<p>Any thoughts?</p>
<p>My initial reaction is that they seem just a tad behind the curve. For years the touch screen was more of a niche/advanced item. With the coming of Win8, and the plethora of touch screen laptops, it looks like the recommended laptops are simply updated of the ones they have had in place for several years.</p>
<p>I will complain about the dismissal of the Wacom tablets as an option. If there is a problem with them, then why does the graphic design/digital art community use them so much. Visual arts would require a much larger touch/feel than simply writing/drawing on a screen.</p>
<p>Wacom doesn’t pay VT to require their products.</p>
<p>Anyway, touch screens aren’t required for engineering work so I’m glad they don’t require them. The only other nitpick I have is 250gb is really low for a hard drive now, but they probably won’t see many with less than 500gb anyway.</p>
<p>Son #1 used the Wacom tablet paired with a laptop for the 12/13 year even though it was dismissed as an option. It worked well for everything in the two freshman engineering classes with one exception. If I recall correctly the Wacom softare had difficulty with vertical writing on a graph (I think it kept auto correcting). I may have it wrong though. The wacom requires more hand-eye coordination than the covertible tablets because you are not writing directly on the screen but DS thought that was a non-issue. So the Wacom tablet is certainly do-able. I don’t think son #2 is going this route though.</p>
<p>Chuy,
Were we reading the same requirements? The recommended systems are all touch screens. Or are we simply using different terminology, as the the systems suggest by VT are technically “tablets”, and the Win8 systems i have seen don’t really convert to a tablet form factor.</p>
<p>I will agree there is no need to be able to write on a screen to practice engineering. Nice perhaps, but not required.</p>
<p>@DecideSomeHow - “I will agree there is no need to be able to write on a screen to practice engineering. Nice perhaps, but not required.”</p>
<p>The engineering program at VT requires that you have the ability to write on a screen and annotate documents. They have designed the program so that your grades will be negatively affected if you do not have the capability, e.g., inability to complete a particular assignment even if the annotations are relatively minor. </p>
<p>All of the recommended convertible tablets at the VT bookstore have the capability of writing with a stylus on the screen. Son #1 did not want to pay the premium for a convertible tablet and opted instead for the actively discouraged Wacom tablet + pen. You write on the Wacom tablet connected via USB rather than directly on the laptop screen. His setup was sufficient for his needs. Prior to starting at VT he said he would never take written notes on the screen as he types in excess of 120wpm. He found, however, that writing notes digitally was actually quite effective especially for formulas or diagrams. So, in his opinion the derided capability actually had significant use.</p>
<p>I had thought that we could get a touch screen laptop and just add a digital pen with the appropriate software but the technology doesn’t work that way. Touch screen technology is not the same as a laptop that has the capability for digital pen rendering. Most touch screen laptops use a capacitive screen technology that may allow a stylus to open tiles or icons but can’t write.</p>
<p>They recommend a touchscreen because they get a kickback from the companies that make them, but now they at least tell you that you can use a writing pad.</p>
<p>So for those of you with previous experience, which model would you personally recommend?</p>
<p>I’ve found this laptop; 500GB HD and all the minimum requirements all at around $1,500. The cheapest out of all the laptops the VT site shows, yet probably the best option for everyone right now. There’s a deal going on from now to April 10th.</p>
<p>[ThinkPad</a> X230t 12.5? Convertible Tablet | Shop | Lenovo | (US)](<a href=“Lenovo Official US Site | Laptops, PCs, Tablets & Data Center | Lenovo US”>Lenovo Official US Site | Laptops, PCs, Tablets & Data Center | Lenovo US)</p>
<p>Do we need to purchase the laptop and carry it on the orientation day? If students are just picking up the software bundles on CDs at orientation, prefer to buy the laptop after then and load the (undergraduate and engrg) software bundles fresh on a brand new laptop. </p>
<p>Totally clueless on the sequence of events for the hardware/software purchase, and would appreciate any help.</p>
<p>A related question. Is it preferable to buy the laptop at the VT bookstore? I am assuming it may come with better service in the campus.</p>
<p>On-campus service is good. They’ll give you a loaner laptop if its going to take them time to fix yours.</p>
<p>Can an expert techy give me some suggestions for a laptop for engineering /comp sci? </p>
<p>Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using CC</p>
<p>@luminiz - aren’t you supposed to be the expert techy??</p>
