General

@ChildCrusade: You should not under most circumstances base your computer choice on your major.

Why? Any software that any major requires will either be non-intensive and any computer can handle it, or be very very intensive so much that it would be unwise for you not to use the computer labs provided by the university for such work. Even if you were to invest a lot of money into a computer built for such tasks, such as using ANSYS for aerospace engineering work, it would probably be considerably sub-par to these machines. You may build a computer primarily for gaming with decent hardware, but it is not going to compare to your computer lab's rooms full of desktop computers with top of the line hyper threaded CPUs and 32GB of RAM running Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

To summarize: pick your computers for your needs. The university provides computer labs for all of THEIR needs from you.

Also I recommend that if you absolutely will get a laptop with OS X, that you buy a used one from a few years back. There is no reason for you to pay so much for average hardware. If build quality is your motivation, I have already suggested a thinkpad x200, or even x220. If just owning a macintosh for the sake of OS X is your concern, then simply be aware of your software limitations. If any classes do actually require some software to be used in-class you may end up not being able to use it.

Edit: Though you could dual boot and install your favorite distribution of GNU/Linux if the said software has a Linux version but no OS X version. The same could be said about Microsoft Windows. If you are very adventurous and require software exclusive to Microsoft Windows, but also want to use Linux (or BSD for that matter), you could even triple boot.

[quote=ChildCrusade]I don't think I'll plan on being a biological engineer, so I don't think I would need such a high end computer for these purposes.
For someone in my future major, what would be better, a Mac OS or Windows OS?[/quote]

That's a bit of a tricky question to answer because it depends on the classes, professors, curriculum, etc. I might be able to give a better answer if you have a clearer idea of which specialization of biology interests you the most.

I had one friend who had to buy a Macbook after she started art school because of network compatibility issues in a heavily "Mac" college. Supposedly, it was more of a user problem, because professors didn't want to or know how to make things work on Windows systems. The same can be true vice-versa.

Most colleges today don't require laptops for class, but require a computer for emails and campus communication. In such a situation, the student is free to have whatever computer he or she wants whether that be desktop or laptop, Windows or OS X. The reason why the stereotypical college laptop exists is because of portability. The reason why Macbooks are common amongst college students is because they are genuinely good premium laptops and its common to justify that decision with the same ones you are making - longevity, ease of use, and premium features. I do see where you are going with the gaming desktop and I have suggested Macbook+gaming desktop in the past.

[quote=Burning]1. Yes. It can be somewhat distracting, it depends how capable one is able to remain focused.
2. No, especially lower classmen. Depending on the upperclassmen specialization, then mabye i.e. protein rendering. In two years time, the earliest time one would see such classes, the rate of how computer technology improves will render a high-end system to the level of the current mid-range system.
3. Yes. GW2 will be very playable on the medium-high settings.
4. Depends on the person. I used a netbook remotely connected to my gaming desktop instead of a laptop because I rode a longboard and bike. Portability was very important to me.

I likely can just about answer any college computer related question you might ask.[/quote]

I don't think I'll plan on being a biological engineer, so I don't think I would need such a high end computer for these purposes.
For someone in my future major, what would be better, a Mac OS or Windows OS?

[quote=AlmaElma]Is there any logical reason you want to pay $1000 for a laptop that will provide you with equal or lesser functionality than a $450 windows laptop, or even a used extremely portable Thinkpad x200 for ~$200?

The only reason you have stated is ichat. However, you can speak with people using ichat with other software, such as pidgin. But think about it. Do you have any valid reason for wanting OS X? Any at all? Do you need a unix environment for any reason whatsoever (and don't want to use freebsd) or do you just want one because other people and advertisements say that you do?

Edit: As an added note, some classes in college require you to use software that in many times does not have an OS X version. If you have only access to OS X and not Microsoft Windows, you would be forced to use the computer lab every time you wanted to use such a program, unless you emulated or dual booted.

If you come to the realization that you do not need OS X for anything, you now have many more options available to you. The best of which would likely be to purchase a used laptop on which you can install any operating system you wish other than OS X (so you do not have to pick a laptop purely based on driver support for its hardware), which can accomplish all the tasks you will ever need (Office programs, chat/IRC/other communication, internet, programming?, etc) and use the money you saved to build a desktop for all your games. You could invest in a 'gaming' laptop but then you would be spending more for less, end up with one computer instead of two, and have a smaller battery life, computer life, and higher temperature (which is directly related to smaller computer life) than you otherwise would.

My best recommendation is to the Thinkpad X200. The build quality is fantastic but that's a given. The most prominent feature is its 12.1" display therefore extremely small size for a laptop. It is a full featured laptop however, using laptop hardware and an x86_x64 processor and not ARM like some devices are now adopting. The hardware is more than good enough for anything you will need on your laptop. It even uses DDR3 ram instead of DDR2 like other laptops around its time. Ensure that the specific laptop you buy has a webcam, as I am not sure if every single release of the x200 has a webcam or not (they probably all do though). The price for a used one is around $200-$250, which leaves you around $800 you would have spent on a macbook to build a custom computer.

