tuesday when I get paid I will be going back and saying it doesn't do what I want and try and swap it for the other one and pay the extra $90 or so.

q-money
01-02-2014, 11:23 AM
foxtel go only runs on samsung native and iphone/pad

should have asked the foz first m8

pv4
01-02-2014, 11:36 AM
I've had a HP Probook 6550b for a few years and it's been a gem.

Mrs bought me a Kobo for reading, works just like a tablet also and I'm loving it

weston
01-02-2014, 11:40 AM
I have an iPhone 3GS and I'm ****ed if I can get it working on that. The dearer asus said it would work on that? Or maybe it just found the app. The tablet I actually got didn't even find it. I had to go looking for it, I assumed I had to search for it because it wasn't compatible and it came straight up on the other as it was compatible? Or maybe the cock nose at Harvey Norman has nfi what he is on about and it only found the app and not actually checked if it was compatible or not (considering he had never heard of foxtel go).

I must say its not a bad tablet. Just doesn't do what I primarily wanted it for.

q-money
01-02-2014, 11:45 AM
it won't work on android on a non-samsung device

was the dearer tablet running windows 8?

weston
01-02-2014, 11:51 AM
it won't work on android on a non-samsung device

was the dearer tablet running windows 8?

Don't think so. I won't have it if it does. Windows 8 on pc is an absolute nightmare. Have nearly thrown my mrs laptop out the window 15000 times.

Does foxtel go work on pc?

joel31
01-02-2014, 12:18 PM
Don't think so. I won't have it if it does. Windows 8 on pc is an absolute nightmare. Have nearly thrown my mrs laptop out the window 15000 times.

Does foxtel go work on pc?
it does work on PC but if u can't find something just go on hahasport.com or another streaming site and watch it (albeit with lower quality)

Skirt Boy
01-02-2014, 01:18 PM
My Samsung laptop has replaced my custom built desktop for everything.

toad
01-02-2014, 01:46 PM
might as well throw in my 2 bobs' worth.

got a lenovo t series laptop (i5 with beefed up ram etc.) about 18 months ago and have had no issues with it . ordering system is similar to dell but at the time i could get what i wanted a bit cheaper with lenovo. t series is their standard/middle of the road series, some people at uni have the cheaper ones and they do look/feel more flimsy.

don't have a tablet but from what i've seen/used i would go with a samsung i think. i don't like the whole apple "ecosystem" and also think macbooks are a bit of a ripoff, and windows 8 seems to have negative reviews all round.

furns
01-02-2014, 01:59 PM
personally I am looking at the Clevo range from LogicalBlueOne. Basically the same parts you get in the mainstream ranges (ie Sony, Dell, etc) without having to pay the premium for the name.

weston
01-02-2014, 02:07 PM
it does work on PC but if u can't find something just go on hahasport.com or another streaming site and watch it (albeit with lower quality)

I will try that link tonight on the tablet and see how it goes. I

MFKS
01-02-2014, 02:15 PM
Love how everyone thinks any new Windows such as this time Windows 8 is a nightmare. Yet seems to forget that in 12-24 months when the bugs are ironed out /or people have adequate equipment for it it will run alright.

Could never understand the furore over Vista. Vista was built for 64 bit systems. Nearly every dick on the planet tried jamming it on a 32bit system and then wondered why it wasn't good. Built a 64 bit system for Vista and as soon as Vista SP1 came out it ran sweet

weston
01-02-2014, 03:43 PM
I
Love how everyone thinks any new Windows such as this time Windows 8 is a nightmare. Yet seems to forget that in 12-24 months when the bugs are ironed out /or people have adequate equipment for it it will run alright.

Could never understand the furore over Vista. Vista was built for 64 bit systems. Nearly every dick on the planet tried jamming it on a 32bit system and then wondered why it wasn't good. Built a 64 bit system for Vista and as soon as Vista SP1 came out it ran sweet

My problem with windows 8 is I get windows popping up randomly all over the place all the time and I have trouble finding my way back. Absolute hate it.

