Best laptops for engineering students

These laptops are powerful enough to tackle the computationally demanding coursework that engineering students must complete while being light and efficient enough to take you through a day of courses without dying in the middle of a lecture.

This used to be a difficult combination to come across, particularly at a price that was affordable to students on a tight budget. Nonetheless, recent advancements in mobile processor and graphics card technology have resulted in a glut of laptops hitting the market that are light, long-lasting, and powerful enough to handle the majority of engineering tasks.

As a result of their inclusion of discrete graphics cards, powerful CPUs, as well as large amounts of memory and storage, today’s finest gaming laptops are often well-suited for completing engineering courses as well as other tasks. The goal here is obviously to run the most recent games and make them seem as dazzling as possible, but many contemporary engineering applications have requirements that are comparable to this.

So continue reading for our carefully selected list of the best laptops for engineering students, which should make your purchasing choice a bit simpler. Of course, you should always check with your school’s engineering department first to find out what they suggest for your particular courses and fields of study before moving further.

What are the best laptops for engineering students?

The Dell XPS 15 is our top recommendation for engineering students right now since it’s thin and light while yet being capable of being customized with powerful components that should be able to tackle even the most demanding engineering tasks you throw at it. As an added bonus, it has a decent 8-hour battery life, and the screen is beautifully designed with InfinityEdge technology, which is particularly noticeable if you choose for the 4K display.

If you don’t mind lugging about a gaming laptop to school, we also strongly suggest the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, which is powerful, long-lasting, and reasonably priced – at least in comparison to other gaming laptops. Even though it’s priced in the same ballpark as the XPS 15, the Zephyrus G14 has greater battery life (up to 11 hours in our testing) and can be customized with a more powerful discrete GPU than the XPS 15, allowing it to more efficiently handle visually demanding games and applications.

If you want to spend a little less than the $1,000 – $2,000 that these two laptops cost, the Dell G5 15 SE is a good option. Despite its understated appearance, this 15-inch gaming laptop has a punch where it matters, with a Ryzen processor and a discrete Radeon GPU that should be more than sufficient for tackling your engineering homework. What’s the greatest part? This laptop has a starting price of little over $1,000 for its most expensive configuration, but you may often get it on sale for less.

The best laptops for engineering students

1.Dell XPS 15 laptop (2020)

The best overall laptop for engineering students

Specifications

1. Display: 15.6-inch touchscreen with 1080p or 4K resolution.
2. CPU: Intel Core i5 / i7 processors from the 10th generation.
3. Intel UHD / Nvidia GTX 1650 Ti graphics cards
4. RAM options are 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB.
5. SSD storage options are 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB.
6. Weight ranges between 4-4.5 pounds.

Reasons to make a purchase

• Display that is both beautiful and immersive
• Overall, the performance was excellent.
• Keyboard and touchpad that are comfortable to use

Reasons to stay away

• Battery life is just OK.
• When under pressure, he becomes obnoxious.

Make no mistake about it: the Dell XPS 15 2020 is a powerful workhorse hidden under its compact and elegant exterior. Its 10th Generation Intel Core CPUs are capable of handling a wide range of activities with ease, while the optional Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti GPU provides significant graphics power for CAD work and gaming. For engineering students, the sheer amount of power that can be squeezed into this sleek, beautiful ultraportable makes the XPS 15 one of the finest laptops on the market, and that’s even before you factor in the excellent speakers and stunning, immersive InfinityEdge display.

The 4K model we examined, on the other hand, only lasted eight hours in our battery testing. We suggest the XPS 15, which has a discrete Nvidia GPU and an FHD (1,920 x 1,200) display, if you don’t require the 4K resolution for your job. It should last a little longer with the lower-resolution screen.

2.MacBook Pro with a screen size of 16 inches.

The best Mac notebook for engineering students is the MacBook Pro.

Specifications

1. Display: 16 inches with a resolution of 3072 x 1920 pixels
2. CPU: Intel Core i7 or i9 processor.
3. AMD Radeon 5300M or Radeon 5500M graphics processing unit
4. RAM ranges from 8GB to 32GB.
5. SSD storage ranging from 512GB to 2TB
6. Weight: 4.3 kg

Reasons to make a purchase

• The Magic Keyboard has a wonderful feel about it.
• The best sound quality available in a laptop
• Battery life of over 11 hours is possible.

Reasons to stay away

• The display is not in 4K resolution.
• It is much heavier than the 15-inch MacBook Pro.

However, even if the 16-inch MacBook Pro has not yet received an M1 processor from Apple, its powerful specifications, discrete AMD GPU, and 11-hour battery life should make it an excellent choice for engineering students.