<p>@sspa10 - if you price an identical laptop at the VT bookstore and externally usually the VT version will come with a few extras as well as a longer warranty. Of course, you may want a completely different (and much cheaper) option. The VT warranty comes with technical service and loaners if needed.</p>
<p>We are planning on waiting before making a purchase decision. Prices tend to come down when new processors are introduced or vendors send new versions. If you order on-line prior to orientation it is possible to pick the laptop up during orientation. But, as you said then you would need to lug it around. You certainly can load the engineering bundle and other software in the days before the first class in August.</p>
<p>Thank you chuy and ChrisTKD. </p>
<p>ChrisTKD, to verify your logic, I customized a Core i5 Lenovo X230T from the Lenovo website with the extras and 3 yr warranty and the price came pretty close to the X230 #1 at the bookstore. So for an identically configured model, the bookstore appears to be a preferred option, for those without any special discounts.</p>
<p>I still remember shopping for a slide rule and a T-square as a freshman over 30yrs ago (still have them). Wonder what the computer requirements will be 30yrs from now :)</p>
<p>I’m hoping that the VT bookstore will have a sale on these convertible tablets sometime around the end of the college school year.</p>
<p>We will be going with the Lenovo lap/tablet also. Probably from the bookstore unless we spot some really great deal from another vendor, but you are right about the price being competative with VT bookstore. We were there on Monday at the engineering open house and stopped in the bookstore hoping to see one in person, but they did not have any on display and only one in the box. Staff said ALL incoming freshman will be getting a ‘catalog’ with the upcoming and current models that will be sold thru the bookstore in the upcoming weeks.</p>
<p>Although my son will be University Studies until Spring semester it only makes sense to go ahead and get the required engineering spec computer (he needs a new one no matter what he got accepted to). They had a booth set up at the expo specifically for the engineering computers, my husband talked to them and I got in on the tail end of it. One of my questions was about software bundles. All students have to purchase the regular bundle and then engineering students purchase and additional bundle. We will purchase the ‘all’ bundle and then come spring can add the engineering bundle to the Lenovo. Perhaps he won’t get much use from the tablet, but I’d hate to have him find out that he is at a disadvantage and can’t complete a requirement in the middle of a class. One speaker at the open house talked considerably about how he made use of the tablet function in his freshman engineering class - maybe a sales job, maybe not. Probably depends on particular profs.</p>
<p>While walking around campus on an unusually warm April day I did take note of the many box fans in the dorms windows, it’s on my shopping list!!!</p>
<p>@sspa10
if you want to extrapolate, the computer requirement for the fall of 1987 was an Intel 8086 with the 8087 math co-processor, 2 720K floppies, and 1 MB RAM. The technology has come a long way. I do have a t-square (still use it) but no slide rule.</p>
<p>One thing that has changed is the way PCs are purchased. Tech bought computers in bulk from IBM (specifically the PS2/30), and sold them to students at little or no markup. The price I paid for it (about $2200, IIRC) was less than my local dealer could get them from IBM. I guess the PC/laptop has become such a commodity item that it really is not possible to do that anymore.</p>
<p>FWIW, I know several soph engineering students who have the Lenovo and are very happy with it. No technical problems but they all (4) bought it from the bookstore for the service. My son has the non tablet version of the Lenovo (tablet not required at his school, but they are nearly identical) and he’s been really happy with it as well. It’s built well, very solid, takes knocks well (no visible damage and he’s not very careful with it), good battery life, keeps up with heavy CAD and Solid Works use with multiple processes running, etc. He has no complaints.</p>
<p>That’s useful info - thanks. </p>
<p>Out of curiosity I checked what the computer requirements were years ago at VT. Using the wayback machine internet archive, the earliest VT bookstore page I found was in 1997:
[Virginia</a> Tech University Bookstore](<a href=“http://web.archive.org/web/19970704232636/http://www.bookstore.vt.edu/]Virginia”>Virginia Tech University Bookstore)</p>
<p>The cheapest ThinkPad (150Mhz Pentium, 1.3GB HD, Win 95) with passive color display at the bookstore was $2259. Compare this with 1997-98 annual in-state/OOS tuition of $3,500/$10,464. I didn’t go to VT but the above link might bring out nostalgic memories to those who did – feel free to navigate to admissions and other pages, or switch to other years after 1997.</p>
<p>I believe the computer cost today is a great value in proportion to other college expenses!</p>