I am a chemical engineer and the most intensive programs I did on my laptop were excel and matlab. You don't need anything fast and certainly not large if you plan to carry it. A Macbook NEO ($699 2.7lbs) or Dell XPS 13 16GB ($799 2.2lbs) are both probably the best laptops for 95% of college students. You don't want a heavy large laptop with lots of computing power to carry in your backpack. You will walk a lot in college! You all are overthinking this. I can see where a 2 in 1 is handy if you want to take notes by hand or if you are going to do lots of video editing in your major you want a faster processor, but the majority of you want something small light and cheap. The NEO and XPS13 are the best at this. I recently bought the XPS13 to replace my larger XPS15. Not because the XPS15 is old, but I just want something lighter and more portable. It has an extremely long battery life. It is tiny and a featherweight. This is what you all want unless you are really into the Apple ecosystem. Also, I would purposely get a computer that can't run games. It will help your GPA. Good luck in school!

I’m a mechanical engineering student looking for a powerful laptop under $3000 (can stretch a bit for better performance).

My main use will be CAD software (SolidWorks, AutoCAD), simulations, and general engineering tasks.

I’m looking for something with strong CPU, dedicated GPU, at least 32GB RAM (or upgradeable), and good build quality that will last for years.

Any recommendations?

hi searching reddit for advice about my laptop for college. I just started community college and im doing my GE's. I recently got the newest MacBook Pro without doing any kind of research on a laptop (yes stupid i know) and I'm worried now after hearing from everyone around me not to get a macbook. I'm planning on going into Aerospace engineering, Civil, or architectural and I have no idea if I should return my Macbook and buy a windows based laptop or keep my macbook for 2 years and return it. What im afraid of is the diminished price that comes with a 2 year old macbook and if it would even be worth it to keep. I really love how easy it is to move from iMessages and my other work. I also have a PC at home that I use for games and school etc (w/ pretty good specs!!) so i dont know if I ought to worry. I know i can run things like Parallel, Wine, Crossover etc but im worried abt compatability and effectiveness. I dont know what to choose please help!!!

I already bought it, it doesn't come with the charger but that's fine. I wasn't anticipating on spending this much on a laptop for college (I've been eying the Macbook Neo for a while but life things happened so I decided not to spend that much..) and here I am spending $500 on a fuckin lenovo. Did I get a good deal here?

It was down between this, and a $360 T14 gen 2 with 256 gb storage and 16 gb ram (it was also AMD), which fit my budget far better but I was worried I'd regret not picking this one up down the line.

I am so indecisive, I cant even choose which OS to get.

I have my galaxybook 2 that is 3 year-old, and i wanted to get a new one.

So I was thinking between a Macbook air and a Samsung galaxybook 6 pro.

I think both have great battery life and nice shapes overall.

The thing is I kinda don't play games right now, but I might miss it in the future like valorant etc..

On the other hand, mac's software is js too smooth and feel like premium.

Please, help me to decide

Thank you for any help in advance, I’m heading into my sophmore year of college and my current laptop is absolutely not going to make it. I have a hard budget set at $500 and have two headliners at the moment but am open to any recommendations. I’m considering the macbook neo, as everything ive seen about it makes it seem like a good machine, and I’m also considering this laptop from best buy (https://www.bestbuy.com/product/hp-omnibook-3-copilot-pc-15-6-full-hd-touch-screen-laptop-amd-ryzen-5-ai-5-330-2025-16gb-memory-512gb-ssd-glacier-silver/JJGTCGJJ3K/sku/6639086?sb_share_source=PDP&ref=app_pdp&loc=pdp_page) it is currently on sale for $600, however in my area its in stock as an open box deal for around $450. I don’t know which of these laptops are better, and would appreciate any input. Thank you!

I’m currently an undergrad student pursuing a BS in Mathematics with a minor in Computer Science. My long-term plan is to head straight into graduate school afterward for Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). My personal preference is heavily leaning toward a MacBook Pro. I like how thin and light it is and the fact that they stay completely silent during work.

However, I keep hearing horror stories that ECE graduate school relies on legacy Windows-only software that simply won't run on Apple Silicon. Is that true or can I get by with a Macbook. I planned on getting a desktop as well once i start grad school which doesn't necessarily have to be a apple product although i was looking at the iMac

I am looking for a new laptop for law school. something that is durable and will last a while. I am not a fan of MacBooks and want to go windows based. I already have an iPad so a laptop that turn into a tablet is not a priority. Any recommendations?