My2BobsWorth
01-02-2014, 05:34 PM
Windows 8 is for kids to play with on their smartphone, it's the worst Windows in history if you actually want to do some work. Classic shell will give it a more Win7 look
http://www.classicshell.net/

holmesy
04-02-2014, 12:45 PM
If you want to do any kind of work. Stay away from anything Microsoft.

q-money
04-02-2014, 12:53 PM
If you want to do any kind of work. Stay away from anything Microsoft.

spoken like a true asshole mac zealot :rof:

both OS's have their relative merits. office is far far superior on windows than mac, adobe CS vice versa

militiamon
04-02-2014, 01:13 PM
If you want to do any kind of work. Stay away from anything Microsoft.

Doing science on a mac :blush:

sh10
04-02-2014, 01:41 PM
If you want to do any kind of work. Stay away from anything Microsoft.

no porn on macs? devo. can see why ur so angry

plague
04-02-2014, 02:44 PM
Went to Harvey Norman yesterday to gey a tablet. Told the guy what I really wan it for is to run foxtel go and a few games. He checked it out on one of the asus tablets and it was compatible. Though I wanted the asus a step down from the one he checked (he checked it on that one because he had an account etc on there and he didn't on the one I was looking at and we both assumed that it would work on both as there were not really much different in specs). $200 later and the kne I got does not support foxtel go. FFS. So now I will miss the jets game though I downloaded an app that has highlights etc so it's not all bad. But Tuesday when I get paid I will be going back and saying it doesn't do what I want and try and swap it for the other one and pay the extra $90 or so.

Haha this asshole (the HN guy not you)
If he was the tall streak with black curly hair he pulls it with everyone.
Tried to pull it with me and openly argued with me as to which tablets do and don't have Foxtel Go (Q is right, one Samsung model does and so do iPads but that's it).

q-money
04-02-2014, 02:54 PM
such a dick move on behalf of foxtel...samsung makes the farken nexus 10 argh

foxtel go/play is actually pretty dope on the PC though, i use it all the time when the mrs doesn't let me watch the telly

The Dunster
04-02-2014, 03:37 PM
The only thing Apple / Mac do well is promote their 4th rate woeful products. Phones are junk, music devices - junk - inability to run databases such as Access natively - Disgrace, and they are about one tenth the speed of an intel at similar clock speed if yer lucky running Mathematica.

I also don't buy the better for music crap either. Plenty of good programs such as Sonar do it just as good for a lot less money.

I'm not against young girls having their own brand of computer or phone but lets not pretend apple make products for men. Because they don't.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4dM6-CPQWpU/TjKpxA2AhjI/AAAAAAAACQs/5fVHf1a7IP4/s1600/apple-store-creep1.jpg

http://evolveent.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Fake-Apple-Store-In-China-Hit-With-Android-Boner.jpg

q-money
04-02-2014, 03:46 PM
we're running a 12 core xeon mac pro for our image reconstruction software and it's pretty manly

The Dunster
04-02-2014, 04:02 PM
we're running a 12 core xeon mac pro for our image reconstruction software and it's pretty manly

Made by Intel. You could get a PC with the same power running natively for a lot less.

q-money
04-02-2014, 04:21 PM
yeah but it's a lot of dickin' around, plus half of our stuff runs on OSX and the other half on windows - parallels is the answer and it works out of the box.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4dM6-CPQWpU/TjKpxA2AhjI/AAAAAAAACQs/5fVHf1a7IP4/s1600/apple-store-creep1.jpg

:rof:

Jetmaster
04-02-2014, 04:23 PM
Acer Aspire V3 571G fanboi here too - running Windoze 8 SP1 with i7 core. Also recommend Classic Shell to bypass that apps shit.

Great laptop - only downer is the battery could last a bit longer.

