gran0480 Posted July 25, 2011 Author Share Posted July 25, 2011 Hi all, I'm not yet a PA student, but I hold high hopes of being accepted into a program beginning Fall 2012. Unfortunately, the laptop that was supposed to get me through my undergrad died, and I am now in the market for a new one. As current PA students, I was hoping to receive some feedback on what kind of computer equipment you own (laptop or otherwise) and what you are finding to be most useful to you. I've looked at the computer requirements for the programs I've applied to that have requirements (few and far between), but they're unhelpful at best. Thanks so much! -Mandy Edit: I appreciate the responses so far! I would also appreciate information about how PA programs use technology - should I expect to be doing mostly word processing, or will there be specialized programs I'll need to be running? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gran0480 Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 Hi all, I'm not yet a PA student, but I hold high hopes of being accepted into a program beginning Fall 2012. Unfortunately, the laptop that was supposed to get me through my undergrad died, and I am now in the market for a new one. As current PA students, I was hoping to receive some feedback on what kind of computer equipment you own (laptop or otherwise) and what you are finding to be most useful to you. I've looked at the computer requirements for the programs I've applied to that have requirements (few and far between), but they're unhelpful at best. Thanks so much! -Mandy Edit: I appreciate the responses so far! I would also appreciate information about how PA programs use technology - should I expect to be doing mostly word processing, or will there be specialized programs I'll need to be running? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted July 25, 2011 Administrator Share Posted July 25, 2011 Buy a MacBook Pro, 15", with solid state memory, and get Windows 7 running under Parallels. I spent $3k on mine, but I have the luxury of running anything I want on one machine. Warranty and repair services are top-notch though generally unnecessary. But then, one of my classmates got by on a sub-$400 Windows netbook just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted July 25, 2011 Administrator Share Posted July 25, 2011 Buy a MacBook Pro, 15", with solid state memory, and get Windows 7 running under Parallels. I spent $3k on mine, but I have the luxury of running anything I want on one machine. Warranty and repair services are top-notch though generally unnecessary. But then, one of my classmates got by on a sub-$400 Windows netbook just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planteater Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 Just make sure you can use a Mac in the programs you are interested in. I was hoping to treat myself to a Mac once I get accepted- until I read that the school I want to go to does not allow them in their PA program (I have no idea why except maybe some of the programs they use aren't Mac compatible???)- PCs only :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planteater Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 Just make sure you can use a Mac in the programs you are interested in. I was hoping to treat myself to a Mac once I get accepted- until I read that the school I want to go to does not allow them in their PA program (I have no idea why except maybe some of the programs they use aren't Mac compatible???)- PCs only :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAdaddy Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 If you aren't already familiar with a Mac, don't start using one now... my humble opinion. Nothing worse than being in class, trying to retrieve that notes document or presentation data from last night as the lecturer asks you to pull it up and you can't figure out how to right click or open a folder (because Mac's are completely different from PCs). I'm not berating Macs... they are great machines... but in my opinion NOWHERE near worth the massive amounts of coin you drop on them unless you're a developer or graphics designer. Go to Dell.com, spec out a latitude laptop, with AT MINIMUM 2GB of RAM, but preferably 4GB of RAM. The other specs (hard drive space, etc) are basically irrelevant as they don't really offer any sub par processors or hard drive's these days unless you are a massive gamer or software designer... which is the only reason I would ever spend 3000.00 on a Mac. You can spend $600-$1000 on that Dell Latitude and it will serve you very well for the next 3 years. I buy about 2 million dollars worth of them every 2 years at my hospitals for nurses and physicians for CPOE and electronic charting. JD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAdaddy Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 If you aren't already familiar with a Mac, don't start using one now... my humble opinion. Nothing worse than being in class, trying to retrieve that notes document or presentation data from last night as the lecturer asks you to pull it up and you can't figure out how to right click or open a folder (because Mac's are completely different from PCs). I'm not berating Macs... they