What kind of computer would you recommend for an engineering major? My daughter will be a freshman in the fall. Thank you!
Most schools publish their recommendations.
For example, here is UF’s:
https://www.eng.ufl.edu/students/resources/computer-requirements/
You will want to purchasing a computer with as much memory and processing power as reasonably affordable. It should be be capable of running software such as MatLab, AutoCAD and SolidWorks.
You will want a laptop/mobile computer, that you can take to classes, the library, etc.
My daughter had a decent sized laptop, but she also purchased a small cheap netbook (>$200). She liked having the option to leave the larger (heavy) laptop at home, and take the much lighter netbook to class.
My son paired a (smaller) laptop with a desktop.
You can also get a smaller laptop, and pair it with a larger monitor/keyboard (a docking station type setup) in her room. That’s much nicer than dragging around a large laptop and she will appreciate the much larger monitor.
Good Luck!
It also depends on her major. CS/EE students typically need different configurations.
I would also look at your D’s school’s IT recommendations.
My daughter opted for a 2 in 1 because she likes to take notes on her computer with a smart pen. It works well for her but she’s a chem e major.
I posted my thoughts here: http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/22251459/#Comment_22251459
Thank you, all! My daughter will be a Mechanical engineer major. Your info is very helpful.
We are just thinking about this for my son as well, who is an intended Mechanical Engineer. My daughter is MechE at Cornell and she uses a 13 in. MacBook. She said that if she were looking for a new computer now, she would go with a PC instead (also 13 in laptop), because some of the engineering programs she needs are not compatible with Mac and she spends lot of time in the computer lab.
Students really need two computers, one powerful enough to do heavy computational lifting and one light enough to carry. They are really mutually exclusive things. In a perfect world, one would have a desktop and a laptop.
Back in the day I was determined to over think this and get the “perfect” laptop. The problem is that laptop computers with the true power they will ultimately need are expensive (over $2000), not readily available, heavy, have small screens and poor battery life. My son still has that computer, a 9 pound behemoth that is Solidworks certified (i7, 16g, 1T SSD and Quadro) and he still uses it. During his ME MS bought a Macbook Air to carry most of the time though.
If I had it to do all over again, I’d get a Windows machine that was light, not too expensive, and give up on finding a machine that was Solidworks certified. Don’t spend a lot. They will still have times where the use the horsepower of the lab. Getting a laptop with that power will be miserable to carry around.
This is school specific. In some cases it really might make sense to do some of the work at computer lab.
Having a laptop is just a good idea. You’ll be taking classes where you will be writing papers, lab write ups, and maybe presentations. Additionally, if don’t want to live in a computer lab you may be able to use a laptop to remotely access the lab system from the comforts of your dorm room or maybe even from home during breaks. Not sure what type of software you will need for your major, and that would guide you in just what laptop would be best
Bought my son a laptop and in the end he really wanted / needed a desktop. I bought his younger sister a desktop and what she really needed was a laptop. Both mechanical engineering majors, different colleges.
Son either didn’t have available or didn’t use the college computers so needed the heavier duty computing power. Daughter’s college had computer labs and conference / work spaces with heavy duty desktop computer’s available. She needed the laptop to carry with her to do collaborative reports.
If you can find a student who attended your daughter’s college; ask them. Otherwise, ask the college. However, we found when asking the college the answer to be wishy-washy and of little help deciding.
The bigger question is PC verses Apple. Some engineering software will only run on Microsoft Windows. The engineering software doesn’t always run that well on the Apple Windows emulation.
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If the student has a decent laptop from high school days, that may be enough to get started.
Keep in mind that you’ll need to use workstations, in the labs, for the most compute-intensive programs (like modeling). In many cases, you’ll be able to remote in to do your work from your dorm/apartment, using a laptop or desktop.
A laptop is pretty much a requirement and considering they will always have access to the computers in the lap, would be fine for starting school. They may come back latter and request a desktop (or not, my son did, my daughter wanted something even lighter than her current laptop), so don’t spend a fortune on the starting laptop! After a semester or two, they will have a much better sense of what they need.
