<p>What laptop would u recommend for a chemical engineer. I'm looking for something I can run the engineering software, general use videos , gaming .etc. price wise looking up to 800 dollars.</p>
<p>How much RAM , gpu, memory .I’m not really tech savy so I wana be informed before i purchase a laptop. Opinions ,comparison of computers ,experiences buying, where to buy , discounts anything that will help me purchase a computer and anybody else who is lokking for a computer . Thanx</p>
<p>Engineering software should be no problem with anything core i5 or better.</p>
<p>General use video etc - again no problem.</p>
<p>Gaming is the big catch. A decent gaming capable laptop with discrete graphics (Dell XPS15, HP Beats 14 such and such, Lenovo Ideapad Y470) are likely to be closer to $1k. Dedicated gaming class laptops (Alienware) are even more expensive and heavy. If we’re talking Angry Birds gaming, no problem, but Call of Duty class games require serious graphics to operate smoothly.</p>
<p>4 GB of RAM : it usually comes standard on any laptop
Core i3 or i5 CPU is sufficient.
GPU : there are so many video cards and they get updated really quickly. Check out this site. [Comparison</a> of Laptop Graphics Cards - Notebookcheck.net Tech](<a href=“Notebookcheck - Page not Found!”>Comparison of Laptop Graphics Cards - NotebookCheck.net Tech) They group graphics cards in classes and give benchmarks. This way you know what games you can run.
Hard drive space: usually comes with 320-500GB standard.</p>
<p>for gaming, 800 is pretty low…your probably going to need 900+ for a decent gaming experience</p>
<p>here are two lenovo laptops for under 800 with decent gpus and a i5 sandy bridge processors, but the deals are only for a limited time
[Best</a> deal and coupon Lenovo IdeaPad Y570 Core i3, i5 and i7 Laptop | Lenovo Y570 reviews - LogicBUY](<a href=“http://www.logicbuy.com/deals/lenovo-ideapad-y570-best-deal-coupon/30685.aspx]Best”>http://www.logicbuy.com/deals/lenovo-ideapad-y570-best-deal-coupon/30685.aspx)</p>
<p><a href=“Lenovo Official US Site | Laptops, PCs, Tablets & Data Center | Lenovo US”>Lenovo Official US Site | Laptops, PCs, Tablets & Data Center | Lenovo US;
<p>Don’t get a gaming laptop. It will be heavy, it will have poor battery life and it will likely run hot, especially if you’re buying one on a tight budget.</p>
<p>If you really want to play games you’ll be much better off getting a desktop. Otherwise something like [url=<a href=“http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/na/LenovoPortal/en_US/catalog.workflow:category.details?current-catalog-id=12F0696583E04D86B9B79B0FEC01C087¤t-category-id=20E990072AB74EA5EA87218BF129CC11&action=init]this[/url”>http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/na/LenovoPortal/en_US/catalog.workflow:category.details?current-catalog-id=12F0696583E04D86B9B79B0FEC01C087¤t-category-id=20E990072AB74EA5EA87218BF129CC11&action=init]this[/url</a>] makes more sense.</p>
<p>Ok I want a good battery life n not a brick so gaming is out the window thanx .
So I should at least be lookng for a I5 core 4 gb RAM n I should be ok .</p>
<p>well now that youve changed your mind, then this is a great laptop for you
[url=<a href=“Portégé | Dynabook Laptops”>Portégé | Dynabook Laptops]Toshiba</a> Port</p>
<p>Just a thought for you to consider–my kids both switched from laptops to netbooks when both their laptops died. They now much prefer them over the laptops as they are SO much lighter & more portable. Both also bought desktops as well, with spare monitors & find that system works much better than a laptop. Their netbooks were each about $300; not sure how much they spent on their desktops, but the total price they spent was less than the money they were refunded for their busted laptops.</p>
<p>S’s netbook is a HP from Costco & D’s is some random brand from Costco.com. I have an Acer Aspire from Costco; it’s somewhat slow but serves my needs well & was cheap @ $300. Love their no Qs asked 90 day return policy in case I decide I don’t like it.</p>
<p>Neither has any interest in getting a laptop. S was an EE major & D is a cinema major. Both of their laptops were about $1K & both ran hot & didn’t perform well for gaming. S’s was a Sony & D’s was a HP. Would recommend you wait until closer to when you start school to purchase, as they often have back to school specials. Your U may also have specials–contact them & check. Both of my kids purchased theirs shortly before they left for school, but with enoughy time to check for bugs & load everything before they left. Would purchase with a CC that gives an extra year of free warranty protection like the Costco AmEx. It was invaluable for us! So many computers seem to die within 2-3 years, no matter what brand & how well they are maintained.</p>
<p>What laptop do you recommend for Aerospace Engineering? I will be attending Purdue U in the fall and I am looking for some advice on selecting the best laptop for college. I have looked at a Dell XPS 15, Dell Latitude, and a Lenovo, but I could sure use some help with finding the right laptop.</p>
<p>See post above, #10. Good luck!</p>
<p>I just finished unpacking and setting up DD’s Lenovo ThinkPad T420. small enough to take to class but configured properly it can be pretty potent. I spec’d the upgraded i5 - not the i7, 1600x900 screen, webcam, and some other goodies. Price cheaper than XPS15 - but then you get the Xbox with the XPS. I originally planned for the Latitude 6420 but DD’s school only had the 13" and 15". And quite pricy.</p>
<p>The ThinkPad is nice. Not flashy - DD still sulks about not getting an MBP - pfeh… no Apple Tax in my house 
