Computer & Tech

The Best Laptop For Mechanical Engineering Students: Our Top 10 Picks

Choosing the best laptop for mechanical engineering students is not easy.

Choosing the best laptop for mechanical engineering students is not easy. A mechanical engineering undergraduate should have a laptop with enough processing power to easily handle all the computational task. On the other hand, it must possess excellent graphics card to run all the modern software such as AutoCAD, LabVIEW, MATLAB, ANSYS, SolidWorks, and of course, MS Office.

In this article, we are going to unveil the best mechanical engineering laptops both for current and future students.

The article contains the following information, making it easier for you to choose the best laptop.

  • Why do mechanical engineering students need a laptop?
  • 10 best mechanical engineering laptops
  • How to choose the best laptop for mechanical engineering

The type of laptop you need varies depending on your major. For instance, any laptop capable of running software such as SPICE and programming languages will do for electrical and software engineers. However, a mechanical engineering student needs a powerful laptop. He or she will have to deal with programs in the likes of AutoCAD, SolidWorks, and MATLAB, all of which consume a lot of RAM, graphics, processor, and hard disk space. Besides, you will also have to attend a lot of other classes while in college. Therefore, you require a laptop that can bear all that workload without breaking down after a week.

10 Best Mechanical Engineering Laptops

The following are the best laptops for mechanical engineering students by a fair distance according to our experts. Remember that we have not made our recommendations on assumptions. The experts on our panel have interviewed more than 100 mechanical engineers to find what the most important things to focus on are while purchasing a laptop. Similarly, we have also asked more than a thousand mechanical engineering students about what they want to have in their next laptop.

Finally, we also checked the minimum system requirements of TinkerCAD, AutoCAD, SolidWorks, Fusion 360, and other popular CAM and CAD software. As such, we have only included models that have specifications way above the minimum requirements of these software.

So, we bring out our list without any further ado.

ImageProduct NameMemory StorageGraphics CardCheck Price
Alienware M17 Gaming Laptop
Alienware M17


16GB DDR4


512GB SSD


GeForce RTX 2070 8GB


Check Price
Acer Aspire E 15 Core i5
Acer Aspire E 15


8GB DDR3


256GB SSD


GeForce MX150 2GB


Check Price
Dell Inspiron 15 7567 Laptop
Dell Inspiron 15 7567


8GB DDR4


256GB SSD


GeForce GTX 1050Ti


Check Price
Lenovo IdeaPad L340 Gaming Laptop
Lenovo IdeaPad L340


16GB DDR4


256GB SSD


GeForce GTX 1650 4GB


Check Price
HP Envy 13.3 Inch Thin Laptop
HP Envy 13.3"


16GB DDR4


512GB SSD


GeForce MX 250 2GB


Check Price
Acer Predator Helios 300
Acer Predator Helios


16GB DDR4


256GB SSD


GeForce GTX 1660Ti 6GB


Check Price
Asus Rog Zephyrus M
Asus Rog Zephyrus


16GB DDR4


1TB SSD


GeForce RTX 2070 8GB


Check Price

HP 15 HD


16GB DDR4


512GB SSD


Intel Graphics Coprocessor


Check Price
Microsoft Surface Pro 7
Microsoft Surface Pro 7


8GB DDR4


256GB SSD


Intel Graphics Coprocessor


Check Price
Acer Aspire 5 Slim Laptop
Acer Aspire 5 Slim


8GB DDR4


256GB SSD


AMD Radeon Vega 3 Mobile


Check Price
  1. Alienware M17 Gaming Laptop: Laptop with the biggest display and amazing features
  2. Acer Aspire E 15 Core i5: Great value for money
  3. Dell Inspiron 15 7567 Laptop: Best budget laptop for mechanical engineering students
  4. Lenovo IdeaPad L340 Gaming Laptop: Best laptop for engineering students under $1000
  5. HP ENVY 13.3 Inch Thin Laptop: Best portable laptop for mechanical engineering students
  6. Acer Predator Helios 300: Best engineering laptop above $1000
  7. Asus Rog Zephyrus M: Best laptop for engineering students but expensive as well
  8. HP 15 15.6 Inch HD Touchscreen: Most affordable laptop for engineering students
  9. Microsoft Surface Pro 7 – 12.3 Inch: The most popular laptop among college students
  10. Acer Aspire 5 Slim Laptop: Best cheap laptop for engineering students

