MSU Tech Store offers students tips for buying your first college laptop


Surviving college without a fully functional laptop is nearly impossible.

In fact, Michigan State requires all students to have one. However, at first it can be difficult to find one that suits the student’s major and personal preferences.

Here are some common questions prospective students have about equipment answered by MSU Tech Store staff and current students.

Mac or Dell?

While some students have loyalty to brands, MSU Tech Store employee Justin Bowmer said the decision between Apple Mac products and Dell products is largely a matter of personal preference.

“If you’re comfortable with a Mac and don’t limit your access to what you want to do, go up to the Mac and do the same thing with the Dell,” Bowmer said.

However, a student’s major may come into play. Students taking courses in a job that requires more intensive programming may experience some compatibility issues with the Mac.

“If you’re using some code-like application like MATLAB or Eclipse, you’re more likely to run into those issues,” Bowmer said. “This may not work on a Mac device like it does on Windows.”

Bowmer said Mack is a good choice for students studying arts such as nursing, business, graphic design and other arts whose careers don’t require these high-energy programs. He recommends the MacBook Air as a beginner laptop for students starting their studies.

For students taking courses that require these programs, such as engineering and computer science, Dell recommends choosing over a Mac. Specifically, he recommends the Latitude 7420, which has two-in-one capabilities, meaning it can be folded in half to allow students to take notes during class with the Dell Active Pen.

Mechanical engineering junior Ryan Leinweber uses a Dell G7 computer for his classes, but believes it comes down to personal preference when it comes to choosing a computer for school.

“I have a friend who has a MacBook and we do the same thing and he seems to enjoy it,” Leinweber said. “I guess it really comes down to personal preference, but I’ve never had any problems with my computer, and it definitely does what it’s supposed to do.”

Computer science junior Duncan Stewart uses a working XPS 13 Dell Computer for his classes. However, it also allows people to choose the best computer for them.

“People are like perfectly honest people when it comes to whatever system they use, and I think it’s a little funny,” Stewart said. “I’ve met great people who use Apple computers. I have met great people who use Dell. I know people who use linux settings. I think it doesn’t matter as long as you can run the code.

When choosing, it is important to find something suitable for your preferences, but it does not hurt to consult with professors and advisors in advance to make sure that your device can install the programs you need.

Which tools are not recommended?

MSU Tech employee Frank Liang said the tech store generally does not recommend Microsoft products such as Surface Books or any type of tablet.

“We have past experience with Microsoft’s floor team, and from both our experience and our customers’ experience, it was generally not a pleasant experience working with Microsoft customer service,” Liang said.

Tablets and iPads are also not recommended because they do not meet the university’s technology standards.

“Tablets are usually convenient for taking notes in class, but if you need to work on projects, you definitely need a laptop,” Liang said. “For example, most[professors]want you to do lab work — and doing lab work on tablets is very difficult.”

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Mechanical engineering junior Simon Sajan said he would recommend a note-taking device.

There’s a lot of drawings in many engineering classes, like diagrams,” Sajan said. “If it’s not as it should be or if you want to change something, it makes it easy to like to redo it. , compared to what it looks like on paper, it’s washed out and looks very messy.

Electrical engineering senior Kyle Heslop built a Dell desktop computer, as well as a Microsoft Surface Go tablet with an attached keyboard. Although the tablet is functional enough for memory, it prefers to run more intensive programs on the desktop.

“My tablet takes a while on some programs,” Heslop said. “If I can work from my desktop at home, I run the programs and it works fine, it gets the job done.”

How can I get Microsoft Office Pro?

To complete work in their classroom, students need access to Microsoft Office Pro. Fortunately, this is something the university offers so all students need is their admission to MSU.

“As soon as you enroll at MSU, they give you a university email account, and with your email account you have free access to the Microsoft 365 package, including Outlook, Word, Excel and OneDrive,” Liang said.

OneDrive is where students store and save their work. Once it’s there, you can upload it to the Desire To Learn, or D2L, website and submit it for one class per course.

“One thing to note is that OneDrive comes with five terabytes of storage, and you can access this package by going to spartan365.msu.edu or downloading the local version from that website,” Liang said.

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