- but it will do. Very nice keyboard and trackpad. Decent screen. Very quiet and extremely well built, like the Latitudes. </p>
<p>For 15" you have some more choices if money is no problem the W520 is an amazing piece. At work we have Latitude 6520’s for the new people and it’s also pretty nice, but if you’re used to a dual quad Xeon workstation nothing quite like that in laptop form.</p>
<p>The Netbook+Desktop is not a bad suggestion. I don’t know if you’re supposed to lug laptops to labs. One can put together a phenomenally good small form factor desktop (Shuttle XPC) with core i7 and trimmings PLUS a $300 netbook for what a MBP or high end laptop would go for.</p>
<p>turbokat whats your budget?</p>
<p>Turbo93, thanks for your input. I’m trying to find the right lap top as well. As appealing as the MAC looks, I don’t want to risk it not being compatible with required engineering software. The lenovo thinkpads look like a good deal. I’m debating between the T520 and the T420. The difference is 200 dollars. The t520 is i5 and the t420 is i7. Do any of you tech savy kid’s know what the difference is between the two and it it’s worth the extra $200? Also, is 320 GB enough for an engineering major, or is 500 GB required?</p>
<p>Thanks and sorry for all the questions.</p>
<p>The T420 is a nice computer and at 14" around the perfect size, in fact it is the one I am getting for school. To clarify I am getting the thinner and lighter T420s. The i7 will be faster but not so much that it matters, so my advice would be to get the T420 and configure it it with an i5. The ThinkPad x220 is also a good choice. It is small at 12.5", but it is a convertible and quite rugged and powerful.</p>
<p>OK… There is not THAT MUCH difference between a high end i5 and an i7, none that common mortals running common mortal homework assignments would notice. I looked at the benchmarks in places like AnandTech.com (say, [AnandTech</a> - Bench - CPU](<a href=“CPU Benchmarks - Compare Products on AnandTech”>CPU Benchmarks - Compare Products on AnandTech)). As good as the i7 is, I do not think it is $200 better.</p>
<p>I have been playing with DD’s T420 for a few days now. 14" is nice and small to carry to class, impeccable keyboard (from someone who hates laptops), and professional-grade build. 15.6, well, a bit bigger. At work we use Dells with the i5 to run some pretty complex stuff, mostly Matlab, Simulink, and the such, no problems. If you have an external LCD, the 14" should be fine, if not (why?) the 15.6" would be better.</p>
<p>For disk, get the fastest you can afford, if you can use FAFSA dollars or drop a class or two for an SSD option, that’s where the big performance is. My home system uses an SSD - no comparison with an HDD. 320 vs 500, well, I’d spend the money on a USB external drive instead. Unless you’re a film major or have downloaded the entire Hulu.com, big disks are not as useful as one may think. </p>
<p>Again, what kind of engineering? DD is in Architecture and them Photoshop and AutoCAD files are pretty big, so more space could be useful; if you fancy 10 lines worth of Matlab running for hours storage is not a problem. If you’re doing software, say, using VMware, then there’s other things to worry about.</p>
<p>Turbo, I’ll be a BME major in the fall. Do you know anything about this kind of software? Someone told me that engineering software isn’t downloaded and that it is used online with some access code, but I’m not sure if that makes sense. Does engineering software take up a lot of space? </p>
<p>I’m really looking into the T420, but you bring up a good point with the 14" screen. I think a 15.6" would be better come to think of it. Actually I have a 500GB external hard drive. So you’re right, disk space is not a problem. Do you think the lenovo thinkpad T520 would be a better option? It’s much cheaper, 15.6" screen, 320 GB, 4GB RAM, i5 while the T420 is a couple hundred dollars more expensive, 14", i7, 320GB, 4GB RAM. Actually the W520 would be the best bet. It’s the most expensive but it’s 15.6", i7 and holds 500GB. I’m going way too much into detail on this haha. I just want to find a good laptop that’ll last me all 4 years. :)</p>
<p>I rarely keep a computer for more than 2 years, so… It all depends if you take it to class a lot, etc. If you do, a 15" is too big. If not… A T520 should be fine even with the i5. The extra money on a W520 would not pay off - the NVS on the 420/520 is good enough. </p>
<p>As I told my daughter, the concern is not whether the laptop will be fast enough - if you have an assignment where you absolutely need an i7 and 16gb and all that, a fast laptop would be the least of your worries (i.e. finding time to eat/sleep/etc would be more important). She’s not going to be rendering the Chicago Spire or doing its structural analysis any time soon. </p>
<p>Realistically speaking, if you’re into a 4 year program and have to spend tons of money for tuition, dorm, etc. another thousand dollars come junior year should be noise. What you don’t want is to have a grandpa laptop that would give up the ghost a week before your most important project is due (and take the project down to Hades with it). Plus, in 2 years you’ll be in better position to judge whether you will be doing seriously serious computations or you’ll be using the school’s computers for that.</p>
<p>A lot of purchases should be thought out with a long life - cars, cameras, etc. Laptops, I’m not so sure. The other issue is that software will advance faster than hardware, and OMG how do we run Office 2018 on a laptop built in 2016 - no can do (maybe).</p>
<p>So, get what fits your needs for a couple years, and in 2013 re-evaluate and get something else.</p>