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Claradoon
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16 Dec 2012, 4:10 pm

I got a bursary of $1000 for computer purposes. My problem is, what should I buy?

I have a broken refurbished PC - wouldn't that be throwing good money after bad?

I have a broken Notebook, which I think should stay that way.

Of course I have the other refurbished PC, Windows7, IBM XP and it's serviceable. (until ...)

And that's all, unless you count the Kindle Touch (a mistake in money-saving).

I know *nothing* about computers. And not much about being a student either - I graduated high school in 1967. So I don't even know what I need, nevermind what I want.

Any thoughts, please?



starkid
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16 Dec 2012, 4:35 pm

It would help if you give a little more information. What will you be studying? Besides writing papers, what type of tasks do you think you'll need the computer for? Are your broken computers totally destroyed? They might be salvageable. Why not use the one that's "serviceable"? What's wrong with it?



Claradoon
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16 Dec 2012, 4:43 pm

Studying English, maybe some math.

Besides papers - I don't know, but I see kids making movies - what else have they invented? See, I don't even have a cellphone. I'm a cybertwit.

The bursary is $1000 to be spent on computer stuff. Maybe I could get a Cadillac?

What's an i-Pad? Does it do homework? Yes, I've looked on-line but I'm not clear.

I want mobility. I am currently glued to a chair. Can't go walkabout. Wanna go to another room and how about on the bus?



starkid
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16 Dec 2012, 5:25 pm

Well, both a laptop and an iPad will allow you to be mobile, but it will be awkward to write English papers on an iPad. It's a thin device that's meant to be held in the hands, not set down and typed on for an extended period of time, kind of like a huge cellphone. You can type papers on any laptop with word processing software (which they usually include), but for making movies and other things that depend heavily on graphics, you might want to spend a little extra money on a computer with a more expensive graphics card. It's not necessary, however. Some people think Macs are better for graphics than PCs, but I don't have much experience with that. You can take it on a bus (might be awkward if you buy a large laptop, though), but you won't be able to get internet access there unless it's one of those buses that has built in wi-fi.



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16 Dec 2012, 5:34 pm

Look im no computer expert either but if you are not operating a mobile phone I doubt very much you will be making your own videos in the near future.
If movability is important get a laptop, for ipads you can get a plug in keyboard so that you can type as usual and they are better for the bus. You could type your papers on it at home at your desk and then edit them or read them on the bus. Plus you could read the mountains of pages that your course will assign you on the bus or living room with both a laptop and a ipad however the ipad is smaller and easier to use on the bus.
I suggest you go to a computer store and try everything out.

good luck


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Oodain
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16 Dec 2012, 7:23 pm

onewould still need a place to safely store the data, i had a friend that lost several papers because of an update.


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starkid
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16 Dec 2012, 7:25 pm

Oodain wrote:
onewould still need a place to safely store the data, i had a friend that lost several papers because of an update.


Yes, definitely buy a flash drive as backup storage for schoolwork.



Oodain
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16 Dec 2012, 7:49 pm

better yet use dropbox or similar storage sites,

but what does one do should one need math programs liek mathcad or heavy diagrams ?
i havent worked with that on an ipad so i dont know.

it is important to remember that it isnt a computer.


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17 Dec 2012, 1:39 am

You keep saying "I need it for homework"

...what kind of homework? High school? College? What courses? What kind of work? Do they have special/specific software you MUST use?

Do you need portability? Do you have power where you work? Would you prefer super light? Super-long battery life? Fancy 3D games at high detail?

That kind of info helps people narrow down what'd be best for you! It's my Aspie interest. ;)



Claradoon
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17 Dec 2012, 6:51 am

It's university 200 level. Probably lots of English. It's an on-line university. I've checked it out - it's fully accredited etc.

http://www.athabascau.ca/

They are flexible about courses. My choice would be one-to-one on-line with a grad student (prof. available on request). I think I'll take just one course at a time. Maybe that's aspie of me, like eating all my carrots first. I will sign up for, say, a Shakespeare course on-line. Athabasca U will send me a box containing required reading, study guides, DVDs, syllabus etc. The course begins on the 1st day of the month after I receive the box. There's an expected time limit but they can extend that.