The best MacBook for engineering students is not only the most powerful and longest-lasting model available, but it also has a 16-inch display that is ideal for evaluating work, with a 429-nit screen that produces a bright and vivid image. In addition, the speakers are so excellent that it was named best-sounding laptop in our Tom’s Guide Awards 2021 competition.

3.Alienware m15 R4 gaming laptop (2021)

This is an excellent laptop for engineering work, as long as you remember to keep it plugged in.

Specifications

1. Display: 15-inch OLED with 4K resolution.
2. CPU: Intel Core i7-10870H processor running at 2.20GHz and 2.21GHz
3. Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 graphics processing unit
4. 16 GB of RAM
5. 1TB solid-state drive (SSD)
6. Weight: 5.3 kg

Reasons to make a purchase

• Design with a modern feel
• Exceptional performance
• Good-quality keyboard and touchpad.
• Customizable to the extreme.

Reasons to stay away

• The fan becomes very loud.
• Battery life is limited.

With a ton of processing power, the Alienware m15 R4 is one of the finest gaming laptops on the market. It can run all of the games you could ever desire, even those in full UHD 4K resolution. All of that muscle, as well as the beautiful 4K display and superb keyboard, should come in useful for large engineering tasks.

However, there are several major limitations that prevent us from recommending this as our top choice for engineering students at this time. However, one of its most notable shortcomings is its battery life, which was just four hours on a single charge in our battery test and much less when we used it in our hands-on testing. Under high loads, it also becomes hot and noisy. And, of course, it will cost you between $2 and $3 thousand dollars, depending on how you configure it.

But if you can afford it and don’t mind lugging around a charger while on the go, the m15 R4 is a powerful, well-built laptop that will serve you well both at business and during leisure activities.

4.Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 gaming laptop

Extremely strong and durable.

Specifications

1. 14-inch display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080
2. AMD Ryzen 9-4900HS processor
3. Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 graphics processing unit
4. 16 GB of RAM
5. 1TB solid-state drive (SSD)
6. Weight: 3.5 kg

Reasons to make a purchase

• Excellent overall performance.
• Display and audio quality are excellent.
• The design is ultra-portable, and the battery life is 11 hours.

Reasons to stay away

• There is no webcam.
• The backlighting on the keyboard is not working properly.

Because it is equipped with an AMD Ryzen 9-4900HS CPU and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q GPU, the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is a powerful 14-inch laptop designed for gaming on the move — but engineering students may put all of that power to better use in their classrooms.

What distinguishes the Zephyrus G14 from other gaming laptops in our opinion is the amazing 11 hours of battery life it provides when not gaming, allowing you to use it to go through a full day of courses without the need to find a charger. The ROG Zephyrus G14 is also reasonably priced for a gaming laptop, with prices ranging from $1,049 to $1,999, which is important for students who are attempting to keep expenses down. There is no camera included, and the keyboard backlighting has some problems, but apart than that, this is an excellent choice for kids who need a powerful laptop for school.

5.Dell XPS 17 laptop

The best 17-inch laptop for engineering students is the HP Spectre x360.

Specifications

1. Display: 17-inch with 1920 x 1200 and 3840 x 2400 resolutions.
2. Intel Core i5-10300H, i7-10750H, and i7-10875H processors
3. Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti and GeForce RTX 2060 graphics cards
4. RAM memory ranges from 16GB to 64GB.
5. Storage capacities range from 512GB to 2TB.
6. Weight: 5.53 kg

Reasons to make a purchase

• Display that is visually stunning and immersive
• CPU and graphics performance that is outstanding.
• Design that is both attractive and slim

Reasons to stay away

• It is possible to become very costly.
• Webcam is not up to par.

The large, attractive Dell XPS 17 is ideal for engineering students since it can be configured with a Core i7-10875H processor and a GeForce RTX 2060 graphics card, guaranteeing that it has the power for all of your project requirements. Furthermore, although it is somewhat larger, heavier, and more difficult to transport than its smaller brother, the XPS 15, the XPS 17’s compact form helps to reduce the inconvenience.

Furthermore, since it has the same thin-bezelled design as the rest of the XPS line, you should get the most out of the laptop’s stunning 17-inch display. It will, however, cost you a significant amount of money to configure this gorgeous computer for peak performance, with the top-spec XPS 17 costing $2,792.

However, for that money, you will get a computer that can be used for both work and pleasure, as well as everything in between. The XPS 17 is an excellent laptop for engineering students since it has the power to compete with many gaming laptops while maintaining a slim profile.

6.MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, late 2020)

The finest M1 MacBook for engineering students is the MacBook Pro.