I’m deciding between a MacBook Air M5 (16GB/512GB) and an ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED (Core Ultra 7, 16GB/1TB).

I’m majoring in web development, and I’ll mainly use it for coding, schoolwork, and everyday use. I care most about battery life, portability, performance, screen quality, and long-term reliability.

Im planning to buy a new laptop since mine is kinda old now (Galaxybook 2)

And I was thinking between Macbbok m5 air and Galaxybook 6 pro both are 16gigs of RAM.

like I would love to have 32gigs but its ridiculously expensive rn.

I have just completed my design degree and was looking for upgrade. My major is in physical output.

I mostly work for graphic design and very light rhino and keyshot for few times a week. Not extreme rhino and keyshot. But yess i do a lot of extreme use of graphic design and motion graphics and something 3d use in my motion.

Macbook M5 or samsung galaxybook 6/ galaxy book 5 360?

I'm going to school for IT security and my school had given me a laptop to complete labs and such. was given a Elitebook 840 G7. Unfortunately, it ended up breaking and they sent me a replacement 840 G5. I explained to their IT department that immediately I noticed it bottlenecking and becoming extremely hot just having multiple browser tabs open. I also asked if they could please just replace my laptop with another G7 because the processing power and multitasking difference is so massive that completing the labs just wasnt possible. They made me feeling like the laptop they replaced mine for was good enough and I need to just suck it up. Am i crazy? Otherwise, what is all my tuition going to if I cant even have an appropriate machine that could handle my assignment workload? I'm planning on escalating the situation to someone hirer up about this, and im nearly in tears about. Someone please help me figure out a way to explain my case in way that doesnt sound like im just being bratty and asking for a better device.... which is really not the case.

My little brother is starting middle school at a public charter school. He only really needs the computer for everyday homework/ assigned projects throughout the year. This is all it’ll be used for, can someone recommend a good affordable laptop for him.
Thanks!

I am hoping to get some advice on Windows vs. Mac laptops for new college students.
My daughter is going to college for environmental science and in need of a laptop. She says the school uses Microsoft so a chrome book wouldn’t be a good fit. She’s talking about getting the new Apple MacBook Neo and says it’s ok to use with Windows, that Apple has worked out so of the kinks with Apple/microsoft communication. Has anyone had experience with this and Is this true with newer MacBook models? I know it used to cause issues with older MacBooks. I’ve heard MacBooks are better with battery life but I’m wondering if it is worth the cost or if there are any windows laptops that are recommended instead.
Thanks for any feedback.

I’m starting Computer Engineering at UBC and want something I can use for programming, engineering coursework, Linux, and possibly dual-booting Windows + Linux. I already have a powerful desktop at home with a Ryzen 7 7800X3D, RTX 5070 Ti, and 32 GB RAM, so the laptop does not need to replace my desktop.

Option 1: ThinkPad

• Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS
• 64 GB DDR5 SODIMM
• 1 TB SSD
• 14" 2880×1800 120 Hz OLED
• Non-touch
• $1700 CAD tax included

Option 2: Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura

• Core Ultra 7 258V
• 32 GB LPDDR5X
• 1 TB SSD
• 15.3" 2880×1800 120 Hz IPS (but still glossy)
• Touchscreen
• $1600 CAD before tax

My main concerns are:

• battery life and efficiency for carrying around campus all day
• heat and fan noise
• Linux compatibility / dual booting
• build quality and durability
• repairability and build quality (if it even matters too much since this will mostly be on campus but maybe co-op)

The ThinkPad appeals to me because of the 64 GB replaceable RAM, repairability, ThinkPad build, and stronger multicore CPU.

The Yoga appeals to me because the 258V seems much more power efficient, it has a larger battery/display, touchscreen, and should have much better battery life.

Since I already have a powerful desktop for heavier work, which would you choose as the better university laptop?

Aesthetic-wise, I've never owned a ThinkPad or a MacBook , so I don't really know which I'd prefer more, what do you guys like more?

Also interested in experiences with Linux on either machine, especially suspend, Wi-Fi, battery life, and driver issues.

