CS University student, which Mac?

I will be upgrading my dead Acer Aspire 1692 in the following week but I still can't figure out which Mac is the best for me. Here are my concerns:

-I'm a graduating university student in computer science
-I'm planning on programming a lot on it. I'm mostly involved in graphics/computer vision research so I will be rendering a lot of stuff. Real-time processing is not a concern though (i.e. I do not need a powerful graphics card, although I need the bare minimum)
-The lab in which I will be working will provide me with a powerful desktop machine
-I'm not planning on gaming at all (except for UT/starcraft nights w/ friends on occasion)
-I'm planning on triple booting my machine on OS X/Linux/Windows so I need a lot of space
-I will be using the laptop 50% of the time away from home
-I already own a 320Gb external drive
-I need a high screen resolution at home but I can do without when I go mobile since I can go to the lab if needed
-I'm on a really tight budget

Here are some possible solutions (these are all new models with student rebate included, in canadian dollars):
1) White MacBook 2.4GHz 160Gb + 20" Screen + 320Gb external drive I own: 1250$ + ~250$ -> 1500$
2) White MacBook 2.4GHz 250Gb + 20" Screen: 1350$ + ~250$ -> 1600$
3) MacBook Pro 2.4GHZ -> 1900$

Any suggestions?

 

Option 3 is going to be nice, but if you are on a budget, then maybe the second, that way you have ample room for your triple boot and programs, but for the 300 more, the MBP is gonna rock.

 

I have the high end whitebook. I have 160 gig, 2 gig RAM, 2.4 Ghz. I'm a little confused what the extra $250 is for. Is it for the 20" screen? You can certainly procrastinate on the 20" screen purchase and wait for a deal.

Is it for Applecare? You can procrastinate and pick up Applecare up to a year after your purchase but it will only extend the warranty from the date of your original purchase.

The MBP gives you an interface that is suitable for using a cellular modem. It also gives you a second firewire port and of course the bigger hard drive. Lastly, there is the multitouch. I've heard mixed reviews of this feature. To me, the clear winner is the high end whitebook. It has everything you need, nothing you don't need and is within your budget.

What platform are you writing code for? You might be able to pick up cross compilers that would allow you to do everything on the OS X partition and avoid setting any drive space aside for Linux.

 

Are you set on the idea if getting a Mac cause you can probably get a PC notebook with a high resolution screen for less, especially if you are mainly using Linux and Windows. Something like the ThinkPad T61 or Dell D630/830 might be worth a look and will offer better quality.

 

Ey, I would really recommend the MBP dude. Honestly I am in a similar situation as you(not so much budget-wise). I am a CS major that is looking for a new computer too and am planing on getting the MBP. The extra screen space is really a HUGE convenience when it comes to programming and the MBP will definitely offer that to you. If you are on a tight budget, wait a bit longer, gather up some more money and then buy a little later. You will also have the chance of having the machine being updated again later this year.

 

Given all the parameters provided, seems like option 2 is your best bet.....option 3 would always be nice, but the added cost goes on a tangent in reference to your needs(tight budget)

 

I'd go with Option 1 and upgrade the ram and hard drive yourself. You save a lot of money doing it that way, and you get a second hard drive to put in an external case. Option 1 and option 3 will be the same speed except in graphics type stuff, so keep in mind that spending the extra $400 nets you a gain in graphics power only(as well as a loss in screen size at home).

If you could spare the extra money, the extra screen real estate on the MBP is a blessing when working with multiple files, and the keyboard is a lot better suited for long coding sessions(when compared to the macbook).

 

Option 3 if you can afford it. If you can't, Option 2.

Coding on a macbook pro with a external monitor hooked up with your IDE on the external display and documentation + terminal on your MBP's screen = programming productivity.

 

Option3. You will want as much desktop real estate as possible when developing.

I used my MBP my senior year of college (CS major) and develop on it all the time. At work, I keep it attached to a 19" monitor, where I run my debugger or have my manuals/API's on.

You really do not want to develop on a 13" screen...