Is a laptop or desktop essential for university??
Hey there, I'm going to university in September (hopefully😌). I got through my a levels with my iPad. I also have a desktop but with a tiny car to pack all of my stuff in and the fact that I share it with my sister, I can't bring the desktop. I an studying chemical engineering at either Cambridge or Birmingham and wandered if there was any current engineering students who could give me advice on whether they could have survived using a mix of an iPad and uni computers??? I was considering getting a chromebook as they are cheap but not sure how useful they would really be??
Thanks in advance
Thanks in advance
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Original post by josephinemar25
Hey there, I'm going to university in September (hopefully😌). I got through my a levels with my iPad. I also have a desktop but with a tiny car to pack all of my stuff in and the fact that I share it with my sister, I can't bring the desktop. I an studying chemical engineering at either Cambridge or Birmingham and wandered if there was any current engineering students who could give me advice on whether they could have survived using a mix of an iPad and uni computers??? I was considering getting a chromebook as they are cheap but not sure how useful they would really be??
Thanks in advance
Thanks in advance
Yes you for sure need some sort of laptop/desktop to do work on. You will write a bunch of lab reports, so you will need to use office & excel. You probably think you can use library computers or something but they can get really busy/ wont be close enough to your halls that you can walk there 24/7. I dont think ipad will be suitable for writing reports and even doing online quizzes, given how small it is, also multitasking on it isnt as convenient. not forgetting any special software you might need to use, which wont run on either chromebook or ipad. If worst comes to worst get a chromebook because the ipad wont really cut it in an engineering degree, maybe an english degree or something, but a decent windows laptop is worth the investment.
Original post by bigboateng_
Yes you for sure need some sort of laptop/desktop to do work on. You will write a bunch of lab reports, so you will need to use office & excel. You probably think you can use library computers or something but they can get really busy/ wont be close enough to your halls that you can walk there 24/7. I dont think ipad will be suitable for writing reports and even doing online quizzes, given how small it is, also multitasking on it isnt as convenient. not forgetting any special software you might need to use, which wont run on either chromebook or ipad. If worst comes to worst get a chromebook because the ipad wont really cut it in an engineering degree, maybe an english degree or something, but a decent windows laptop is worth the investment.
Great thank your response very helpful. Think I will need to visit the bank of mum and dad ha ha. Any recommendations for a good Windows laptop that won't cost me the earth 😅
Original post by josephinemar25
Great thank your response very helpful. Think I will need to visit the bank of mum and dad ha ha. Any recommendations for a good Windows laptop that won't cost me the earth 😅
I haven't really followed windows laptops for a while now as I'm a macbook person so not sure which are the best for price windows laptops right now, but it also depends on your budget. However I'm into building custom pc's, my first computer cost me like 300 pound to build and this was like 3 years ago so you can really build something decent (that will last years) around that price. With keyboard, mouse, monitor will probs stretch it to 400. But laptops are convenient as you can take them to libraries during exam seasons to revise, etc. So it depends what your budget is?
Original post by josephinemar25
Hey there, I'm going to university in September (hopefully😌). I got through my a levels with my iPad. I also have a desktop but with a tiny car to pack all of my stuff in and the fact that I share it with my sister, I can't bring the desktop. I an studying chemical engineering at either Cambridge or Birmingham and wandered if there was any current engineering students who could give me advice on whether they could have survived using a mix of an iPad and uni computers??? I was considering getting a chromebook as they are cheap but not sure how useful they would really be??
Thanks in advance
Thanks in advance
You'll need to write lab reports, do supervision work, probably use software like MatLAB and excel - so ideally you'll need a Windows laptop. That being said, I do know one student (NatSci at Cambridge) who got by just using the library computers - if you go to Cambridge your college will have a selection of computers for you to borrow which should have all the software you need and be relatively close to your accommodation. Also, I'm sure the Engineering dept. will have a library with computers and all the software.
If you're on a tight budget, you could always start off without one and if after the first term you're struggling without a laptop then perhaps ask for one/ contributions towards one as a Christmas present? Some Cambridge colleges may even have funds available to support students with buying essential computer equipment etc. so ask your college if they are able to help too.
