Laptop for Uni

[DAVEZ_O]

So I'm heading off to uni in about 6 months and going to be doing aerospace engineering, but I'm about to get a laptop and different people have said different things but thought I'd ask on here to see. I know I'll be using autocad and stuff but I want something not too slow/reasonably fast. I chose one with certain specs from research and stuff but then the guy at currys recommended one which was under specked but seemed really cheap and okay but not too sure. I could probably go for the more expensive one if that's what I'll need. Here are the links:
http/www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/acer-aspire-v-nitro-vn7-592g-15-6-laptop-black-10137574-pdt.html?intcmpid=display~RR
The guy recommended this with Intel graphics. http/www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/hp-pavilion-15-ab254sa-15-6-laptop-white-10137891-pdt.html
There's also another one I want opinions on compared to the first http/www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/acer-aspire-v-nitro-vn7-791g-17-3-laptop-black-10133299-pdt.html?intcmpid=display~RR It has less ram but more threads so not sure
Thanks for the help

 

[molletts]

I'd definitely say go for 16GB RAM - AutoCAD uses tons of memory. Bear in mind that the full AutoCAD suite also takes up quite a lot of disk space so a 128GB SSD will be cramped. Smaller SSDs are quite cheap these days so there's really no excuse for them putting in less than a 256GB-class one.

You probably don't need a GTX960 but I don't know whether you will get away with Intel graphics - it depends on just how complex your 3D models will be. I assume you're going to get a decent sized monitor to use with it when you're not on the move.

Personally, I'd avoid Acer laptops at all costs and I'm not a huge fan of HP ones (I don't like their keyboards and I find the hardware to be a bit quirky - the ones we use at work frequently require battery-out power-cycling to get the WiFi and/or LAN working properly).

The Lenovo ThinkPad E560 - http/shop.lenovo.com/gb/en/laptops/thinkpad/edge-series/e560/ - looks quite good. It comes with a 500GB SSHD and Radeon graphics and you can customise it to bump the memory from 8GB to 16GB. I used to swear by ThinkPads (like most engineers and IT guys). They're not what they once were (the legendary ThinkPad keyboard has been replaced with a nasty chiclet thing and they're mostly plastic these days unlike my trusty old X40) but you can do far worse.

Alternatively, for something cheaper, have a look at the Dell Inspiron 15 5000 series - they offer an up-to-date 6th-Gen Core i7 (rather than the 4th-Gen one in the Acer) - here: http/www.dell.com/uk/p/inspiron-15-5559-laptop/pd?ref=PD_OC

Unfortunately, it doesn't ship with an SSD or SSHD and I can't see a way to customise it but you might be able to get it changed if you talk to their customer services directly.

Hope this helps,
Stephen

 

[molletts]

I'd definitely say go for 16GB RAM - AutoCAD uses tons of memory. Bear in mind that the full AutoCAD suite also takes up quite a lot of disk space so a 128GB SSD will be cramped. Smaller SSDs are quite cheap these days so there's really no excuse for them putting in less than a 256GB-class one.

You probably don't need a GTX960 but I don't know whether you will get away with Intel graphics - it depends on just how complex your 3D models will be. I assume you're going to get a decent sized monitor to use with it when you're not on the move.

Personally, I'd avoid Acer laptops at all costs and I'm not a huge fan of HP ones (I don't like their keyboards and I find the hardware to be a bit quirky - the ones we use at work frequently require battery-out power-cycling to get the WiFi and/or LAN working properly).

The Lenovo ThinkPad E560 - http/shop.lenovo.com/gb/en/laptops/thinkpad/edge-series/e560/ - looks quite good. It comes with a 500GB SSHD and Radeon graphics and you can customise it to bump the memory from 8GB to 16GB. I used to swear by ThinkPads (like most engineers and IT guys). They're not what they once were (the legendary ThinkPad keyboard has been replaced with a nasty chiclet thing and they're mostly plastic these days unlike my trusty old X40) but you can do far worse.

Alternatively, for something cheaper, have a look at the Dell Inspiron 15 5000 series - they offer an up-to-date 6th-Gen Core i7 (rather than the 4th-Gen one in the Acer) - here: http/www.dell.com/uk/p/inspiron-15-5559-laptop/pd?ref=PD_OC

Unfortunately, it doesn't ship with an SSD or SSHD and I can't see a way to customise it but you might be able to get it changed if you talk to their customer services directly.

Hope this helps,
Stephen