are great machines... but in my opinion NOWHERE near worth the massive amounts of coin you drop on them unless you're a developer or graphics designer. Go to Dell.com, spec out a latitude laptop, with AT MINIMUM 2GB of RAM, but preferably 4GB of RAM. The other specs (hard drive space, etc) are basically irrelevant as they don't really offer any sub par processors or hard drive's these days unless you are a massive gamer or software designer... which is the only reason I would ever spend 3000.00 on a Mac. You can spend $600-$1000 on that Dell Latitude and it will serve you very well for the next 3 years. I buy about 2 million dollars worth of them every 2 years at my hospitals for nurses and physicians for CPOE and electronic charting. JD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cstarkwe Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 I bought a MAC about a month before school and it was the best decision I made. I had a crappy DELL prior to my mac and I am so glad I switched over! The battery life is AWESOME (10 hours!) which is helpful if the classrooms are lacking plugs. If you don't know how to use a MAC just get the one to one training sessions. The mac employees are super helpful! Also just keep in mind some programs require you get a certain computer for the program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cstarkwe Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 I bought a MAC about a month before school and it was the best decision I made. I had a crappy DELL prior to my mac and I am so glad I switched over! The battery life is AWESOME (10 hours!) which is helpful if the classrooms are lacking plugs. If you don't know how to use a MAC just get the one to one training sessions. The mac employees are super helpful! Also just keep in mind some programs require you get a certain computer for the program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAdaddy Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 Just my personal Opinion: But a Mac is not $2,000.00 dollars MORE worth of "awesome"... but that's just my opinion. To each his own. For many people $$$ to functionality ratio is what counts. Coolness factor aside (the kiddies love this...) if the question posed to us in this thread is "What will get me through a 2 year PA program and is the best bang for the buck my answer is still Dell.com latitude laptop. Most new batteries will last 8 hours on a single charge easily as long as you are just taking notes, browsing the web etc. Battery drain is determined by CPU cycles and resource utilization meaning videos, multi app threading, etc (anything that taxes the devices resources) will drain it's battery life. I find it hard to believe that a Mac can run for 10 hours with no charge playing movies, multi-tasking etc... but just having MS Word open and taking notes, or browsing the web yes i can believe that. By all means, if money is no object and you don't mind being completely clueless as to how to navigate your system or learning a new OS from scratch when you are beginning school and will have enough on your mind... get the Mac. If you want to get the job done with the industry standard device (there are no enterprise healthcare electronic documentation applications with a MAC infrastructure) then get a PC. ** I will note that the majority of Physicians and Med school students tend to lean towards Mac ... I attribute this to having the feeling that money is no object :) ... because it sure isn't because it makes their life as a clinician easier. Disclaimer: Yes I own a macbook pro. I also own many PC's and PC laptops. I'm also a CIO for a 40 hospital healthcare system... so my opinions are obviously biased .. so please keep that in mind. I enjoy my Mac, but I use it for video editing almost exclusively and never would have bought one if I didn't have a hundred physicians that I work with using them and always complaining about how they were unsupported in eHealthcare (basically I wanted to see what all the hubbub was about). JD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAdaddy Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 Just my personal Opinion: But a Mac is not $2,000.00 dollars MORE worth of "awesome"... but that's just my opinion. To each his own. For many people $$$ to functionality ratio is what counts. Coolness factor aside (the kiddies love this...) if the question posed to us in this thread is "What will get me through a 2 year PA program and is the best bang for the buck my answer is still Dell.com latitude laptop. Most new batteries will last 8 hours on a single charge easily as long as you are just taking notes, browsing the web etc. Battery drain is determined by CPU cycles and resource utilization meaning videos, multi app threading, etc (anything that taxes the devices resources) will drain it's battery life. I find it hard to believe that a Mac can run for 10 hours with no charge playing movies, multi-tasking etc... but just having MS Word open and taking notes, or browsing the web yes i can believe that. By all means, if money is no object and you don't mind being completely clueless as to how to navigate your system or learning a new OS from scratch when you are beginning school and will have enough on your