Laptop for an Engineering Student

[Taqwus]

I am looking to get a new laptop my old one is circa 2001 Sager, 256 Mb 4 Mb video 1 GHz P III dinosaur, works great as a space heater though

I am looking for something that is relatively cheap 1300 or under. I want something that can run Autocad, ANYSYS, Mathematica, Mathcad, and any other engineering programs that I might need
Also would like some decent video to play something like WoW or Dungeon Seige II, or a FPS
A good warranty in case I drop it is good also

I was thinking about a Dell D620 but noticed the LCD problems

Not sure what other options would be good.
Anyone have any good suggestions or if you are an engineer what would be a good chouce

 

[tatteredpotato]

What size are you looking at, 14 inch, 15 inch, or bigger?

 

[Taqwus]

I would like to get as much screen real estate as I can. But it has to remain portable enough for me to carry around to labs or study areas
Also battery life is important

 

[stevty2889]

I like my Acer Aspire 5672. Its got a 15.4 widescreen(1280x800 resolution), X1600 graphics, core duo 1.6ghz 120gb SATA hard drive, and a gig of ram. It's on newegg for around $1050, and should work out pretty well for you.

 

[cheesehead]

Many of the higher-end Acer machines are supposed to be quite good.

I do know that HP produces a line of buisness laptops with FireGL and Quadro video cards. The NW8440 and 9440 are both good examples; the 8440 and 9440 feature a 15.4" LCD and FireGl 5200 and 17" LCD and Quadro 1500/512mb, respectively. They support the Core Duo 7400 (2.16ghz) CPU, and at a weight of 6lbs./7.5lbs., they're quite svelte.

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF04a/321957-64295-89315-321838-f1.html

That enough power for ya?

 

[pkme2]

If you get another laptop, most popular versions, like Acer, Dell, HP, Lenovo and Toshiba, should fit your needs.
My only advice is to avoid the Sony Vaio because of its quality control problems and recalls.
Good computer hunting!

 

[Taqwus]

How are the warranties on the Acer laptops can I get a 3 year total coverage incase I drop the thing

 

[Gibson486]

Any current laptop on the market could run that stuff.

 

[Kaido]

I like Gateway. If you go to BestBuy.com, they have some really killer deals. For example, here is a 15.4" dual-core Turion notebook with 2 gigs of ram, 160gb hard drive, wifi, DVD burner, and loads of other stuff for $999:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp...p=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1157067806537

A cheaper model for $699 with half the ram and 40 gigs less space, still a great machine though:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp...p=2&type=product&cp=2&id=1156606934474

They also have a 17" that goes on sale sometimes. Here is a good deal on an HP 17":

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=1158317339247&type=product

 

[tatteredpotato]

HP/Compaq has some nice quality low end machines too.

 

[IEC]

Originally posted by: BlameCanada
HP/Compaq has some nice quality low end machines too.

Even better with APP (Academic Purchasing Program) discount. Which should work if you're a Uni student like I am

 

[Taqwus]

I wonder if I can get the APP and also the EPP plan from HP since I am an ASP for them

 

[tatteredpotato]

I just ordered a basic Compaq v3000 notebook for about $650, and the APP gave me $50 bucks off. Of course it was tacked right back on w/ shipping, but still beats paying both.

 

[Taqwus]

How do you get the APP discount do you have to register somewheres

 

[IEC]

Register here:

http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/register_app.do

 

[Taqwus]

Wonder if I can get both. I did check each one out and they both give the same discount

 

[cheesehead]

Originally posted by: Taqwus
Wonder if I can get both. I did check each one out and they both give the same discount

Let us know!

Just curious - what did you think of the 9440 and 8440? Overkill?