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Computer Engineering Laptop

M

MotF Bane

No Lifer
I'm going to be a freshman for comp. eng. at RIT, which falls under the Kate Gleason school of engineering. Their official policy is
This is largely a personal preference. Most of the advanced applications that students work with will be used on lab computers and not their personal systems, so the main concern here is that they have the latest version of Microsoft Office. (Office 2007 (windows); Office 2004 (Mac).
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, when in regards to Mac versus Windows. Does anybody who has taken/is taking comp. eng. have thoughts on what would be the best choice? Also, the laptop will just be for travelling around to class and in class, things like that, I'll have a desktop along, Windows based. Thanks.
 
Yep, I've seen that - they're basically saying they don't care. I'm asking if anyone here has taken CE at any school really, and what their thoughts are.
 
Get something portable, with great battery life, and a buttload of RAM.

Shoot for 4+ hours battery, and 3GB RAM.

The battery life will make the notebook more useful - when I was in college a couple of years ago I had a laptop with about a 90 minute battery life, which was utterly useless.

The RAM will help with whatever applications you choose to run. I don't know specifically what you're doing, but when I find myself running Excel, SQL Server, and Visual Studio, I'm usually using up several hundred megs of memory between those 3 applications alone.
 
^^ very true - battery life is KING in the university setting. Durability is also a very important property.

A good option is the Dell XPS M1330 with integrated graphics and the 9 cell battery. You'll get 6 to 7 hours in battery life with conservative usage, it's decently portable, and pretty fast in general.

One thing you must consider, however, is that the more portable you are with your laptop, the more prone it is to damage. Think about it - you'll be moving it from class to class, throwing it in your backpack (along with textbooks), and who knows what kind of pressure and shocks your laptop will endure while in your backpack, plus the occasional bump here and there... Point is, your laptop WILL take a beating in a school setting. For this reason, I'd say it's justifiable to spend more money and get a relatively rugged notebook. I'd recommend the Lenovo R61 with a 14 inch screen and integrated graphics and the extended battery. This is a better option than the Dell, but more expensive. The smaller X61 is also nice, although you lose the trackpad and it's not completely built like a tank like the R61. If you go this route, make sure to get the 14" screen, not the 15". The 15" doesn't have the same magnesium alloy chassis, therefore it's not built like a tank.

If you get a Mac, don't expect to run Mac OS all the time. There are a LOT of Windows-only applications you'll be required to run. If you don't mind this, though, Macbooks are great machines, so long as you can get over the price premium. One thing to note, however, is that they are certainly fragile. You're going to have to spend a lot of time babying a Mac.

The WORST thing you can do is get a 17 inch gaming laptop.

I'm a CSE and Mathematics double major. If you have any questions regarding your potential purchase and/or workflow with a laptop, just PM me 🙂
 
Originally posted by: kyzen
Get something portable, with great battery life, and a buttload of RAM.

Shoot for 4+ hours battery, and 3GB RAM.

The battery life will make the notebook more useful - when I was in college a couple of years ago I had a laptop with about a 90 minute battery life, which was utterly useless.

The RAM will help with whatever applications you choose to run. I don't know specifically what you're doing, but when I find myself running Excel, SQL Server, and Visual Studio, I'm usually using up several hundred megs of memory between those 3 applications alone.
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There are LiOn Accessory Batteries that will run a 65 watt laptop 6-8 hours, depending upon the sizing that is purchased.. they can be bought for $120-150 ish and are a great toy for travel, or whatever, and you can run Mp3 etc off them as well.

They are fairly slim, and light as well often no more weight than an extra battery, and three time the run time.
 
Originally posted by: MotF Bane
I'm going to be a freshman for comp. eng. at RIT, which falls under the Kate Gleason school of engineering. Their official policy is
This is largely a personal preference. Most of the advanced applications that students work with will be used on lab computers and not their personal systems, so the main concern here is that they have the latest version of Microsoft Office. (Office 2007 (windows); Office 2004 (Mac).
Click to expand...
, when in regards to Mac versus Windows. Does anybody who has taken/is taking comp. eng. have thoughts on what would be the best choice? Also, the laptop will just be for travelling around to class and in class, things like that, I'll have a desktop along, Windows based. Thanks.
Click to expand...

It really doesn't matter.
However, any software you're going to use WILL be available for Windows. May not be available for Mac. Then again, you can install Linux on anything, and Windows on Macs, so not a big deal either.

You'll want something with at least halfway decent graphics.

Depending on price, you may want to take a look at Dell and HP's business offerings. They usually offer more kick for the cost.
 
