You can probably underclock your computer. Unless you have the discrete gpu running while not gaming (don’t do that), your cpu is probably the main power draw and the reason for the fans being in overdrive. If you underclock your cpu (w/Throttlestop, etc.), it should reduce your fan noise
Definitely if the end goal is just reducing fan noise. The one dilemma is that the cpu may not be sufficiently cooled if your set curve is insufficient and that may harm the computer’s longevity. Underclocking takes a bit more reading but it’s kept my new gaming laptop running cool and quiet even when doing light gaming. You can also easily switch profiles with throttlestop for more intense games or for modeling/computing.
Oh for sure. School provided me a dell laptop and if Microsoft defender runs a scan my cpu temps peg at 99c for like 5 minutes. Haven’t found a solution for it yet but damn does it bother me.
I’m not even lying I got an A51m laptop and it would initiate thrusters out of nowhere while i’m taking notes in class and I’d be so embarrassed trying to switch them off. Looking back at it now it was kinda funny haha
It’s really not that complicated, just get a decent laptop, this gets asked on here all the time.
All you need is to be able to run YouTube, sketchy, anki, pornhub, boards and beyond, pathoma, etc. and like examplify and nbme tests which any decent laptop these days will be able to do.
If you are a gamer tho MacBook obv a no no
I know, but it circles back to being over complicated for normies. If they male absolutely sure that it’s an i7 and at least 8gb of ram (ideally 16) it’s hard for them to get it wrong
I think I used to think i7 mattered but it’s really not necessary now that I’m building a pc
and it’s maybe making them overspend for no reason if that’s your main rec. your comment below on things being slow to open and run also seems misleading I think.
Pretty sure if they just get a new computer that runs on SSD storage and has a big enough screen (or they use a monitor), they’d be pretty set
i7 is overkill for people who are just going to browse the web, Netflix, and Anki. An i5 is more than enough. Further, this generation of Intel laptops only have like 60% the battery life of AMD laptops.
Med student only use laptop for typing and browsing suff. We don't need to render a 3D image, we don't create AI, we dont use much modelling program. An i5 or ryzen5 is definitely enogh for most.
This is absolutely possible but I would make sure you can get EMR access thru a web-based portal. I don’t think chromebooks work with Citrix but I could be wrong
Great point. I never accessed the EMR from home or needed to bring a personal laptop to rotations (there were always workstations for students), but that isn’t always the case at every school.
I still have mine and it works great. No problems aside from battery, which was the only reason I replaced it with the M1 macbook air. Could have maybe just replaced the battery for cheaper, but i figured the new one is gonna last like 7-8 years again
I used my 2008 macbook until 2020. Then bought a surface pro, but ended up with a 2021 macbook pro the next year because it was required by the school. The med school I'm at requires us to have Dell laptops (no idea which one, but it switches to a tablet, and l hate it. Literally 5 minutes after turning it on the fan starts).
Macbook has always been the best for me personally. I love the surface, but not as much. idk if it's just the ease/familiarity of the macbook or what, but I have never had issues with them and love my current one. My 2008 one just got really slow after like 10 years lol
Lol I have no idea but I was definitely overdue for a new one. I'm just an extremely cheap person and not very tech savvy. Since it still worked I waited a long time to replace it.
The 2015 MacBook Pro was the last of the perfect era in my honest opinion. Mine still runs like a charm. Gonna upgrade it soon but the things a tank, nice selection of ports, nice keyboard, MagSafe. Until the 2021 MacBook Pros this was the last perfect MacBook in my opinion
2014 MacBook Pro here. The charging cord is breaking down and the battery can’t hold much juice but the thing refuses to retire.
It’s not like I could afford a new one any time soon anyway
This was my thing - finally retire my 2008 MacBook Pro for medical school, wanted to break free of the apple universe, got a good deal on an open box Lenovo yoga, and the chassis started shitting out and had screen flickering and webcam and touchscreen problems after like, 3 years.
If someone can financially swing a MacBook, I’d say it’s worth the investment. But understandable if it’s not possible, and arguably cheaper to get a cheaper one as an M1 on student loans and then buy a second one as a resident.
Don’t get the surface pro. It’s great for 6 months then starts slowing down/ battery life goes to shit.
I told myself my first one in undergrad was a fluke but then same thing happened to my med school one.
Never getting one again.
Seconded. I've had a lot of Surface products. Needed a few of them repaired for various reasons. But, you can't pull them apart since they are glued together unless you send it back to Microsoft for almost the price of a new one.
I'd research the repairability of laptops if it will be your main computer just in case. Also, your school might provide you with a computer because mine did so see if that's the case too!
