Macbooks good college laptops? (Engineer major)?

yammamoto4

Like I want to become an engineer and wonder if having an OS Macbook is ok for college. I heard some other people say most software you use are PC based so you can't use macbooks. I already know that iWorks can save in word documents so I'm able to do PC based documents. I Just want some feedback because I do really like the macbook itself and think it's the best laptop ever. Money not an issue in this. Thanks.

Answer
Check with the college before buying!

If they have a PC infrastructure (Computers/Network/Servers), you would need to add Windows 7 to Boot Camp to access all you need.

And while Boot Camp is probably included in a Macbook, you still need to buy a complete Windows 7 license.


In the end, it's always your choice but it pays to think all things trough!

What are good laptops for college students majoring in engineering?

mango guy

i will be going to college in the fall and majoring in aerospace engineering and i want to start looking into what laptop i want to get so please let me know some good laptops that i might want to consider buying.

Answer
What ever laptop computer you get make sure it's not got windows 8 installed on it, My advice is get a system with win 7 and download linux operating system you get all the professional software free including Libre Office, which is on par with ms office 2010 with all the same features and more besides, you get free professional CAD (Computer Aided Design) software

check out this Free Open Source Software website with over 40.000 professional software packages for the Free Open Source Operating Sytems
http://sourceforge.net

for the latest January 2013 free Open Source Operating Systems check out this website
http://distrowatch.com

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What laptop should I buy for college? (Major: Computer Engineering/Undecided Engineering)?

Matt Girdi

So I will be a freshman this fall, and at the moment I am declared as a Computer Engineering Major.
This may change though.

Now I have up to $2000 to buy a laptop and accessories if not more, but wouldn't like to spend all of it right away.

As for Mac vs. PC, I am leaning toward the PC because 1- I am more comfortable with it, and 2- Because it is more compatible with programs I will be running.
These programs may include: AutoCAD, 3ds Max, and Autodesk Inventor.

Things To Keep In Mind: (feel free to suggest revisions)
-Budget? ~$2000
-Screen Size? 15" or larger(should I forget about this and just buy a large monitor instead?)
-Preferred Brand? no clue, this is my first laptop
-What Will I Be Doing With This Laptop? Running the programs listed above(includes high renderings), maybe some coding, movies, and video games.
-Where I Need To Transport This Laptop? To and from school(driving, no big deal)
-What Games Will I Be Playing? I would like a pretty nice graphics card as I will be running games such as DayZ, Minecraft(High TexturePacks), Dead Island, Etc...
-Hours Of Battery Life Wanted? At least 3 would be fine.
-What OS Do I Prefer? Not really sure, probably Windows 7 Professional, 64-bit version
-How Long Will I Need This Laptop? I'd prefer to have it for around 4 years.
-Hard Drive? 320 GB or larger ; 7200 RPM spindle speed or better
-Memory? 4 GB or more
-Processor? Intel 2nd Gen Core i5 2.4 Ghz or faster Intel processor

Feel Free To Differ From Any Of These Above^ (I'd love to hear everyones suggestions)

Answer
Hey matt,

Since you are majoring in CE, I suggest something for the very long term. Buy it once and you will never need to buy anything else again. This will run autocar, 3ds max, autodesk inventor and more. Games will run smoothly for the latest games, even the ones that are graphic intensive on the highest settings like crysis 1,2, battlefield 3, mw and games like dead island, minecraft etc is NOTHING for this laptop.

Intel core_i7 Processor 2.3GHz
16 GB RAM
1.5TB Hard Drive
17.3-Inch Screen, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
1.5TB 7200 rpm Hard Drive
16 GB SO-DIMM RAM
17.3-Inch Screen; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M Graphics
Intel Core i7 Processor 3610QM 2.3GHz
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-7-NP700G7C-S01US-17-3-Inch-Laptop/dp/B006MX0WHU/?_encoding=UTF8&tag=swimgear-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325

Good luck with college matt

Would getting a laptop for college be a good choice? (Engineering)?

