I'm going to college for engineering and need a laptop. I'm mostly using it for school work and not as much for gaming; maybe one or two games. PC is my preference since it's what I'm most familiar with and it's less of a hassle with software.
The major software packages utilized during the first year are Microsoft Office, AutoCAD, Microsoft Visual C++, MATLAB, an e-mail client, virus protection, and a web-browser. Got this info straight off the school website. Also, apparently most of the school uses Windows 7, I believe, but a Mac can still be used. However, I'd prefer to not buy a Mac, unless I hear good things about it's limited uses. (to avoid flame war: I don't dislike Mac! I prefer PC, it's all about personal preference: Both PC and Mac has it's pros and cons!
Minimum specs:
Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Ultimate, Mac OSX Snow Leopard
Hard Drive- 160 HDD
Processor- 1.8GHz Dual Core CPU
RAM- 4GB RAM
Ethernet Card- 10/100/1000 (Gigabit)
Wireless Card- Wireless 802.11 b/g/n card
Optical Media Drive- DVD-RW/CD-RW Drive
External Hard Drive- 250GB
Any suggestions of which kind of laptop I should buy and if anyone is an engineering student past/present your input is greatly appreciated!
The major software packages utilized during the first year are Microsoft Office, AutoCAD, Microsoft Visual C++, MATLAB, an e-mail client, virus protection, and a web-browser. Got this info straight off the school website. Also, apparently most of the school uses Windows 7, I believe, but a Mac can still be used. However, I'd prefer to not buy a Mac, unless I hear good things about it's limited uses. (to avoid flame war: I don't dislike Mac! I prefer PC, it's all about personal preference: Both PC and Mac has it's pros and cons!
Minimum specs:
Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Ultimate, Mac OSX Snow Leopard
Hard Drive- 160 HDD
Processor- 1.8GHz Dual Core CPU
RAM- 4GB RAM
Ethernet Card- 10/100/1000 (Gigabit)
Wireless Card- Wireless 802.11 b/g/n card
Optical Media Drive- DVD-RW/CD-RW Drive
External Hard Drive- 250GB
Any suggestions of which kind of laptop I should buy and if anyone is an engineering student past/present your input is greatly appreciated!