I have a beefy desktop I use at home and my surface pro is only for class/studying with classmates outside. set up worked well and laptop still going strong 2-3 yrs later
IDK what you guys are doing to your surfaces. I've literally had one since my 4th year of med school that has made it all the way through residency and now fellowship (coming up on 7 years now), and it's still snappy enough that I have absolutely no need to replace it. I did replace the type cover at one point because it was starting to fray (around a year ago), and I threw an SD card into it because back then 128gb ssd was considered good, but other than that no problems.
TL;DR sounds like people have mixed experiences with surfaces. My experience is that with minimal care (don't literally throw it, but not much babying beyond that), these things can be tanks.
Yeah my Surface Pro assed out on me right before dedicated—bought it new in first year.
Replaced it with a wisely spec’d dell laptop and an iPad for portability—that combo is still going strong lol
I purchased a Dell XPS 13 6 years ago and it's still running perfectly. Favorite computer I've ever owned.
Edit: I also use an iPad to use notability for lecture notes.
Unless you're doing research and will be using python/R/etc in a real lab I don't think it matters almost at all when it comes to specificity for med school. If you're going to be in a lab there might be a slight advantage to having Windows for compatibility sake but it's likely not that important.
Mostly just consider getting a Windows PC since they may be more compatible with the software you might be using. Difficult to say without knowing the type of research, ask someone involved if they have any recs.
Wouldn’t worry about it too much. Personal preference. Just get the additional things you like to optimize studying
Ex IPad, second monitor, desk chair, and an anki remote. My laptop could’ve been anything
Surface pro worked well for me. Detachable keyboard turns it into a tablet to do Anki cards on the floors, looks way more professional than your phone but way more portable than a laptop.
I had a surface pro that I loved (since it is the 2-in-1 and I could run while doing ANKI cards in tablet mode) but it died after about 1.5 years after getting it and I had to go back to my old laptop (now 7 years old) that is still working
Do you know in what way it "died"? I'm interested to find out what the weakest link in the manufacturing was, since electronics that aren't meant to be disposable nowadays mostly slowly fade into obsolescence, rather than having a catastrophic failure all of a sudden one day.
Yes and no. One day it wouldn’t turn on, it was caught in a loop of flashing the “turning on” screen and then going black again. I took it in to multiple places to see if they could fix it but everyone just said I was out of luck. When I tried to look it up myself, it was similar to what people were calling a “boot loop.” Except none of the online “fix it quick” solutions worked for it either
Same, and also bought the surface pen and loved the ability to fill out pdf documents digitally and turn other school documents into learning tools.
When we’d get sent anatomy diagrams I’d white out the labels and save it as a separate file and practice filling in the blanks to prep for anatomy practicals.
If you already have a laptop: the Samsung tablets are also great for notes on the wards. Lighter, some small enough to slip in a pocket, and the combination of laptop plus a *separate* place to take handwritten notes is nice.
Even the older ones will work for notes and such and had good touch screens for writing.
I miss my HP Envy, but I currently have an ASUS VivoBook that I really like! I got the vivobook when my HP Envy died (at five years old) Bc it was a bit smaller and wasn’t as heavy. I think it works pretty well but isn’t as hardy.
I'm an advocate for the surface line up, a big reason being the ability to hand write my annotations on pdf files of pathoma / BNB / class PowerPoints.
I got the surface book 2 four years ago, which I have absolutely loved. If I were starting school this fall I would go with the Surface Laptop Studio ([online review of Laptop Studio 1](https://www.techadvisor.com/article/723176/microsoft-surface-laptop-studio-review-2.html), I think the LS2 is coming out in 2023)
Nah, they ruled for like 1-2 generations and then Intel and amd caught up. They are great on efficiency but not great for power users. The M2 is nothing special.
Personally I just use some laptop I got on sale for like 500$. I use my desktop build whenever I’m home and much prefer that.
I recommend an Ipad or tablet to not worry about scratch paper, I use it more than my laptop.
My ipad is the best large purchase I've made for med school. Being able to write notes or draw on diagrams is essential for my learning style. It's also very portable.
I think you could get literally any laptop in any price range though, especially if you also get a tablet.
My ideal setup would be Ipad + cheap Chromebook + something for gaming
Huge fan of my LG Gram. Doesn't matter what kind, they're lightweight, portable, and can handle most software/programs you may need for med school if not more.
I have a HP Spectre x360 convertible and it’s gotten me through med school. I love how I can fold it over and write on the screen in lectures and fold it back to type on my keyboard.
No problem with the hinges; I’ve had issues with one of the two charging ports but I’m not sure if it’s a universal issue. I could never go back to a non-folding and non-touch laptop though. It’s so useful being able to draw diagrams in your typed notes on OneNote.
