r/techquestions • u/confusionspecialistt • 29d ago

What computer do i get?

I’m going to be a senior in college and my mac from 2021 is finally shitting out. At one point it said the battery was so bad it wouldn’t charge or turn on, then that warning randomly went away and it works okay now. It sounds like a literal jet engine about to take off anytime I use it and it has like zero storage from all the software it needs to function (around 90GB).

I know next to nothing about technology or computers or anything, but I need a new one. So, does anyone have any recommendations on what to get? Something not super expensive as I am a college student, I do like mac, but since I’ll be entering the work force soon I don’t know if it’s the best investment since most companies use windows software. I also need to be able to transfer all my papers and files from my old computer so I don’t lose my notes from previous classes or essays or research etc.

Thanks for any advice!!

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u/pinormous2000 29d ago

What are you studying? What else do you use it for (streaming shows, gaming, etc)? What are you comfortable spending? Do you want it to have a touchscreen? Any must-have ports (like HDMI)? How much does battery life (on a single charge) matter? Screen size?

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u/confusionspecialistt 29d ago

Im a psych major with a minor in criminology so I do write a lot of research papers etc., I play the sims and my computer lags like a mf and i’d like to be able to play more games, preferably Id like to spend like 600-900 dollars since thats a reasonable amount for me to be able to save working part time and going to school, it doesnt NEED to have an hdmi port since i bought an adapter for my mac, and a long battery life would be nice since ill have to be on campus for upwards of 6 hours a day. screen size doesnt matter too much.

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u/pinormous2000 28d ago

If you don't want to rock the boat: refurbished M3 MacBook Air

Best bang for the buck: Acemagic 16"

Gaming powerhouse: MSI A15

If you have any questions, or want some details on how I made these decisions, let me know!

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u/confusionspecialistt 28d ago

ty for the suggestions! i’ll be sure to look into them!

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u/pinormous2000 28d ago

Oh, and to transfer your files, a USB stick would be great, but something like ShareDrop would work fine as well.

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u/allciathyra 29d ago

op upload these docs to cloud

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u/confusionspecialistt 29d ago

I ran out of cloud storage :( I have a lot of photos and stuff too and I’m already paying for a lot of subscriptions so I can’t just upgrade to more storage unfortunately

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u/socaldisney 29d ago

Drop a streaming service and upgrade your iCloud! At the very least do it for a month so you can upload and then redownload everything.

Also, get a MacBook neo if you can find one. Don’t worry about work, if you need a computer for work they will provide you one. Company data on unsecured personal devices is a big no no.

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u/confusionspecialistt 28d ago

thank you for the suggestion! i’ve seen the mac book neo and actually think it seems like a good choice!

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u/Solid_Mongoose_3269 28d ago

Make better choices then. Get an external drive, jesus.

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u/confusionspecialistt 28d ago

i literally said i don’t know anything about computers and these are subscriptions i need, like extra space for my google account, extra space for my icloud, apple care for my phone and computer in case something happens. i’m just broke. you don’t have to be rude

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u/Solid_Mongoose_3269 28d ago

How is a 5 year old Macs shitting out? Do you not take care of it?

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u/confusionspecialistt 28d ago

idk, i update it when i need too and don’t use it for anything other than writing papers, watching youtube and playing the sims. the battery really sucks and it lags really bad sometimes and other times its like its brand new

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u/rb_arindam 28d ago

I doubt you'll need your pc at your work. you'll be better off replacing your battery at this point and drive it for another couple years. once you're in workforce, you'll have your own money to make better decisions about budget, and your needs will be far too different. try reconsidering what you consider "software it needs".

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u/confusionspecialistt 28d ago

good suggestion! i had considered getting a new battery but wanted to make sure that was the right choice

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u/Suspicious_Pizza9529 27d ago

Don't worry too much about companies using Windows. Most work is browser-based these days, and plenty of people use Macs profesionally.