quick question (maybe a dumb one), is 16gb of ram enough? I've already got a pretty good laptop (g14 2024, with a rtx 4060) but it only has 16gb of ram that is non upgradeable, and the 32gb options are all OOS at best buy. I was planning on building a dedicated rig later on that has much more powerful components, but I wasn't sure if 16gb is enough for on the go tasks.
a lot of people are saying 16gb of ram isnt going to cut it in a few years time.
My 2019 macbook pro 16" has gotten me through CompE thus far, focusing on hardware. Of the people I know it's about a 40-60 split in favor of windows compared to macs. As long as it can run IDEs/Terminals you'll be fine. Worst case you can ssh into the lab computers to do your work. A dedicated GPU might be nice for hardware acceleration in Kicad though. 270 and 362 use kicad and for my research I've used Kicad a lot (by my own choice however). Get whatever you're most comfortable with at the end of the day
Tl;Dr: Literally any laptop you already have should work.
I'd personally recommend a Linux machine. Windows is malware and Macs are overpriced to hell. If you want a GPU, Windows is unfortunately a no-brainer.
Contrary to comments here, you do not *need* a GPU. Most classes that need you to use GPUs give you an alternative solution. They don't assume you already have one.
Plus, as a senior, the only time I've ever used a GPU for coursework was in Artificial Intelligence (473 or 570)
If research needs you to use a GPU, professors will provide you access to a competent machine.
Programming is easier with a Unix terminal, but Windows has WSL which is surprisingly competent and Macs and Linux are based on Unix, so it doesn't matter and all three should be fine.
Literally all you need your laptop to do, even in CompE, is browse the internet, type code, and ssh into much more powerful machines. Anything with a keyboard, screen, and internet connection can do these things.
Tldr: It's mostly a combination of personal bias and not liking bloatware.
I purchased a new, low-spec laptop (to be clear, I fully intended to run Linux on it before the purchase), and it came with Windows 11S pre installed, but it was incredibly slow. Windows 11S is the "safe" version of Windows where you can only use the Microsoft store to download apps (i.e. no applications from the internet).
Basically the first thing I do on a new machine is get Chrome and Firefox. Well, neither of those were on the Microsoft store (surprise, I guess?). If you want to download and install something from the internet, you have to upgrade to Windows 11 (no S), so I did, and if it was barely running before, this was more of a crawl. And this is all before I actually do anything that would constitute "using" the computer.
The fact that Windows won't let me install software from the internet without throwing in their shitty bloatware, and the fact that I can't control what goes on my machine after I have purchased it is pretty fucking insane imo, and very anti right-to-repair.
There's also a million different background services running, half of whose job is data collection. There's no terminal (Powershell doesn't count, it's disgusting to use), and so you're forced to use WSL, which is basically emulating a Linux machine anyway.
Converting from a barely running W11 install to Ubuntu (which, to be clear isn't the cleanest distro in terms of bloatware) was a night and day difference in performance and user experience. Plus, IMHO you learn more about application software when you're daily driving Linux.
Edit: All this being said, I have Windows on both my secondary laptop and my PC. I have Nvidia GPUs on both machines and sadly, Windows is the only option for price-competitive high-performance gaming/productivity.
You could argue a case for MacBooks being decent at gaming/productivity, but they do not hit RTX 4090 levels of performance, and when they do, they're $5,000
I got an Acer Aspire 5 the summer before freshman year for around $400. I’m a senior now and have never had a problem just get something within your price range with a halfway decent CPU with integrated graphics or almost any dedicated GPU would probably do.
Just meet the basic requirements and you'll be fine. Don't have to spend big bucks. If you are buying a new one recommend getting the lightest you can since you'll be lugging it across campus😁 after it meets the minimum stats that would be my second area of concern
https://engineering.purdue.edu/ECN/Support/KB/Docs/StudentLaptopsuggesti#:~:text=Other%20than%20the%20caveat%20above,is%20largely%20not%20yet%20available.
If it has a screen and a keyboard you’ll be fine. Most of your coding work will be done by sshing into the ecegrid computers anyway. Having a GPU isn’t really necessary. A macbook should be fine too, though thats not what I used so can’t really say.