1.    Alienware M17 Gaming Laptop: Laptop with the Biggest Display and Amazing Features

You should buy Alienware M17 at the earliest if you are looking for a laptop with a big display, top of the shelf configuration, and unbelievable features. It is a mammoth laptop that cannot only meet but surpass your expectations when it comes to playing games and multitasking.

Features

Starting with the design, Alienware M17 is made of premium materials including steel, copper, and magnesium alloy. As a result, it has a beautiful design with a full and rich feel.

The laptop features a full HD 17.3 inches display, making it one of the biggest laptops in the world at the moment. The display also has 300-nits brightness and 72% color gamut. On top of that, the display does not harm your eyes thanks to integrated Eyesafe technology which reduces the emission of blue rays. However, it does not distort color accuracy or have any impact on the overall display. The laptop also offers the next level of gaming experience because of the Tobii Eye Tracking Technology.

Just like Acer Predator Helios 3 and Asus Rog Zephyrus M, the Alienware M17 also features the 9th Generation Intel Core i7-9750H processor. Similarly, it has a massive 16GB of RAM to easily handle all the multitasking you have to do as a mechanical engineering student.

The laptop ensures high-quality images and videos because of the dedicated GeForce RTX 2070 Graphics Card with 8GB of memory. Similarly, it has 512MB of built-in storage which is a letdown considering its absurdly high price.

Our Verdict

Alienware M17 is a powerful workstation that you can use for any purpose ranging from gaming to entertainment and engineering studies. It is indeed the best laptop for mechanical engineering students if they have unlimited money to spend.

Specifications

  • Screen Size: 17.3 Inches
  • RAM: 16GB DDR4
  • Storage: 512GB SSD
  • Processor: Intel Core i7-9750H
  • Graphics: GeForce RTX 2070 8GB
  • Operating System: Windows 10
  • Weight: 4.39 pounds
  • Battery life: Up to 4 hours

Read more: 10 Best Gaming Projectors

Pros
  • Extremely powerful processor
  • Huge storage and RAM
  • Full HD 17.3 Inch IPS Display
  • Durable and sturdy
  • Excellent and beautiful design
  • Excellent cooling system
Cons
  • Expensive laptop

2.    Acer Aspire E 15: Great Value for Money

Acer Aspire E 15 is one of the most popular laptops by Acer. Acer laptops are known to offer superior specifications for a very good price and the Acer Aspire E 15 is no different. It is an Obsidian black laptop having a core i7 processor. However, you can also buy a core i5 version where the rest of the features are almost similar to the Core i7 version.  

Main Features

The laptop has 15.6 inches screen which delivers a resolution of 1920×1080 offering a reasonable display for all the heavy mechanical engineering software. The color accuracy is also excellent helping you visualize your mechanics quite easily.

The laptop comes with 256 GB SSG and 8GB DDR3 RAM. However, there are plenty of customization options. For example, there is an empty slot for adding another HDD or SDD. Therefore, you can increase the hard disk capacity to as many GBs as you like.

Similarly, there is also a second slot for additional memory if 8GB struggles to manage your mechanical tasks smoothly. In fact, Acer Aspire E 15 allows you to upgrade the RAM up to 32GB.

Perhaps the best thing about the laptop is the discrete graphics card that is GeForce MX150. The graphics card can come in handy, especially when you are running heavy programs or playing some games. The card also has a dedicated 2GB DDR5 memory. Therefore, you can use the laptop to open any application which you prefer to use as mechanical engineering.

