A computer for a programmer

[jballew7]

Hi,
I'm a computer science major and I'm getting to the point that I'm going to begin taking programming classes. Therefore I "think" I may need a new computer. However does a programmer need a beefy computer? Not state of the art but pretty good. I've been saving up to build a new gaming rig however would it be better spent on buying a nice laptop? (I say laptop because its more useful for school) I already have a laptop but it isn't much of anything,.. dual core, 4gb ram, HDD.

Any advice would be appreciated. My heart say build a gaming pc but my brain say buy a better laptop.

 

[koffeeshop77]

I would buy a gaming laptop and then program and play on there,
you could use the laptop you have for simple programming but you might want to stick some extra ram in it for internet surfing and multitasking purposes, say the 4 you have plus an additional 4gig ram (50$), but you will NOT be able to game on it.

they have some pretty good 700- 800$ gaming laptops from msi and asus rog out there, check amazon and new-egg, that would be a VERY big step up from what you have.

if you actually want to build one say a desktop you might be cheaper off or maybe a little more powerful, but then considering you are in programming class you will really want to have you computer with you at all times and not have, have a program stuck at home on your desktop.

 

[koffeeshop77]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152949

http://www.amazon.com/Acer-E5-572G-72M5-15-6-inch-GeForce-Windows/dp/B013EIQQW0/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1444013527&sr=1-3&keywords=acer+laptop&refinements=p_n_feature_four_browse-bin%3A2289792011

examples given ^^

 

[RazerZ]

It is likely you will not need a powerful computer for your course. Talk to your school and professors and find out what software you will be using at the kinds of projects you will work on. Then find out the hardware requirements... if you need help feel free to post here.

Also check to see if there is a computer lab in your school with workstation desktops.
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That being said if you plan to buy a gaming PC, definitely build your own desktop. You will get a much more powerful computer compared to buying a gaming laptop, and you will be able to upgrade it as well. Use your current laptop for portable use, have a gaming pc at your dorm. Best of both worlds.

 

[fudoka711]

It is likely you will not need a powerful computer for your course. Talk to your school and professors and find out what software you will be using at the kinds of projects you will work on. Then find out the hardware requirements... if you need help feel free to post here.

Also check to see if there is a computer lab in your school with workstation desktops.
---
That being said if you plan to buy a gaming PC, definitely build your own desktop. You will get a much more powerful computer compared to buying a gaming laptop, and you will be able to upgrade it as well. Use your current laptop for portable use, have a gaming pc at your dorm. Best of both worlds.

Honestly, this is probably the best advice.

Most programming courses I know of actually utilize MacBooks more than pc laptops. As much as I hate Mac's...you would probably be better off getting $1000 MacBook (doesn't really matter which). Odd's are your school has a $100-200 discount for buying a MacBook, too.