laptops (1 Viewer)

[blackbetty69]

Should be doing mechatronics next year at UNSW.

My old mac powerbook is... well getting old and i'm looking at upgrading.

Is a laptop that can run windows a good idea for this course?
Im tossing up weather to get a desktop for home and wiping the laptop to speed it up and using that when i'm out and about. or getting a new laptop that i can run windows on for some of the cad programs etc.

any thoughts?

 

[elfm]

you don't really need a laptop for uni. most people get by without one, and for those that do have one, it's probably at home 95% of the time. the uni has plenty of computers that you can use with all the programs you need.

that said, laptops cost probably the same amount as desktops these days anyway so it doesn't matter which one you go for... but on the odd occasion that you see yourself needing to go out with a laptop then i guess it'll be the better choice.

 

[blackbetty69]

the thing is i can get a much better desktop for the same price.

i guess all the engineering specific stuff will be done on their computers in the labs like you said.

any other work i can do in note form on paper in lectures etc and assignments on computer at home right? do you know what the main programs they use are?

 

[gman03]

CAD.... so a mac will do if you get the software on it... for PC, probably get something with Windows XP running.. and a good gfx card..

Really, lab is only good for socialising or printing off the final copy of drawing...
othertime it is better to work in Quad/Lawn etc..

 

[Curry]

I don't think you need a fast laptop for uni. It is useful to have a laptop however, but just for writing up assignments and stuff usually.

 

[Mumma]

I have a laptop but I do computer science+mechatronics, and I find it heaps useful. Not so much for the mechanical bit of things though - more like starting and finishing comp assignments on the train home

 

[almost done now]

agreed - if you do any computing courses (eg COMP1911) and are going to be catching the train (yay for a 90min commute ), then a laptop will be great for you.

i dont know why, but i seem to write better programs while on a train....

other than computing though (for which there seems to always be a never-ending assignment), laptops are pretty much useless for anything except the odd assignment

especially for engineering, where taking notes means drawing lots of diagrams, nothing works better than a pad of paper and a pen!


so if the only reason you want to upgrade is for uni, then i wouldn't bother. go buy a car or throw a really big party instead

 

[elfm]

yea only tools bring laptops to lectures