This is the latest model of the Acer Aspire E 15 series and therefore, it features Intel Core i-7 8550U processor.

As for connectivity, the laptop offers some great options including 1 USB 2.0 and 2 USB 3.0 ports. Similarly, it also has 1 USB 3.0 Type-C port and 1 HDMI port.

The laptop is slightly on the heavier side as it weighs 2.4 kilograms or 5.3 pounds. It is better to get a laptop bag to carry it around easily.

Finally, it has a realistic battery life of a whopping 12 hours after a single charge. It means it will last for an entire day in college or university.

Our Verdict

Acer Aspire E 15 offers a great balance between price and features. It is a core i7 laptop with a dedicated graphics card. As such, it can meet your college or study requirements with the utmost ease.

Click on this link to read customers’ reviews.

Specifications

  • Screen Size: 15.6 Inches
  • RAM: 8GB DDR3
  • Storage: 256GB SSD
  • Processor: Intel Core i7-8550U
  • Graphics: NVidia GeForce MX150 2GB
  • Operating System: Windows 10
  • Weight: 5.3 pounds
Pros
  • Dedicated graphics card
  • Smooth performance
  • Great value for money
  • 12 hours of battery life
Cons
  • Basic design
  • Heavier laptop

3.    Dell Inspiron 15 7567 Laptop: Best Budget Laptop for Mechanical Engineering Students

If you are looking for the best laptop for mechanical engineering students without emptying your pocket, you must consider the Dell Inspiron 15 7567 laptop. It is a gaming laptop with incredible processing power and speed to perform your computing task without any interruption.

Features

Available only for $800, Dell Inspiron 15 7567 offers great value for money. Although it is not as powerful as Acer Aspire E 15 yet it has many features that you don’t find in the laptops in the same price range.

To begin with, the laptop has 15.6 inches Full HD TN Panel. It is just an average display with reasonable color accuracy and viewing angles. However, you should not have any issue if you are happy with only a decent display.

Just like Acer Aspire E 15, you can upgrade the default 8GB RAM up to 32GB. Keep in mind that the laptop performs exceptionally well even with 8GB RAM. Similarly, it comes with 256GB SSD storage. However, there is an extra slot for an additional hard disk as well. You can also easily replace both storage options as well.

When it comes to body, Dell Inspiron is very robust and sturdy even though it is mostly made of plastic. The build, in fact, is excellent considering the laptop’s price.

One major compromise Dell has made on this laptop is the weaker processor compared to some of it is competitors. However, the Intel Core i5-7300HQ is still a very powerful processor with incredible speed for any mechanical engineering application or task.

Dell compensates for a slightly weaker process with a discrete graphics card which is GeForce GTX 1050Ti in this case. Therefore, you cannot only play popular games like Overwatch and Titanfall 2 on high settings but you can also use the laptop to visualize your mechanics in ultra-high graphics. Remember that no other laptop in this price range offers such a powerful graphics card.

The laptop has a battery life of 6 hours when watching videos and only 1.5 hours while running games and other demanding programs. It also has a red-backlit keyboard allowing you to work in the dark without any hassle.

Our Verdict

Dell Inspiron 15 7567 is the best laptop of engineering students including mechanical engineers. Although it has drawbacks yet it is the best laptop you can get at this price.

Specifications

  • Screen Size: 15.6 Inches
  • RAM: 8GB DDR4
  • Storage: 256GB SSD
  • Processor: Intel Core i5-7300HQ
  • Graphics: GeForce GTX 1050Ti
  • Operating System: Windows 10
  • Weight: 6.6 pounds
Pros
  • Very powerful GeForce GTX 1050Ti graphic card
  • Good build quality
  • Solid performance
  • Affordable laptop
  • Sturdy and durable
  • Interactive touchpad
Cons
  • Average battery life
  • Heavy laptop
  • The display is not bright enough

4.    Lenovo IdeaPad L340 Gaming Laptop: Best Laptop for Engineering Students under $1000

IdeaPad is the most popular gaming series by Lenovo and the L340 is the jewel in the crown. You would hardly recognize this machine as a gaming laptop. However, it has amazing features and incredible specification. Best of all, you can use the laptop for any purpose including mechanical engineering studies.