Joe Smith

I will be a freshman attending Rutgers this fall as a Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering major. I was considering buying a laptop for notes and stuff, because I by far type faster than write. But, then I thought - would I even be able to use a laptop for notes efficiently in the field I'm going into? Like equations for physics and stuff like that. But then again, I won't be taking ONLY classes like that. So... can anyone that is a math/engineering major (or something similar) tell me if getting a laptop for note taking is a waste of my money? I will have a regular desktop computer in my dorm, thatâs an important factor. The laptop would be solely for note taking, some low-end cheap refurb. Thanks for the input.
I do live in New Jersey, very close to campus. Transporting a desktop computer back home for the summer will not be a problem at all.

Answer
Like MC said, a laptop will be especially helpful for freshman courses and general education requirements. You'll have to take english/science/humanities courses at some point, so if you type faster than you write, a laptop will be incredibly helpful. As for notes in engineering, I'm sure there's a way to type equations which I'm not aware of.

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Would getting a laptop for college be a good choice? (Engineering)?

Joe Smith

I will be a freshman attending Rutgers this fall as a Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering major. I was considering buying a laptop for notes and stuff, because I by far type faster than write. But, then I thought - would I even be able to use a laptop for notes efficiently in the field I'm going into? Like equations for physics and stuff like that. But then again, I won't be taking ONLY classes like that. So... can anyone that is a math/engineering major (or something similar) tell me if getting a laptop for note taking is a waste of my money? I will have a regular desktop computer in my dorm, thatâs an important factor. The laptop would be solely for note taking, some low-end cheap refurb. Thanks for the input.
I do live in New Jersey, very close to campus. Transporting a desktop computer back home for the summer will not be a problem at all.

Answer
Like MC said, a laptop will be especially helpful for freshman courses and general education requirements. You'll have to take english/science/humanities courses at some point, so if you type faster than you write, a laptop will be incredibly helpful. As for notes in engineering, I'm sure there's a way to type equations which I'm not aware of.

ipods, laptops,electronics, COLLEGE MAJOR!?

Jelly

I really want to work with electronics by designing and developing. What should my college major be?

Answer
You could be like me! My major is Information Engineering, its a combination of Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering

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What are good laptops for college students majoring in engineering?

Little G

i will be going to college in the fall and majoring in aerospace engineering and i want to start looking into what laptop i want to get so please let me know some good laptops that i might want to consider buying.

Answer
What ever laptop computer you get make sure it's not got windows 8 installed on it, My advice is get a system with win 7 and download linux operating system you get all the professional software free including Libre Office, which is on par with ms office 2010 with all the same features and more besides, you get free professional CAD (Computer Aided Design) software

check out this Free Open Source Software website with over 40.000 professional software packages for the Free Open Source Operating Sytems
http://sourceforge.net

for the latest January 2013 free Open Source Operating Systems check out this website
http://distrowatch.com

Engineering major looking for laptop advice?

2QT 2B STR

I will be entering college in the fall and as a graduation/birthday gift, my dad is letting me get a laptop. I was wondering if anyone had any advice because I honestly don't even know where to begin. I am planning on majoring in mechanical engineering, and I would appreciate any advice anyone can give regarding brand (Acer vs dell vs hp?) or suggested memory or anything. Also, I'm not planning on dropping $2,000 on a laptop. I'd like to keep it under $1,000.
I'm looking at lenvo, asus, and toshiba at the moment. If anyone has a specific complaint on any of these brands, please let me know what it is.

Answer
I started college on January and im also planning in majoring in engineering field.. actually i really dont know yet but im thinking about electric or civil engineering.(wow im happy theres more girls these days interesting in engineering).. i bought this laptop that was 600 dlls well actually i pay 800.. everybody recommended and i bought the brand toshiba :)... they say it is a good brand.. Plus is very good for college students:)... HP is also a very good brand:)

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What kind of laptop should I buy?

best laptop for college engineering major image

Tyler

I want a laptop for college, but I don't have the slightest idea what to buy. I don't want biased answers based on the operating system or any of that. I am (hopefully) going to be an engineering major so I need something that can handle all that I have to throw at it. I have a desktop computer that I built a while back that I will use for most of my computing while not in classes. I want something portable with a long battery life.

