Do I Need a Specific Laptop for My ChE Curriculum?

[Jacasselman]

Hi,

I'm a ChE student at a community college right now doing the transfer program to a 4 year university where I will resume my education as a junior in the Fall 12 semester. I'm thinking that I will need a laptop; I'm not that great with specs and hardware however. So any advice?

I'm trying to keep it at or under $800.
I've also been looking at the dell xps 14z, but can't find any decent reviews for it.

Thanks.

 

[wukunlin]

to be honest, i never feel the need for a laptop. The only exception is when you really need to type something up before the assignment deadline or something. But throughout my 3 years of bachelors study i never feel it necessary to have a laptop. There should be enough computer in the university anyway.

Although if you really want one, before giving you any advice, what sort of laptop are you looking for? something to consider are:
-portability
-processing power (including, will you need hardware acceleration?)
-battery life

dell laptops are okay in general. things may be different in the states but over here their after sale services are superb. The hardware itself is a little bulky i find. Also if you really want a dell i would recommend the vostro (typical for small business user) instead of the xps.

brands are mostly personal preferences, for me i would look at ASUS and Sony first. I bought the dell purely for their service and price (and a couple of friends that work there). The only reason i bought one is because a lot of the software i need are not installed in the university's computers and it is nice to sit down and do work in a quiet library instead of those noisy computer labs

 

[AlephZero]

Check if the university has any course-related software that you can install on your own computer, and then buy a machine with the right spec to run that software. (The uni should be able to give you a shortlist to choose from).

They might have a special pricing deal with a preferred supplier, because their tech support people have an easier time if most people are using the same model of computer.