You can pick up laptops these days for very cheap if you hunt around - for example my current laptop (HP something or other) was available for less than £100 in ASDA (I wouldn't recommend it though, some idiot put Windows 10 on it which runs super slow...). Since programs like MatLAB require a fair amount of processing power, you'll probably be looking to spend around £300, although of course look for discounts or second hand (but not too old, you don't want to be stuck with Windows XP...) laptops on Amazon/ eBay.
Original post by josephinemar25
Great thank your response very helpful. Think I will need to visit the bank of mum and dad ha ha. Any recommendations for a good Windows laptop that won't cost me the earth 😅
Novatech do reasonable laptops that you can customise during your order.
Original post by dragonkeeper999
You'll need to write lab reports, do supervision work, probably use software like MatLAB and excel - so ideally you'll need a Windows laptop. That being said, I do know one student (NatSci at Cambridge) who got by just using the library computers - if you go to Cambridge your college will have a selection of computers for you to borrow which should have all the software you need and be relatively close to your accommodation. Also, I'm sure the Engineering dept. will have a library with computers and all the software.
If you're on a tight budget, you could always start off without one and if after the first term you're struggling without a laptop then perhaps ask for one/ contributions towards one as a Christmas present? Some Cambridge colleges may even have funds available to support students with buying essential computer equipment etc. so ask your college if they are able to help too.
You can pick up laptops these days for very cheap if you hunt around - for example my current laptop (HP something or other) was available for less than £100 in ASDA (I wouldn't recommend it though, some idiot put Windows 10 on it which runs super slow...). Since programs like MatLAB require a fair amount of processing power, you'll probably be looking to spend around £300, although of course look for discounts or second hand (but not too old, you don't want to be stuck with Windows XP...) laptops on Amazon/ eBay.
If you're on a tight budget, you could always start off without one and if after the first term you're struggling without a laptop then perhaps ask for one/ contributions towards one as a Christmas present? Some Cambridge colleges may even have funds available to support students with buying essential computer equipment etc. so ask your college if they are able to help too.
You can pick up laptops these days for very cheap if you hunt around - for example my current laptop (HP something or other) was available for less than £100 in ASDA (I wouldn't recommend it though, some idiot put Windows 10 on it which runs super slow...). Since programs like MatLAB require a fair amount of processing power, you'll probably be looking to spend around £300, although of course look for discounts or second hand (but not too old, you don't want to be stuck with Windows XP...) laptops on Amazon/ eBay.
You say a laptop with reasonable processing power for £300 what are you on LSD.
Clearly your idea of processing power is it can play videos i wouldn't touch a laptop with less than a 5th gen i5
Nah its all lies i just use my phone and im in 3rd yr now 
Original post by niteninja1
i wouldn't touch a laptop with less than a 5th gen i5
Solid advice if ever I saw it, especially as an engineering student. You'll want something that can process multiple programs and applications without stuttering
Basically, you want something at home that can operate full windows and has a good number of USB ports. An iPad would be good for taking notes during lectures, but the moment you want to start doing serious work you'll struggle
It's not exactly comfortable doing projects or course work in the library at 11pm, when you'd rather be working from your bed. And good luck finding an available computer during exam time!
Original post by Another
Solid advice if ever I saw it, especially as an engineering student. You'll want something that can process multiple programs and applications without stuttering
Basically, you want something at home that can operate full windows and has a good number of USB ports. An iPad would be good for taking notes during lectures, but the moment you want to start doing serious work you'll struggle
It's not exactly comfortable doing projects or course work in the library at 11pm, when you'd rather be working from your bed. And good luck finding an available computer during exam time!
Basically, you want something at home that can operate full windows and has a good number of USB ports. An iPad would be good for taking notes during lectures, but the moment you want to start doing serious work you'll struggle
It's not exactly comfortable doing projects or course work in the library at 11pm, when you'd rather be working from your bed. And good luck finding an available computer during exam time!
