<p>My son will be attending Penn State in hell as an engineering major.
I'm not very computer literate. Can anyone recommend the make and model of a good laptop that would suit his needs?</p>
<p>This website looks a few years old, but it’s a good place to start. It includes engineering dept IT contacts too.
[Electronic</a> and Computer Services : Engineering Students](<a href=“http://www.ecs.psu.edu/psu_coe_comp_recommendation.htm]Electronic”>http://www.ecs.psu.edu/psu_coe_comp_recommendation.htm)</p>
<p>I suggest a Lenovo ThinkPad. Find a model that fits by size, battery life, and weight. Very good and reliable laptop in many ways.</p>
<p>Second the Thinkpad. Get an X220 or so, i5 (no need for an i7), you can’t possibly comprehend how better it is compared to a ho-hum Dell etc.</p>
<p>Which level of hell is reserved for Penn State?</p>
<p>
I didn’t know there was a PSU regional campus there…</p>
<p>Anyway, the laptop isn’t a big deal. Check out the link posted above for the recommended specs, but he can probably get by with less.</p>
<p>Often times, name-brands make very little difference, since a Mom-N-Pops store can use a Western Digital hard drive, a top-rated memory stick and a highly rated Intel chip.</p>
<p>I would look more into the possible software that will be needed for their major. Of course, I will use Computer Science and Mathematics as the major. A typical student may need to install:</p>
<ul>
<li>Matlab (student edition)</li>
<li>Eclipse (to create Java programs)</li>
<li>R (for statistical courses…upper level)</li>
</ul>
<p>I would make sure that I had enough chip speed and memory and disk space to run all of the above with no hassles. </p>
<p>You can get get a i5 processor with 4GB RAM for $450. Try TigerDirect or Newegg</p>
<p>But first, you should check with the IT office (preferably their website) at Penn State to see if they recommend a particular make/model.</p>
<p>Lake Jr.'s Engineering School has quite specific instructions on which computer students must buy/use.</p>