mind... get the Mac. If you want to get the job done with the industry standard device (there are no enterprise healthcare electronic documentation applications with a MAC infrastructure) then get a PC. ** I will note that the majority of Physicians and Med school students tend to lean towards Mac ... I attribute this to having the feeling that money is no object :) ... because it sure isn't because it makes their life as a clinician easier. Disclaimer: Yes I own a macbook pro. I also own many PC's and PC laptops. I'm also a CIO for a 40 hospital healthcare system... so my opinions are obviously biased .. so please keep that in mind. I enjoy my Mac, but I use it for video editing almost exclusively and never would have bought one if I didn't have a hundred physicians that I work with using them and always complaining about how they were unsupported in eHealthcare (basically I wanted to see what all the hubbub was about). JD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmood Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 Seems like the majority of the people in my class have a MAC or an HP. I think I've seen some Dells. The Mac users have had some trouble using the websites, PDFs, and online learning we've been required to complete - many have resorted to the library computers, which kind of defeats the purpose of having your own. However some of them have found ways around the issues. I don't know how as I've never owned a Mac. I have an HP Pavilion dm4 with an intel Core i5 processor. It's been great so far. I don't think you need the i5. Many of my classmates with HP comps have the i3 models and I haven't noticed a difference. We use the computers to take notes in class, open and add notes to powerpoints, construct presentations, and access our blackboard-like learning site to download class notes and documents. We've also needed to do a number of online learning modules through some of the hospitals in the area in order to complete the clearance process to do clinical work at the sites. We haven't been asked to use any additional software so far. It's possible that will change, but I have no idea. Side note: I have a family member who works for IBM and receives a free Thinkpad. I asked him if he could get me one with the family discount, and he said I was better off with an HP. In fact, he told me he doesn't even use his own Thinkpad because the HP is so much more reliable. That's why I chose the way I did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmood Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 Seems like the majority of the people in my class have a MAC or an HP. I think I've seen some Dells. The Mac users have had some trouble using the websites, PDFs, and online learning we've been required to complete - many have resorted to the library computers, which kind of defeats the purpose of having your own. However some of them have found ways around the issues. I don't know how as I've never owned a Mac. I have an HP Pavilion dm4 with an intel Core i5 processor. It's been great so far. I don't think you need the i5. Many of my classmates with HP comps have the i3 models and I haven't noticed a difference. We use the computers to take notes in class, open and add notes to powerpoints, construct presentations, and access our blackboard-like learning site to download class notes and documents. We've also needed to do a number of online learning modules through some of the hospitals in the area in order to complete the clearance process to do clinical work at the sites. We haven't been asked to use any additional software so far. It's possible that will change, but I have no idea. Side note: I have a family member who works for IBM and receives a free Thinkpad. I asked him if he could get me one with the family discount, and he said I was better off with an HP. In fact, he told me he doesn't even use his own Thinkpad because the HP is so much more reliable. That's why I chose the way I did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cstarkwe Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 By all means, if money is no object and you don't mind being completely clueless as to how to navigate your system or learning a new OS from scratch when you are beginning school and will have enough on your mind... get the Mac. If you want to get the job done with the industry standard device (there are no enterprise healthcare electronic documentation applications with a MAC infrastructure) then get a PC. JD If you are smart enough to get into PA school... you are smart enough to figure out a mac. I went to 2 'one to one' appointments and I probably know how to do more on my MAC than I ever did on my PC. Like I said I purchased mine a month before school and I've had no problems learning a different operating system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cstarkwe Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 By all means, if money is no object and you don't mind being completely clueless as to how to navigate your system or learning a new OS from scratch when you are beginning school and will have enough on your mind... get the Mac. If you want to get the job done with the industry standard device (there are no enterprise healthcare electronic documentation applications with a MAC infrastructure) then get a PC. JD If you are smart enough to get into PA school... you are smart enough to figure out a mac. I went to 2 'one to one' appointments and I probably know how to do more on my MAC than I ever did on my PC. Like I said I purchased mine a month before school and I've had no problems learning a different operating system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
