Laptops aren’t particularly different these days (there is more processing power in even the cheaper models than most people will ever need), though if you plan on coding then it would serve you well to note that some important software is proprietary. Most significantly, Visual Studio is a Microsoft tool, and there aren’t any IDEs that can compare.
@scholarme, I agree with @boneh3ad, buy what floats your boat. I’ve always liked Macs and if you absolutely need/want Windoze function, you can set up a perfectly functional virtual machine with VMware Fusion. With that said, at work, where I needed quite a few desktops and laptops, I bought refurbished enterprise class HPs. I pay an extra $150 for three year, 24h turn around, onsite service. They are almost never actually used. They are returns from big installations that might order 1000 machines and then only use 900 of them. HP can’t sell them as new, hence, brand new “refurbs.” I search for ProBook or EliteBook i5 or better (or AMD equivalent) for $500 or less delivered with the extra warranty. Big bang for the bucks. Good luck!
YOu don’t have to speng a bunch of money on solid works. The libraries(the science ones) on most campuses will, if asked nicely, help you download special programs like matlab, solid works, autocad, chem cad, sketchup, etc, as long as you tell them you need it for a class or project or something.
Not that SolidWorks is generally available for purchase for students anyhow.
For my D, most of the work was done using virtual machine on the network. So just a laptop with good resolution and network connection is good enough.
Oh, what do you guys think of the Surface Pro 3 then?
Nice device, but it’s no replacement for a real computer.
I mean, if you get a keyboard and are happy with the typing ergonomics on it then it’s more powerful than a MacBook Air and would work fine for you.
I don’t get the Surface. It’s either a heavy, thick tablet, or a fairly impotent, expensive laptop with a weak keyboard. What’s there to like about it?
Mine has MacBook Pro.
A tablet laptop hybrid would be your worst companion. I also don’t recommend a heavyweight laptop unless you don’t mind exercising your arms everyday (from my own personal experience).
I do like using the MS Surface, simply because you don’t have to turn it off and on each time you want to use it. But it’s not a laptop. It’s not about power because quite a few devices have sufficient computing power these days. It’s just that you need a real keyboard and mouse to be able to do serious work. A desktop is underrated in its usefulness for that purpose.
Haven’t actually tried the MS Surface Pro 3, was just looking at reviews from students after seeing it compared to the MacBook 12. Seems like a lot of people like the pressure sensitive pen for notes, which I totally get after having a Wacom stylus (I miss it so much).
The keyboard does seem dinky.
It’s a very nice keyboard for a tablet, actually, but it just isn’t a desktop or laptop keyboard. I would recommend the Surface 3 (vanilla, not Pro) for the cash savings while being 90% the same thing. It complements a laptop quite well if you can afford to buy both a laptop and tablet.
What about a Macbook Pro?
I was looking at those
Macs are okay if you’re willing to pay the premium to own one.
@FutureOilBaron The 15 inch model is incredibly overpriced. Other than that, they’re pretty good.
I was looking at the 13" model. However, I’ve heard that there are some software incompatibilities for engineering (Im chemical). Any advice for how I would get around those?
@hungryteenager @NoVADad99
I forgot which one my daughter got whether it was 13 or 15 MacBook Pro, she got something with great graphics. I forgot what’s called.
Here’s some info from NCSU about Macs for engineering students. http://www.eos.ncsu.edu/soc/laptops/macs