What suits my needs(Engineering student)..2.2/2.4 GHZ mbp?!

[XheartcoreboyX]

well im going to study engineering(Electrical/computer science/Mechanical)..so i have no clue about the computer software i will be using as it will be my first year in college =],,will i mostly need power? a 256 vcard??

i hope you guys try to help,thanks!

i really cant decide what to get..i have cash for the 2.2 GHZ model only..but if the extra power would matter for my study..i would borrow some money from my big brother(he wouldnt mind XD)..

Note:in the mean time i use my laptop for Multimedia and webpages/chatting only,,will be my first mac!

 

[noway]

im going into engineering and i bought the 2.2
Ive talked to people already studying at university and told me that my 2.2 would be perfect. 2.4 would be overkill. Now I got the 160gb HD option... thats a must!

 

[koops]

I was a mechanical engineering student and we did alot of 3D CAD work (pro engineer) the more GPU memory you have, the better, so i would say go for the 2.4 with 256 Nvidia graphics card if you can afford it but the 2.2 Mhz with 128mb will also be enough.

 

[ironic23]

If you are going to be using CAD apps. a lot, i'd say go for the 2.4GHz and 256MB VRAM MBP.

However, do check with your college if they are going to let you install those apps on your personal computer. There are some colleges (like the one i went to) that have unlimited off-site licenses so you can actually use those CAD apps. from home. If that is not the case, you'll probably be stuck using those apps. in the computer lab anyways.

My philosophy is to always buy the best that you can afford but to also consider my needs. You might want to look into buying a MB instead if you find out that most of your work needs to be done in the labs.

Good luck with the decision! Cheers.

 

[XheartcoreboyX]

If you are going to be using CAD apps. a lot, i'd say go for the 2.4GHz and 256MB VRAM MBP.

However, do check with your college if they are going to let you install those apps on your personal computer. There are some colleges (like the one i went to) that have unlimited off-site licenses so you can actually use those CAD apps. from home. If that is not the case, you'll probably be stuck using those apps. in the computer lab anyways.

My philosophy is to always buy the best that you can afford but to also consider my needs. You might want to look into buying a MB instead if you find out that most of your work needs to be done in the labs.

Good luck with the decision! Cheers.

thanks for your replay =),,well i think i will probably use CAD software pretty much..and i really dont want a lab..i like laptops more.you can use them and do your work/fun/study wherever you are!
i honestly dont have the extra 500$ in anyway...i know the 2.4 will be better for me..but i cant afford it..or maybe i need to wait a little more time to save more money,what you think?!

 

[thejadedmonkey]

I got through my first year of engineering at Drexel with a 4 year old samsung laptop. It couldn't play any games, but for what they had us doing, you could call it overkill. And that was with an intel 855GM graphics card and windows XP. If you can hold off until Leopard comes out, it might be worth it..

On the other hand, just get it now, and use the time to adjust to OS X.

 

[ironic23]

thanks for your replay =),,well i think i will probably use CAD software pretty much..and i really dont want a lab..i like laptops more.you can use them and do your work/fun/study wherever you are!
i honestly dont have the extra 500$ in anyway...i know the 2.4 will be better for me..but i cant afford it..or maybe i need to wait a little more time to save more money,what you think?!

Well, buy what you can afford - the 2.2GHz MBP.

However, just check with your IT department regarding your CAD apps. and whether they will give you a copy to install on your personal computer. Not all colleges have that kind of luxury as licenses are pricey. It is definitely more convenient to have a laptop to do work wherever and whenever you want, but there isn't much point to buying such a powerful laptop if you don't have the software to run on it.

If your college doesn't have those CAD apps for you to install on your own computer and if i were you, i'd go for a MB. It'll suit all your daily needs and save you a bunch of $$.

Good luck.

 

[wwooden]

My school didn't offer us the option to install their licenses on our personal computers, I would have had to buy The SolidWorks or any other license myself. I actually didn't mind going to the lab to do work, I found that there was always someone from my class who could help if I had questions. Also, the school has backups of everything so you never have to worry about something being lost if a computer crashes.

I would ask your school first if they allow you to use a license, if not, I don't think it worth buying the best.

 

[gauchogolfer]

If your college doesn't have those CAD apps for you to install on your own computer and if i were you, i'd go for a MB. It'll suit all your daily needs and save you a bunch of $$.

Good luck.

Seconded. At my university, the only programs that I ran on my home computer were Mathematica, Mathcad, and Matlab. All of which will run just fine on a MB. The expensive licensed software was reserved for dedicated servers. Depending on your specific university, your situation may be similar.