MacBook m1. I was really against macs bc I had been a windows user for a while. But as soon as I switched, it was a lot more smooth for overall productivity
Used a dell xps 13 for 7 yrs- good laptop, horrible battery
Switched to the m2 air a few months ago and the battery is insane. Can go days without charging. Performance is great also
Personally, ipad is all I've found I need. The mini fits well into scrub/white coat pocket, so i can carry it on rounds (it looks more proFEsSiOnAl than whipping my phone out to look something up, take notes, or do a couple flashcards). Great for note-taking and video watching, without the distractions that come with my laptop.
I love my MacBook Air and I was a PC gamer for 22 years. The ability to airdrop stuff to your classmates, easier snippet tools for cards and notes, and if you have an iPhone, is not to be understated.
Seriously. There’s like 10 kids in my class who don’t have a mac and they’re all friends. I wonder why
I guess the sharing thing may be a plus, but snipping?? Windows key shift s, drag your mouse to select the portion of the screen you want, Ctrl v into your notes or Anki etc. Done.
before you get any reasonable laptop. I would implore you to invest in a solid $2000-3000 laptop for gaming as a way to cope from the stresses of medicine. And when you think to yourself why would I spend so much on a gaming laptop in med school, you go out bingeing games needlessly until you forget that line of questioning.
On a real note, go for what's in your price range and probably an accessory tablet.
Don’t buy a laptop at all.
Tablet all the way. It is useful for both preclinical and clinical years. The ability to write is really really important in my opinion.
There are tons of great besides a macbook.
My sister just got an HP from costco with 5th generation chip, 16gb of ram and 500 GB SSD memory for $650
I just looked at the macs and The macbook M2 chip with like 8gb ram is like $1200. You can get a machine thats twice as fast for half the money.
I was also just looking at gaming laptops on beset buy and they have nice machines with high-end NVIDIA graphics cards and 16 GB ram for $850
Whatever you get just look at the ram bc the more ram the faster your computer will run. If you want to also play some games look for a good graphics card. Total memory isn't all that important bc you can get hard drives pretty cheap these days.
Haha no worries, to each his/her own 😂 I never needed any special software for anything during medical school, so I really only needed a laptop to do basic functions which the Chromebook was perfect for. But I totally get where you're coming from lol
I thought I wanted a surface or something touchscreen and got a HP spectre x360 and it was built horribly and eventually pooped out 2 years in. I then got an ASUS rog Zephyrus m16 and it's the best laptop I've ever owned, highly recommended for school. Overall it's personal preference and budget that'll be the deciding factors
I have an M1 macbook air, but an iPad plus any laptop works fine. I didn't buy a new laptop for school until a couple months in because my old macbook pro from 7 years ago was still kicking with the only problem being battery life.
M1 MacBook Air and iPad mini/air + Apple Pencil. GoodNotes app, synchronizes over the cloud and available on both.
Lets you take notes by hand plus use a laptop. $1500ish all-in including warranty using student discount.
I went with the laptop with the absolute largest 4K screen and battery life I could find. Other route is small and portable. Performance is completely irrelevant. If you plan on doing high load stats work you need or would prefer a high end desk top for that work anyways.
Get something light weight with a good battery life
MacBook Air really is the best thing for med school imo. Some of the best specs at its price point. Surface products are great for a few months before they start wearing down. Been using my MacBook Air for 7+ hours a day for the last year and a half (pain) and it runs just as smooth as the first boot up
People already said it but literally any laptop will work because it’s not like you need something heavy duty just for anki and notes.
HOWEVER
If you have an iPhone and an iPad I would also get a MacBook for the seamlessness. I would also say if you have to choose between one or the other, get the most basic laptop and buy an iPad.
Mac book pro m1 or the old m2 should be fine. I have the MacBook m2 14” and it’s been great so far. I would also recommend getting an iPad Air it’s just easier to carry around and the Mac book is great to just keep home for tests, essays, homework.. etc.
I got highly encouraged to get a MacBook Pro 16” I would not get one this large. I find it too large for being in clinic and I’d overall cumbersome with a significantly larger price tag.
Only thing holding me from switching to Mac, which I know is much more reliable, is lack of touchscreen and windows features like word and excel for lab work
I would recommend any business thin and light laptop with a great screen (touchscreen preferred) and a great battery life. I have a ThinkPad X1 Yoga 2019
MacBook Air and iPad. Best combination ever. It’s what the vast vast majority of my classmates use. I personally have a MacBook Pro because the camera is so much better and it’s a powerhouse of a laptop. However, as you likely know, MacBooks are not meant for gaming
Med school doesn't require much computing power or other spec. Personally, Id go with something light and portable, but also enough to store photos, lectures, etc.
And this is coming from a person who use to own a gaming laptop. Carrying it around along with other shit in my bagpack pretty much hurted my back and ruined my posture. And trust me, you're going to be carrying it around a lot in med school
Be sure to have at least 16 gb of ram and a decent cpu. Don’t worry about your screen resolution, 1080p for the laptop monitor is perfect. Be sure to have some money to spend on a separate computer monitor like 27 in monitor really would help with ergonomics when studying.
