Posted: 5/18/2017 4:18:16 PM EDT
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My son is graduating from High School this month and going off to college...
He wants to pursue an Engineering Degree..... He doesnt have an idea of what Engineering just yet ( ie civil, chem, petroleum, etc) so just "engineering" for now. Of course, last year he was thinking about pre-veterinary so....  
I told him I would get him a laptop for his graduation gift... Any suggestions as to configurations, features, brands, etc? Since he is not 100% sure on his future, I am thinking just getting one with the most ram and fastest CPU that I can find for a reasonable price. IF he needs something more specific down the line (CAD/CAM capable, fast graphics, etc) will just worry about that then..... I used to be a hard core DELL fan but the last couple of laptops I've purchased were Acers that I configured specifically for high speed video and music production/rendering and have been extremely pleased with how they have performed and they are going on 3-4 yrs old now. Thanks in advance! |
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I am a current mechanical engineering student. A couple years ago I bought a refurbished Lenovo t410 for $250 from newegg, upgraded to an SSD and 8gb of ram, and this thing is fantastic. I can run Inventor, Matlab, ANSYS, Maple, R, Mathematica, etc, without the slightest problem. It's not new and shiny, but it's an absolute workhorse that has not hinted at letting me down.
ETA: His school's engineering department should have a list of minimum computer requirements, and a list of preferred computer specs for their students. Definitely start there. |
| I would get him a basic laptop from Costco or Staples or something. Â The on-campus labs will have the programs and capabilities he needs to start out with. Â After two years, if he sticks with engineering, he should have a better idea of what he needs. Â Until then, a basic windows based laptop should be just fine. Â |
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Quoted:
I am a current mechanical engineering student. A couple years ago I bought a refurbished Lenovo t410 for $250 from newegg, upgraded to an SSD and 8gb of ram, and this thing is fantastic. I can run Inventor, Matlab, ANSYS, Maple, R, Mathematica, etc, without the slightest problem. It's not new and shiny, but it's an absolute workhorse that has not hinted at letting me down. ETA: His school's engineering department should have a list of minimum computer requirements, and a list of preferred computer specs for their students. Definitely start there. 
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I have been finishing an Electrical Engineering program.
OP is on the right track, processing power and lots of RAM is important. Get a 64 bit system too. I bought a Dell business laptop (Latitude E series), my last one is still going after 4 years. I recommend business machines, they are focused on serious use, and have keyboards designed for real typing. Lenovo biz machines are also good (best keyboards on earth), my Dell was half the price for the same performance though. Best thing was it came with only the operating system, no other software, that alone saved a lot of aggravation. Also consider size: If he's going to walking around a big campus (f@#$ Auraria) or big city (f@#$ Denver), with lots of big books, he might get tired of toting a heavy 17" mega-sized desk hog. I have a 14" model, it seems to be the 'Glock 19' size, big enough to use, small enough to carry. When I need room for lots of typing, drawing, or a bunch of open windows, I have a docking station (another advantage of a business machine) with a 24" monitor at home. Stay away from Apple unless he's going to art school. There are a few guys in my program always whining about how they can't run this program or that program because they have a Mac, and that they have to use the lab computers to do their homework. Don't be that guy. |
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Just finished my degree program.
CPU: either a late skylake i5 or i7, or a kaby lake i5 or i7 should do the job with no issue. 8GB of RAM should be g2g. GPU: If he's doing CAD any laptop with GTX 950, 1050, or 1050Ti should be cheaper and adequate for any program he needs to run. Really beyond Matlab, Ansys, Solidworks, etc... he has all he needs with the above and should be good for next 4 years and possibly beyond. Edit: SSD GET AN SSD FOR GOODNESS SAKES. |
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Top choice would be Dell Precision laptop running Xeon processor and the best Quadro graphics card available with good amount of RAM and SSD. Â My current work laptop is a new XPS15 with i7, SSD, and GTX1050 and it seems to do quite well with engineering applications (reason I didn't go with the precision was I travel often and the XPS is lighter/smaller, and our in house software works best with GeForce graphics).
Aside from those choices, just make sure whatever you buy runs Windows, has core i7 or i5 (not the "U" version), decent amount of RAM, and SSD. Â If you want to step it up a bit, find something with discrete graphics. |
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Don't overthink it. Engineering software isn't particularly demanding these days relative to what even cheap hardware can do. Nobody in engineering school is opening 300+ part assemblies and running complex matlab scripts on a huge data sets. Not with a laptop, anyway.
Honestly, it'll spend more time streaming netflix then anything else. A full numpad is handy, though. |
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I am a current mechanical engineering student. A couple years ago I bought a refurbished Lenovo t410 for $250 from newegg, upgraded to an SSD and 8gb of ram, and this thing is fantastic. I can run Inventor, Matlab, ANSYS, Maple, R, Mathematica, etc, without the slightest problem. It's not new and shiny, but it's an absolute workhorse that has not hinted at letting me down. ETA: His school's engineering department should have a list of minimum computer requirements, and a list of preferred computer specs for their students. Definitely start there. Look at it this way...you buy a <$300 refurb thinkpad, and it will work great for 99% of what he's going to do. The other bit he can either do in a computer lab, or eventually get a desktop for. Trying to buy a laptop fast enough to be a desktop replacement for heavy CAD use is pointless for virtually everyone, and extremely so in this case. $269 T430s - Intel Core i5 2.6GHz (3320M) - 8GB RAM - 128GB SSD |
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Just as an aside, nothing Apple. Apple iOS won't run the engineering software. I bought a Dell Inspiron right before I started in 2012. It worked well for the 5 years I was in school. Recent MechE graduate |
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Check if the college he'll be attending has a laptop program.
