<p>Do engineers need better laptops for running any program or graphing or anything a lot? I'm not sure what type of engineering I want to do, but I'm getting a DELL laptop for college and I'm not sure if a casual one will last me throughout the four years. I'm thinking of getting the inspiron 1420, but my mom recommends the latitude series. If anyone could give me some helpful advice, I would appreciate it!</p>
<p>If you need to do any heavy computing, there's always clusters available. The question is really if you don't mind doing work in a public setting (and if you're getting a laptop for college over a desktop, you probably don't).</p>
<p>I bought a laptop for college and found it way too inconvenient to lug around everywhere. I wound up using my desktop for pretty much everything (as well as the clusters in my later years when my personal computer was too distracting), and only used my laptop while home for breaks or occasionally while working on group projects.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I bought a laptop for college and found it way too inconvenient to lug around everywhere. I wound up using my desktop for pretty much everything (as well as the clusters in my later years when my personal computer was too distracting), and only used my laptop while home for breaks or occasionally while working on group projects.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>So you brought 2 computers to school?</p>
<p>yeah...listen to your mom and get a Latitude, they're built a lot better. you won't need high-end computer, though you might wanna try to get one with a dedicated graphics card. i don't think that's imperative, though.</p>
<p>You're going to be using the engineering computer lab a lot, as it has the programs you'll need, and your peers will be there when you're working in groups or doing a tough assignment.</p>
<p>Your personal computer won't need to do any hardcore computing, just make sure it sufficient for porn, trolling message boards, solutions manual pdf's, etc...</p>
<p>Check with the School of Engineering at your school. Some schools say what kind of computers you need to get for which majors. I understand that Latitude and Inspiron have almost identical components, but the Latitudes are more substantial. If you plan to carry it everywhere, you might want to check out the XPS. Also, check to see what the most common computer at your school is - call the guys who run the campus computing system. Do NOT get something odd.</p>
<p>Just get something you like. Don't worry about it being for engineering at all. Anything you need to do, computation engineering-wise, you're going to want to do in an on-campus computer lab anyhow. You won't find a laptop that won't be brutally annoying when you're trying to run something crunchy. Just get whichever laptop you're going to want to use for e-mail, typing papers, IM, games, and maybe typing notes, if you're used to typing class notes and drawing diagrams on your computer. </p>
<p>(I think I'm an odd case within engineering, as I used to take lecture notes on my laptop, but if you're like me and type your notes, I recommend finding the quietest keyboard you can so that you don't end up disturbing your classmates. Actually, do this anyhow. I thought I was going to slaughter my roommate in college, because she'd be on IM after I went to bed, and she had one of those SUPER LOUD keyboards... She's a great gal, but oy, I wanted to chuck that stupid thing out our tenth floor window.)</p>
<p>
[quote]
So you brought 2 computers to school?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Yeah, I had built a desktop a year or two before, and I got a mid-range laptop for college. When my motherboard died a year or two later I used my laptop while I searched around for parts for a new computer, but during that time I realized how much I'm not a laptop person.</p>
<p>Check with your school/department first, to see if they have any deals, computer requirements or clusters.</p>
<p>Personally, I had a laptop during college but only used it for email/word/internet. I would usually go to the ME computer cluster to do any heavy computing (Monte Carlo, Solidworks, MATLAB, etc). I recommend using your school's computer cluster (if they have once) since other students tend to congregate there, making it a great place to do HW or work.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I realized how much I'm not a laptop person
[/quote]
People who don't like to work on laptops could always get a nice wireless keyboard and mouse coupled with a big 24 inch monitor (it sure makes drawings easier). Then you have the best of both worlds: portability and comfort.</p>
<p>Well, in that case, I might as well build a powerhouse stationary desktop machine for relatively cheap and then buy an inexpensive portable laptop to compliment it. I mean, one of the other reasons I didn't like running on a laptop is because they tend to be considerably lighter in the computing speed department, unless you get one that's heavy enough to rival a desktop anyway.</p>
<p>Get the lighter one - which I think is the latitude. I have a latitude d630 and it is working well for me so far. I agree with the above posts that a lot of the engineering programs you'll be running will be in the computer labs. I bring my laptop around for things like powerpoint presentations for my classes and internet access wherever I want, not so much for engineering work. I use just the laptop and I have an external keyboard that I use when I'm in my room. I'm also thinking about getting a large monitor for my room as well.</p>
<p>Wow, thanks for the replies everyone! I just felt that the Latitude might be a little too good for me, because I don't game or anything..but I guess a better-built computer is worth it.</p>
<p>Does the latitude d630 have a quiet-enough keyboard for lecture notes?</p>
<p>i dunno about its keyboard, but it's a business laptop, so its not oriented towards gaming and such. it's just better built. the XPS is more of what you were thinking.</p>
<p>yeah i dunno about the gaming part. the xps is def more of the gaming line. i'm typing on the 630 right now and i'd say that it's about medium noisy. i use it in lecture all the time and i'm fine.</p>
<p>What they said.</p>
<p>I'll just add in that I plan on getting a nice new huge screen for my computer. But this is also due to the fact I plan on running my cable and gaming console through the computer, I've done it i the past with a smaller screen. While regular TV is prime for watching, this does it for the interim unless I'm watchin with a bunch of friends.</p>