<p>Hey guys! </p>
<p>So I'm going into engineering in the fall and I was wondering if I need to get a new laptop. My current laptop is an XPS M1530; Core 2 Duo 2.0GHz; 4GB; Windows 7; nVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS.</p>
<p>Are there programs that I'll need to be running that require more power than I currently have? I haven't been playing any new games and I don't really plan on it (I'm pretty sure Bioshock is as recent as it gets) and I will probably be doing homework most of the time anyway.</p>
<p>Thanks. (:</p>
<p>Hey, that’s awesome! Congratulations :)</p>
<p>The only software you might need is MATLAB or Dr. java, and those are not very high-end / demanding programs, so you’ll be fine. In upper-level classes, you might use more powerful software, but most of the computer labs (there are a LOT of computers here at Cornell) have the software (for free!) so you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>Outside of a decent clock speed (2 GHz is enough) and a decent amount of memory, you don’t need much. As the OP said, MATLAB and Java are the worst it gets during your freshman year, and usually you won’t be running ridiculous loops in CS100. If you really want to game, get a desktop.</p>
<p>In that case - if MATLAB and a Java compiler are the only things you need - then 2 GHz is more than enough and 2GB of RAM could even cover it.</p>
<p>meestasi - “OP” means original poster, aka the person who started the thread, not the first to respond to the thread.
Just had to correct someone for being wrong on the internet… ^_^</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice. (:</p>
<p>Although, I meant “would I need a better laptop for later years?” I’m not just asking about freshman year.</p>
<p>You should be fine… I think. Should you need a better computer, they always have computers available at the computer labs anyways, which are very impressive.</p>