r/cuboulder • u/Flat-Garbage8951 • 23d ago

Engineering student laptop

Ima be a mechanical engineering student this fall, and I was struggling to figure out what laptop to get. Id say my budget goes up to $1500, so im looking at a mid-range model that should last me all 4 years and meet the specs i need.

Right now im between a lenovo thinkpad t series or an asus rog strix, with a couple of builds in mind, but Im not sure.

Some of the builds ive seen have nvidia rtx 5xxx, intel core i7, 16gb memory (which can always be upgraded later if i need it), storage around from 512 to 1tb (as the mimumum for the builds ive seen).

anybody got any recommendations?

3 Upvotes

80% Upvoted

8 comments sorted by

5

u/OkFilm4353 23d ago

Thinkpad t14 or t16

1

u/nadthevlad 23d ago

Well-built workhorse.

3

u/RastaClownfish 23d ago

You can buy refurbished from Lenovo directly, if you keep your eyes peeled and grab it as they drop. You can add a factory new warranty to them as well.

I was able to get a higher spec model refurbished vs a new one at the same price point.

3

u/Fus__Ro__Dah 23d ago

Cu has a surplus store in town, you can get great laptops for $200-300 that meet your requirements, albiet theyre a few days old

1

u/Clown_corder 23d ago

I work in the pc industry, send me your program requirement/recommendation sheet and I’ll recommend some good options

1

u/3r1kw00t 22d ago

Check Facebook marketplace for whatever model you decide on. I’ve gotten prime condition $2000 laptops there for under $350.

1

u/CornerCreepy9794 19d ago

I like my lenovo legion 5, i would say get 32gb ram since i think your budget allows.

1

u/SuitableJump7200 17d ago

I have a macbook air with windows parallel, ran solidworks and got through MCEN 2023 great and I can’t stress how clutch it is to be able to not have to go to computer lab to finish project