Maybe ask the PC list to offer their opinion on which might be the most reliable PC for use by a college student for business school - reliability, sturdiness, and most of all, help us with which anti-virus programs are best to use, and anything else us spoiled Mac users might not know.
You can boot Windows native on a Mac now you know, and as far as the network is concerned it is a Windows PC.
Hope you see this, and can ping the most helpful people.
Get a copy of VMware Fusion for the Mac.
I have used Acer pcs and they do well.
Ignore the University.
iMacs do everything PCs do only better and without all the protection programs which eventually fail.
Their may be software which will not run on macs that was developed in house. Go with the pc.
Because they said so.
A surface pro is a pretty nice adjustment if you are used to the finish level of an apple product.
You need to be somewhat savvy to use VMWare, Parallels, or BootCamp to run Windows 10. However, there is lots of how-to guides out there. I agree it’s kind of silly to buy brand new hardware if you already own something semi-current.
I use both Macs and PCs. They are different tools that do well at different jobs. I am buying a new laptop for my sons college use and he prefers a Windows based PC. After doing research we are ending up with a Dell Alienware. They are very sturdy if a little heavier. My son prefers the ruggedness and doesn’t care about a few extra pounds. The specs are very good and one that is loaded up will cost about the same as a Mac. By all means use Windows 10 and don’t be swayed by the Windows 7 aficionados. You’re just asking for trouble with viruses and programs not working correctly. Nothing wrong with windows 10. Since my son doesn’t go on suspect websites that are filled with bugs and viruses we are using just the windows 10 virus protection that comes automatically with it. We’ve been doing that for years, ever since Windows 10 came out and have had zero problems. My sons laptop with eight gigs of memory, a 256 GB SSD who drive and a 1 TB secondary drive and upgraded graphics card with 6 GB of memory came in under $1800. Strongly consider getting the Microsoft office annual subscription so your programs are always the newest and latest. Cost about 65 bucks a year for a single user.
To sort of quote Bush I, "wouldn't be prudent, not at this juncture."
The suggestions above are helpful but they may also be somewhat esoteric and/or require additional knowledge, administration, etc.
The school probably asks for a PC because it relies on standards supplied by software vendors and/or its own IT department, either or both of whom may be responsible for support down the road of a maintenance or troubleshooting variety.
If installation/configuration of software, networking tools, etc. is required by the school and/or a class then having a garden-variety PC is probably a must.
You didn’t mention budget but as always you get what you pay for. A solid state drive (SSD) is, in my view, crucial. No moving parts, less heat generation, less susceptible to damage or loss of data from jolts, drops, etc. which are always a danger to laptops.
Dell has taken its share of slings and arrows but they still have competitive pricing and can build/ship within 7-10 days and usually handle warranty claims well.
This might be a good ‘Chevy’ model for a student:
http://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/productdetails/inspiron-15-7560-laptop/cai157w10p7b2622
highly recommend Lenovo. I have a Yoga and hubby who was a career Mac user got a new laptop in January and went Lenovo also, ideapad with a bigger screen. He loves it.
I’ve done OK with Asus computers.
Remember, it doesn’t have to be super fancy for non-gaming use.
You’re talking about spreadsheets in business school, for the most part.
One of my kids got a ZenBook and was quite pleased with it for general use, because it’s light and has long battery life. (And he’s a scientific programmer).
I use my iPhone for almost everything. My HP laptop stinks by comparison. My next computer will be a Mac.
I want to USE my computer..... not play IT guy every time I boot up.
If you have a local computer repair shop, you can get a nice refurbished / used PC for a very reasonable price.
Lenovo, Acer, Dell - all decent.
STOP
Check with the IT department at the college. A lot of times the recommendation is made for X because the IT department only supports X and can’t help with Y or Z.
There is also the occasional software app that only runs in a particular browser or software. I have run into a requirement for a specific browser but that browser also worked on Linux and was able to install myself in Linux Mint and it ran the app just fine.
Understand that if you don’t follow their recommended package, you will most likely have to do or obtain your own computer support
With PCs, the platform choice should be driven by its intended software. So get that list. Most business schools have discounted versions of current Office and others that are in his curriculum.
Then pick a platform. Go desktop if at all possible, though there may be appealing deals on laptops. Desktops are infinitely customizable and repairable and don’t overheat. Definitely go with electronic HDD, maybe two for backup ease. OS will be driven by the software, but pick a pro version rather than home.
Buy all the RAM you can afford. It’s really more important than the processor variables. That’s more for the gamers.
Get the largest screen possible, or two. Almost all PC builds will support two monitors. Consider using modern TVs, just make sure they have the right jacks to match your PC. Wallyworld etc are decent suppliers for that, after the fact.
PC sources are just about anywhere. I have a preference for Dells and have bought from ebay vendors without a hitch. Tiger is also good if you want a store. Beware of the big boxes because of preinstalled crapware. With ebay, you can get a clean OS build. Find a guy who has a lot of listings and open a chat or phone conversation to get it right.
An informed user who keeps his machine up to date and doesn’t visit dangerous places is the best antivirus. Needless to say, frequent backups are good. I don’t use AV software and never have since intarwebs version 1.0.
Once you discover the power of a right-click, you’ll wonder how you lived without it. Same for the universality of devices, with the choice of any vendor as long as it’s not Apple.
You can test this out using the free virtualization software called VirtualBox which you can download here.
If you use The Mac's built-in Boot Camp app it will install a separate bootable partition that is a Windows machine. It's not an emulation ;the Mac is running with an Intel chipset. There should be no compatibility issues.
HP laptop with Windows 10.