Laptop for software engineering student

TheKgB · August 2, 2021

I've got accepted to university, but I don't have a laptop. I also have access to a cheap loan, and also want something that would be useable for a while, so without talking about the details, my budget is about 2500 usd.

So far I like the Thinkpad x1 extreme gen3 intel, and the latest dell xps 15, but I'm open to other suggestions. (MacBooks aren't an option, almost everyone uses windows here so it would mean a lot of extra time spent on getting stuff working)

svmlegacy · August 2, 2021

What about something like a Lenovo T15/P15s? No need to get something ridiculously overpriced, and engineering really doesn't need a high power laptop. Dedicated graphics is a plus, but I've used Solidworks on Ivy Bridge's iGPU without trouble. I do like the 15" Lenovo's on account of the num pad.

mt123 · August 3, 2021

1 hour ago, TheKgB said:

So far I like the Thinkpad x1 extreme gen3 intel, and the latest dell xps 15, but I'm open to other suggestions. (MacBooks aren't an option, almost everyone uses windows here so it would mean a lot of extra time spent on getting stuff working)

If you're considering the latest XPS 17, I believe the new Inspiron 16 will hold a lot more bang for your buck, given that the Inspiron holds the same, if not very similar equipment for much less. Plus, compared to the XPS 15, it can hold up to an NVIDIA RTX 3060 instead compared to the XPS 15, which can only be equipped with up to a 3050. It also seems to be more conventional given that compared to the XPS 15, the Inspiron 16 also has HDMI and USB-A. This also seems to fit well into your budget as the highest spec version is only $1,724, listed with the i7-11800H (24 MB cache, 4.6 GHz, 8 Cores), NVIDIA RTZX 3060 (60W), 32 GB memory, and 1 TB SSD. Here's the link: https://www.dell.com/en-us/member/shop/dell-laptops/new-inspiron-16-plus-laptop/spd/inspiron-16-7610-laptop/nn7610evvls?view=configurations

However, new Dell XPS 17 also has the RTX 3060, though its a 70W version compared to the Inspiron's 60W. So I'd expect the GPU in this to perform slightly worse than in the XPS 17. That being said, if you're interested in the XPS 17 with a 3060, it already starts at $2,205, listed with the same i7, 16 GB memory, a 512 GB SSD, and the 3060. In addition, it only has a 1080p display (albeit with a higher peak brightness) compared to the Inspiron 16's "3K" display - which basically seems right in between 1440p and 4K, and adjusted for a 16:10 screen ratio.

However, if you want your laptop to be in a smaller package, the new Razer Blade 14 seems like a good option. They all have Ryzen 9 5900HX processors, though only max out to 16 GB of memory, non removable ( : ( ). I think the best model would be the one with the 3070 because the 3080 version will likely get into noticeable heat issues. They're still on pre-order, and going for $2,200. https://www.razer.com/shop/pc/gaming-laptops?query=:newest:category:system-laptops:system-display:14%2Binch

These are my picks considering your budget, and while I don't know that much about software engineering myself, I've seen on other forums posts that software engineers may want a powerful GPU, and for this reason I think having a 3060 might be a minimum - more so if you want to use this for a handful of years - and RTX 3070 would be a great settlement.

Hope this helps, and happy hunting!