Specifications

1. Display: 13 inches with a resolution of 2560×1600
2. Apple M1 is the processor used (8-core)
3. GPU: 8-core integrated graphics processor
4. RAM ranges from 8GB to 16GB.
5. SSD storage ranging from 256GB to 2TB
6. 3 pound in total weight

Reasons to make a purchase

• Excellent overall performance.
• Battery life is ridiculously lengthy.
• Display that is both bright and vibrant

Reasons to stay away

• Design that is out of date, with just two Thunderbolt ports

The addition of Apple’s M1 processor, which provides significant improvements in both speed and battery economy, makes the 13-inch MacBook Pro 2020 a fantastic notebook. When fully charged, this laptop can run for more than 16 hours, and the M1 processor is powerful enough to handle a lot of the work you’ll be doing as an engineering student.

Furthermore, the Retina display on the M1 MacBook Pro is both bright and vivid, ensuring that any pictures or videos you edit will look fantastic — as will the next Netflix program you binge watch. We only wish Apple would upgrade its design or provide you with additional Thunderbolt ports, since the 4 USB-C port configuration is now only available on Intel-based MacBook Pros and MacBook Airs. Nonetheless, it’s remarkable to see how Apple’s own CPUs have destroyed the performance seen in its previous Intel-based MacBooks, making this 13-inch MacBook Pro one of the finest laptops available on the market today.

7.Dell G5 15 SE

The most affordable laptop for engineering students on a tight budget

Specifications

1. Display: 15.6 inches, 1920 x 1080 pixels, 60Hz/144Hz, 60Hz/144Hz.
2. AMD Ryzen 5 4600H/Ryzen 5 4800H processors
3. AMD Radeon RX 5600M graphics processing unit
4. 8-16 GB of RAM is recommended.
5. SSD storage options include 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB.
6. 5.5 pounds in total weight

Reasons to make a purchase

• Overall, the performance was excellent.
• Battery life is exceptional.
• Display with a lot of color

Reasons to stay away

• Speakers that are just passable—the keyboard may get cramped

The Dell G5 15 SE 2020 is an excellent option for engineering students since it is reasonably priced and has the processing power to run demanding applications and games. Despite its simple moniker, this powerful laptop, which can frequently be purchased for less than $1,000, is much more powerful than it seems.

Rather than using an all-AMD system, Dell has chosen to use a Ryzen 5 4600H or 4800H CPU to handle processing tasks and a separate Radeon RX 5600M GPU to handle graphics responsibilities. With up to 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of SSD storage, the Dell G5 15 SE 2020 should be more than capable of handling the majority of large engineering tasks with ease. You’ll have to spend $1,049 to obtain the finest specifications, but that money will also buy you a display with a fast refresh rate of 144Hz. Although a plastic construction may not scream “luxury” to your peers, it nevertheless seems crisp and professional when placed on a desk.

8.Razer Blade 14

Another excellent 14-inch option for engineering work is the.

Specifications

1. 14-inch display with up to QHD resolution and 165 Hz refresh rate
2. AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX processor
3. GPU: Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 graphics cards are supported.
4. RAM is 16 GB in size.
5. 1 TB solid-state drive (SSD) storage
6. The following are the dimensions: 12.6 x 8.7 x 0.7 inches

Reasons to make a purchase

• Exceptional overall performance
• Components that are very effective
• Design with a small footprint
• Beautifully crafted screen

Reasons to stay away

• Oddities with the software and a crammed keyboard

The Razer Blade 14 is the first 14-inch Razer laptop in years, and it combines strong components and great performance in a small and lightweight chassis. It is the first 14-inch Razer laptop in years. A few additional ports would be nice, and the keyboard feels a little tight, but these are typical issues with small 14-inch laptops.

In terms of portability and performance, the Razer Blade 14 is an excellent choice for students who need to complete schoolwork while also playing demanding PC games. Just remember to bring a power adapter with you, as you’ll only get 6 hours of normal use or 90 minutes of heavy-duty gaming on a single charge.

9.Asus ZenBook Duo 14″

The most visually appealing laptop available for engineering students.

Specifications

1. Display: 13.4-inch with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels
2. CPU: Intel Core i5, i7 processors from the 11th generation.
3. Memory ranges from 8GB to 32GB.
4. Storage capacities range from 512GB to 1TB.
5. The following are the dimensions: 12.8 x 8.7 x 0.7 inches
6. Weight: 3.5 kg

• ScreenPad Plus is a convenient display.
• Overall, the performance was excellent.
• Long-lasting battery life
• Main display that is accurate

Reasons to make a purchase

• It is a tough task from an ergonomic standpoint
• The display could be a little brighter.

Reasons to stay away

The Asus ZenBook Duo 14 is a visually appealing dual-screen laptop that, when properly configured, can provide a significant amount of power to users. Because of the 12-inch touch screen integrated above the keyboard, this laptop has a futuristic appearance, yet it is also a surprisingly handy location to store auxiliary applications like Spotify and Discord. It may also be utilized by creative applications from companies such as Adobe, who have placed touch controls on the screen for convenient access.

