Check out our list of laptops that are best for different college curriculums.
Computer Science Laptops
This major requires access to an array of programming software, therefore this student will require a laptop with good graphics and large GB.
- 2021 Lenovo Yoga.
- Ram: 16GB
- SSD: 1 TB PCI-e SSD
- Processor: Intel 11th Gen Core i7
- Screen Size: 14 inches, 2-in-1, 360 degree flip-and-fold design
- Weight 3.0 pounds
Computer Science majors can also use any gaming PC, which would include a desktop or laptop. A lot of people prefer to build their own PC. Essentially, what you are looking for in the PC is one with a good graphics card (the best ones out there are Nvidia) and processing power (i7 - i9), and upgradeable RAM slots so you can upgrade from 16 GB to 32 GB at any point you want.
- G15 Ryzen Edition Gaming Laptop
- Ram: 16 GB
- SSD: 1 TB PCI-e SSD
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 7, 8-core/16-thread Mobile Processor
- Screen Size: 15.6 in FHD (1920 x 1080), Anti-Glare LED
- Weight: 5.39 lb
Engineering Laptops
This major requires laptops that can run 3D modeling and coding platforms. Some things to take into consideration when choosing a laptop are a good amount of RAM (16 GB at minimum), a good graphics card, and a high-powering processor.
Because of the analytical, design-oriented, and constructing nature of engineering as a discipline, there is a demand for a versatile, durable computer.
Many aspects of engineering involve design; design can range from coding software to run analytics on an experiment or creating a model of a prototype to be 3-D printed. The major advantage of a Windows system is the ability to naturally run these design and programming applications.
The Apple operating system can’t run such programs as Solidworks or Revit. You have to install many add-ons to get them working.
- Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8
- Ram: 16 GB
- SSD: 1 TB PCI-e SSD
- Processor: 10th Generation Intel i9
- Screen Size: 14 in
- Weight: 2.40 lb
- Alienware m15 Ryzen Edition R5 Gaming Laptop
- Ram: 16 gb
- SSD: 512 GB PCI-e SSD
- Processor: AMD Ryzen R7
- Screen Size: 15.6 in. FHD Display
- Weight: 5.34 lbs
Architecture Laptops
Because of the modeling process and drawing files that must be able to be held on a laptop for architecture students, it is important to have a computer with large storage.
- Dell Precision 7530
- Ram: 16 GB minimum
- SSD: Featuring (3x) PCIe NVMe or (2x) and (1x) 2.5” HDDs (up to 6TB)
- Processor: 8th Gen Intel Core and Xeon 6-core processors, including Intel Core i9 on the mobile workstation
- Screen Size: 15”
- Weight: 5.57lbs
- VR: Immersive AR and VR content with NVIDIA and Quadro graphics card
- Dell XPS 13 9310 Laptop Computer Config 1 Non-Touch Platinum Silver
- Ram: 16 GB minimum
- SSD: 512 GB SSD would work fine
- Processor (6MB option): 11th Generation Intel Core i5-1115G4 Processor (12MB Cache, up to 4.1 GHz)
- Screen Size: 13.4” FHD+ (1920 x 1200) InfinityEdge Non-Touch Anti-Glare 500-Nit Display
- Weight: 2.64lb (1.2kg) for non-touch; 2.8 lb (1.27 kg) for touch
Since Architecture requires a lot of rendering and 3D modeling, this workstation is perfect because it has an Nvidia graphics card big enough to process all of those files.
Some software used is Rhino for modeling, VRay in 3DS Max for renders, the Adobe Creative Suite, and AutoCAD for laser cutting. Because of the large capacity of drawing files, the CPU and Storage is good for this.
Film
For film majors, a Mac computer is the ideal laptop choice. It has a high processor needed with lots of storage and connections for peripherals (external hard drives.)
From my research, many film majors prefer using MacBook Pro, especially for programs such as Final Cut Pro, Avid, and more. If it is not a MacBook Pro, the rendering speed is usually not fast enough to work at a fast pace.
- MacBook Pro 13”
- Ram: 16 GB
- SSD: 512 GB SSD
- Processor: 10th Generation Intel i5 Processor
- Screen Size: 13”
- Weight:
- Macbook Pro 16”
- Ram: 16 GB
- SSD: 1 TB SSD
- Processor: 8-core 9th generation Intel i9
- Screen Size: 16”
- Weight:
Film users also use Adobe Premiere and Adobe After Effects a lot. One thing that might be helpful is a dual monitor where you can attach your MacBook to. This will help with all the bouncing back and forth between editing and watching video clips for production use.
Macs also have built-in applications such as Movie Maker and iMovie. So, if you don’t want to spend money on the Adobe Suite, there are built-in programs that are equivalent. You would not need to buy any extra software.
Fine Arts/Graphic Design
These studies require computer choices primarily focused on graphic design and illustration.
One suggestion, gathered from a Fine Arts/Graphic design student, is the Lenovo Yoga 730 because it has a good graphics card to handle Adobe programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. The laptop also has a touchscreen and can be roasted around. With this feature, you can use a stylus to draw directly on the screen.
- Lenovo Yoga 730
- Ram: 8 - 16 GB
- SSD: 256 GB SSD
- Processor: Intel i5
- Screen Size: 12.1 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches
- Weight: 2.62 lbs
Other fields in this major include Arts & Entertainment technologies, which is a study in the arts sector. Sometimes, students are required to do coding and game design. This laptop is perfect for that because it is Windows, which has the OS that primary apps are catered for.
M1 Macbook Air has design apps such as sketch, which isn’t available on Windows. The battery life for Macbooks is better than their Windows equivalents, which is important for portability.
- M1 Macbook Air
- Ram: 8 GB minimum, 16 GB maximum
- SSD: 256 GB
- Processor: Intel i5 minimum
- Screen Size: 11.97 inches long and 8.36 inches wide
- Weight: 2.8 lbs
Another option that might be great to look into is a computer drawing pad that connects to your computer. The pad allows you to draw on it and watch the sketch come to life in real-time on your computer. This is helpful for people who do a lot of animation.
I hope you found this information about laptops for different curriculums useful. Good luck on your journey to find the best laptop!
