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Engineer Student Purchasing Notebook

A

ailetlvo

Member
I am a second year structural engineer student who will be returning to school in the fall. I have decided to purchase a laptop this summer and would like input from others.

What I'm looking for is a laptop that will be able to run AutoCAD, Web-browsing, Microsoft Office, Acrobat, and other programs that I may use easily. I don't really download music or video or anything so a large hard drive isn't necessary. The only exception is that I play Tiger Woods PGA Tour often and I would need a laptop that could play that game smoothly.

I'd like to spend about 1000-1200 dollars, but since I will be using this laptop for the next 3-4 years, if spending more now will pay off later, then I am all for it. Also, my general taste runs to IBM, Asus, and Fujitsu.

Any advice for what kind of laptop I should get, what specs, what price, etc. is welcome. Please provide as much info as you can. Thanks!
 
I just purchased an IBM T40p that sounds exactly like what you need for $1350 shipped on eBay. IT has Pentium M 1.6 GHz CPU/1GB RAM/40GB 5400 RPM HDD/ATI FireGL 9000 64MB Video Card/14.1 SXGA+ LCD 1400x1050.

Sounds like something right up your alley as well with the good video card for CAD/3d stuff and its a Thinkpad! I haven't gotten it yet but it should arrive sometime this week.

If you need a little more power the T42 with a Radeon 9600 or T42p with a better 128MB FireGL T2 Card could fit the bill for a few hundred dollars more.
 
Hmm, that sounds like a good deal. Ebay huh? So it was an auction then? Can you get laptops cheaper that way? I'll go to IBM.com and see how much that would cost directly from them.

My only concern with that one is the video card. It is undoubtedly powerful enough to handle my programs, but I wonder if that power will translate into less battery time. True?
 
I also want to know what kind of warranty I should get with the laptop. A lot of people say to get a 3-4 year warranty because it will pay off, but it's really expensive.
 
The laptop I bought has a 3 year warranty on it, and the battery life averages 5-6 hours! That was one of my main factors in teh decision as well. I searched around for close to a year form y new laptop and finnally decided on the Thinkpad. Nothing else can touch it out there.

eBay seemed to be a little cheaper. IBM also has a student discount program, but the systems are limited, and I still think I got a better deal on eBay 😉

Check out the seller I bought mine from: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ25QQsassZthinkpadworld

Plus the IBM T series is VERY light and portable. Probably the best notebook in that category as well.
 
I wouldn't buy it. The list price it has is not right. Go to the IBM website. They have good deals on T42/43 with 1.8 centrino for $1600. New... Still if you want a cheaper option look at HP buisness line. THe nc6120 and nx6125 are really good deals.
 
For what you are talking about, I would put some moolah into a system as follows:

IBM T42p
14" SXGA+
128MB FireGL T2
Bla bla bla, whatever HDD & CPU they come with; no big deal

That will be rugged, reliable, and POWERFUL. I would buy from an IBM authorized reseller, as you can get IBM warranties that way. Your school should offer some kind of purchase program and IBM does offer a student discount program; call IBM and get some pricing, its much better than using their website.

Of course, the real question is: do you NEED 3D graphics for your AutoCAD? Is it 2D or 3D rendering? If its 2D, then you can get away with a much cheaper machine and my recommendation will change. But you can't beat a Thinkpad for quality 😀
 
Speaking as a User of Inventor 10 and various other CAD/CAM and FEA programs, there is usually a distinct advantage using a dedicated video card rather than an integrated solution. The advantage is only really noticable if you build really big/complex models or like to display many layers on the screen at once. (a good example is that in a popular FEA program, you are able to display and rotate a model with simple results, but if you would like to display node numbers along with max, min values, then any video card even a geforce2 pci provides smoother results than the latest intel graphics)
 
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