I am looking to purchase a computer to do all of my "Army Stuff" ie. DTMS, ITRS, SSD, NCOERS etc. and I have only ever used Macs. Any ideas?

2015-10-27T14:38:05-04:00

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 27 at 2015 2:41 PM

2015-10-27T14:41:13-04:00

Yes, you still use a MAC . You should purchase a CAC card reader for MAC. Go to militarycac.com to find all other instructions.

Response by SFC Ronald Britcher made Oct 27 at 2015 3:03 PM

2015-10-27T15:03:36-04:00

Well if that's all you know is Mac you will be better off staying with Mac because trying to start clean with all new software Windows 10 will be a headache for you that's my opinion but if you are looking for a better price then paying that Hugh dollar on Mac at the px then I would get a Windows 10 for dummies which I'm not calling you that ok by all means just the names that someone wanted to throw on a book and make it look like ur a gimmie I guess I don't know or take a class for Windows at the education center at your military base ok. I had to learn the hard way from scratch from software to building computers from scratch. And still to this day I get computers coming in for repair and I just do it as a favor now that's all. I hope this help you out ok brother...!!!

Response by SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 27 at 2015 3:04 PM

2015-10-27T15:04:51-04:00

HP are a good line of computers

Response by SFC Wesley Arnold, Jr made Oct 27 at 2015 3:07 PM

2015-10-27T15:07:59-04:00

Unless things have drastically different the computer, you use of anything you do on "your time" (unclassified of corse). It is best to try and use the same operation systems both at home and work.

SFC Alan Orender is point with getting a cac card read if you unit does not issue them. There are a lot of thing on AKO for example that you can not access without a cac card

Response by SSG Laureano Pabon made Oct 27 at 2015 4:12 PM

2015-10-27T16:12:41-04:00

I've worked with all types of computers and laptops all different models and makes. I currently have a Lenovo T-400 with 6 GB of ram, 250 GB SSD Hard drive with Windows 10. I use Microsoft Office 2007 as a choice.

I noticed you said you want to purchase a computer, well when buying one there must be a reason why you want to do away with the old one if there is an old one.
However I also noted that you are use to MAC's, which is a good reason to staying with a MAC computer.
Apple computers and laptops as said are good, because Apple does both, They built the machine and OS for that machine.
There warranty is pretty good, However take notes: On the apple certification we are told look for details such as scratch's on the surfaces, dents, damaged screws and go through like a fine tooth comb. Why? Because any and all of these void the warranty.

On the other hand if it were a lets say a Dell laptop, I as a tech would go to repair the item that is damaged and if I have a screw that was missing I would put it in place.
As a dell tech I would be concern with the actual computer or laptop. The OS would come from Microsoft or some other like Linux or have you.

But over all its what you want in a computer or laptop that will count.

If your planning to buy something new, then you will want to determine this:

Hard drive: The size, in Giga bytes. (more is better but also cost more) the type of Hard drive
IDE or SSD, IDE is cheaper and Solid State Drive are more expensive but supper fast.
* A little more on SSD later on.

RAM: How much memory in Giga Bytes, the more memory the more applications you can open with freezing. This amount of memory is determine by the type of computer you will have a 32 Bit can handle max 4 GB while a 64 Bit can handle above 4 GB.

Operating system, Windows 10 or Lion X, this is what you will work with.
Next is any additional software you will need to make you what you want happen.

So these are the things your looking for when your buying a new computer or laptop.
Speed is another, but in the market many or these items are pretty fast but take it into consideration when it comes to prices.

* SSD, Solid State Hard drives, I personally noted that many laptops equipped with SSD seem to have a limited life expectancy, because TRIM was not properly set up. Instead as an example in Windows ( ANY ) I noted that it was schedule to defrag. At no time should a SSD ever need to be defrag. When that is set to defrag, the life span goes down that it will end before its time. That was FYI. :)

I can built a computer from scratch and give it a name, so what I'm sayin is when you find a computer of your choice compare it with others before you pay for the name.

Good luck in your choice.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 27 at 2015 4:49 PM

2015-10-27T16:49:39-04:00

MSG Private RallyPoint Member you should check out CW3 Michael Danberry , he runs the website militarycac.com which is far and away the most comprehensive website in detailing what will and will not work with CAC and civilian computer products.

Response by LCDR Rabbah Rona Matlow made Oct 27 at 2015 7:42 PM

2015-10-27T19:42:42-04:00

If you are handy, building a computer is very simple these days.

The other option, if you are hard over on Mac, is to get a new Mac if you need one; use Boot Camp and install Windows. It will then dual boot into either OS. Personally, I think Macs are highly overpriced for what you get, but that's a preference thing...

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 27 at 2015 8:59 PM

2015-10-27T20:59:01-04:00

There is one brand name that always falls on every reviewer's top 10 list. Lenovo.

