<p>Hello, what kind of laptop type or model (or important specs to consider) do you guys recommend getting for an engineering major (or just say for a college student in general)?</p>
<p>thanks</p>
<p>It depends what you want to use it for. Do you also have a desktop?</p>
<p>A little one.</p>
<p>I’d advise getting a desktop for working with hardcore engineering applications and then a small netbook for taking lecture notes or writing papers/labs in a small group. </p>
<p>A large laptop might work too.</p>
<p>I would say you have a few options.</p>
<p>If you already have a desktop, then get a small, cheaper laptop that can do word processing and engineering programs for your desktop to do.</p>
<p>If you don’t have a desktop but have no problem utilizing your school’s computer labs frequently, then do the same thing as I said before this, only maybe get a little nicer laptop that you can make sure can run things like Matlab efficiently.</p>
<p>If you don’t really want to use a computer lab and you don’t have a desktop, then you probably want to get what is usually called a desktop replacement laptop. They are bulkier and more expensive but also more powerful and can run more programs.</p>
<p>Also, if you take the third route, and usually if you take the second route, I would advise against a Mac. If you take the first route or the second route, then get what you feel most comfortable with. Mac’s sometimes have trouble running some types of engineering software, though exactly how much trouble depends on what major you intend to pursue.</p>
<p>I’m planning on studying computer science, if that makes anything different (since its pretty software intensive)</p>
<p>thanks for the advice everyone. But don’t college students in general need mobility with their laptops? or is the “desktop replacement laptop” not that bad carrying around. Also how is a desktop better? I’m not sure if I can fit it all in my dorm room + the mobility issue.</p>
<p>Like I said, it all depends on your major and intended use. As a CS major, you could get away with windows, Mac or Linux, and you could get away with a fairly low-powered machine. There isn’t a ton of work you will need to do that requires huge amounts of processing power that I am aware of, though a CS major around here could probably help you with that a little more.</p>
<p>Personally, I did my whole undergrad without a laptop and I was totally fine, so while mobility is nice, it is certainly not necessary. I never felt inconvenienced more than once or twice, as I usually worked in groups in the computer lab anyway.</p>
<p>EDIT: I was an ME though, not CS.</p>
<p>boneh3ad has it right.</p>
<p>Step 1: What major(s) are you considering?
Step 2: What software or applications are necessary for that major(s)?
Step 3: What capabilities required to run that software / applications?
Step 4: What computer has those capabilities?</p>
<p>For the vast majority of college students that just need word processing, presentation, and internet surfing, the cheapest laptop sold in the store is fine. For students that need heavy duty graphics rendering, you’ll probably need something more than the cheapest laptop you can find.</p>
<p>ok thanks for the help guys. I’m probably going to get just an average laptop. I have to do it anyways, my laptop I’m using to type this message is about 6 years old, which is roughly equivalent to the stone age in electronics.</p>
<p>Make sure the “average” laptop that you buy is a small one.</p>
<p>Larger laptops have big screens which are nice when they are used on your desk in your dorm room. But that’s not the point of a laptop.</p>
<p>In study sessions with friends, during class, in labs, etc, etc, I think a small one would be much handier than a average or large laptop.</p>
<p>You won’t need anything too powerful for school. You’ll have access to labs if you have any business doing intensive computing… for regular CS-type stuff, a regular COTS laptop will be fine. Emphasize memory over clock rate, and clock rate over core count. Size, battery life, and wireless are also good things to consider.</p>
<p>Only get a fast computer if (a) you’re about to graduate and lose access to labs on campus and want to do intensive computing, (b) you want to play games or do legally questionable things, or (c) you have money to blow and nothing better to blow it on than computers.*</p>
<ul>
<li>Alternatively, send me a check.</li>
</ul>
<p>Per UCLA info session- regular laptops are preferable over Macbooks because all their programs run on Windows. Some apps don’t work on Macbooks that run Windows. However, if you have a Macbook then you will just have to work around it. They have computers you can use so you don’t have to go buy another laptop. All up to you.</p>
<p>I would imagine that any self-respecting CS major could probably find a work around on his/her MacBook… ;-)</p>
<p>Get the one you like. But seriously, Thinkpad is good. Yeah it is now in the hands of Lenovo, but the quality is pretty much the same. Those old times with IBM, people have problem too.</p>
<p>Funny thing is you wont be using your laptop for any engineering application or any major software for like your first 2 years of college. Maybe at your 3rd year you will need something. I did my Graduate degree in engineering with a bunch of simulation software installed on my Laptop Dell with 1.8 ghz, 4 gig ram and 160 gig HD and it run every program flawlessly. Any computer in the range of $600 - $800 dollars is more than enough what you will need. Anything over $1k is overkill, I recomend you geta Laptop since most of the time you wanna take the stuff with you “unless you planning on going big on gaming then get a desktop”. Most of the stuff you will do in college will be student versions of the major softwares out there and you will not do anything that wil required lot of computer power.</p>
<p>PS Don’t get yourself a MAC, thats for the Fine Arts Fields mostly. As engineer you will want to play with Linux partitions and bunch of stuff that a MAC will not let you.</p>
<p>I was fine as a EE/CmpE major with my 550 MHz Dell with at 16 MB video card back in 2003.</p>
<p>I roll with a black beauty, ThinkPad T-series (14inch)…</p>
<p>-ThinkPads allow for an extended battery bay that gets 9+hrs so I charge at night and the thing is mobile the entire day. </p>
<p>-Their rugged, light, and thin, I love the classic ‘anti trendy’ design</p>
<p>-computing power is good but I personally would dump the discrete graphics because it slows your computer and draws from battery and I wouldn’t get the largest processor for the same reason…but make sure it’s the newest gen processor though</p>
<p>-personal desktops are not necessary in my opinion, I was using ANSYS Fluent and ICEM on my laptop last night via Remote Desktop connection to my school’s engineering labs. I think this is pretty common. Else I’m in the engineering lab, my peers are there and there’s dual flat screen monitors which is nice.</p>
<p>Yeah, I’m getting me a thinkpad myself. I had one before and it’s very nice and not shiny. I dislike the shiny. I got a virus on it, but then that was my first computer ever and I didn’t know what virus-protection was, and it lasted me 3 years without one. I like to think that’s good. Actually, if I can, I’m looking for something titanium and w/ webcam like the z series one I saw.</p>
<p>I use a ThinkPad when I am not on my desktop. I kept the discrete graphics, though, to facilitate using SolidWorks. It ships with a driver feature that allows you to switch off the graphics card and run off of the integrated graphics chip instead when you don’t need the power, which is nice because I get the best of both worlds.</p>
<p>Most laptops that run around 600-800 dollars have a fast enough processor and enough RAM and HDD space to run most hardcore applications. I bought my Sony Vaio for $600 and it’s a Dual Core 2.2 GHz 3GB RAM with 320 HDD and I highly doubt that you will need much more than that. Definitely try to get a dual core processor, those are powerful and plus it runs everything else very quickly and it’s nice to have, and they aren’t expensive anymore either.</p>
<p>Also, make sure you get a wireless USB keyboard and mouse, it is extremely convenient when it’s sitting on your desk; you won’t get cramped up and annoyed if you wanna shift your position or anything.</p>
<p>One more bit of advice: if you get something with a small screen, you better be freakin in love with it because if you aren’t I guarantee you will be ****ed off everyday of your life you have to use it…</p>