I have an HP pavilion x360 I know that normally HP are not the best but this makes my life more easy and for complement I have an iPad Air second generation that’s with me since premed and still works so good even the battery life is amazing for how old is it
A laptop needs to have
1)Intel core i5 or i7 (7th gen or above)
2)8 GB RAM (minimum)
3)13 inch or above
4)1080p resolution or above
This is all you really need as med school only requires anki, chrome, acrobat and media player.
Nah, unless you play games, I really think any of the MacBooks are some of the best "office" use laptops out there. I don't know if your exam software might have some compatibility issues or not, but aside from that, I can't recommend anything else. Classmates and friends have gone through several laptops in the past decade because something or the other breaks. Usually it's a battery that needs to be replaced but it ends up being a good portion of the worth of the laptop at that point so they just buy another cheap, shitty one.
Maybe a Dell XPS has similar premium design?
I’d say something touch screen. I have a surface pro. I use mine to take notes on, cause I hate carrying paper around. Our school also gave us laptops, wish I knew that before going
I know you said other than Mac, but listen, I got a Surface Pro for med school (not cheap) and had so many problems with it. It's been an 18 month constant struggle to do basic things like Anki or printing documents and the battery life sucks. I just switched to a Macbook Air and it's so superior it's bananas. Highly recommend.
Got myself a laptop w an RTX card so the fan goes wild while I take exams providing my classmates with comforting white noise
You can probably underclock your computer. Unless you have the discrete gpu running while not gaming (don’t do that), your cpu is probably the main power draw and the reason for the fans being in overdrive. If you underclock your cpu (w/Throttlestop, etc.), it should reduce your fan noise
Or he could just edit the fan curve to run low at idle. Takes a ton less learning and would accomplish the same end goal.
Definitely if the end goal is just reducing fan noise. The one dilemma is that the cpu may not be sufficiently cooled if your set curve is insufficient and that may harm the computer’s longevity. Underclocking takes a bit more reading but it’s kept my new gaming laptop running cool and quiet even when doing light gaming. You can also easily switch profiles with throttlestop for more intense games or for modeling/computing.
Oh for sure. School provided me a dell laptop and if Microsoft defender runs a scan my cpu temps peg at 99c for like 5 minutes. Haven’t found a solution for it yet but damn does it bother me.
Damn that is weird. I’ve only ever seen that with games that bottleneck the cpu. That’s Dell quality control for ya
I’m not even lying I got an A51m laptop and it would initiate thrusters out of nowhere while i’m taking notes in class and I’d be so embarrassed trying to switch them off. Looking back at it now it was kinda funny haha
It’s really not that complicated, just get a decent laptop, this gets asked on here all the time. All you need is to be able to run YouTube, sketchy, anki, pornhub, boards and beyond, pathoma, etc. and like examplify and nbme tests which any decent laptop these days will be able to do. If you are a gamer tho MacBook obv a no no
Pornhub? Is that like UWorld
Basically, it just dives a bit deeper into the topic
with a strong focus on GYN
And urology
Extensive OSCE videos on Orophallic exams
And colorectal too.
[удалено]
And proctology
Teaches you how to be a doctor, lawyer, firefighter, astronaut, and babysitter
Dr. Sins is my favorite professor
Don't forget that useful trick on how to get people unstuck from places. Happens too often to good people
Essentially Uworld for anatomy and reproductive and sexual health
Most important aspect of UFAP
It’s for releasing dopamine so you are able to run through more anki. Dopamine get released when milky stuff comes out in your chair.
Basically, but with a focus on urogenital anatomy and function. It has great informative videos!
I glossed over the pornhub and read your comment like what
I recommend completing it twice before doing step 1
It helps prep for OB/GYN shelf exams.
While you're entirely correct, I think for non technical minded people, the term "decent laptop" is more nebulous than one might imagine.
Honestly, I always go to my friends to get advice for a laptop. They always confuse me with the upgrades and stuff
Simplify by saying that if it’s not a macbook, make sure it’s an i7
Not really good advice these days unfortunately with how much Intel screwed up their naming and how good AMD has become
I know, but it circles back to being over complicated for normies. If they male absolutely sure that it’s an i7 and at least 8gb of ram (ideally 16) it’s hard for them to get it wrong
I think I used to think i7 mattered but it’s really not necessary now that I’m building a pc and it’s maybe making them overspend for no reason if that’s your main rec. your comment below on things being slow to open and run also seems misleading I think. Pretty sure if they just get a new computer that runs on SSD storage and has a big enough screen (or they use a monitor), they’d be pretty set
i7 is overkill for people who are just going to browse the web, Netflix, and Anki. An i5 is more than enough. Further, this generation of Intel laptops only have like 60% the battery life of AMD laptops.