Most other brands can land on one or another of the lists, but Lenovo consistently lands on all of them (they all have their favorites and different judging criteria).

I bought a Lenovo Ultrabook with solid state drive and intel i7 core. The processor is more important than brand name, overall. Solid state drives are the most dependable, as most hard drives are literally disposable, solid state is made to last. The intel i7 is the fastest processor and can handle any sort of work load. i5 isn't too bad either.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 27 at 2015 9:12 PM

2015-10-27T21:12:38-04:00

You could keep a mac, but you'll find over time it will get frustrating to keep changing settings and getting things to work on different sites. I used Linux for years, which I loved, but there were just too many incompatibilities that I had to fix every time an Army site changed something.

If it's just for work stuff, I suggest picking up a refurbished or one from a pawn shop. The Army sites and programs are geared toward older equipment anyway, so getting a refurbished computer that's 2 years old is a great deal.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 27 at 2015 9:17 PM

2015-10-27T21:17:06-04:00

I say get a refurb laptop off amazon, wipe the hard drive, upgrade the RAM, and put Linux Mint XFCE on it, but I don't know how well CACs and linux play.

Response by PFC David Ryba made Oct 28 at 2015 7:15 AM

2015-10-28T07:15:25-04:00

PCs will do anything a Mac will for a fraction of the cost. I do a lot of photo and video editing on my PC. Just upgraded to Windows 10 for free. Runs like a new computer. You can also run Oracle Virtual Box which will let you run the Mac OS, Linux, older versions of Windows, and just about any OS you want.

Response by PFC David Ryba made Oct 28 at 2015 7:19 AM

2015-10-28T07:19:44-04:00

Try Tiger Direct. You can get a great deal on a refurbished PC, usually well under 500 bucks.
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Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 28 at 2015 7:40 PM

2015-10-28T19:40:35-04:00

Go apple you can go wrong all security squirrels use them dell no way

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 28 at 2015 11:27 PM

2015-10-28T23:27:15-04:00

I bought a basic Panasonic in 2011 before being deployed and it hadn't failed me yet..I'm still using it and have no issued with any online Army stuff

Response by WO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 29 at 2015 10:40 AM

2015-10-29T10:40:18-04:00

Any basic system will work. If your only planning on using it at home I would recommend saving some cash and getting a desktop

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 29 at 2015 5:02 PM

2015-10-29T17:02:35-04:00

There is no computer that can do DTS

Response by SFC Richard Lee made Oct 30 at 2015 10:12 AM

2015-10-30T10:12:09-04:00

i used my mac when i was still on active duty to do just about anything. The last time i purchased a new computer running windows was in 2003. The only new computer I purchase are Macs. For a computer running windows i go to computer-show.com. I found it by accident.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 30 at 2015 9:40 PM

2015-10-30T21:40:29-04:00

Dont do mac, it will be hard to get a cac card to work. At least with a linux distro you can get a cac to work. Most DOD websites require internet exploder. Find a cheap laptop.... Like super cheap, a pawn shop would be a good place to start. Why buy a mazaratti when all you need is a pinto??

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 12 at 2015 10:40 PM

2015-11-12T22:40:43-05:00

If you only want it to run DTMS, ITRS, SSD, and NCOER's you can get a computer for about $500.00. All you need to worry about is the size of the HD, the amount of RAM and if it's 64 or 32 bit. You don't need anything spectacular to do what you've mentioned in your question. Just make sure it has enough RAM to support what you plan on doing with it.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 26 at 2015 10:58 AM

2015-11-26T10:58:29-05:00

Even with a MAC, you can DUAL BOOT Camp your MAC. Meaning you can boot to Windows directly or get VMWare or Parallels and emulate Windows. I do it all the time. I have Win 7, 8, and 10 on my Macbook Retina 12. Great thing is you can take SNAPSHOTS of your OS at anytime.... so if you have certificate issues and etc down the road, you can SNAPSHOT back and it's generally fixed.

Response by LT Stephen Amiaga made Dec 3 at 2015 8:06 PM

2015-12-03T20:06:19-05:00

My advice... spend the money you would on a decent MAC on a Kick-ass PC and you'll never go back...

Response by SFC Edwin Watson made Jan 13 at 2016 3:17 PM

2016-01-13T15:17:20-05:00

If that's all you are going to use it for, you can wait around to find a good deal on a laptop (make sure it will support 8GB memory or better) with Windows. It's a. @#$%- to install a CAC reader on MAC unless you have someone who's done it before to walk you through it. Make sure you keep the restore disks in case you want to get a higher capacity hard drive.

Response by SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made May 3 at 2016 9:29 PM

2016-05-03T21:29:59-04:00

Ive been up trying to get DTMS to work on my mac can someone help me please? I downloaded the silverlight like it said to do but its still not allowing me to complete the training calendar.