med218 Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 I have a MacBook Pro, transitioned from my Dell Latitude (which was a good laptop - until it died). I'd say about half my class is Mac and we've had 3-5 people have their PC laptops die and replace them with Macs since the beginning of school. In terms of $$$, quite frankly this talk about spending $3,000 on a Mac is only for those who are getting upgrades/adding a Windows Parallel/expanding HD & Memory. I have the standard MacBook Pro with upgraded HD to 320gb and I also upgraded the memory. Those changes with the addition of the 3 year Apple Care plan and an extra $100 to upgrade my free iTouch to a 32gb device cost me < $1,500. If I had left the HD and memory alone it probably would've been closer to $1,300. In terms of the learning curve....really not that difficult. Yes there are some Mac specific things to learn and some stuff you can do on Windows that you might not be able to do the same way on a Mac, but overall the learning curve is pretty simple. I'm the tech rep for my class and in terms of troubleshooting wi-fi/software issues & installs I have had an easier time with the Mac crowd (just my experience & opinion). I spent a little extra to get the MacBook because I wanted longevity. My MacBook Pro runs today like it did out of the box over a year ago. My wife's laptop that she bought 4 years ago (a Dell Latitude) is sitting in the closet on top of a bunch of paperwork because that's about all it's good for anymore. The thing that sealed the deal for me was a friend of ours, who bought their Macbook at the same time my wife bought her laptop, just sold it for $500...Someone tell me what PC laptop will fetch that kind of money for a resale and fully function in really good condition after 4 years? I agree with those above, check and see if the programs you're looking at specify the type of laptop required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
med218 Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 I have a MacBook Pro, transitioned from my Dell Latitude (which was a good laptop - until it died). I'd say about half my class is Mac and we've had 3-5 people have their PC laptops die and replace them with Macs since the beginning of school. In terms of $$$, quite frankly this talk about spending $3,000 on a Mac is only for those who are getting upgrades/adding a Windows Parallel/expanding HD & Memory. I have the standard MacBook Pro with upgraded HD to 320gb and I also upgraded the memory. Those changes with the addition of the 3 year Apple Care plan and an extra $100 to upgrade my free iTouch to a 32gb device cost me < $1,500. If I had left the HD and memory alone it probably would've been closer to $1,300. In terms of the learning curve....really not that difficult. Yes there are some Mac specific things to learn and some stuff you can do on Windows that you might not be able to do the same way on a Mac, but overall the learning curve is pretty simple. I'm the tech rep for my class and in terms of troubleshooting wi-fi/software issues & installs I have had an easier time with the Mac crowd (just my experience & opinion). I spent a little extra to get the MacBook because I wanted longevity. My MacBook Pro runs today like it did out of the box over a year ago. My wife's laptop that she bought 4 years ago (a Dell Latitude) is sitting in the closet on top of a bunch of paperwork because that's about all it's good for anymore. The thing that sealed the deal for me was a friend of ours, who bought their Macbook at the same time my wife bought her laptop, just sold it for $500...Someone tell me what PC laptop will fetch that kind of money for a resale and fully function in really good condition after 4 years? I agree with those above, check and see if the programs you're looking at specify the type of laptop required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgdog Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Mac Book Pro 13" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgdog Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Mac Book Pro 13" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noiseordinance Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Plenty of four year old PCs function four years later. I don't think computers get outdated as quickly as they used to. My four year old Dell Inspiron has a 2.2 GHz Core 2 Duo with 4 GB RAM and runs applications as fast if not faster than comparable Macs, such as my 2009 Macbook Pro 13". I've fixed PCs are Macs for years and I can comfortably say that Macs are more prone to permanent damage resulting to overheating (due to a lack of cooling to accommodate the beautiful, thin aluminum chassis) while PCs are more prone to corrupt operating system issues, which is easily repaired (and quite frankly, isn't