Computer specs needed for university

[chollins]

I am going to be doing EE at university this year and i am looking at purchasing a laptop to use. So the question is...

What sort of machine specs do you need to run Mathematica and Matlab quickly?

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I am looking at a Toshiba Tecra A10 (PTSB0A-00E001)

Intel core 2 duo T9400 (2.53 Ghz, 1066MHz FSB, 6MB L2 Cache) GM45 Express Chipset
2 Gb DDR2 800 (up to 4 GB supported)
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator GM45 up to 128 Mb shared memory
250 Gb 5400 rpm SATA HDD
15.4" WSXGA+ (1680x1050)
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The main thing i need to know about is if there is the need for a graphics card with dedicated graphics memory or if this on board graphics will suffice for the purposes of Mathematica and Matlab.

thank you in advance.

 

[misgfool]

I am going to be doing EE at university this year and i am looking at purchasing a laptop to use.

Similar topics exist on the forums, but unfortunately I can't find them. So just one advice, if your school has computer labs, don't buy a computer. If your school is of any standing, you shouldn't need one during the first 2 years. What comes to performance issues, I'm fairly confident that coding with Matlab will take much more time than actual simulations. Focus your efforts on that side.