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Mac for science preparatory students, which one? or PC?

RV33210 Posted messages 2 Status Member -  
Giac Posted messages 1366 Status Member -
Hello everyone,
I'm planning to enter a scientific preparatory class next year and I'm going to get a computer for Christmas for my studies! Apple's MACs look pretty appealing to me, but I've heard there are some compatibility issues with certain software, etc...
If you have any advice to give me about Macs for studies, which one to choose, the advantages and disadvantages, or if you would recommend a PC! :)
Thanks to everyone for your replies, see you soon Julien :)

4 answers

  1.
    likoumi Posted messages 250 Status Member 31
     
    Hi, I did a little Google search. There are already several posts on this subject.

    Otherwise, to let you see for yourself, since we can't decide for you, here is a site that lists the advantages of Mac and PC.

    https://www.masculin.com/?s=high+tech+pc+mac+pourquoi+les+deux+clans+s+affrontent+quel+ordinateur+pour+moi+nos+conseils

    You will quickly realize that it’s all a matter of budget, usage, and evolution. (and software compatibility. That goes without saying.)
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  2. Dexterccm Posted messages 8498 Status Member 3 530
     
    Hello,

    To keep it simple, there are Linux-compatible software, MacOS-compatible software, and Windows-compatible software.
    All MacOS-compatible software is compatible with all Macs.
    Software designed for PC (understanding Windows) is only compatible with Windows.

    Most Windows software is also available in a MacOS version or has equivalents.
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    1. Giac Posted messages 1366 Status Member 275
       
      For OS X compatible software, there are versions for PowerPC processors (no longer used by Apple for the past 3/4 years, these are the G3/G4/G5) and Intel processors (currently in use, these are the core 2 solo, duo, quad/i5/i7).
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  3. RV33210 Posted messages 2 Status Member
     
    So most scientific software has an equivalent or is also developed on MAC?
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    1. Dexterccm Posted messages 8498 Status Member 3 530
       
      Known software, yes.

      The best thing is to check if the scientific software you are going to use is also available on MacOS.

      (But unless the scientific prep has changed a lot in recent years, don't expect to use your personal computer for "scientific software" that is really out of the ordinary.

      Otherwise, thanks to Boot Camp on Macs, you can install Windows 7 on your Mac in addition to Mac OS X...
      After paying (a lot) for a Mac to run Windows... meh.
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  4. Giac Posted messages 1366 Status Member 275
     
    I would recommend a 13" MacBook Pro for €1250; they are small enough for easy transport and large enough for comfortable work. In terms of power, it has an i5 at 2.5 GHz dual-core (which we estimate to be equivalent to a 3.0 GHz on a PC), 4GB of RAM that can be upgraded to 8GB later, a small graphics processor that works well for using software that demands quite a bit (like Photoshop, InDesign...), so for scientific software there should be no problem. A 500GB hard drive is more than sufficient for the system drive; you'll need to get an external hard drive for your data (your system drive will be faster when empty than when full). It also comes with an optical drive which can always be useful and is only present on non-Retina MacBook Pros (and I believe on Mac Minis and Mac Pros as well). There are also programs to run .exe files on a Mac, but it makes the software quite slow. If you want to avoid any compatibility issues, get a PC, which will be cheaper, but I think there won't be any compatibility issues.
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