Features

IdeaPad L340 offers brilliant visual clarity and color accuracy thanks to 15.6 inches Full HD Anti-Glare Display with IPS technology. The laptop also features a full size backlit keyboard, helping you to work effortlessly even in dimly lit places.

Running on Windows 10, the IdeaPad L340 comes with an extremely powerful Intel Core i7-9750H processor. It is a 2.6GHz turbo boast process up to 2.4GHz.

The best thing about the laptop is 16GB of RAM which is more than enough to complete any mechanical engineering assignments and tasks. Similarly, the laptop features incredibly powerful NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card with 4GB of memory. Therefore, you can play games and run engineering applications at the highest graphic settings possible.

Just like all the modern laptops, L340 has a storage space of 256GB SSD. However, you can always upgrade the storage if you deem it insufficient to meet your requirements.

The laptop also offers all the essential slots and ports for connectivity. On top of that, it comes with Dolby Audio speakers with impressive sound quality. Therefore, you don’t need to buy external speakers only for this laptop.

Our Verdict

Lenovo IdeaPad L340 is the best laptop for mechanical engineering students under $1000. It has excellent hardware configuration in addition to offering exceptional performance for years.

Specifications

  • Screen Size: 15.6 Inches
  • RAM: 16GB DDR4
  • Storage: 256GB SSD
  • Processor: Intel Core i7-9750H
  • Graphics: GeForce GTX 1650 4GB
  • Operating System: Windows 10
  • Weight: 4.8 pounds
  • Battery life: Up to 5 hours

Read more: The Best Monitor For Photo Editing Under 500

Pros
  • Discrete 4GB graphics card
  • Best laptop under $1000
  • 16GB of storage
  • Excellent antiglare display
  • Exceptional build quality
  • Lightweight
Cons
  • Average battery life

5.    HP ENVY 13.3 Inch Thin Laptop: Best Portable Laptop for Mechanical Engineering Students

best laptop for mechanical engineering students

HP Envy 13.3 Inch is the laptop for you if you are in search of a lightweight and thin laptop. It has state-of-the-art security features in addition to a beautiful look and feel. The laptop weighs only 2.6 pounds and packs a plethora of highly advanced features in its 0.9-inch thin frame.

Features

Firstly, it is an eye-catching machine having a Natural Silver finished all-metal chassis. The 13.3 Inch display offers an excellent resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels. Therefore, you get a brilliant display no matter you are running your heavy mechanical engineering applications or playing games.

The 4K IPS WLED-backlit display also has IPS technology. As a result, you can view the display clearly from up to 178 degrees of viewing angle. No other laptop in our list is capable of providing such a mesmerizing display from such a wide viewing angle. The best thing about the display is that it is protected by the Corning Gorilla Glass, eliminating the chances of damage due to everyday scrapes and bumps.

Similarly, the laptop features 512GB SSD storage. In my opinion, the storage is enough to store your important files, assignments, and data. However, you can always upgrade the storage as there is an open slot for additional hard disk.

The laptop also has massive 16GB DDR4 RAM as well as 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8565U processor. Both the process and RAM are extremely potent providing enough power and memory to complete your heavy-duty tasks.

The laptop also comes with a discrete GeForce MX 250 graphics card with 2GB of memory. This is the only area in which HP Envy 13.3 Inch fails to compete with Lenovo IdeaPad L340 Laptop. However, MX 250 is still a very powerful graphics card to ensure portable gaming and flawless visuals.

The laptop also allows you to work in the dark places thanks to a full-size backlit keyboard.

However, one of the best features of the laptop is Fingerprint Reader Technology which keeps your data safe from falling into mischievous hands. Similarly, you only need a single touch of hand to log in to your device.