Got a tablet to show PDFs to clients and just general surf whilst lounging around - I'm "anything but Apple" and went for a Chinese Android. Apart from getting around the Chinese hyraglyphics it is taking everything I throw at it, including streamed media from my home server.

So much easier to discretely w*** with a tablet btw.

My2BobsWorth
04-02-2014, 04:56 PM
Made by Intel. You could get a PC with the same power running natively for a lot less.
This is true of all Apple stuff

MFKS
04-02-2014, 05:33 PM
Acer Aspire V3 571G fanboi here too - running Windoze 8 SP1 with i7 core. Also recommend Classic Shell to bypass that apps shit.

Great laptop - only downer is the battery could last a bit longer.

Got a tablet to show PDFs to clients and just general surf whilst lounging around - I'm "anything but Apple" and went for a Chinese Android. Apart from getting around the Chinese hyraglyphics it is taking everything I throw at it, including streamed media from my home server.

So much easier to discretely w*** with a tablet btw.

How long ago did you get it??

I bought mine about January last year and at the shop had the option of getting it with either Windows 7 or Windows 8

I took the Windows 7 option as I thought it would be more stable.

Just wondering what it would have been like if I went the other option and went Windows 8???

q-money
04-02-2014, 05:47 PM
This is true of all Apple stuff
what's good for the computer dork out there isn't always good for the high-end user who is not au fait with the building of systems from scratch (i.e. biologists, clinicians, anyone who is not an engineer (or economist, obviously) :rof: )

the mac pro is popular because it works out of the box, and you don't have to put it together yourself

given the choice between ****ing around building a system, or knowing i can get one that does the job with a minimal amount of fuss, most people with a bit of wedge to spend will opt for the mac.

but horses for courses - dunster's machine is probably useless for what i'd want to do and vice versa, and mine would probably send him into apoplectic rage

My2BobsWorth
04-02-2014, 07:17 PM
He was talking off the shelf laptops Q, and if you line up the specs, because they both use Intel now, the Apple will cost more, probably $500 on a cheap laptop, but if you need Apple like some musicians tend to use, go for it

parksey
04-02-2014, 11:05 PM
Thread approaching sfcu levels of nerdism.

Someone just needs to make a Dr. Who joke or something similar.

q-money
04-02-2014, 11:54 PM
says the bloke hanging out on an a-league forum at midnight

militiamon
05-02-2014, 01:08 AM
what's good for the computer dork out there isn't always good for the high-end user who is not au fait with the building of systems from scratch (i.e. biologists, clinicians, anyone who is not an engineer (or economist, obviously) :rof: )

the mac pro is popular because it works out of the box, and you don't have to put it together yourself

given the choice between ****ing around building a system, or knowing i can get one that does the job with a minimal amount of fuss, most people with a bit of wedge to spend will opt for the mac.

but horses for courses - dunster's machine is probably useless for what i'd want to do and vice versa, and mine would probably send him into apoplectic rage

So in summary:

PCs - nerds
Macs - geeks

Jetmaster
05-02-2014, 08:17 AM
How long ago did you get it??

I bought mine about January last year and at the shop had the option of getting it with either Windows 7 or Windows 8

I took the Windows 7 option as I thought it would be more stable.

Just wondering what it would have been like if I went the other option and went Windows 8???

I got mine in May last year at Officeworks - tbh I would have preferred Windows 7, just more comfortable with it.

plague
05-02-2014, 08:46 AM
Who would have thought that a question about computers would turn into a Mac vs PC debate.

Stunning.

I typed this on my Amstrad.

pv4
05-02-2014, 08:59 AM
Thread approaching sfcu levels of nerdism.

Someone just needs to make a Dr. Who joke or something similar.


says the bloke hanging out on an a-league forum at midnight

:rof: to both

The way I (very basically) see it..

Macs are popular for people who want to use iTunes as they're scared of other softwares. I've been told they're decent for DJs. And photoshop wizards/graphic designers/etc would die without mac.

