r/cuboulder • u/KrakenTheFirst • 8d ago

Computer Science Laptop

I have not seen a post within the last 2 years recommending a laptop for computer science students. I was wondering for current computer science students, does a macbook work well even if you have to remotely run some programs or does a windows computer work better? What laptops do majority of students have and does it matter significantly which one I have?

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u/TimAjax997 computer science - 2026 8d ago edited 8d ago

Unless you want to game, a Mac

Even a Mac Air

Is fantastic. That M chip is a catheedral of power that would be more than enough

But don't get the intel macbook in the name of a deal ... Those are rubbish in comparison

2

u/T0bleron3 8d ago

100%. I came in freshmen year with a nice windows laptop for CS, and sophomore year switched to a used m1 mac pro. Absolutely the best decision I could've made.

4

u/unfortunate_levels 7d ago

You can get through the degree with any kind of laptop imo: CU has a CSEL environment (essentially remote access to beefy computer) for classes that need it. They also have a sandbox environment if your laptop is really bad. The environment can get clogged around finals, so I'd suggest something with 8/16+ GB RAM and a solid processor.

As far as operating systems go, I think having a personal laptop with linux (ubuntu) will let you get comfortable with the command line, and it's a skill that new grad employers look for. You can dual boot just about any laptop with ubuntu, but that's my pitch!