Taking notes digitally??
I'm a computer science student I take all my notes on paper.
Clearly a computer will become important later during your course as you'll start doing more advanced stuff, but I can't see how its essential during year 1. All the software you'll be using is available on university computers which can also run it efficiently. I don't think you'll do that much MatLab initially and even if you will, laptops often get stuck with it. During computer sessions you'll be given your own PC station anyway (at least that's how it work at my uni).
I would also consider where you prefer to work. I'm a library guy and although I usually use my own laptop I spend most time working in a library, so it wouldn't really make a difference to me. If you prefer your room then, yes a laptop is absolutely essential, unless you have an extra (comfortable) keyboard for your iPad.
A friend of mine used Microsoft's Surface the whole year and was very happy with it. However, note that he had Windows, so he could run every program he needed to, at least for basic use. Check what software you'll be using perhaps there is a IOS version of it.
I'd say: if you want to save try how you feel during the first term and ask your parents for a Christmas present if you need it
I would also consider where you prefer to work. I'm a library guy and although I usually use my own laptop I spend most time working in a library, so it wouldn't really make a difference to me. If you prefer your room then, yes a laptop is absolutely essential, unless you have an extra (comfortable) keyboard for your iPad.
A friend of mine used Microsoft's Surface the whole year and was very happy with it. However, note that he had Windows, so he could run every program he needed to, at least for basic use. Check what software you'll be using perhaps there is a IOS version of it.
I'd say: if you want to save try how you feel during the first term and ask your parents for a Christmas present if you need it
I spent 770
Got an i7-6700HQ
16GB DDR3 ram
256GB Sandisk business class SSD with 4K read speed 600mb write
GTX960M
Built in fingerprint scanner
A trusted platform module (mini cpu for encryption)
Decent speakers
From novatech
Plus £20 cashback
Got an i7-6700HQ
16GB DDR3 ram
256GB Sandisk business class SSD with 4K read speed 600mb write
GTX960M
Built in fingerprint scanner
A trusted platform module (mini cpu for encryption)
Decent speakers
From novatech
Plus £20 cashback
Original post by niteninja1
I spent 770
Got an i7-6700HQ
16GB DDR3 ram
256GB Sandisk business class SSD with 4K read speed 600mb write
GTX960M
Built in fingerprint scanner
A trusted platform module (mini cpu for encryption)
Decent speakers
From novatech
Plus £20 cashback
Got an i7-6700HQ
16GB DDR3 ram
256GB Sandisk business class SSD with 4K read speed 600mb write
GTX960M
Built in fingerprint scanner
A trusted platform module (mini cpu for encryption)
Decent speakers
From novatech
Plus £20 cashback
Yes I paid for it myself and not on credit either
Well, it's possible to get by without a personal laptop/desktop for uni work, just very inconvenient.
I say this because you can just use the university computers if your university has a decent amount of computer clusters.
I've only completed 1st year so far so my experience is limited, but as others have said, you'll be writing a lot of lab reports and using matlab.
Some of my friends bought mid to high end laptops and were able to use matlab when they wanted (either they bought the full version, got a free trial copy or just torrented it), and others used low end laptops just for writing lab reports and web browsing, and did their matlab coursework on the university computers (we had an allocated time period once a week where a computer cluster was booked out for 1st years to use).
It pretty much comes down to personal preference. I got a low-mid range windows 8 laptop for around £250 and matlab worked well enough on it (though it was a bit laggy at times). If I want to, I can always upgrade it in a couple of years (prices go down over time too which is a plus) if need be.
Probably worth noting I also took my 5 year old desktop with me for personal use, and also as kind of a backup.
If I didn't have that, I might have gone for a slightly better laptop, or got myself a cheap desktop for about the same price for personal use (and to act as a backup for the laptop incase it has any issues which it seems laptops are more prone to in general).
Also one final point, if I had an online coursework test to do, I'd always use a university computer because they're the safest bet. You don't want your laptop shutting down or losing internet connection halfway through an online test! (this has happened to a few of my friends before, some of which have pretty high end laptops too).