Windows actually runs programs that are useful. Only way to get some programs on a mac is that parallel trick. I know a bunch of programs I've needed for uni/work have been unable to be used from a Mac OS.

Yo militia - my brother in law does astrophys @ Sydney Uni & apparently it's Mac or die in his labs/etc. Must be that Sydney hipster kulcha

Imyourhero
05-02-2014, 10:16 AM
It's ridiculous how hard it is to find laptops under 15" in store.

The Dunster
05-02-2014, 10:47 AM
http://www.funnyflash.com/img/funnies/submissions/30/apple-store-creep1.jpg

Typical Apple Mac User.

q-money
05-02-2014, 10:49 AM
:rof: dat pic

furns
05-02-2014, 03:37 PM
It's ridiculous how hard it is to find laptops under 15" in store.your going to the wrong shops then.
I went browsing in JB HiFi on the weekend and 85% of the laptops were under 15".

Imyourhero
05-02-2014, 04:24 PM
your going to the wrong shops then.
I went browsing in JB HiFi on the weekend and 85% of the laptops were under 15".

Which JB? I'd have to go for a drive to head to a JB store but dont want to waste my time if they don't have anything.

My2BobsWorth
05-02-2014, 04:36 PM
Who would have thought that a question about computers would turn into a Mac vs PC debate.

Stunning.

I typed this on my Amstrad.

Chair right, Plague McCloy would have a laptop to rival the total computing power of NASA

furns
05-02-2014, 04:40 PM
Which JB? I'd have to go for a drive to head to a JB store but dont want to waste my time if they don't have anything.I live in sydney, so you might be up for a fair drive if you want to check out the one I went to ;)

seriously though, have a look at http://www.logicalblueone.com.au/store/ and check out the relevant threads on whirlpool.net.au
its another option, but you would need to be a moderately computer literate to know what you were looking for.
If you are an "out of the box" type user (read: apple fanboi) its probably not for you ;)

MFKS
05-02-2014, 06:47 PM
I got mine in May last year at Officeworks - tbh I would have preferred Windows 7, just more comfortable with it.

I take it you didn't get the windows 7 or Windows 8 option I did and were stuck with Windows 8???

parksey
11-02-2014, 09:43 AM
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=221370787964

Is this a good buy or not? Please respond ASAP, preferably do not buy this before me.

MFKS
11-02-2014, 11:18 AM
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=221370787964

Is this a good buy or not? Please respond ASAP, preferably do not buy this before me.

how much you prepared to pay Parksey??

We can all then take turns to place bids and jack the price up so you pay top dollar :tongue:

parksey
11-02-2014, 11:22 AM
Well I'm prepared to pay the buy now price if it's worth it.

Skirt Boy
11-02-2014, 11:53 AM
what's good for the computer dork out there isn't always good for the high-end user who is not au fait with the building of systems from scratch (i.e. biologists, clinicians, anyone who is not an engineer (or economist, obviously) :rof: )

the mac pro is popular because it works out of the box, and you don't have to put it together yourself

given the choice between ****ing around building a system, or knowing i can get one that does the job with a minimal amount of fuss, most people with a bit of wedge to spend will opt for the mac.

but horses for courses - dunster's machine is probably useless for what i'd want to do and vice versa, and mine would probably send him into apoplectic rage

My windows 7 Samsung runs photo shop better then the Universities Macs in the photography building. Plus firing up the old DOS when doing large file transfers is the shit.

The Bauhaus University has Windows machines for everything and for a school that only does architecture/design/art you would think Mac's would be the standard.............nope.

Also this thing is going to change everything we know about computers.

http://au.ign.com/wikis/steam/Steam_Machine

The money you fork out on a Apple is purely because of the design elements. And lets be honest. Due to pop culture everybody wants to be a trendy hipster and how much more trendy hipster can you get then by using the same tools as what most designers/artists use? So thanks to the first two versions of photoshop being Macintosh exclusive the rest is history.