very common anymore with Windows 7). Macs: Attractive and easy to use; expensive to buy and repair, does not run nearly as many programs. PCs: Cheaper, highest software compatibility; will not attract members of the opposite sex as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noiseordinance Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Plenty of four year old PCs function four years later. I don't think computers get outdated as quickly as they used to. My four year old Dell Inspiron has a 2.2 GHz Core 2 Duo with 4 GB RAM and runs applications as fast if not faster than comparable Macs, such as my 2009 Macbook Pro 13". I've fixed PCs are Macs for years and I can comfortably say that Macs are more prone to permanent damage resulting to overheating (due to a lack of cooling to accommodate the beautiful, thin aluminum chassis) while PCs are more prone to corrupt operating system issues, which is easily repaired (and quite frankly, isn't very common anymore with Windows 7). Macs: Attractive and easy to use; expensive to buy and repair, does not run nearly as many programs. PCs: Cheaper, highest software compatibility; will not attract members of the opposite sex as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaston Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 Maybe I got lucky. 2009 Macbook PRO 15' that is now 2 years old and has NEVER had any issue of any kind. I was a PC guy through and through for years (READ: 15 years). And for years I dealt with machines that would crap out after 9-18 months of consistent use, DELL being the worst of them and HP not much better. I know how to clean my HDD, defrag, boot into safe mode, alter the registry blah blah blah. All I can say with the Mac is that I have never had to download any type of virus protection software, I've never had to remove bloatware or spyware from my device, and I have never had a single physical problem with anything. I didn't buy the Apple Care, turns out I didn't need it. Windows 7 will quickly be full of bugs and viruses as the hacking community catches up with it. In the end, it's about what you want. The Mac OS is fantastic, super easy to use and the multitouch gestures on the trackpad are unmatched on a PC. That's what I wanted. I have been through 2 years of PA school and have never had a problem with program compatibility or having to "go to the library" to view anything. Pulling up powerpoints is as simple as clicking on the file, none of this frantic searching around your desktop while your classmates comfortably load the presentation. But who knows, you may find features on a PC that you want. I say try them out. Go to Best Buy, they have an Apple display that lets you use the machines. They also have a full range of PC's available for you to play with. Fiddle with them, see what works for you. Then go online and make your purchase, because we all know that Best Buy will try to fleece you big time on price. Good luck in your search. Sounds like you need to be more concerned about your applications though :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaston Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 Maybe I got lucky. 2009 Macbook PRO 15' that is now 2 years old and has NEVER had any issue of any kind. I was a PC guy through and through for years (READ: 15 years). And for years I dealt with machines that would crap out after 9-18 months of consistent use, DELL being the worst of them and HP not much better. I know how to clean my HDD, defrag, boot into safe mode, alter the registry blah blah blah. All I can say with the Mac is that I have never had to download any type of virus protection software, I've never had to remove bloatware or spyware from my device, and I have never had a single physical problem with anything. I didn't buy the Apple Care, turns out I didn't need it. Windows 7 will quickly be full of bugs and viruses as the hacking community catches up with it. In the end, it's about what you want. The Mac OS is fantastic, super easy to use and the multitouch gestures on the trackpad are unmatched on a PC. That's what I wanted. I have been through 2 years of PA school and have never had a problem with program compatibility or having to "go to the library" to view anything. Pulling up powerpoints is as simple as clicking on the file, none of this frantic searching around your desktop while your classmates comfortably load the presentation. But who knows, you may find features on a PC that you want. I say try them out. Go to Best Buy, they have an Apple display that lets you use the machines. They also have a full range of PC's available for you to play with. Fiddle with them, see what works for you. Then go online and make your purchase, because we all know that Best Buy will try to fleece you big time on price. Good luck in your search. Sounds like you need to be more concerned about your applications though :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noiseordinance Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 I am not the type to buy extended warranties, but I would highly recommend applecare. I've seen it pay for itself more than enough times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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