My daughter's school has one, and you get a laptop preloaded with tons of software, and also preconfigured for the college network and wifi. In addition, you have on-site technical support, including a human being at the computing center. Daughter got a high-end Linovo machine. Between the box and the software, probably a little over $2000, and the price was only $1100. |
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Just as an aside, nothing Apple. Apple iOS won't run the engineering software. I bought a Dell Inspiron right before I started in 2012. It worked well for the 5 years I was in school. Recent MechE graduate Assuming you mean macOS, and assuming you're right about the software, I would still at least consider a Macbook or Macbook Pro due to build quality and warranty/support. I don't think it would be what I would pick, but I wouldn't discount it out of hand like that. |
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Just finished my degree program. CPU: either a late skylake i5 or i7, or a kaby lake i5 or i7 should do the job with no issue. 8GB of RAM should be g2g. GPU: If he's doing CAD any laptop with GTX 950, 1050, or 1050Ti should be cheaper and adequate for any program he needs to run. Really beyond Matlab, Ansys, Solidworks, etc... he has all he needs with the above and should be good for next 4 years and possibly beyond. Edit: SSD GET AN SSD FOR GOODNESS SAKES. |
| Im running a Dell 5510 with 32gb of ddr4 ram, sed/ssd and 6th gen I7. Amazingly fast with multiple vms and graphics intensive programs. If its to pricey, the Lenovo L's are pretty nice and the 10 key pad is nice to have unless you are running a replicator of some sort then it doesnt matter. |
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Most of the programs have issues with Macs. If you have to use any engineering programs, there will be a computer lab at school for that. That way, you can also collaborate with your fellow students and teachers and learn more. |
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I would get him a basic laptop from Costco or Staples or something. Â The on-campus labs will have the programs and capabilities he needs to start out with. Â After two years, if he sticks with engineering, he should have a better idea of what he needs. Â Until then, a basic windows based laptop should be just fine. Â Who the hell wants to spend all their time in a computer lab? I can sort of see going with a desktop instead of a laptop for the heavy lifting, and then getting something like a Surface or an iPad Pro for mobile use, but there's no way I'd send my kid to college without a capable computer. |
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Dell outlet. Thank me later. Same warranty as new.
http://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnlineSales/Online/InventorySearch.aspx?c=us&cs=28&l=en&s=dfb&brandid=2803&fid=9977&fid=4929&fid=4928&fid=9981&fid=1947&fid=9910&fid=866&fid=919&fid=2058&fid=8540&fid=1067&fid=8542&fid=1767&fid=111077&fid=111067 |
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Wow! Thanks for all the fast responses and suggestions!
I def will look into checking with his school and seeing if they have any min requirements and any special deals. To the engineering prof.... I can certainly believe that about the students. I "thought" I wanted to go into EE my very first semester in college.... I struggled through that class and promptly changed my major lol Off to do some more research.. thanks again! |
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My son is also graduating this weekend. We picked up this one at Best Buy It is just for schoolwork and is not a gaming laptop, he already has a decent gaming tower.
Asus laptop |
| Mechanical Engineering student here. Don't bother with a high end laptop. Any decent school will have either computer labs with the required programs, or a remote access over the internet. Mine has both. I bought a nice laptop, and it broke within 3 years. Laptops just aren't very durable. Just get a decent desktop, and if he needs a more portable computer in addition he can get a cheap little chromebook for around 240 bucks. |
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Just finished my degree program. CPU: either a late skylake i5 or i7, or a kaby lake i5 or i7 should do the job with no issue. 8GB of RAM should be g2g. GPU: If he's doing CAD any laptop with GTX 950, 1050, or 1050Ti should be cheaper and adequate for any program he needs to run. Really beyond Matlab, Ansys, Solidworks, etc... he has all he needs with the above and should be good for next 4 years and possibly beyond. Edit: SSD GET AN SSD FOR GOODNESS SAKES. |
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I understand that, but he will be using this laptop for regular bullshit use. If you have to use any engineering programs, there will be a computer lab at school for that. That way, you can also collaborate with your fellow students and teachers and learn more. |
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Most of the programs have issues with Macs. Quoted:
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Just get him a MacBook. All the hot chicks will be using them, and he can FaceTime them. |
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I do some continuing education classes at UW Madison Business school and oddly enough, MacBook Pro laptops are about 90% of what I see in the business school. That's what I have, but I'm in design/printing. I have always heard (and agree with) that PCs are what works for business. It seems odd to me. MBPs are nice machines, much better than normal disposable PC laptops. |
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I would wait until a year or so in, so he has time to figure out exactly what he actually needs and what other students use there.
My university has computer labs in pretty much every building on campus, and every computer on campus has all the software and engineering student will ever need or want. SolidWorks, Catia, MatLab, etc. Many engineering students here don't even own a laptop at all. If he's going to a State University, they probably have the same thing. |
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With a program called Parallels, Macs can run Win10 in an emulator, and thus run Windows programs. Plus, Microsoft makes Office for macOS. I would not try to run intense engineering programs that way, but business school, sure. MBPs are nice machines, much better than normal disposable PC laptops. Quoted:
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I do some continuing education classes at UW Madison Business school and oddly enough, MacBook Pro laptops are about 90% of what I see in the business school. That's what I have, but I'm in design/printing. I have always heard (and agree with) that PCs are what works for business. It seems odd to me. MBPs are nice machines, much better than normal disposable PC laptops. |