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Laptop Questions (Engineering)

 
Old 06-02-2010 at 03:46 PM   #1
MiniDragon
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Laptop Questions (Engineering)
I'm going into first year Engineering next year, and I have a few questions about laptops.

-Mac or PC? Or maybe a Tablet PC? I searched and found a bunch of topics on this forum about that, but nothing specifically for engineering. I think I'd prefer a Macbook Pro (Granted, I've never had one before, but I'd like to learn the ins and outs of OSX, the hardware is pretty nice, and my last PC buying experience was... less than favorable), but I don't want to put myself at a disadvantage - I know some programs we'll be using only work on Windows. For students already in engineering, did you ever run into this problem?

-For people already in engineering: Did you use your laptops to take notes, or did you find it hard due to the need of writing down equations / diagrams etc?

-Are there places to plug in laptops (And not just at like the very back of a lecture hall where you can't see the front)?

-Do you use laptops during labs/tutorials, or do you use computers already in the rooms? (or both?)

Thanks for your help!

Last edited by MiniDragon : 06-02-2010 at 03:49 PM.
Old 06-02-2010 at 03:57 PM   #2
Ownaginatios
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I got a tablet PC when I went into engineering, and have only ever used the tablet feature maybe twice :p. I have seen others with tablet PCs though, and some do take notes all the time. Really depends if you prefer writing on a piece of paper of a burning, noisy plastic rectangle.

Also, there is almost no where to plug in laptops. It's a really big pain in the ass. I personally can't write notes on the computer pretty much for that reason.

And to the OS X thing, it doesn't matter. All modern Apple computers are capable of dual booting windows.
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Old 06-02-2010 at 04:27 PM   #3
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Dont get a mac, unless your gonna dual boot (then whats the point?? just get a PC). You will need to use SolidEdge and Visual C#
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Old 06-02-2010 at 04:30 PM   #4
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I'm not in eng, but i still do think its really really hard to take notes on a comp. i've tried it a few times, and you'll waste all your time formatting everything.
Also, writing on paper, you can write whatever, wherever and you don't need to "format" anything.
besides, if a laptop is big enough that you can type comfortably, then its too big to fit in lecture.
Also, its hard to write equations and stuff.
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Old 06-02-2010 at 04:36 PM   #5
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Most of the time, even the notes you write are useless. You will have to study 99.9% of the material on your own anyways, esp in first year.
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Old 06-02-2010 at 04:44 PM   #6
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It doesn't really matter, but you may have to make a windows partition if you go with a mac, nothing complicated. Go with something you'll like. Battery power isnt too much of an issue aswell since alot of rooms are littered with outlets. Then again your battery life depends on what type of specs your laptop will have.
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Old 06-02-2010 at 04:47 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Julian View Post
I...l since alot of rooms are littered with outlets.
I've yet to see a lecture hall littered with outlets.
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Old 06-02-2010 at 04:49 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ownaginatios View Post
I've yet to see a lecture hall littered with outlets.
i was talking about tutorial rooms, then again no one uses laptops in them, scratch my point.

Edit: MDCL 1102
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Old 06-02-2010 at 04:52 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Julian View Post
i was talking about tutorial rooms, then again no one uses laptops in them, scratch my point.

Edit: MDCL 1102
We had most of our lectures in JHE 376... terrible room
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Old 06-02-2010 at 04:58 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Julian View Post
i was talking about tutorial rooms, then again no one uses laptops in them, scratch my point.

Edit: MDCL 1102
Why not? (Sorry, clueless, I know ) Do a lot of people use laptops when doing labs? Or do you mainly use laptops outside of class?
Old 06-02-2010 at 05:06 PM   #11
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I'm not in Engineering, but my boyfriend is and I've gone to a lot to his classes (I know I don't have much experience to comment on this, but oh well)

I would say laptops aren't the best for engineering students. You need to write down a lot of forumals, and sometimes diagrams. Laptops are better for Social Science and Humanities students.
If you want to buy one for general use (ie. at home), I would suggest a Mac. But I don't think it's worth your money to get one for notetaking, because I doubt it'll be useful.

Some lecture halls are great for laptop use, like MDCL 1102 which has an outlet for every desk (which is kind of overkill imo). But most of the time, there only a few outlets per lecture hall. And most lecture halls have 100+ seats.
Old 06-02-2010 at 05:16 PM   #12
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For those of you that suggest MAC, give me a solid reason why?
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Old 06-02-2010 at 05:51 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by blackdragon View Post
For those of you that suggest MAC, give me a solid reason why?
Cause Steve Jobs said they're better. Duh.
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Old 06-02-2010 at 06:12 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ownaginatios View Post
Cause Steve Jobs said they're better. Duh.
But Bill Gates said PC's are the BEST. Theres no "better" than the BEST.
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Old 06-02-2010 at 06:19 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MiniDragon View Post
Why not? (Sorry, clueless, I know ) Do a lot of people use laptops when doing labs? Or do you mainly use laptops outside of class?
Laptops are not really used during labs in first year Engineering. The only time that you will need to use a computer, and not your laptop, is during Engineering Design and Engineering Programming Labs.

Personally, I only used my laptop when I got back to residence. I usually didn't take it to lectures as it was much easier for me to take notes down by hand.
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