Answer
Well, lets take the logical route here, now you want long battery life but you want it to handle everything you can throw at it.

That crosses out pretty much any hardcore gaming laptop
That crosses out pretty much any laptop without a good GPU
that crosses out Dual core laptops
That crosses out ultra portable laptops.
Before I cross out Ultra books, ask yourself these questions:
Am I going to do any gaming, Graphics design or otherwise anything Graphics intensive?
If you are not going to do ANY thing graphics intensive, the by all means, you have your answer, the UltraBook is for you!
If you answered no, or most likely Im going to do something graphics intensive, then ultrabook style laptops are not for you.
Lets move on.

Now we are left with
AMD+ATi (Fusion)
Intel + ATi
Intel + Nvidia

Lets start with Intel + Nvidia

Intel + Nvidia will give you the most performance, an acceptable battery life of 4-6 hours and of course these computers, the ones I would consider as laptops, at about 800$ up to about 2500$
They tend to run games very well, and overall very good performance, but there are several downsides,
1.
Nvidia chips are faster, but they generate ALLOT of heat, they are known loved but also disliked mainly because people are usually not happy about 92c right on top of their private parts.
Intel is currently in the process of developing their own GPU, in effect they have barred ATi and Nvidia from integrating their chipsets onto intel compatible motherboards, the computer world thinks this is evil and frowns upon Intel (you should to) very dirty
the current result is an intel chipset, that does not give the appropriate priority to the chips these 2 companies have developed for well over 20 years each, Only to make their own crappy intel graphics look a little bit less crappy (its true)

2.
Intel+ATi
Costs about the same as Intel + Nvidia
ATi tends to run just a drop slower then Nvidia chips, but they use less power, run a LOT cooler and ATi tends to be the ones to have the innovations year after year, although, Nvidia still holds the number 1 spot for speed, no doubt about that.
The same goes for the problem with Intel, they will most likely try to hurt AMD owned ATi, as we have seen in the past (European court rulings against Intel)

AMD+ATi
they are not the fastest laptops, but the cost is about Half that for a comparable Intel+ATi/Nvidia and the speed difference is about 15% in terms of CPU power and 0% for Graphics abilities.
Personal friends of mines have displayed Great pleasure and no problems with their current generation Fusion laptops.
The cost runs from 350-900$.
Battery life is exceptionally high on these laptops, Review after review reports 6+ hours with normal
AMD Laptops offer Quadcore and Dual GPU laptops for as low as 600$ ! compared to Intel counterparts which start at 1600$ Just to match the performance.
usage, even for the highest specked quadcore models.
There are 2 kinds of Fusion
Fusion
Fusion 2GPU
What is Fusion
A processor chip with a Powerful Graphics chip built into it, Not to be confused with evil wannabees
Fusion 2 simply means there are 2 graphics chips built in, for example:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-Radeon-HD-6755G2.57278.0.html
a single will not have a 2 behind the G, Example
http://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-Radeon-HD-6520G.55734.0.html

Your next question should be, This is my budget I want a laptop to do this and this and that.

Best of luck with collage.

What is a good laptop for college?

one_king44

I need a laptop for college.
Basically I'd like it to have at least 80 GB or more hard drive. Be fast. and last a long time. Cheap is always nice.
I'm an engineering major by the way.
Also I'm not planning on playing any new games on it.

Answer
well if your planning on using autocad or something of that sort on it then u need a good graphics card. also if you get vista get at least 2gb 3 or 4 would be great. good luck. check out www.tigerdirect.com and some of their gateway's priced around $400 - $600 should be good. although they have an integrated video card.....it should handle it.

\/ your gonna want a better processor than that at bestbuy..... i'd recomend a core 2 duo or pentium D centrino is an old and slow processor. try to get above a 2.0ghz also.


http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080722122716AAw0NtL&r=w

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What kind of laptop sould I get for an engineering major?

best laptop for college engineering major image

Carolyn

Okay, so I'm going to college as a chemical engineering major next year and I was wondering what kind of laptop to get, Mac or PC? I'm not planning on doing much gaming, and I like the fact that macs will be faster. Also, Window's Vista isn't supported at my college yet, so I'd have to get XP. What do you think?