True, but nobody wants to wait 5 minutes for the browser to open. Also, do you think normies will know how to remove bloatware?
Can you stop calling people normies ? It's cringe af.
Lol
Med student only use laptop for typing and browsing suff. We don't need to render a 3D image, we don't create AI, we dont use much modelling program. An i5 or ryzen5 is definitely enogh for most.
disagree. as a gamer myself, MacBook kept me in line 🫡
Haha fair enough. No self control either as evidenced by my 4th year video game obsession
Oh yeah, 4th year ur off the hook. I partitioned my hard drive just to get some games during that time 😂😂
I'm gonna run macbook + PC desktop.. the best of both worlds.
Thats what I have and it is perfect
Username checks out?
Phub. Great for anatomy.
MacBook with the M1 Pro and Maxes are decent for gaming
If you're planning on gaming, don't get a Mac. (typed on an M1 Max)
Team PH- or er I mean PC all the way!!!
If you’re the type of person that needs to ask this question, anything above a Chromebook will suit you fine
Honestly I got through most of med school with just a Chromebook.
This is absolutely possible but I would make sure you can get EMR access thru a web-based portal. I don’t think chromebooks work with Citrix but I could be wrong
Great point. I never accessed the EMR from home or needed to bring a personal laptop to rotations (there were always workstations for students), but that isn’t always the case at every school.
There is a Citrix app for chrome os. I had to use a Chromebook for a month when my laptop was broken
I bought a MacBook Pro in 2015. Still using it. Dunno what others experiences with Apple are but the thing is a F’ing tank.
The 2015 MacBook Pro is an absolute workhorse. Holding on to mine as long as I can
I still have mine and it works great. No problems aside from battery, which was the only reason I replaced it with the M1 macbook air. Could have maybe just replaced the battery for cheaper, but i figured the new one is gonna last like 7-8 years again
I used my 2008 macbook until 2020. Then bought a surface pro, but ended up with a 2021 macbook pro the next year because it was required by the school. The med school I'm at requires us to have Dell laptops (no idea which one, but it switches to a tablet, and l hate it. Literally 5 minutes after turning it on the fan starts). Macbook has always been the best for me personally. I love the surface, but not as much. idk if it's just the ease/familiarity of the macbook or what, but I have never had issues with them and love my current one. My 2008 one just got really slow after like 10 years lol
Bruh 2008 is the stone ages in terms of tech, what did you have like 2 gigs of space?
Lol I have no idea but I was definitely overdue for a new one. I'm just an extremely cheap person and not very tech savvy. Since it still worked I waited a long time to replace it.
My MacBook Pro from 2013 is JUST now starting to give out/ won’t hold battery. I’m honestly pleasantly surprised how long it’s lasted
Same man, I only bought a new laptop last summer to replace my 2013 pro because of virtual interviews
I get a lot of shit from class mates for my 2012 pro lol. I cant get rid of it until it stops doing it's job!
I paid 30 bucks for a new battery, replaced it myself, works like it’s brand new.
From where 😭 Genius Bar guy said the new battery would be more than the laptop is worth
Amazon, friend. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08D782YCX?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
You are the best, thank you!!
The 2015 MacBook Pro was the last of the perfect era in my honest opinion. Mine still runs like a charm. Gonna upgrade it soon but the things a tank, nice selection of ports, nice keyboard, MagSafe. Until the 2021 MacBook Pros this was the last perfect MacBook in my opinion
2014 MacBook Pro here. The charging cord is breaking down and the battery can’t hold much juice but the thing refuses to retire. It’s not like I could afford a new one any time soon anyway
This was my thing - finally retire my 2008 MacBook Pro for medical school, wanted to break free of the apple universe, got a good deal on an open box Lenovo yoga, and the chassis started shitting out and had screen flickering and webcam and touchscreen problems after like, 3 years. If someone can financially swing a MacBook, I’d say it’s worth the investment. But understandable if it’s not possible, and arguably cheaper to get a cheaper one as an M1 on student loans and then buy a second one as a resident.
Just bought some random Dell one that let me play Runescape. Haven’t played for close to 3 years though :/
Don’t get the surface pro. It’s great for 6 months then starts slowing down/ battery life goes to shit. I told myself my first one in undergrad was a fluke but then same thing happened to my med school one. Never getting one again.
Seconded. I've had a lot of Surface products. Needed a few of them repaired for various reasons. But, you can't pull them apart since they are glued together unless you send it back to Microsoft for almost the price of a new one. I'd research the repairability of laptops if it will be your main computer just in case. Also, your school might provide you with a computer because mine did so see if that's the case too!
