Laptop for Engineering course?

[jamesgregson]

Hi!

I am going to University soon to study engineering soon, and would like some help on what laptop I should get.

 

I really want a Macbook Pro, but for engineering I am not sure if they are good enough to run much CAD software at their cheaper configurations, and the 15" quad core configurations are extremely expensive!

Windows options are cheaper of course but I don't consider the build quality to be as good, or for their software to be optimised as well or last into the future.

I would still have my desktop to use if in my room, and can use campus computers if available where are I am, so basically what I am asking is do I spend a lot to get a high spec MBP, save some money and get a similar Windows variant, or just get a cheaper laptop and mainly use other options to complete my work, but be restricted as to when I can work based on where I am?

 

It would be great if anyone on (or has completed) an engineering course to reply!

Thanks

James

 

Note: I would also run Windows on the Macbook to ensure that all the programs are supported

[The Sloth]

10 minutes ago, jamesgregson said:

study engineering

which discipline? 

 

anything with a quad core and a 940mx will be enough, i suggest a dell Inspiron 7000 with 1050ti and 7700HQ. 

10 minutes ago, jamesgregson said:

It would be great if anyone on (or has completed) an engineering course to reply!

 

i have a Masters in mech engineering and a diploma in electrical engineering. 

[jamesgregson]

8 minutes ago, nerdslayer1 said:

which discipline? 

Just General at the moment but looking to specialise in Mechanical!

8 minutes ago, nerdslayer1 said:

anything with a quad core and a 940mx will be enough, i suggest a dell Inspiron 7000 with 1050ti and 7700HQ. 

Okay! Do you know anyone that used a Macbook and how they found it, or is it just a lot cheaper and easier to get a windows machine. Was thinking of getting a Macbook mainly for everyday tasks and then only using it for work if I needed too, so its not critical that it gets the best performance, just want something that lasts a while! Also are there many other decent windows options, I've heard the XPS 15 is also a decent option.

9 minutes ago, nerdslayer1 said:

i have, Masters in mech engineering and a diploma in electrical engineering 

Nice mate, well done!

[bfairs]

I went through school with an old (well, it was new then) Macbook pro which was fine, but these are the things I experienced:

 

- If you're taking digital notes, the ability to write tablet style is something I wish I had. Writing out formulae and graphs and such is so much easier than fumbling through formatting or sloppily tracing something on a trackpad. If you're the type that only takes paper notes anyway then this is moot.

- Not all software and drivers I needed were available for a Mac, whereas everything was fine with Windows. Not sure how things have changed in the last few years though, but that should be a consideration. Depending on your discipline and type of school (some are more theory based, others actually throw you into industry standard applications), you could run into lots of compatibility issues.

- You shouldn't need a beast to do most engineering CAD work, but still at least 8GB of RAM minimum and a i5 or better.

- Don't get anything bigger than 15", or you'll never actually bring it anywhere

 

Not exactly a "buy this laptop" suggestion, but things you should think about while shopping.

[jamesgregson]

1 minute ago, bfairs said:

I went through school with an old (well, it was new then) Macbook pro which was fine, but these are the things I experienced:

 

- If you're taking digital notes, the ability to write tablet style is something I wish I had. Writing out formulae and graphs and such is so much easier than fumbling through formatting or sloppily tracing something on a trackpad. If you're the type that only takes paper notes anyway then this is moot.

- Not all software and drivers I needed were available for a Mac, whereas everything was fine with Windows. Not sure how things have changed in the last few years though, but that should be a consideration. Depending on your discipline and type of school (some are more theory based, others actually throw you into industry standard applications), you could run into lots of compatibility issues.

- You shouldn't need a beast to do most engineering CAD work, but still at least 8GB of RAM minimum and a i5 or better.

- Don't get anything bigger than 15", or you'll never actually bring it anywhere

 

Not exactly a "buy this laptop" suggestion, but things you should think about while shopping.

Thanks for the info! Chances are I'd take most notes on laptop and then have a notepad for anything that needs drawing or is too complicated to type easily. I think driver support should be fine as I would dual boot Windows anyway!

With regards to specs if I'm going to use it for CAD I'm looking to configure up to a quad core with 16Gb to make sure it lasts for a couple of years into the future as well! 

15" looks like the sweet spot to me, but might go 13" if i decide to not use it for work.

[bfairs]

3 minutes ago, jamesgregson said:

Chances are I'd take most notes on laptop and then have a notepad for anything that needs drawing or is too complicated to type easily.

From what I remember, you'll be going by hand at least 75% of the time.  Others can add their experiences though.  It's also a preference thing to have all notes in one format or the other to keep it all in one place.

 

For the rest, yeah that sounds good!  You'll definitely need to decide if this is more of a note taking, light work machine, or something that can do everything in a pinch machine.

