Hello everyone! I will soon be going to college as a mechanical engineering student and I am in need of suggestions for what type of laptop I should get for college.
Currently, a preference for me in a laptop would be a laptop that lasts for a minimum of 4 years, has a dedicated GPU, and is at least 15 inches(15 seemed like a good balance for mobility and power). My budget is also at a maximum of $2,500. These are, of course, not needed to figure things out for recommending and I would be more than glad to read about what kind of laptop you used to go through college as a mechanical engineering student.
One of the reasons would have to be due to the fact that mechanical engineering students, from what I’ve read, do 3D Modeling like SolidWorks in college. And even if they don’t, I am quite interested in 3D Modeling itself. Also, as a hobby, I tend to like creating 3D games as well as play video games, although that’s a preference and isn’t really needed.
One of the issues would be whether I should get a workstation laptop. They tend to have a GPU that is dedicated to 3D Modeling as well as making games and from what I’ve read, they tend to last far longer than typical laptops. Although they aren’t suitable for playing video games, it really isn’t that much of an issue. Actually, I’ve had my eye on the Dell Precision 5550 and Dell Precision 5750. The main problem would be how most of these laptops tend to cost a lot. However, from my past experiences, I’ve noticed that these Dell laptops on Black Friday tend to lower the prices to something that I could afford. However, I shouldn’t really trust something like that as the next time a deal for the workstation comes, it could change. But I’ve also read from multiple forums that mechanical engineering students don’t always focus a lot on 3D Modeling or rendering and something that expensive isn’t worth the shot.
Another choice that I’ve come crossed would be whether I should go for a gaming laptop. While a gaming GPU is not used for 3D Modeling compared to that of a workstation GPU, I’ve read that Gaming laptops are still very good, in terms of college, for 3D Modeling like Solidworks as well as making games(and a bonus of playing them lol). I’ve also noticed that most of the gaming laptops that I’ve found to be interesting are under my maximum budget. I’ve had my eye on the Asus gaming laptops(recently they revealed the new version of the Asus ROG Zephyrus G15) as well as other brands. My main concern is whether a gaming laptop would be able to survive well through 4 years(which I hope indeed does). But I also feel worried about whether it may not be enough for college.
So, I basically have two questions if any of you would be able to answer. My first is what kind of laptop would be preferred for a mechanical engineering student? My second question is to those that were or currently mechanical engineering student, which is what kind of laptop are/were you using for college?
That’s all. Thank you!