Desk Top vs. Laptop for first year grad school in physics

[lucy202]

I will be starting my first year as a phd physics student in the fall. I'm trying to get everything I need to start my first year of grad school. The one thing I'm not sure of is whether I should get a laptop or a desktop for graduate school. I am going into theorectical amo. Also I plan to have an Ipad.

Do you guys think an Ipad will work well for taking to class for notes, power points, etc.? I was thinking if I had the Ipad I wouldn't need the laptop.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Also does anyone have any suggestions on what I will need in the way of software, management of papers/files, etc.? I do have drop box and two external hard drives.

Please any help or ideas are welcome.

Thank you.

 

[theorem4.5.9]

Personally I would (and do) just use a laptop. I type faster than I write, and I know people who can write latex faster than people who write on paper.

If you really want to go with portability, I recommend a thinkpad x220 or macbook air.

If you want the tablet option, I think the thinkpad tablet (not the laptop!) is better for school than the Ipad, mostly because the pen input is very good. If the class has a lot of diagrams a pen input is about the only way to go (paper has the best pen input though :D)

Just to mention, I was going to get the thinkpad tablet-pc, but decided against it because it felt more like the cons of two devices vs the benefit of two.