Answer
macs are amazing.. but you need to check if the softwares you need for eng are supported by mac. these days macs can run windows xp, since they now have intel core 2 duo processors in them. the performance is amazing but the price is atleast $300 more than windows pcs.

if you are planning to use windows with mac, then i would recommend you to do some research and then buy them because the last time i saw (in dec 2006), the bios to boot in windows mode was in beta testing. but it did work fine when i tried it.

What kind of laptop should I buy?

Tyler

I want a laptop for college, but I don't have the slightest idea what to buy. I don't want biased answers based on the operating system or any of that. I am (hopefully) going to be an engineering major so I need something that can handle all that I have to throw at it. I have a desktop computer that I built a while back that I will use for most of my computing while not in classes. I want something portable with a long battery life.

Answer
Well, lets take the logical route here, now you want long battery life but you want it to handle everything you can throw at it.

That crosses out pretty much any hardcore gaming laptop
That crosses out pretty much any laptop without a good GPU
that crosses out Dual core laptops
That crosses out ultra portable laptops.
Before I cross out Ultra books, ask yourself these questions:
Am I going to do any gaming, Graphics design or otherwise anything Graphics intensive?
If you are not going to do ANY thing graphics intensive, the by all means, you have your answer, the UltraBook is for you!
If you answered no, or most likely Im going to do something graphics intensive, then ultrabook style laptops are not for you.
Lets move on.

Now we are left with
AMD+ATi (Fusion)
Intel + ATi
Intel + Nvidia

Lets start with Intel + Nvidia

Intel + Nvidia will give you the most performance, an acceptable battery life of 4-6 hours and of course these computers, the ones I would consider as laptops, at about 800$ up to about 2500$
They tend to run games very well, and overall very good performance, but there are several downsides,
1.
Nvidia chips are faster, but they generate ALLOT of heat, they are known loved but also disliked mainly because people are usually not happy about 92c right on top of their private parts.
Intel is currently in the process of developing their own GPU, in effect they have barred ATi and Nvidia from integrating their chipsets onto intel compatible motherboards, the computer world thinks this is evil and frowns upon Intel (you should to) very dirty
the current result is an intel chipset, that does not give the appropriate priority to the chips these 2 companies have developed for well over 20 years each, Only to make their own crappy intel graphics look a little bit less crappy (its true)

2.
Intel+ATi
Costs about the same as Intel + Nvidia
ATi tends to run just a drop slower then Nvidia chips, but they use less power, run a LOT cooler and ATi tends to be the ones to have the innovations year after year, although, Nvidia still holds the number 1 spot for speed, no doubt about that.
The same goes for the problem with Intel, they will most likely try to hurt AMD owned ATi, as we have seen in the past (European court rulings against Intel)

AMD+ATi
they are not the fastest laptops, but the cost is about Half that for a comparable Intel+ATi/Nvidia and the speed difference is about 15% in terms of CPU power and 0% for Graphics abilities.
Personal friends of mines have displayed Great pleasure and no problems with their current generation Fusion laptops.
The cost runs from 350-900$.
Battery life is exceptionally high on these laptops, Review after review reports 6+ hours with normal
AMD Laptops offer Quadcore and Dual GPU laptops for as low as 600$ ! compared to Intel counterparts which start at 1600$ Just to match the performance.
usage, even for the highest specked quadcore models.
There are 2 kinds of Fusion
Fusion
Fusion 2GPU
What is Fusion
A processor chip with a Powerful Graphics chip built into it, Not to be confused with evil wannabees
Fusion 2 simply means there are 2 graphics chips built in, for example:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-Radeon-HD-6755G2.57278.0.html
a single will not have a 2 behind the G, Example
http://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-Radeon-HD-6520G.55734.0.html

Your next question should be, This is my budget I want a laptop to do this and this and that.

Best of luck with collage.

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