Choosing the Best Graphing Calculator: TI-89 vs. TI-85 Comparison

[Willowz]

I need to get a graphing calculator but I am not sure which one suits me best. I need it for graphing and possibly some more advanced functions. I checked out the prices and the TI-89 is somewhat expensive. It seems a little "hyped" than the other older models. Does the TI-85 have everything the 89 has, just on older hardware?

 

[Willowz]

Been looking around and saw that the TI-83 might not be a bad choice. Any recommendations from experience?

 

[mharten1]

If you're using it for pre calculus math, TI 84 will be more than sufficient. If you're doing calculus and beyond, a TI 89 will be very useful but not necessary.

 

[billy2908]

I recommend downloading a grapher on your computer. The online time I ever used a graphing calculator was at home anyways. It's much cheaper too and you can even find some on a smartphone.

 

[Fragment]

I've owned a TI-83, a TI-84+, and I currently own a TI-89 Titanium, and I must say that the TI-89 T blows the other ones away.

There is much more memory integrated in the calculator, it is much faster. It is also much easier to use the more advanced functions (IMO), and it looks a lot nicer. I would really suggest a TI-89T, you won't be disappointed.

 

[Metaleer]

I'm going with Fragment. I own a TI-89 Titanium and it's a very good calculator, has plenty of features (symbolic differentiation and integration, simple ODEs, 2D curve sketching, 3D graphing, simultaneous linear equation solver...), and the learning curve isn't steep at all.

A word of warning, though - don't get addicted to it. If you're still in high school of your first year of college, try to work out stuff by hand. If you keep using your calculator to do simple calculations, you're going to go rusty fast.

What kind of class do you need this calculator for? For other stuff, I use the European equivalent of http://www.casio.com/products/Calculators_&_Dictionaries/Scientific_%26_Financial/FX-115ES/" , and it does plenty of stuff (but it doesn't have graphing capabilities), like numerical integration and differentiation, quadratic and cubic equations, up to 3 simultaneous equations, complex numbers, statistical functions, ...