What laptop to get for University for Engineering

Hi, I’m a student going into Y13 this September and I would like to study Electronic/Computer engineering as a degree.
I am trying to plan out things that I will need for university ahead of time and I obviously need a good laptop. Just wondered if anyone knew the best and not expensive laptops for my degree. I’ve heard that MacBooks are apparently not as good for engineering at university since they cannot run certain software, but I’m not sure if that’s just for mechanical engineering.
If anyone has any advice it would be much appreciated. Thanks!

It really depends what resources you have and the balance you want to have.
Id hold off buying until after results day as once you are locked on to a certain university you can ask them:

Pragmatically laptops are ok with some CAD tools if you have a boat load of graphics capabilities but unless your prepared to drop several thousands for a high performance machine they struggle with CAE solvers (and not necessary).
In general if you can afford a MacBook id personally probably recommend a hybrid approach, get a decent enough laptop for typically office applications and a good amount of RAM, but also get a tower/desktop PC which will give you a lot more processing power per £. You can also get yourself a nice desktop setup with a proper monitor keyboard & mouse which is well worth it.
Your university should have some cloud based network (often OneDrive or the google equivalent) which you can setup for a connected working approach allowing you to easily move between your desktop, laptop & university campus PCs.
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So not a machine recommendation but an approach recommendation. The best place to buy “value” engineering PCs is to buy second hand industry machines, companies typically replace machines every 3-4 years then sell/recycle them quite cheaply.

Hi, I’m a student going into Y13 this September and I would like to study Electronic/Computer engineering as a degree.
I am trying to plan out things that I will need for university ahead of time and I obviously need a good laptop. Just wondered if anyone knew the best and not expensive laptops for my degree. I’ve heard that MacBooks are apparently not as good for engineering at university since they cannot run certain software, but I’m not sure if that’s just for mechanical engineering.
If anyone has any advice it would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Hi there,
Congrats on starting your higher education journey! For your workload, a Windows laptop is generally recommended due to its compatibility with engineering software.
Aim for a laptop with at least an Intel i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 processor, 8GB of RAM (16GB is ideal), and a 256GB SSD (512GB if possible). Look for one with a good battery life, around 8 hours, and consider weight and portability—1.3 to 1.5 kg is manageable. Ensure it has enough ports, including an HDMI port.
MacBooks are great but can have compatibility issues with some engineering software. A Windows laptop will likely make your studies smoother.
At the University of Salford, we offer a laptop loaning service for up to four weeks. Check if your university has a similar service. Also, watch for student discounts on laptops.
Good luck with your studies and laptop search!
Cheers,
Arslan – University of Salford Student Representative