Best budget laptop for engineering graduate student?
Hi,
I'm a first-year engineering PhD student and am thinking that a laptop could be VERY helpful as I go through my graduate years. I'm on a bit of a tight budget, though, and don't know what to get, so I'm going to fill out the FAQ and ask for your recommendations.
General Questions
1) What is your budget?
$600 - $800 ($900 is the very maximum if needed)
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
a. Ultraportable; 12" screen or less
b. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
c. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
d. Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen
choice (a) or (b) are fine - I'll probably be taking this laptop with me every day to school
3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
- Matlab programming (I use Matlab a lot in my lab)
- Visual Studio programming (no huge projects, but I use it regularly)
- Microsoft Office documents (I already have an academic copy)
- music
- wireless connectivity
The first two points on that list will probably be the most taxing on a processor and RAM. One thing that I don't know is how 64- vs 32-bit processors compary, single- vs dual- core processors compare, and how AMD and Intel processors do in terms of performance and power consumption. Comments here would be especially helpful.
4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
I will definitely be taking it with me pretty regularly
5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
probably not too much - I'm not sure that, on my budget, I'd be able to get a discrete GPU anyway, but if I'm mistaken, tell me. A discrete GPU would be useful for running graphics-intensive Matlab GUI's. Even if I don't start with one, though, I'd like the option of adding one later on.
6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
I don't particularly like the layout of IBM/Lenovo's. I'm most familiar with Dell's and HP's, but I'm open to other options.
7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
I'm not sure I can put an exact number on that, but I do want good battery life; maybe at least 5 hours.
8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
nope.
9) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in.
USA
Screen Specifics
10) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?
widescreen
11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
Widescreen
d. WXGA or WXGA+ - 1280x768/800 or 1440x900; Wider viewing version of XGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
e. WSXGA+ - 1680x1050; Wider viewing version of SXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
f. WUXGA - 1920x1200; Wider viewing version of UXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
doesn't particularly matter. I should just be widescreen
12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
don't care, just as long as I can see it well whether outdoors or in.
Build Quality and Design
13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
somewhat, but not very. I shouldn't look shabby.
14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
I'm thinking I'm going to buy it soon - I got an unexpected additional government loan (I don't know when that will happen again). I'd ideally like the laptop to last throughout my graduate career, possibly with the option of upgrading components over time.
Another reason that this seems like a good time to get a laptop is that I'd rather start with Windows XP. I know the OS, I know that it works, and with Vista having just been released, laptops with XP installed might be pretty cheap. I'd like the option of upgrading to Vista later, though.
Notebook Components
15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 200GB?
At least 60GB, preferibly 80-100GB.
16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive?
yes - I want to be able to, at the very least, watch DVDs and burn CDs.
Anyhow, those things are my requirements for a laptop. Could I get a laptop that fits all those requirements for the amount of $ that I have to spend, or will I need to increase my budget? I don't mind looking at refurbished laptops or laptops on eBay, etc.
Thanks for your suggestions.
Phillip
Answer:
Re: Best budget laptop for engineering graduate student?
For your budget, its going to be hard to find a 14 inch notebook with a discrete GPU.
15.4 inch notebooks to consider include the Dell Inspiron E1505 and HP Pavilion dv6000t.
Answer:
Re: Best budget laptop for engineering graduate student?
Given your budget and desire for a discrete graphics card, something like the HP dv2000t seems like a good choice. I think it is only available with Vista unless you can find a pre-configured model with XP which will greatly reduce the chances you'll get the 7200 go. Most laptops don't allow you to upgrade the graphics card. 64 bit doesn't offer you much right now as most software is 32 bit, but if you are getting the Core 2 Duo you are getting it anyway. Intel CPUs generally offer a bit better performance and battery life, but are more expensive and the AMD choices are more limited. I would suggest something like the ThinkPad R60 which will offer you better quality and you can still get it with XP, but you don't like ThinkPads and it is not wide screen.