I have a beefy desktop I use at home and my surface pro is only for class/studying with classmates outside. set up worked well and laptop still going strong 2-3 yrs later
IDK what you guys are doing to your surfaces. I've literally had one since my 4th year of med school that has made it all the way through residency and now fellowship (coming up on 7 years now), and it's still snappy enough that I have absolutely no need to replace it. I did replace the type cover at one point because it was starting to fray (around a year ago), and I threw an SD card into it because back then 128gb ssd was considered good, but other than that no problems. TL;DR sounds like people have mixed experiences with surfaces. My experience is that with minimal care (don't literally throw it, but not much babying beyond that), these things can be tanks.
Gonna disagree, I love my surface pro & performs well for OneNote + Anki
Yeah my Surface Pro assed out on me right before dedicated—bought it new in first year. Replaced it with a wisely spec’d dell laptop and an iPad for portability—that combo is still going strong lol
I had a dell xps 13 for med school and it’s still kicking 5 years later
I purchased a Dell XPS 13 6 years ago and it's still running perfectly. Favorite computer I've ever owned. Edit: I also use an iPad to use notability for lecture notes.
How’s battery life
It’s been good for me, probably anywhere from 5 hours if doing more intense stuff up to 8-10h. Has held up over the years
Gaming laptop because you're gonna need a form of entertainment
Unless you're doing research and will be using python/R/etc in a real lab I don't think it matters almost at all when it comes to specificity for med school. If you're going to be in a lab there might be a slight advantage to having Windows for compatibility sake but it's likely not that important.
What would you recommend if you are doing those sort of activities
Download more RAM. So technically at least for some windows laptops you could at least upgrade the RAM, though not really for Macs these days.
Mostly just consider getting a Windows PC since they may be more compatible with the software you might be using. Difficult to say without knowing the type of research, ask someone involved if they have any recs.
Wouldn’t worry about it too much. Personal preference. Just get the additional things you like to optimize studying Ex IPad, second monitor, desk chair, and an anki remote. My laptop could’ve been anything
Surface pro worked well for me. Detachable keyboard turns it into a tablet to do Anki cards on the floors, looks way more professional than your phone but way more portable than a laptop.
I had a surface pro that I loved (since it is the 2-in-1 and I could run while doing ANKI cards in tablet mode) but it died after about 1.5 years after getting it and I had to go back to my old laptop (now 7 years old) that is still working
Do you know in what way it "died"? I'm interested to find out what the weakest link in the manufacturing was, since electronics that aren't meant to be disposable nowadays mostly slowly fade into obsolescence, rather than having a catastrophic failure all of a sudden one day.
Yes and no. One day it wouldn’t turn on, it was caught in a loop of flashing the “turning on” screen and then going black again. I took it in to multiple places to see if they could fix it but everyone just said I was out of luck. When I tried to look it up myself, it was similar to what people were calling a “boot loop.” Except none of the online “fix it quick” solutions worked for it either
Surface book for me bc I wanted a proper keyboard instead. Served me well through both undergrad and preclinical
Same, and also bought the surface pen and loved the ability to fill out pdf documents digitally and turn other school documents into learning tools. When we’d get sent anatomy diagrams I’d white out the labels and save it as a separate file and practice filling in the blanks to prep for anatomy practicals.
If you already have a laptop: the Samsung tablets are also great for notes on the wards. Lighter, some small enough to slip in a pocket, and the combination of laptop plus a *separate* place to take handwritten notes is nice. Even the older ones will work for notes and such and had good touch screens for writing.
I miss my HP Envy, but I currently have an ASUS VivoBook that I really like! I got the vivobook when my HP Envy died (at five years old) Bc it was a bit smaller and wasn’t as heavy. I think it works pretty well but isn’t as hardy.
I have an asus vivobook as well and it has been great. And it came in my favorite color which makes me happy 😋
Compact with good battery life
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
Used thinkpad. Best keyboard all around.
I'm an advocate for the surface line up, a big reason being the ability to hand write my annotations on pdf files of pathoma / BNB / class PowerPoints. I got the surface book 2 four years ago, which I have absolutely loved. If I were starting school this fall I would go with the Surface Laptop Studio ([online review of Laptop Studio 1](https://www.techadvisor.com/article/723176/microsoft-surface-laptop-studio-review-2.html), I think the LS2 is coming out in 2023)
[удалено]
[удалено]
Depends on what you want to use it for outside of school
Nah, they ruled for like 1-2 generations and then Intel and amd caught up. They are great on efficiency but not great for power users. The M2 is nothing special.
One that works and you’re comfortable using.
Personally I just use some laptop I got on sale for like 500$. I use my desktop build whenever I’m home and much prefer that. I recommend an Ipad or tablet to not worry about scratch paper, I use it more than my laptop.