I'm vague because I don't know! The last time I took an Eng course, they wanted the class to write poetry in groups! But they're flexible and I just sent in my own writing and it was ok.

Skype. This is *so* Jeffersons. I bought a PC camera and some day I will open the box. I got a hub and cleaned out the nest of wires in back.

You want me to tell you what's going to happen so you can tell me what to do? I don't know. I guess the Mother Ship will be this PC. I've got the Skype camera. I guess I need a mic? Speakers (tiny, humble) I have.

For Shakespeare there are DVDs. I have eye-trouble and I'd rather lie in bed with a 6" screen to watch. How about with a place where I can Google as I go, and a place where I can take notes, and a place to scroll Study Guide, all while I watch the DVD.

Oh, I need one of those thumb thingies?

I really do appreciate your help. I doubt that I'll get this off the ground before January.



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17 Dec 2012, 11:16 am

Hard to give advice when you don't know yourself what your needs are :) Also helps to specify what country & currency - is this USD$1000 or Loonies? Makes a big difference as to how far it goes.

With USD$1k, you can get a deluxe Asus laptop at newegg.com and have money left over for a brand-name thumb drive. (Be sure to get a quality one, because the cheap ones go bad quickly.)



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17 Dec 2012, 1:56 pm

About this $1000.... are they giving you the full 1K and you can buy what you want with it? (Go cheap, pocket the difference!) ...or do you choose the computer then they'll pay for it up to 1K? (Then get the best unit for the job, regardless of price!)

Sounds like you just want to watch videos and run some basic applications... ANY laptop can do that.

You don't know what course you're taking? Just "a lot of english"? One big thing to consider here is even Apple vs. Windows... some creative courses are designed for Apple, most others expect Windows applications like MS Office.

Knowing your course, I can look up its computer needs.



Claradoon
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21 Dec 2012, 2:14 am

Trencher93 wrote:
Hard to give advice when you don't know yourself what your needs are :) Also helps to specify what country & currency - is this USD$1000 or Loonies? Makes a big difference as to how far it goes.

With USD$1k, you can get a deluxe Asus laptop at newegg.com and have money left over for a brand-name thumb drive. (Be sure to get a quality one, because the cheap ones go bad quickly.)


Country is Canada but today USD and CAD are quoted about equal. Being a cybertwit, I'm reluctant to go to Asus as I've never heard of them.



Claradoon
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21 Dec 2012, 2:17 am

BlueMax wrote:
... You don't know what course you're taking? Just "a lot of english"? One big thing to consider here is even Apple vs. Windows... some creative courses are designed for Apple, most others expect Windows applications like MS Office.

Knowing your course, I can look up its computer needs.


Thank you - I got email confirmation that the details will be mailed to me "in the New Year" - I think I got way ahead of things and shouldn't have bothered you all. But I will be back.

Thank you for your help.



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21 Dec 2012, 8:46 am

Give me the money. :twisted:

Just kidding. It doesn't sound like you need anything too fancy. Go for something with dedicated graphics, you'll probably benefit from it even if you don't know what it is. Nice big screen, try out a few glossy and matte ones to see which you prefer.



Trencher93
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21 Dec 2012, 10:06 am

Claradoon wrote:
I'm reluctant to go to Asus as I've never heard of them.


I got an Asus laptop recently and like it. Best laptop keyboard I've ever used. Asus gets consistently good reviews for reliable hardware and are recommended. They're one of the top-tier brands. (My rule is never buy a brand you see for sale in Wal-Mart.) Asus doesn't advertise and apparently isn't in retail stores. You have to get their computers at places like newegg.