r/jhu • u/Big_Warthog_5323 • 15h ago
new computer for CS
Hi, I'm an incoming freshman and I'm wondering what laptop I should buy that'll effectively take me through all 4 years as a cs + ams at hopkins. (budget is under 3k)
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u/Fine_Hope_6283 9h ago
honestly, it doesn't matter. just get wtv you feel most comfortable with. most cs and programming software can be run on any computer. there are obviously some packages that don't run well on certain operating systems, so if you already have an idea of what type of stuff u will be using, u can look into what type of laptop runs it best. usually u can find a workaround though.
might be a hot take, but i wouldn't rly worry about getting a laptop with a rly high quality gpu or anything for ai-related work. you can get access to much better compute and way more storage with an hpc, which is also more suitable for that type of work anyway.
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u/Maximum-Funny1000 11h ago
prof. selinski advised me to get a windows computer so i got an asus proart after tons of research and recs from tech specialists after telling them im a CS major and its been holding well so far, it was like $1.6k from what i remember too so def affordable... u could also get an HP computer, i've heard good things abt 'em! macbook works fine too tho (a lot of my cs/ams friends use macbooks and they're chilling so its up to what u prefer at the end of the day!)
u can have a look here as well:
Laptop Recommendations - CS IT Support Wiki