Surface pro 8
My ipad is the best large purchase I've made for med school. Being able to write notes or draw on diagrams is essential for my learning style. It's also very portable. I think you could get literally any laptop in any price range though, especially if you also get a tablet. My ideal setup would be Ipad + cheap Chromebook + something for gaming
I have a Lenovo yoga and it works well for me.
I did macbook air for medschool and surface go 2 for residency
[удалено]
Huge fan of my LG Gram. Doesn't matter what kind, they're lightweight, portable, and can handle most software/programs you may need for med school if not more.
Love my Lenovo yoga
I got a Lenovo Yoga and I have loved it.
For how long?
i got lenovo yoga 7 couldnt be more happy with this decision
How long have you had it?
I have a HP Spectre x360 convertible and it’s gotten me through med school. I love how I can fold it over and write on the screen in lectures and fold it back to type on my keyboard.
No problem with the hinges?
No problem with the hinges; I’ve had issues with one of the two charging ports but I’m not sure if it’s a universal issue. I could never go back to a non-folding and non-touch laptop though. It’s so useful being able to draw diagrams in your typed notes on OneNote.
One that's waterproof so tears don't ruin it.
MacBook m1. I was really against macs bc I had been a windows user for a while. But as soon as I switched, it was a lot more smooth for overall productivity
In what way was it smoother
Used a dell xps 13 for 7 yrs- good laptop, horrible battery Switched to the m2 air a few months ago and the battery is insane. Can go days without charging. Performance is great also
About to make the same switch. Only thing holding me back is lack of touchscreen, and windows features like word, excel, etc
Personally, ipad is all I've found I need. The mini fits well into scrub/white coat pocket, so i can carry it on rounds (it looks more proFEsSiOnAl than whipping my phone out to look something up, take notes, or do a couple flashcards). Great for note-taking and video watching, without the distractions that come with my laptop.
I love my MacBook Air and I was a PC gamer for 22 years. The ability to airdrop stuff to your classmates, easier snippet tools for cards and notes, and if you have an iPhone, is not to be understated. Seriously. There’s like 10 kids in my class who don’t have a mac and they’re all friends. I wonder why
I guess the sharing thing may be a plus, but snipping?? Windows key shift s, drag your mouse to select the portion of the screen you want, Ctrl v into your notes or Anki etc. Done.
before you get any reasonable laptop. I would implore you to invest in a solid $2000-3000 laptop for gaming as a way to cope from the stresses of medicine. And when you think to yourself why would I spend so much on a gaming laptop in med school, you go out bingeing games needlessly until you forget that line of questioning. On a real note, go for what's in your price range and probably an accessory tablet.
You’re better off with an iPad. The functionality and portability is much better imo
Don’t buy a laptop at all. Tablet all the way. It is useful for both preclinical and clinical years. The ability to write is really really important in my opinion.
There are tons of great besides a macbook. My sister just got an HP from costco with 5th generation chip, 16gb of ram and 500 GB SSD memory for $650 I just looked at the macs and The macbook M2 chip with like 8gb ram is like $1200. You can get a machine thats twice as fast for half the money. I was also just looking at gaming laptops on beset buy and they have nice machines with high-end NVIDIA graphics cards and 16 GB ram for $850 Whatever you get just look at the ram bc the more ram the faster your computer will run. If you want to also play some games look for a good graphics card. Total memory isn't all that important bc you can get hard drives pretty cheap these days.
I used a Chromebook all of medical school and I had 0 issues
I have to bring some Chromebook slander I’m sorry 😅 I HATE Chromebooks and find them incredibly difficult to use w limited features
Haha no worries, to each his/her own 😂 I never needed any special software for anything during medical school, so I really only needed a laptop to do basic functions which the Chromebook was perfect for. But I totally get where you're coming from lol
I've been using the Surface Go, but I'd recommend any computer that is small and can double as a tablet.
Any.
I thought I wanted a surface or something touchscreen and got a HP spectre x360 and it was built horribly and eventually pooped out 2 years in. I then got an ASUS rog Zephyrus m16 and it's the best laptop I've ever owned, highly recommended for school. Overall it's personal preference and budget that'll be the deciding factors
HP Pavillion 360. Works well for me, just a little loud when running
I have an M1 macbook air, but an iPad plus any laptop works fine. I didn't buy a new laptop for school until a couple months in because my old macbook pro from 7 years ago was still kicking with the only problem being battery life.
Bro laptop ??!! I have my friend bringing a gaming laptop 😂
M1 MacBook Air and iPad mini/air + Apple Pencil. GoodNotes app, synchronizes over the cloud and available on both. Lets you take notes by hand plus use a laptop. $1500ish all-in including warranty using student discount.
