sdb Posted 20 June 2010 Share Posted 20 June 2010 Hi all, I'm sure there are plenty of similar topics but i think i have fairly specific requirements, and i'll openly admit i know very little when it comes to computers, especially new stuff (my laptop is now 5 years old and very, very close to dying). I need a laptop (obviously), it's for teacher training next year. It's a Creative and Media course and so i'll be using lots of software (CS4 is a main one, but there'll be a fair few more i expect - mixing music, editing film, all that (relax, i'm gonna spend summer gettin used to it all!). I'll shift all my music over to the new comp too. Photo's and stuff i'll stick on my external hard drive. I know Mac's are sweet and they seem pretty good for 'creative' things, but i don't know if this is strictly true? I also can't spend more than a grand, and i'd ideally be looking more like £700. Maybe unrealistic. One thing i've heard is that Mac's are harder to link up to Interactive whiteboards/OHP type things etc. Lies? Anyway, any advice would be much appreciated. If not specific models then the requirements i should be looking for would still be valuable. Computer jargon aint my speciality. Cheers x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tilley Posted 20 June 2010 Share Posted 20 June 2010 I use my mac to link up to Promethean whiteboards no problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AoWW Posted 20 June 2010 Share Posted 20 June 2010 I use my mac to link up to Promethean whiteboards no problem. I've not had any probs linking a Mac to a Smart Board either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdb Posted 20 June 2010 Author Share Posted 20 June 2010 ok cheers that helps you two recommend macs then? no probs with compatibility re: microsoft office and the like? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tilley Posted 20 June 2010 Share Posted 20 June 2010 ok cheers that helps you two recommend macs then? no probs with compatibility re: microsoft office and the like? I use Apple's software, iWork, as opposed to Microsoft Office but you can save a Pages document as a Word document so no problems whatsoever. I'd definitely recommend getting a Mac. Can't stand having to use the Windows operated computers at work when I need something off the internal hard drives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AoWW Posted 20 June 2010 Share Posted 20 June 2010 ok cheers that helps you two recommend macs then? no probs with compatibility re: microsoft office and the like? Hmm, I'm kinda neutral, I suppose. At work I swap between Macs and Microsoft OS lappys depending on need. Tbh, I'd shy away from a Mac in your case, simply because fewer people (in an educational setting) understand them and, unless you're a real techie yourself, you'll find it more difficult to get troubleshooting help if you have problems. You say you're doing a creative media teacher training course... why not speak to a member of staff (or two) in that dept in a local secondary school/s and ask what they recommend? Just be brave and pick up the phone. You might as well start off with what's accepted as the 'norm' in the environment you'll eventually be in. Who knows - you might even build up some useful contacts in the process. Just a thought... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdb Posted 20 June 2010 Author Share Posted 20 June 2010 Hmm, I'm kinda neutral, I suppose. At work I swap between Macs and Microsoft OS lappys depending on need. Tbh, I'd shy away from a Mac in your case, simply because fewer people (in an educational setting) understand them and, unless you're a real techie yourself, you'll find it more difficult to get troubleshooting help if you have problems. You say you're doing a creative media teacher training course... why not speak to a member of staff (or two) in that dept in a local secondary school/s and ask what they recommend? Just be brave and pick up the phone. You might as well start off with what's accepted as the 'norm' in the environment you'll eventually be in. Who knows - you might even build up some useful contacts in the process. Just a thought... nice 1 yeah you're right. I've asked the uni about this but they've given me nothing back. Don't know any schools doing the course yet but yeh, i should find one/some and call. cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AoWW Posted 20 June 2010 Share Posted 20 June 2010 nice 1 yeah you're right. I've asked the uni about this but they've given me nothing back. Don't know any schools doing the course yet but yeh, i should find one/some and call. cheers It's not local to you but this media dept is pretty helpful. The 'meet the team' page/s usefully have some email addresses - why not contact them and see what they suggest? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdb Posted 20 June 2010 Author Share Posted 20 June 2010 It's not local to you but this media dept is pretty helpful. The 'meet the team' page/s usefully have some email addresses - why not contact them and see what they suggest? thanks pal, i've sent an email so fingers crossed. much appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pooleyLCFC Posted 2 July 2010 Share Posted 2 July 2010 I didnt want to start a new thread so i thought id just add it in here Im starting uni in september and im looking at buying a laptop , i dont wanna spend loads to be honest but can anyone recommend anything to me. Id mainly use it for internet, downloading, music, work and football manager. If anyone can help it would be great as i dont know much about these things Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coale39 Posted 2 July 2010 Share Posted 2 July 2010 I didnt want to start a new thread so i thought id just add it in here Im starting uni in september and im looking at buying a laptop , i dont wanna spend loads to be honest but can anyone recommend anything to me. Id mainly use it for internet, downloading, music, work and football manager. If anyone can help it would be great as i dont know much about these things Cheers This will be good enough http://www.ebuyer.com/product/195053 Ebuyer good site used lots of times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iBleedLeicesterColours Posted 2 July 2010 Share Posted 2 July 2010 I didnt want to start a new thread so i thought id just add it in here Im starting uni in september and im looking at buying a laptop , i dont wanna spend loads to be honest but can anyone recommend anything to me. Id mainly use it for internet, downloading, music, work and football manager. If anyone can help it would be great as i dont know much about these things Cheers Similar scenario to me, although im only at college. Know a guy who works with computers, he recommended a laptop with a Pentium Processor, the most suited for what your after. The better brands of Laptops are HP, DELL, ACER. Try to stick to those brands. Also get one with Windows 7 and certainly dont buy a refurbished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pooleyLCFC Posted 2 July 2010 Share Posted 2 July 2010 Cheers lads much appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narborough_fox Posted 3 July 2010 Share Posted 3 July 2010 Dell Inspiron isn't bad at all, haven't hhad any problems very good for Football Manager and Downloading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB11 Posted 3 July 2010 Share Posted 3 July 2010 If you're using programs like Photoshop then it'd be worthwhile investing in a processor that has multiple cores Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bellend Sebastian Posted 4 July 2010 Share Posted 4 July 2010 I bought this a couple of weeks ago: http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.207-9909.aspx It doesn't pretend to be a gaming machine but it's got the Intel i3 processor which is the lowest tier of the current generation of Intel processors and has supposedly much improved onboard graphics (finding a laptop with a decent spec and a dedicated graphics card is hard in this price range). Very happy with it so far Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fox92 Posted 4 July 2010 Share Posted 4 July 2010 Mine is on eBay at the minute... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.