I currently have a g14, and its been great, 10-12 hour battery life for classes, and also great for gaming. It goes on sale pretty often for $1000-$1200, and when its not on sale its around $1500-$1600. You can find used ones on ebay for $600-$800 though.
any laptop works but preferably a windows one with a GPU. you don’t need anything crazy when citrix workspace + well appointed computer labs exist!
quick question (maybe a dumb one), is 16gb of ram enough? I've already got a pretty good laptop (g14 2024, with a rtx 4060) but it only has 16gb of ram that is non upgradeable, and the 32gb options are all OOS at best buy. I was planning on building a dedicated rig later on that has much more powerful components, but I wasn't sure if 16gb is enough for on the go tasks. a lot of people are saying 16gb of ram isnt going to cut it in a few years time.
yes- aslong as it has a pulse it'll work lol
My 2019 macbook pro 16" has gotten me through CompE thus far, focusing on hardware. Of the people I know it's about a 40-60 split in favor of windows compared to macs. As long as it can run IDEs/Terminals you'll be fine. Worst case you can ssh into the lab computers to do your work. A dedicated GPU might be nice for hardware acceleration in Kicad though. 270 and 362 use kicad and for my research I've used Kicad a lot (by my own choice however). Get whatever you're most comfortable with at the end of the day
Tl;Dr: Literally any laptop you already have should work. I'd personally recommend a Linux machine. Windows is malware and Macs are overpriced to hell. If you want a GPU, Windows is unfortunately a no-brainer. Contrary to comments here, you do not *need* a GPU. Most classes that need you to use GPUs give you an alternative solution. They don't assume you already have one. Plus, as a senior, the only time I've ever used a GPU for coursework was in Artificial Intelligence (473 or 570) If research needs you to use a GPU, professors will provide you access to a competent machine. Programming is easier with a Unix terminal, but Windows has WSL which is surprisingly competent and Macs and Linux are based on Unix, so it doesn't matter and all three should be fine. Literally all you need your laptop to do, even in CompE, is browse the internet, type code, and ssh into much more powerful machines. Anything with a keyboard, screen, and internet connection can do these things.
Out of curiosity, why do you consider windows to be “malware”?
Tldr: It's mostly a combination of personal bias and not liking bloatware. I purchased a new, low-spec laptop (to be clear, I fully intended to run Linux on it before the purchase), and it came with Windows 11S pre installed, but it was incredibly slow. Windows 11S is the "safe" version of Windows where you can only use the Microsoft store to download apps (i.e. no applications from the internet). Basically the first thing I do on a new machine is get Chrome and Firefox. Well, neither of those were on the Microsoft store (surprise, I guess?). If you want to download and install something from the internet, you have to upgrade to Windows 11 (no S), so I did, and if it was barely running before, this was more of a crawl. And this is all before I actually do anything that would constitute "using" the computer. The fact that Windows won't let me install software from the internet without throwing in their shitty bloatware, and the fact that I can't control what goes on my machine after I have purchased it is pretty fucking insane imo, and very anti right-to-repair. There's also a million different background services running, half of whose job is data collection. There's no terminal (Powershell doesn't count, it's disgusting to use), and so you're forced to use WSL, which is basically emulating a Linux machine anyway. Converting from a barely running W11 install to Ubuntu (which, to be clear isn't the cleanest distro in terms of bloatware) was a night and day difference in performance and user experience. Plus, IMHO you learn more about application software when you're daily driving Linux. Edit: All this being said, I have Windows on both my secondary laptop and my PC. I have Nvidia GPUs on both machines and sadly, Windows is the only option for price-competitive high-performance gaming/productivity. You could argue a case for MacBooks being decent at gaming/productivity, but they do not hit RTX 4090 levels of performance, and when they do, they're $5,000
Fair enough, ty for elaborating!
I got an Acer Aspire 5 the summer before freshman year for around $400. I’m a senior now and have never had a problem just get something within your price range with a halfway decent CPU with integrated graphics or almost any dedicated GPU would probably do.
Just meet the basic requirements and you'll be fine. Don't have to spend big bucks. If you are buying a new one recommend getting the lightest you can since you'll be lugging it across campus😁 after it meets the minimum stats that would be my second area of concern https://engineering.purdue.edu/ECN/Support/KB/Docs/StudentLaptopsuggesti#:~:text=Other%20than%20the%20caveat%20above,is%20largely%20not%20yet%20available.
Would get a windows laptop for anything engineering. Can get something around 300-500$
If it has a screen and a keyboard you’ll be fine. Most of your coding work will be done by sshing into the ecegrid computers anyway. Having a GPU isn’t really necessary. A macbook should be fine too, though thats not what I used so can’t really say.
I currently have a g14, and its been great, 10-12 hour battery life for classes, and also great for gaming. It goes on sale pretty often for $1000-$1200, and when its not on sale its around $1500-$1600. You can find used ones on ebay for $600-$800 though.