Hope this helps
I say this because you can just use the university computers if your university has a decent amount of computer clusters.
I've only completed 1st year so far so my experience is limited, but as others have said, you'll be writing a lot of lab reports and using matlab.
Some of my friends bought mid to high end laptops and were able to use matlab when they wanted (either they bought the full version, got a free trial copy or just torrented it), and others used low end laptops just for writing lab reports and web browsing, and did their matlab coursework on the university computers (we had an allocated time period once a week where a computer cluster was booked out for 1st years to use).
It pretty much comes down to personal preference. I got a low-mid range windows 8 laptop for around £250 and matlab worked well enough on it (though it was a bit laggy at times). If I want to, I can always upgrade it in a couple of years (prices go down over time too which is a plus) if need be.
Probably worth noting I also took my 5 year old desktop with me for personal use, and also as kind of a backup.
If I didn't have that, I might have gone for a slightly better laptop, or got myself a cheap desktop for about the same price for personal use (and to act as a backup for the laptop incase it has any issues which it seems laptops are more prone to in general).
Also one final point, if I had an online coursework test to do, I'd always use a university computer because they're the safest bet. You don't want your laptop shutting down or losing internet connection halfway through an online test! (this has happened to a few of my friends before, some of which have pretty high end laptops too).
Hope this helps
To add to the above, try and get an SSD laptop:
- lightweight so would be easy to carry around
- fast
- uses less power
- not as noisy
(although slightly pricier and lower capacity, but OneDrive is a larger focus in Windows 10 so you should have enough space by using cloud storage)
- lightweight so would be easy to carry around
- fast
- uses less power
- not as noisy
(although slightly pricier and lower capacity, but OneDrive is a larger focus in Windows 10 so you should have enough space by using cloud storage)
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by niteninja1
Taking notes digitally??
I'm a computer science student I take all my notes on paper.
I'm a computer science student I take all my notes on paper.
I'm a dental student who takes all their notes digitally. Different folks, different strokes
Just in these past few months, I've saved 50+ annotated lectures on my hard drive, not including the two A3 and one A0 poster I wrote myself. My entire revision library comes with me wherever my laptop goes, and there's no risk of losing or ripping anything
I live in a small house (and an even smaller dorm room during term time), so personally I physically have no way of storing paper notes for a whole year. I just prefer it this way
Original post by josephinemar25
Hey there, I'm going to university in September (hopefully😌). I got through my a levels with my iPad. I also have a desktop but with a tiny car to pack all of my stuff in and the fact that I share it with my sister, I can't bring the desktop. I an studying chemical engineering at either Cambridge or Birmingham and wandered if there was any current engineering students who could give me advice on whether they could have survived using a mix of an iPad and uni computers??? I was considering getting a chromebook as they are cheap but not sure how useful they would really be??
Thanks in advance
Thanks in advance
Is it physically possible? Yes. Is it recommendable? Absolutely not. I strongly recommend that you get a laptop, and a real laptop not a chromebook.
For engineering I would really suggest getting a laptop of some sort! I got a small, lightweight one to replace because my old one was too heavy and just Sloooow! I carried my laptop around a lot with me so that's also something to consider as well as the actual software!
I do chemical engineering and I think a laptop is kind of necessary! You will have to write lab reports and will need programs like excel to process data and create charts etc. We also have to use programs such as autocad which is what you use to create P&IDs and GAs of your designs.
I just think you'll struggle if you have to depend on finding uni computers as they're not always free and doing group projects it's easier if everyone has a laptop and don't have to go to a library because you don't have one.
I do chemical engineering and I think a laptop is kind of necessary! You will have to write lab reports and will need programs like excel to process data and create charts etc. We also have to use programs such as autocad which is what you use to create P&IDs and GAs of your designs.
I just think you'll struggle if you have to depend on finding uni computers as they're not always free and doing group projects it's easier if everyone has a laptop and don't have to go to a library because you don't have one.
(edited 7 years ago)
Wow thank you all the responses they've all been really useful
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