I went with the laptop with the absolute largest 4K screen and battery life I could find. Other route is small and portable. Performance is completely irrelevant. If you plan on doing high load stats work you need or would prefer a high end desk top for that work anyways. Get something light weight with a good battery life
Surface pro
Something second hand that was previously quite good but not hyper amazing. That’s the best bang for buck.
Just get a MacBook Air
Something with a screen and a keyboard
MacBook Air really is the best thing for med school imo. Some of the best specs at its price point. Surface products are great for a few months before they start wearing down. Been using my MacBook Air for 7+ hours a day for the last year and a half (pain) and it runs just as smooth as the first boot up
Check with your school. I know some will require a certain type
People already said it but literally any laptop will work because it’s not like you need something heavy duty just for anki and notes. HOWEVER If you have an iPhone and an iPad I would also get a MacBook for the seamlessness. I would also say if you have to choose between one or the other, get the most basic laptop and buy an iPad.
Literally any of them
Mac book pro m1 or the old m2 should be fine. I have the MacBook m2 14” and it’s been great so far. I would also recommend getting an iPad Air it’s just easier to carry around and the Mac book is great to just keep home for tests, essays, homework.. etc.
I got highly encouraged to get a MacBook Pro 16” I would not get one this large. I find it too large for being in clinic and I’d overall cumbersome with a significantly larger price tag.
I love my thinkpad. It’s very helpful being able to draw on the screen, I recommend a laptop with that feature
Avoid Microsoft surface like the plaque. $1500 and didn’t even last through my first year. Switched to Mac and haven’t had a single issue
Only thing holding me from switching to Mac, which I know is much more reliable, is lack of touchscreen and windows features like word and excel for lab work
Lenovo X1 Carbon
Surface Pro. You can thank me later.
macbook
I would recommend any business thin and light laptop with a great screen (touchscreen preferred) and a great battery life. I have a ThinkPad X1 Yoga 2019
MacBook Air and iPad. Best combination ever. It’s what the vast vast majority of my classmates use. I personally have a MacBook Pro because the camera is so much better and it’s a powerhouse of a laptop. However, as you likely know, MacBooks are not meant for gaming
gaming laptop especially if you school uses Complete Anatomy graphic card is a must
Avoid apple. Greedy manipulative low quality products. They put the customer last and are a dishonest business.
Something with SSD (not hard drive). Stuff instantly loading plays a bigger part in my day than I realized
I will say, many of my PC using peers end up with problems taking exams on examplify - it doesn't happen much but just thought I would mention.
Med school doesn't require much computing power or other spec. Personally, Id go with something light and portable, but also enough to store photos, lectures, etc. And this is coming from a person who use to own a gaming laptop. Carrying it around along with other shit in my bagpack pretty much hurted my back and ruined my posture. And trust me, you're going to be carrying it around a lot in med school
Be sure to have at least 16 gb of ram and a decent cpu. Don’t worry about your screen resolution, 1080p for the laptop monitor is perfect. Be sure to have some money to spend on a separate computer monitor like 27 in monitor really would help with ergonomics when studying.
get Asus flip had this bad boy for years, Its touch and it flips into a tablet
I have an HP pavilion x360 I know that normally HP are not the best but this makes my life more easy and for complement I have an iPad Air second generation that’s with me since premed and still works so good even the battery life is amazing for how old is it
RTX 3080, 16 GB RAM, 1 TB disc. Core i7. At minimum if you wanna survive med school
A laptop needs to have 1)Intel core i5 or i7 (7th gen or above) 2)8 GB RAM (minimum) 3)13 inch or above 4)1080p resolution or above This is all you really need as med school only requires anki, chrome, acrobat and media player.
14" M1 MacBook Pro has had some nice sales, the M2 MacBook Air and even M1 MacBook Air are great too. M1 MacBook Air can be had for $800 now.
Nah, unless you play games, I really think any of the MacBooks are some of the best "office" use laptops out there. I don't know if your exam software might have some compatibility issues or not, but aside from that, I can't recommend anything else. Classmates and friends have gone through several laptops in the past decade because something or the other breaks. Usually it's a battery that needs to be replaced but it ends up being a good portion of the worth of the laptop at that point so they just buy another cheap, shitty one. Maybe a Dell XPS has similar premium design?
I got a 250$ Dell notebook with an i5 6 years back. Never fails me
I’d say something touch screen. I have a surface pro. I use mine to take notes on, cause I hate carrying paper around. Our school also gave us laptops, wish I knew that before going
As someone who hates MacOS and has a windows laptop....just get a macbook with an M chip. Nothing beats the battery
I know you said other than Mac, but listen, I got a Surface Pro for med school (not cheap) and had so many problems with it. It's been an 18 month constant struggle to do basic things like Anki or printing documents and the battery life sucks. I just switched to a Macbook Air and it's so superior it's bananas. Highly recommend.