I am going to penn state and understand their minimum requirements, but I was wondering if I should bump up the processer from i5 to i7. I am going into industrial and engineering and I have also decided to bump up storage to 512 and ram to 16 gig.
There are computer labs with school copies of programs like SOLIDWORKS, Mathematica, etc. If you’re assigned anything your computer can’t handle, you can just do it there. (Plus you don’t have to pay the licensing fees for the programs.) So pick whatever you can afford and be comfortable with.
But technically speaking
…but technically speaking, Apple’s current MacBook Pro’s are significantly inferior to their current I7 competition as put out by Dell and Microsoft (Surface Pro), Especially in engineering, i would stay away from Apple products at this time.
If you’re a chemical engineer, you don’t need a computer.
- They're going into industrial.
- What??
There’s really no need for a computer if you’re an engineering student.
Please explain your basis for that statement.
Because the amount of Excel I use on a daily basis says differently. And Word. And PowerPoint. And MATLAB. And Mathematica. All kinds of Google Drive features.
I could do some of it in the computer lab but that’s because Atherton has one built in – everyone else would have to go somewhere else on campus, which is very inconvenient to do every time you want to send an email, check your grades, submit an assignment online, download the homework set, or look for help on the material.
It’s fine to go to the computer lab for SOLIDWORKS or whatever. But to say you don’t need any kind of computer at all is just false.
@engineer212 Whenever you post specs on a Mac, you should be ready for the standard “you can buy an IBM machine for infinitely less”. While it’s true there are more options, what you can’t get elsewhere is OS and the integration to the Mac eco-system for your phone, tablet, TV, etc. That’s worth something to a great many people.
As for the machine you spec, the new MBP’s has been a big hit with my (junior yr) Engineering student. More and more apps run on IOS, and with the memory you spec’d above you can run a VM if necessary without any issue. Matlab, Ampl ide, and Tableau all run very fast on the new MBP. There are also publishing apps (ie Adobe) that many schools will provide licenses if you’re working on research / publication. While a lab is always a good option, sometimes you just want to work on something in your room, while visiting home, etc.
There are definitely ways to save money, but the new MBP with 16G of Ram running on an SSD with an I5 or I7 is a LOT of power. There are rumors that a 32G RAM version may come out in the fall…but you have to wonder if you’ll actually be needing that kind of power (and expense).
The machines are light, fast, stylish, and functional both inside of your engineering studies and for personal use.
If saving a few hundred dollars isn’t the driving factor, then buy what you want and enjoy it.
@NASA2014 Would still love to know why you think any student nowadays, but especially an engineering student, doesn’t need any computer at all?
And really also why you have an opinion on the subject, not being an engineering student?
@NASA2014 You’ve been online and no response so I’m gonna go ahead and consider that claim completely baseless. Engineering students generally need some sort of computer, they will be at a disadvantage if they don’t, and it’s ridiculous to say otherwise, especially if you have no idea what being an engineering student is like.
Spreading misinformation to freshmen looking for help can be incredibly harmful. Maybe try not to do that?