On top of that, its performance is excellent; you can buy a ZenBook Duo 14 with discrete Nvidia MX450 graphics and up to 32 GB of RAM, which should be sufficient for the majority of engineering tasks. Furthermore, its battery life is impressive — particularly when you consider that it has two displays to illuminate. The main disadvantage of the ZenBook Duo 14 is that it is not ergonomically comfortable to type on since it does not have a wrist rest. However, as long as you have an external wrist rest, you should be OK.

10.Razer Blade 15

For engineering students, this is a great — though costly — laptop option.

Specifications

1. Display: 15.6-inch QHD, 240Hz, according to the review
2. CPU: Intel Core i7-10875H (2.3GHz) from the 10th generation.
3. Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 graphics processing unit
4. RAM is 32 GB in size.
5. 1 TB solid-state drive (SSD) storage
6. Approximately 14 x 9.3 x 0.75 inches in size
7. Weight: 4.4 kg

Reasons to make a purchase

• Design that is both sleek and lightweight
• Gaming performance that is outstanding
• There are many ports.

Reasons to stay away

• The touchpad and keyboard are subpar.
• Options on the screen are muddled.

When it comes to performance, the Razer Blade 15 Advanced delivers precisely what you’d expect from a Razer laptop: it looks fantastic, has lots of ports, and plays games and other visually intensive applications flawlessly. The Razer laptop is also priced according to what you would anticipate a Razer laptop to be: you could easily spend $3,000 on a higher-end model.

For many students, that’s a significant price increase, but it’s on pace with similar computers in terms of value. For example, the Alienware m15 R4 is similarly priced to the Asus ROG Swift, and both provide excellent performance in a compact chassis. The Razer Blade 15 Advanced, on the other hand, is only slightly lighter and somewhat smaller than the m15 R4, and it has a battery life that is an hour or so longer during regular (i.e. non-gaming) usage.

The keyboard and touchpad on the Blade 15 Advanced, on the other hand, are mediocre at best. They’ll be adequate for classroom usage, but if you plan to be doing a lot of typing on this laptop, you’d be better off investing in one of the finest keyboards available.

How to choose the best engineering laptop for you

1.Performance:

If you’re going to be spending years studying engineering, you’re going to need a computer that has the processing power to handle whatever your professors throw at you during your classes. While we suggest a new mid-range CPU (Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5) and at least 8 GB of RAM, we advocate spending a little extra money on a laptop with superior specifications since it will save you money in the long run.

2.Graphics and video games:

Most gaming laptops are equipped with discrete graphics cards to ensure that they can run the newest games smoothly. However, the same graphics card may be just as important for engineering students who will be utilizing CAD (computer-aided design) and 3D analysis applications. A powerful graphics processing unit (GPU) is essential for these types of applications, so if you want to use your laptop for any graphics or 3D work, you should consider getting one with a separate Nvidia or AMD graphics card installed in it.

3.Operating system (included):

Laptops are usually available in three flavors: Windows (found on the majority of mainstream PCs), macOS (found on MacBooks), and Chrome OS (found on Chromebooks) (Chromebooks). Because Chrome OS isn’t very useful for anything other than online browsing, file management, and light computing, a Chromebook isn’t a particularly excellent option for serious study. A resourceful student, on the other hand, might install Linux on a high-powered Chromebook, transforming it into a respectable laptop for engineering work.

Because many engineering students spend a significant amount of time working with specialized or self-developed software, Windows is often preferred over macOS because it presents less obstacles when dealing with such tools as these. Even Windows, on the other hand, may get in the way of serious engineering work from time to time, which is why many engineering students purchase Windows laptops and install Linux on them so that they can dual-boot into either operating system while working on a project.

It has already been stated that before making your purchasing choice, contact your instructors and/or the engineering department at your school for additional particular information on what you will need for your studies. Whichever system you choose, it’s a good idea to match it with the finest mouse for your specific work environment in order to maximize productivity.

How we test the best laptops for engineering students

For the purpose of determining the finest laptops, we put each one through a rigorous series of benchmarks and real-world testing to see how well it will perform in real-world situations.

Each laptop’s display is tested using our in-house light meter and colorimeter, which we use to determine the average brightness and color quality. As a general measure of performance, we put our computers through a series of tests, including Geekbench 5 (which measures CPU speed) and several 3DMark tests, which evaluate graphics capability. In addition, we conduct a file transfer test to determine how fast a machine’s hard drive is, as well as an unique battery test that requires the computer to surf the internet via Wi-Fi until the battery runs out of battery life.

Apart from that, we put the laptop through its paces using the graphics benchmark test in Sid Meier’s Civilization VI: Gathering Storm to see how well it handles simple games. The benchmarks for a variety of titles, such as Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Far Cry: New Dawn, are used while evaluating specialized gaming laptops for the market.