Best Laptop for Canadian Computer Engineering Student

[Coolmaster]

I'm going into Computer Engineering this fall and I need a laptop. My budget is $1500-$2000 Canadian Dollars (~$1200-1600 USD) but if something is really worth it I'm willing to go over a bit.

 

I don't really know what programs I will be using for class and don't want to buy a laptop that can't run it. I heard that 2-in-1s are good for engineering to draw diagrams and stuff. Also I don't need it to game but it being able to would be nice.

 

I really care about quality and want a nice feeling laptop, I'm used to using MacBooks but know I can't use MacOS for Engineering and Bootcamp isn't on ARM yet. Also for the size, the smaller the better and the largest I'd want is a 15 inch.

 

I'm considering the XPS 13 2-in-1 and the HP Spectre x360, for 2-in-1s. They seem like high quality devices but they might be underpowered if I need to run more demanding software.

I'm also considering the G14 and G15. They seem really powerful but don't have as great quality and aren't 2-in-1s and don't have a webcam.

The XPS 15 looks nice, with near MacBook level quality. But I don't know if the higher quality compared to the G14&G15 is worth the weaker performance, and all the reports of defects worry me.

The X13 Flow seems to fit all the categories with pretty powerful components in a small size that is a 2-in-1. But it seems to have overall mediocre quality and bad battery life.

 

Does anybody know what programs I'd be running and how much performance I'd need. And if a 2-in-1 is actually useful for engineering.

[KnotRolls]

There's been a recent sale on Lenovo P series laptops, a few of my friends who do drafting and engineering are using these and they were dropped from AUD$3.2k to AUD$2k.

 

They don't look sleek (to most) but they're robust and the specs make it worth considering, especially with a Ryzen 7, 32GB 3200mhz RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD and Vega graphics.

ThinkPad P14s (14" AMD) | 14" highly mobile workstation | Lenovo Australia | Lenovo Australia

 

At the start of last year we deployed a mix of lenovo T590's with i7s and Nvidia GeForce MX250 graphics vs some T495s with Ryzen 5s and on board graphics, while the GPU in the T590 beat out the T495s I've found that the much higher quality CPU gives a better overall experience even when using CAD programs like Fusion 360.

The value of a 2-in-1 is really down to personal preference, I never found it that useful when I was studying engineering but that was back in the dark early days of touchscreens. I'd say a proper CAD mouse is more useful than a 2-in-1 especially given the price premium and fragility involved in those hinge mechanisms. They are good for taking handwritten notes in lectures and doing diagrams though.

[Haraikomono]

4 minutes ago, Coolmaster said:

I'm going into Computer Engineering this fall and I need a laptop. My budget is $1500-$2000 Canadian Dollars (~$1200-1600 USD) but if something is really worth it I'm willing to go over a bit.

 

I don't really know what programs I will be using for class and don't want to buy a laptop that can't run it. I heard that 2-in-1s are good for engineering to draw diagrams and stuff. Also I don't need it to game but it being able to would be nice.

 

I really care about quality and want a nice feeling laptop, I'm used to using MacBooks but know I can't use MacOS for Engineering and Bootcamp isn't on ARM yet. Also for the size, the smaller the better and the largest I'd want is a 15 inch.

 

I'm considering the XPS 13 2-in-1 and the HP Spectre x360, for 2-in-1s. They seem like high quality devices but they might be underpowered if I need to run more demanding software.

I'm also considering the G14 and G15. They seem really powerful but don't have as great quality and aren't 2-in-1s and don't have a webcam.

The XPS 15 looks nice, with near MacBook level quality. But I don't know if the higher quality compared to the G14&G15 is worth the weaker performance, and all the reports of defects worry me.

The X13 Flow seems to fit all the categories with pretty powerful components in a small size that is a 2-in-1. But it seems to have overall mediocre quality and bad battery life.

 

Does anybody know what programs I'd be running and how much performance I'd need. And if a 2-in-1 is actually useful for engineering.

 

 

The best thing you can do for yourself, while learning Computer Engineering is to get yourself a Thinkpad.

 

Since you will inevitably put on a Linux Distro on your machine, and a thinkpad first of all is a great plattform for Linux, and secondly it will get you through College. And quite possibly many of your senior classmates will also have thinkpads, so you will quite some time to thinker with.

 

Its a great machine.

With your budget, Id look into something like the Lenovo Thinkpad X1

[Coolmaster]

3 minutes ago, KnotRolls said:

They don't look sleek (to most) but they're robust and the specs make it worth considering, especially with a Ryzen 7, 32GB 3200mhz RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD and Vega graphics.

 

3 minutes ago, Haraikomono said:

The best thing you can do for yourself, while learning Computer Engineering is to get yourself a Thinkpad.

 

I looked at the P14 really quick and with the configurator for $2000 I'd get basically the same specs as this G14 for the same price but without the 3060 and 144Hz. And for Linux If I have an eight core I could probably run it in a VM ok. And it seems like the Thinkpads have mediocre quality.

[Haraikomono]

Just now, Coolmaster said:

 

I looked at the P14 really quick and with the configurator for $2000 I'd get basically the same specs as this G14 for the same price but without the 3060 and 144Hz. And for Linux If I have an eight core I could probably run it in a VM ok. And it seems like the Thinkpads have mediocre quality.

its easy to overestimate your goals while starting off in computer engineering, so dont rush in with a ultra gaming laptop or anything like that.

It will take a while, until you will eventually dive in virtualization, development and deployment stuff.

 

The Asus may seem cool and hip, but in terms of quality: nothing beats a thinkpad ( except for a toughbook maybe)

[KnotRolls]

Do you get any mid year sales in Canada? Here in Aus we get end of financial year sales at the end of June, it may be worth waiting if you can.

The Thinkpads will have a better quality than an Asus, I've got 1200 odd Thinkpads in my fleet and they've been a huge step up from the "Military spec" HP G5s which were in turn a huge step up from the Acer Travelmates we were running.

[Coolmaster]

31 minutes ago, KnotRolls said:

Do you get any mid year sales in Canada? Here in Aus we get end of financial year sales at the end of June, it may be worth waiting if you can.

The Thinkpads will have a better quality than an Asus, I've got 1200 odd Thinkpads in my fleet and they've been a huge step up from the "Military spec" HP G5s which were in turn a huge step up from the Acer Travelmates we were running.

Yeah it's on sale. For ~$1500 off at a $2000 config, Lenovo has weird sales. https://www.lenovo.com/ca/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-p/P14s-AMD-G1/p/22WSP144SA1

 

34 minutes ago, Haraikomono said:

its easy to overestimate your goals while starting off in computer engineering, so dont rush in with a ultra gaming laptop or anything like that.

It will take a while, until you will eventually dive in virtualization, development and deployment stuff.

 

The Asus may seem cool and hip, but in terms of quality: nothing beats a thinkpad ( except for a toughbook maybe)

For performance the CPU which is used for virtualization and stuff seem pretty similar, since they're both AMD 8 cores. And the discrete GPU can be used to accelerate stuff. As a computer engineer I don't think I'll be going onsite, just from home to uni, so I don't need a rugged laptop.

[Haraikomono]

1 minute ago, Coolmaster said:

so I don't need a rugged laptop.

thinkpads are slick

[KnotRolls]

41 minutes ago, Coolmaster said:

As a computer engineer I don't think I'll be going onsite, just from home to uni, so I don't need a rugged laptop.

You'll be surprised once you're out in the real world, you actually spend a decent amount of time on site with clients. If the company you're working for provides your device (Most here in Aus will) then you're fine, but if you rock up to a client with a gaming laptop there will be a few questions asked.