[The Sloth]

12 minutes ago, jamesgregson said:

Okay! Do you know anyone that used a Macbook and how they found it, or is it just a lot cheaper and easier to get a windows machine.

i personally use a late 2013 MacBook pro 15 inch with i7, 750m with 16GB ram config, it's works perfectily on the go for my use case, i have a much more powerful laptop for more demanding tasks. 

 

13 minutes ago, jamesgregson said:

just want something that lasts a while!

a Thinkpad would be perfect for that usecase

14 minutes ago, jamesgregson said:

I've heard the XPS 15 is also a decent option.

XPS 15 and aero 15 would be perfect for engineering, you can also bring it everywhere for group projects and study groups.

[jamesgregson]

4 minutes ago, bfairs said:

From what I remember, you'll be going by hand at least 75% of the time.  Others can add their experiences though.  It's also a preference thing to have all notes in one format or the other to keep it all in one place.

 

For the rest, yeah that sounds good!  You'll definitely need to decide if this is more of a note taking, light work machine, or something that can do everything in a pinch machine.

Yeah think if I made any notes by hand i'd scan them in and add them to my notes after lectures to keep everything together. From nerdslayer1's comment it seems as though his MBP can do most things!

 

6 minutes ago, nerdslayer1 said:

i personally use a late 2013 MacBook pro 15 inch with i7, 750m with 16GB ram config, it's works perfectily on the go for my use case, i have a much more powerful laptop for more demanding tasks. 

 

a Thinkpad would be perfect for that usecase

XPS 15 and aero 15 would be perfect for engineering, you can also bring it everywhere for group projects and study groups.

Glad to see that the MBP is still very usable at 4 years old!

I honestly don't think I'd get a thinkpad because of the looks to be honest, and now it looks like I've got to make a decision between some of the best laptops on the market! Any idea how long I could expect something like the XPS 15 or the Aero 15 to last compared to a MBP?

[The Sloth]

1 minute ago, jamesgregson said:

Any idea how long I could expect something like the XPS 15 or the Aero 15 to last compared to a MBP?

they should last a while, it will depend on your use case, 4 to 5 years minimum if you take care of it. 

 

1 minute ago, jamesgregson said:

I honestly don't think I'd get a thinkpad because of the looks to be honest,

IMO Thinkpad looks professional, avoid "gamery" laptop, they are a nightmare in terms of quality. 

[jamesgregson]

1 minute ago, nerdslayer1 said:

they should last a while, it will depend on your use case, 4 to 5 years minimum if you take care of it. 

Okay, thanks!

1 minute ago, nerdslayer1 said:

IMO Thinkpad looks professional, avoid "gamery" laptop, they are a nightmare in terms of quality. 

Agreed!

 

At the moment I'm torn between: the MBP; for the appearance, build quality, and4 TB3 ports seem like the future; and the XPS 15 becuase its simply cheaper than the MBP, yet still has high build quality and specs.

I hate difficult decisions!

[The Sloth]

Just now, jamesgregson said:

At the moment I'm torn between: the MBP; for the appearance, build quality, and4 TB3 ports seem like the future;

it's not, i tried out the new MacBook, thermal throttling and a gimmicky touch bar is not really worth it.

here is a breakdown 

 

2 minutes ago, jamesgregson said:

XPS 15 becuase its simply cheaper than the MBP, yet still has high build quality and specs.

XPS 15 or aero 15 would be the right question, XPS 15 has better quality but aero 15 has better specs, i suggest an XPS 15 over all for an engineering student.

[jamesgregson]

1 minute ago, nerdslayer1 said:

it's not, i tried out the new MacBook, thermal throttling and a gimmicky touch bar is not really worth it.

here is a breakdown 

 

Oh wow! Didn't they fix some of the thermal issues with the newer Intel chips (Kaby Lake) though? And yeah I wish they did a higher spec but cheaper model without the touch bar, really like the idea of Touch ID though!

1 minute ago, nerdslayer1 said:

XPS 15 or aero 15 would be the right question, XPS 15 has better quality but aero 15 has better specs, i suggest an XPS 15 over all for an engineering student.

I will definitely look more into the Aero 15, as it is a laptop I'm not too familiar with it if I'm honest!

I agree the XPS 15 looks great and will have a look at specific pricing compared to the others now, do you think its worth paying extra for the 4k screen over the 1080p one? (plus It's touchscreen, so might help with notetaking?)

[The Sloth]

2 minutes ago, jamesgregson said:

do you think its worth paying extra for the 4k screen

i would choose battery life over the 4k screen. 

 

2 minutes ago, jamesgregson said:

(plus It's touchscreen, so might help with notetaking?)

it will depend but for me, typing + pen and paper gave me better results. 

[jamesgregson]

2 minutes ago, nerdslayer1 said:

i would choose battery life over the 4k screen. 

 

it will depend but for me, typing + pen and paper gave me better results. 

Thanks for your help!

[The Sloth]

Just now, jamesgregson said:

Thanks for your help!

np, good luck in school. 

[jamesgregson]

1 minute ago, nerdslayer1 said:

np, good luck in school. 

Cheers!