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/shop/msi-computer
@eyemgh why not get both light and powerful in a computer. My son has had the Msi stealth thin 8 rf gs65. It is very light but powerful for just about anything. Abt has better configurations https://www.abt.com/brand-category/MSI/Laptops-Notebook-Computers/1023/415.html and they do “deal” on price and a good warranty program. I am local to them but they are a large national seller. Ask for Bana or Voula… They will take care of you.
There are lessor configurations in this brand but the stealth or stealth thin are very good machines that will last beyond college years and relatively light to carry around. 16 g memory, I7 processors and 1060 video card is where I would be with 512 ssd etc. My son’s configuration is different but that is a good starting point in my opinion. Some say it is too much but he is using it for powerful AR/VR applications.
Nice build quality also. Nice screen but they differ. Best buy has a lessor screen to decrease the price VS Abt.
That MSI is, first and foremost, $2000. That’s not exactly affordable for every student. Second, what you’re paying for at that price is a “gaming laptop,” which is a lot of money being thrown at graphics power instead of things that may be more useful for someone planning to use theirs for school/business purposes. Finally, I would not classify that machine as being “light” by today’s standards. It’s roughly twice the weight of my laptop.
This MSI machine might be great for what it was designed to do, but is not a good general solution for everyone. You don’t need a gaming or workstation class laptop for university engineering programs. They’re usually a waste of money and space with regard to the work tasks you’ll perform on them.
^I completely agree. It’s a waste of money, unless you want you kid to play video games all the time… For colleges, any laptop with an 8th generation i5 (i7 is much more expensive but not much faster), a minimum of 8GB RAM will be sufficient. Make sure you get an SSD of at least 256GB (prices of SSDs are dropping so fast that you may want to consider getting a 512GB or 1TB version). Get a lighter laptop (3.5lb or less) also since your kid will carry it around on campus.
@Knowsstuff, There’s a difference between gaming laptops and workstations, primarily the graphics card (workstations tend to use Quadros, or at least they did when I was looking). The computer you referenced is a gaming computer and is not Solidworks certified. Thus, it really represents the worst of all worlds, a machine heavier and more expensive with worse battery life with an inappropriate graphics card. It’ll get nearly everything done, but still not powerful enough for the heaviest lifting. It won’t shine pulling 2D renders from 3D models or doing complex FEA. @boneh3ad can speak to the demands of CFD. There are laptops that do that. My son has one. As I said though its weight, battery life and thus the need to carry a transformer, and small screen all really negate the advantages of a laptop, light and easily portable. He bought a Macbook Air and planted his workstation on his desk with external monitors (his will support 4). It served him well, but really is an overpriced desktop. In retrospect, I’d recommend a machine like @1NJParent described and using the labs, remotely if possible, for the most intensive work, or having both.
The most important thing to know about this though is that students won’t need anything close to that power for some time. THEY DO NOT NEED IT DAY ONE. Send them with anything that worked in HS and let them determine what they are going to need. Otherwise you risk buying something that might not be appropriate.
“The demands of CFD” are not something anyone should consider when purchasing a laptop (or a desktop, for that matter). CFD comes in a couple varieties, the first of which is low fidelity and you can probably run on just about anything if you’ve got the time. High-fidelity simulations require a cluster or a supercomputer, so this shouldn’t even enter the thought process.
Got it. Well he likes it and it is only like 4 lbs. He was carry around a 7lb HP With basic configuration. He doesn’t care of the weight evidently . I do agree for basic college things anything will do mostly since they will remote into the schools server for heavy lifting. For AR though this computer does fly. The battery life on the thin models is actually very good and runs all day.
I’m glad someone pointed this out: Gaming graphics do not equal CAD graphics. Picking the best rated video card from a gaming review (which is 90% of what you’ll find) could lead you down the wrong path.
Do you research.
What did he end up getting. Just curious of what ME students use.