<p>I know theres a forum for college computers but my question is specifically for engineering. It is my understanding engineers use lots of CADD programs and do lots of design work with their computers. What's the most important factor for a laptops success for this stuff, is it RAM, the processing chip, or something else. I know intel just released the "i" line of processors. Can i get by with an i3 for cost sake or shoould i upgrade for i5?</p>
<p>honestly any software that you are going to have to use you’ll end up using at the computer lab anyways. So get a laptop that suits your personal endeavors.</p>
<p>Yes I think you’ll manage with an i3 lol. And what viciouspoultry said.</p>
<p>You don’t want, and actually can’t get, the new intel chip. There was a flaw announced, with production halted and I believe recall of systems already sold with the Sandy Chip. </p>
<p>Prev posts are correct. The setup you’ll use on site will be far superior.</p>
<p>I’ve seen alot of grad students running programming software on Macs…</p>
<p>Don’t get a Mac if you want to be an engineer. Software compatibility issues will destroy you. You will have enough problems to deal with in your courses, you shouldn’t have to worry about whether your laptop will run the required software. BTW, macs won’t run Solidworks which is used by many engineers ranging from civil to electrical to mechanical; pretty much every engineering discipline. Lenovo’s are popular with engineering students because they are very durable and have good warranties (3 years) and customer support but they aren’t visually appealing. You will have to decide whether to make battery life or performance your priority.</p>
<p>^ False. If you really want a mac get lots of ram and run parallels or bootcamp. I think you’ll find that the upside of the Mac OS greatly outweighs the odd (if any) inconvenience of having to run a Windows program via bootcamp/parallels.</p>
<p>If you get a Mac, maybe you can run your Windows apps on a virtual machine, so you can run Mac and Windows at the same time…</p>
<p>Why get a Mac if you’re gonna run Windows on it anyways…</p>
<p>If you get a lenovo dont get a W510 the thing constantly has issues and the touchscreen is bad at best. Worst $2000 computer ever.</p>
<p>You can get a Samsung, Lenovo, Toshiba, or Dell PC laptop with a fast processor and a lot of RAM for under $1000, while a Mac with the same specs is going to cost you $1200-$1500. If you’re going to be using apps with Windows versions or running Parallels/BootCamp you are pretty much paying extra for aesthetic.</p>
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<p>How? That’s assuming the only thing he uses his computer for is to run programs that don’t run on a mac. In reality he will only be using Parallels/Bootcamp for probably like <1% of the total time he spends on his computer.</p>
<p>That is assuming he prefers the Mac OS instead of Windows.</p>
<p>Well obviously. Who would buy a mac and run windows on it full time, that’s ■■■■■■■■.</p>
<p>I got an Envy 14 with a $500 coupon, there might be a few of those circulating yet. I have the slice battery with it as well so I can get ~9 hours of battery life with brightness on 0, and it’s got ridiculously awesome performance. 14.5" screen and 1600x900 resolution. And it runs Windows. I can concede that Mac OS is good, but for engineering, it’s just not worth the difficulty.</p>
<p>I’m just saying that most applications you’re going to be running on a Mac have Windows versions. If you’re going to be using engineering programs you’ll most definitely need a computer running the Windows OS. Therefore, theres not really any need to get a Mac unless you just like the aesthetic and are willing to pay more for just that. </p>
<p>To be honest, the both GUIs are becoming so similar they are almost identical in some aspects. I have a Mac and I like it, but I’m going to be buying a Windows machine very soon so I can run stuff like MATLAB and Aspen. The programs I normally run on my Mac (google chrome, itunes, MS office) have Windows versions so the switch over makes things easier.</p>
<p>I just bought a laptop and I’ll be majoring in engineering this coming Fall. I bought the HP DM4 1265, which has the Intel i5. If you care enough about your computer’s performance to notice a difference in it, I would get a laptop with an i5. They start coming in laptops at around $700 so it’s affordable.</p>
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<p>they have matlab for osx</p>
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<p>No. That would be true if you did nothing but run apps offline. Turns out there’s this thing called the internet which is quite popular these days. One of the best things about a mac is the security of the OS/the fact that most viruses are written to attack a PC. You can pretty much go on any site and download anything you want and never get a virus that is going to affect your mac. Someone who doesn’t like to be extra cautious surfing the internet/file sharing and keeping up with the latest annoying virus prevention software may find that extremely convenient.</p>
<p>I do imagine pirated versions of Mac software have lots of Windows trojans on them.</p>
<p>Also, the virus thing may be a non-issue as a lot of schools require anti-virus software (sometimes their software) no matter your OS.</p>