Edit2: Oh yes, be warned. The x200 as well as most other ultraportable laptops DO NOT have an optical drive (for CDs, DVDs) and rely wholly on internet and USB or possibly eSATA/firewire for transferring data.

$800 is plenty to work with for a desktop of your desire (but do you have a display and speakers/headphones already, or any other parts you can cannibalize from an unused computer?) However, it is not too wise to expect it to comfortable last 8 years with that budget. It will be fine for the games you play and several others, but it will become deprecated in a few years easiily, especially with so much technology being released in the very near future.[/quote]

As a majority of my friends have a Macintosh, iChat is just more efficient. Video chatting is much easier because that option is built into the iChat program, while currently I would have to open both AIM and ooVoo/Skype. Ease of use is my preference for a laptop.
Having used my friends' Macbooks, I love the build of it (the keyboard is a plus and the mouse) and more importantly, how easy it is to use the Mac OS. Click with one finger to left click, two to right click, and the whole swiping situation is wonderful, allowing me to have multiple desktops on without having to worry about how to switch from each desktop, a problem I have with my current Windows laptop. I'm aware Windows has a lot more features and versatility, but I'm not looking for that in a laptop.
The weight of the Thinkpad is a problem. One of my friends had that laptop and for me, it felt extremely bulky. If you compare it to the Macbook Air, the Macbook wins easily due to the weight. But let's compare the new Thinkpad X series to the current Macbook Air. Yes, they look very similar and have the same build. But the Thinkpad costs and extra $100~$350, with the Windows OS instead of the OS X. The only real plus is the larger SSD, which I really won't be needing because I can transfer files to a desktop and permanently delete the files on the Macbook Air.

And my funds aren't limited to that much. I do plan on getting a part-time job.

Is there any logical reason you want to pay $1000 for a laptop that will provide you with equal or lesser functionality than a $450 windows laptop, or even a used extremely portable Thinkpad x200 for ~$200?

The only reason you have stated is ichat. However, you can speak with people using ichat with other software, such as pidgin. But think about it. Do you have any valid reason for wanting OS X? Any at all? Do you need a unix environment for any reason whatsoever (and don't want to use freebsd) or do you just want one because other people and advertisements say that you do?

Edit: As an added note, some classes in college require you to use software that in many times does not have an OS X version. If you have only access to OS X and not Microsoft Windows, you would be forced to use the computer lab every time you wanted to use such a program, unless you emulated or dual booted.

If you come to the realization that you do not need OS X for anything, you now have many more options available to you. The best of which would likely be to purchase a used laptop on which you can install any operating system you wish other than OS X (so you do not have to pick a laptop purely based on driver support for its hardware), which can accomplish all the tasks you will ever need (Office programs, chat/IRC/other communication, internet, programming?, etc) and use the money you saved to build a desktop for all your games. You could invest in a 'gaming' laptop but then you would be spending more for less, end up with one computer instead of two, and have a smaller battery life, computer life, and higher temperature (which is directly related to smaller computer life) than you otherwise would.

My best recommendation is to the Thinkpad X200. The build quality is fantastic but that's a given. The most prominent feature is its 12.1" display therefore extremely small size for a laptop. It is a full featured laptop however, using laptop hardware and an x86_x64 processor and not ARM like some devices are now adopting. The hardware is more than good enough for anything you will need on your laptop. It even uses DDR3 ram instead of DDR2 like other laptops around its time. Ensure that the specific laptop you buy has a webcam, as I am not sure if every single release of the x200 has a webcam or not (they probably all do though). The price for a used one is around $200-$250, which leaves you around $800 you would have spent on a macbook to build a custom computer.

Edit2: Oh yes, be warned. The x200 as well as most other ultraportable laptops DO NOT have an optical drive (for CDs, DVDs) and rely wholly on internet and USB or possibly eSATA/firewire for transferring data.

$800 is plenty to work with for a desktop of your desire (but do you have a display and speakers/headphones already, or any other parts you can cannibalize from an unused computer?) However, it is not too wise to expect it to comfortable last 8 years with that budget. It will be fine for the games you play and several others, but it will become deprecated in a few years easiily, especially with so much technology being released in the very near future.

[quote=ChildCrusade]So here are my questions:
Do people bring their desktop to college? Is it silly to bring it as it can be a major distraction?
Does a biological science major require a computer of this caliber?
Can a Macbook Pro 15" or Retina play Guild Wars 2 efficiently, as I see that being my most graphic intensive game?
Is it annoying to lug around a 15" laptop whereas a 11" or 13" is much easier?[/quote]

1. Yes. It can be somewhat distracting, it depends how capable one is able to remain focused.
2. No, especially lower classmen. Depending on the upperclassmen specialization, then mabye i.e. protein rendering. In two years time, the earliest time one would see such classes, the rate of how computer technology improves will render a high-end system to the level of the current mid-range system.
3. Yes. GW2 will be very playable on the medium-high settings.
4. Depends on the person. I used a netbook remotely connected to my gaming desktop instead of a laptop because I rode a longboard and bike. Portability was very important to me.

I likely can just about answer any college computer related question you might ask.