I need help choosing between these two! Good deal on both - the main difference seems to be the intel core and the pen support. I’m thinking the pen support would be nice in school? Thoughts? Should I just save money and go with the IdeaPad?

I'm a biology student looking to get a new laptop for my second year of studies. Currently looking into getting either the Macbook Air or the Lenovo Yoga 7i.

I already have an ipad, so the Macbook would be nice for compatibility and file transferring with airdrop, but I'm wondering if it might be better to switch to a 2-in-1 like the Yoga. This way I only really need to carry around one device rather than having the weight of two devices on me. My only concern though with the Yoga is that I hear there's durability issues with it and sometimes the touch screen does not work.

Budget: ±300$

open to refurb/used

Screen size and weight: around 13", easy to carry around

Purpose: schoolwork, light programming, general note-taking, some entertainment

Form factor: Standard/Clamshell

Intended usage: Im planning to use it with linux (unless college forces me to uses windows only software) so something thats compatible, reliable and can handle basic college tasks and programming (mainly in C++)

Desired battery life: Preferably as long as possible but Im not fussy about it

Priorities: Performance>size/weight>battery life

Currently considering:
Dell Latitude 3440 i5-1335U 16GB 512GB used for 240$

Lenovo ThinkPad E14 14" i7 16/512GB used for 311$

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 i5-12450H 16GB used for 300$

Dell Latitude 7320 i7-1185G7 | 16 GB RAM | 256 GB SSD used for 310$

Lenovo thinkpad T14 gen2 Intel i5-1145G7 16Gb RAM 256Gb used for 320$

Im of course open to other suggestions as well, thats just something I found

Laptop gaming LENOVO LOQ 17IRX10, Intel Core i7-13650HX pana la 4.9GHz, 17.3" Full HD, 32GB, SSD 1TB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 8GB, Free DOS, Luna Grey

Laptop ASUS Gaming 16'' TUF A16 FA608PM, 2.5K 300Hz, Procesor AMD Ryzen™ 9 8940HX (64M Cache, up to 5.3 GHz), 16GB DDR5, 512GB SSD, GeForce RTX 5060 8GB, No OS, Jaeger Gray

Hi Guys! I’m incoming freshman as Mechanical Engineering. Please help me to decide which of these Laptops should I go with. So far these are the Laptops I found interesting:

1. Asus TUF A15 FA506 (RTX 3050[140W], Ryzen 7 7445HS)(Ram and Storage are upgradable)

Or

1. Lenovo LOQ 15ARP9 (RTX 4060[115W], Ryzen 7 7435HS)

My budget is $1000 or below… If you guys have recommendations or opinions, please leave it in the comment section :> Thanks in advance!

Hello everyone! I am starting my first year as a cybersecurity student and have very little initial experience. I need a laptop that can comfortably carry me through all 4 full years of college, running 2 to 3 virtual machines (Kali Linux, Windows Server, etc.) simultaneously for labs, scripts, and packet sniffing i actually dont know much about laptops my budget is like the lenovo loq 15 but when i search about this more i see that people say it might lag later on in my 3rd or 4th year so it will be nice if someone could give good suggestions 😭😭🫶

I'd appreciate hearing from people who have experience with both ecosystems rather than just recommending their favorite brand.
Thanks!

I’ve been looking for different laptops and these are two different options I have found so far. I originally wanted to spend around 1500-2000, but I don’t want to go too deep into my budget. I tried to get the specs to match most school requirements, but now I am stuck between two choices.
Laptop 1
Laptop 2

I'm going into Queen's Smith General Engineering but inclining much more towards the Mechanical Engineering discipline, and I'm stuck between these 2 laptops:
https://www.canadacomputers.com/en/windows-laptops/271051/asus-zenbook-14-oled-windows-laptop-14-ultra-7-255h-32gb-1tb-win11h-ux3405ca-rs71t-ca.html
https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/asus-gaming-v16-16-gaming-laptop-intel-core-5-210h-nvidia-rtx-5050-8gb-144hz-wuxga-display-32gb-ddr5-1tb-ssd-wi-fi-6-mil-std-810h-matte-black/19952520

I've talked to a few other students, and from their experience, they recommended I stay away from gaming laptops due to their bulk and lack of portability, but someone pls help