No, you really don't need anything better than integrated graphics. If you'll be doing serious graphics work, then ANY laptop won't handle your needs and you'll just end up on one of your Uni's workstations anyways... Computer Engineering majors are even less likely to need powerful graphics than a CSE major, especially for an undergrad. If you were a graduate student, then sure: assuming your thesis has something to do with graphics. In fact, you won't need anything with much overall power at all.

Try to get something with a nice screen (for ease on your eyes), nice keyboard, nice battery life, and a price that you don't mind paying.

I'd highly suggest paying MORE money for a more rugged laptop. I don't care how careful you are - you WILL bump your laptop on a few things throughout the course of your education. Accidental damage protection is not a bad idea.

In the rare chance that you have a project that requires tons of power, you wouldn't want to be on a laptop to begin with. These projects are generally BIG and it's just much easier to work on a desktop.

I've gone through 3 laptops in college already and with my combined experience, I'd honestly recommend the most CONVENIENT laptop you can afford, not the most powerful. Again, not to sound like a broken record, but it's worth the extra money for a tough laptop and possibly accidental damage coverage.
 
You don't need a very powerful laptop, but 3d modeling software does come into use and has basic hardware requirements. Nvidia or ati integrated graphics will likely suffice (dell business has the cheapest ati integrated graphics laptops I've seen), Intel has a good chance of not (partly because of poor drivers).
 
3D modeling isn't common for a CE major... just FYI. You might do it at some point, but you'd end up wanting to be on a desktop anyways, simply because of the screen space (plus performance difference).

But hey, it doesn't HURT to have a powerful video card... just keep in mind that your battery life suffers. Your decision 🙂
 
Originally posted by: slugg
3D modeling isn't common for a CE major... just FYI. You might do it at some point, but you'd end up wanting to be on a desktop anyways, simply because of the screen space (plus performance difference).

But hey, it doesn't HURT to have a powerful video card... just keep in mind that your battery life suffers. Your decision 🙂
Click to expand...

Compromises!
Basically, just avoid intel integrated graphics and you get better performance AND don't lose any battery life.
 
^^ That's true... if you can find a laptop that has everything you want and DOESN'T have Intel graphics, although still integrated, you should be fine. But, I must point out that no matter what brand the integrated video is, it won't be powerful enough for any real graphics work or games, so it's a moot point.

Something you _CAN_ consider, though, is that now they're starting to release laptops with SLI that save power. Basically, there's integrated AND dedicated graphics. When gaming or doing any content creation, the dedicated graphics kicks in and takes over. When on-the-go, the dedicated graphics card is completely disabled, yielding a much better battery life. I don't know how much these solutions cost, but you should know that they're out there 🙂

^^ a gaming card might be useful if you have a lot of time between classes and want to waste some time. Then again, a PSP or Nintendo DS might be a better solution, depending on your situation. I personally live on campus, so I can just walk over to my dorm between classes if I feel like it.
 
As above, go with something small enough that you can easily take it with you (small enough that you will WANT to take it with you). Ram is cheep right now, either get one with a 4gb base right now... or buy it stock and upgrade to 4gb. Insurance is a good idea (I had safeware 0 deductible on my powerbook throughout college just incase).

Thinkpads are great, and the T61p would be an absolutely great machine for what you need without breaking the bank (nicely equipped with a 2.4 or 2.5GHz processor for somewhere around $1500). HOWEVER, the screens on those machines aren't all that great. I would suggest looking at one in person before you buy (I know that my campus had them in the computer store). They are rugged and well built. A dell XPS would be a close second on my list (what can I say I'm actually sorta impressed by dell this time around). If you keep your eye on the deal sites, you can often get a nice deal with a 20% off coupon (and they still are always pretty cheap anyway).

Skip the extra graphics features unless you want to game... the bigger batteries can be a good idea (or a second battery)... you don't need a blue ray drive... etc...
 
I'm starting Computer Engineering this fall at NJIT. I just got an XPS m1330. I really love this laptop, it is well built and doesnt have the cheap plastic feel some dells have. I got it for a pretty good price using a coupon I found online.
I suggest playing with configurations starting with the lowest recommended config and upgrading or starting with the highest one and downgrading. There is usually a large difference in price for the same exact specs.

These are the specs for mine
T8300 2.4ghz
3gb ram
160gb 7200rpm
nvidia 8400m
LED backlit screen
Bluetooth and wireless N
6 cell battery

All that for 1250 before tax.
 
Definitely get the most outrageous gaming laptop you can find.

Alright, all kidding aside, get something with 3 hours of battery life and 2GB of Ram. This is all you need. I recommend HP as Dell quality just plain sucks.
 
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