u/Dannyics

LAPTOP QUESTIONNAIRE

• Total budget (in local currency) and country of purchase. Please do not use USD unless purchasing in the US: ≈1.200€ (it could be higher if the quality-price ratio is worth it). Spain
• Are you open to refurbs/used? Only reconditioned (provided that quality is guaranteed and it comes from a reputable brand, preferably not a third party).
• How would you prioritize form factor (ultrabook, 2-in-1, etc.), build quality, performance, and battery life? Performance>build quality>form factor>battery life
• How important is weight and thinness to you? Quite important. I'm gonna use it for college (taking it on the train) and using it in bed, so portability is key.
• Do you have a preferred screen size? If indifferent, put N/A. N/A
• Are you doing any CAD/video editing/photo editing/gaming? List which programs/games you desire to run. R / RStudio, Matlab, PyMOL/ChimeraX (and other office software and of the same type as the others).
• If you're gaming, do you have certain games you want to play? At what settings and FPS do you want? TFT, Resident Evil, LiS, Final Fantasy, Total War, Paradox games. 60-30FPS in most demanding games, 120+ in games like TFT.
• Any specific requirements such as good keyboard, reliable build quality, touch-screen, finger-print reader, optical drive or good input devices (keyboard/touchpad)? OLED screen and good resolution for consuming media, SSD.
• Leave any finishing thoughts here that you may feel are necessary and beneficial to the discussion. I'm going to study biotechnology. I would need it by the end of this year or the beginning of next year, so I could wait for new models to come out and save more money. I’m also going to use it to watch series, so screen quality and OLED are important. I already have a PC. It’s worth mentioning that I have other Apple products, so I value the ecosystem, but it’s not a requirement at all. However, I have a doubt: Would it be more cost-effective to just buy the upcoming Apple OLED touchscreen MacBook (even if it's more expensive) to have an all-in-one device, or is the traditional laptop + iPad combo still a better and more practical setup for chemistry and biology notes? Any advice is welcome.

Hi! That's it basically, this year I'm starting a degree in Biotechnology and I'm torn between buying an iPad or a laptop (pros and cons of each one, and maybe recommend specific models).

I'm looking for good subreddits to get recommendations on laptops and tablets.

*Intended use in case it's needed:

laptop: mainly for Biotech studies (PyMOL, RStudio, etc), gaming, and watching series.
tablet: taking notes in class and drawing. leaning towards iPad because of the software and ecosystem, but open to other options.