<p>I am transfering to tech this summer and i have to take the intro engineering courses over the summer and they said i would need to buy a tablet pc for the class. Is there any way i can get around this. I don't feel it's necessary to shell out 1300 bucks for a dumb toy i will never use again. Have any of you guys used the wacam bamboo pen and will they allow that in the class? If not can you guys recommend me a cheap tablet pc that they will allow in the class</p>
<p>Yeah, people have gotten a wacom and used that without any problems.</p>
<p>i read on the vt website:</p>
<p>If a student chooses to deviate in any way from the computer requirement specified for his/her entering class, then there are consequences for such action:</p>
<pre><code>Students who deviate from the computer requirement and therefore cannot participate in a specific course, complete a course assignment, or participate in the classroom where computer use is expected, without additional effort on the part of the faculty or the college, will be assessed any academic penalty deemed appropriate by the course instructor.
</code></pre>
<p>Is this true?</p>
<p>do a lot of students use the wacom?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Nope.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I’d say only a small percentage use an external tablet. You will be hailed as a member of a small genius elite.</p>
<p>which size and model should i get</p>
<p>[Amazon.com:</a> Wacom Bamboo Pen and Touch: Electronics](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Wacom-Bamboo-Pen-and-Touch/dp/B002OOWC3S/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1306157054&sr=8-3]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Wacom-Bamboo-Pen-and-Touch/dp/B002OOWC3S/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1306157054&sr=8-3)</p>
<p>or</p>
<p>[Amazon.com:</a> Wacom Bamboo Pen Tablet: Electronics](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Wacom-CTL460-Bamboo-Pen-Tablet/dp/B002OOWC3I/ref=pd_cp_e_1]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Wacom-CTL460-Bamboo-Pen-Tablet/dp/B002OOWC3I/ref=pd_cp_e_1)</p>
<p>Well, it is true that if you can’t do the necessary work on your computer they’ll doc your grade. It’s just that you can do the work with an external tablet. Just make sure the rest of your computer is up to spec. I think autodesk is the most intensive thing you’ll be running.</p>
<p>can someone explain the difference between the 2 models i posted above?</p>
<p>The one that costs more seems to be more sensitive to pressure. It might be better to compare them on Wacom’s website, as they’ll have all the specs listed there.</p>
<p>The difference is that the Pen and Touch will accept “touch” input (e.g. you can use your fingers to manipulate things). All you need is the Pen part.</p>
<p>i’m going to be taking enge 1104 over the summer and i would like to take another class while i am there. Can someone recommend me an easy gen ed course that i can take over the summer? I feel like if i spend six weeks at blacksburg just to take one class i will be waisting my time. what was the easiest gen ed class that you guys have taken? Is Macro and Micro economics easy?</p>
<p>@bambam12345:</p>
<p>I haven’t taken micro or macro Econ at VT, but I’ve taken both at another college. I wouldn’t say that those two would be the easiest gen eds. Econ takes a very unique and abstract way of thinking. For some people it comes as common sense/easy. For others confusing/difficult. It’s one of those classes that half of the people thinks it easy, the other half thinks it’s difficult. So I wouldn’t just throw that class in the easy category, because you could be one of those people that thinks it’s difficult.</p>
<p>I spoke to a Professor of Computer Science, who requested to not be named (though current students may know who I’m talking about), at VT not long ago about the tablet PC requirement. He said that the main purpose of the requirement was what he called “University Politics.” He explained that the College of Engineering has a deal with Fujitsu, and a couple other manufacturers, to push their products. He didn’t go into much more detail than that.</p>
<p>I asked him for a recommendation on what to buy. He said that any PC that meets the hardware requirements, other than the tablet form factor, would do just fine if paired with an external tablet. In regards to a more specific system he recommended a Core i7 Macbook Pro 15" loaded with VMWare Fusion and a Wacom Tablet.</p>
<p>Personally if I were to get the Macbook Pro I would use bootcamp to load Windows 7 on the machine, rather than VMWare. I use VMWare Server all the time at my job and it can be pretty buggy but it is worth noting that I use an older version. One advantage that Bootcamp has over VMWare is that it is able to use all of the processor and RAM, while VMWare can only share the computer’s resources with anything else that is running.</p>
<p>If you’re trying to avoid an overpriced underpowered computer a mac probably isn’t the right way to go.</p>
<p>I also don’t understand the point of a core i7 MBP. You’re not going to do anything that pushes that CPU because the rest of your hardware isn’t up to snuff</p>
<p>what do you guys think about Satellite M640-ST3N01X</p>
<p>here is the page
[Toshiba</a> Satellite® M640-ST3N01X 14.0" widescreen Laptop](<a href=“Dynabook | Laptops, Smart Glasses and Accessories for School or Business | us.Dynabook.com”>Dynabook | Laptops, Smart Glasses and Accessories for School or Business | us.Dynabook.com)</p>
<p>It looks like a decent computer, but for that price you can get something better. E.g. [Samsung</a> - Laptop / Intel® Core™ i5 Processor / 14" Display / 4GB Memory / 640GB Hard Drive - Aluminum - QX410-J01](<a href=“http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Samsung+-+Laptop+/+Intel&%23174%3B+Core&%23153%3B+i5+Processor+/+14"+Display+/+4GB+Memory+-+Aluminum/1255544.p?id=1218243229782&skuId=1255544&cmp=RMX&ref=06&loc=01&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=1255544]Samsung”>http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Samsung+-+Laptop+/+Intel&%23174%3B+Core&%23153%3B+i5+Processor+/+14"+Display+/+4GB+Memory+-+Aluminum/1255544.p?id=1218243229782&skuId=1255544&cmp=RMX&ref=06&loc=01&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=1255544)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>A lot of video producers use Macs, and video rendering is very CPU intensive.</p>
<p>the only problem with the computer you recommended is that it doesn’t have the new sandybridge processor. Do the new sandybridge processors make a big difference?</p>
<p>No, nothing you’re going to use is going to be intensive enough to require a Sandy Bridge chip (besides, the one I linked is only a generation behind, it’s still superbly quick). Moreover, the discrete graphics on the Samsung more than makes up for the lack of a Sandy Bridge processor. I think in practice you’re going to end up with a better performance on the Samsung.</p>
<p>do i need a dedicated graphics card or can i get away with integrated graphics?</p>