The laptop has all the essential slots and ports for connectivity. It also has Audio by Band and Olufsen speakers, offering crystal clear and highly immersive sound. Similarly, it can last for 12 hours after a single charge which is quite impressive as well.

Our Verdict

HP Envy 13.3 Inch is the ultimate laptop if you are into a lightweight, portable, and thin laptops. It has an amazing set of highly advanced features, making it the best HP laptop for engineering students.

Specifications

  • Screen Size: 13.3 Inches
  • RAM: 16GB DDR4
  • Storage: 512GB SSD
  • Processor: Intel Core i7-8565U
  • Graphics: GeForce MX 250 2GB
  • Operating System: Windows 10
  • Weight: 2.6 pounds
  • Battery life: Up to 12 hours
Pros
  • Excellent processor
  • Lightweight and durable
  • Portable and sturdy
  • Touchscreen display
  • Huge storage and RAM
Cons
  • Slightly expensive

6.    Acer Predator Helios 300: Best Engineering Laptop above $1000

best laptop for mechanical engineering students

Acer Predator Helios is the best laptop for mechanical engineers if you have around $1200 to spend on a laptop. It is a high-end laptop with seriously advanced features and specification and therefore, it is worth its price. It is primarily a gaming laptop but you can use it for any purposes because of its ridiculously powerful configuration.

Features

Acer Predator Helios has a beautiful design. It has a blue backlit keyboard fitted in a black matte finished body. You can guess it is a gaming laptop just by having a glance at it. The laptop features a full HD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1280. Furthermore, the Anti-glare display with IPS technology means you can have a clear view of the laptop regardless of the viewing angle.

Most of the mechanical engineers are concerned about the laptop’s processor they are going to purchase but you don’t have to in case of Predator Helios 300. It comes equipped with the latest 9th generation Core i7-9750H processor which imparts the unbelievable processing power to the laptop.

It also features a massive 16GB DD4 RAM and GeForce GTX 1660Ti dedicated graphics card with whopping 6GB of memory. As a result, the laptop delivers exceptional and lag-free performance when you are playing games or running extremely heavy applications. The dedicated graphic card ensures crystal clear, crisp, and brilliant graphics you require as a mechanical engineer undergraduate.

Acer Predator Helios 300 has built-in 256GB SSD storage which may not be enough for some. However, you do have the option to upgrade the storage by installing another hard drive on the open HD slot. Finally, the battery life is 6 hours which is quite decent considering the laptop mostly runs heavy-duty games and software.

Our Verdict

Acer Predator Helios 300 is a beast of a laptop that can outshine all other laptops you may be considering. However, it is an expensive laptop which not many people, especially students, can afford.

Specifications

  • Screen Size: 15.6 Inches
  • RAM: 16GB DDR4
  • Storage: 256GB SSD
  • Processor: Intel Core i7-9750H
  • Graphics: GeForce GTX 1660Ti 6GB
  • Operating System: Windows 10
  • Weight: 5.07 pounds
  • Battery life: Up to 6 hours
Pros
  • Extremely powerful laptop
  • Excellent design and aesthetics
  • Robust and durable
  • Massive RAM and storage capacity
  • Good battery life
  • Excellent cooling system
Cons
  • Heavy machine
  • Slightly expensive

7.    Asus Rog Zephyrus M: Best Laptop for Engineering Students but Expensive as well

best laptop for mechanical engineering students

Asus Rog Zephyrus M can easily become your laptop of choice for its amazing hardware configuration and specifications. It is a lightweight and thin laptop with which delivers matchless performance and unfathomable speed and power to everyone looking to complete even the most difficult of mechanical tasks in no time.

Features

Asus Rog Zephyrus is an expensive laptop, to be honest. However, you have to spend this much money if you are looking for perfection and class even in a laptop. The laptop weighs 4.39 pounds and it is 0.8 inches thick only. It has a black metal finish which looks beautiful and pleasing to the eyes.

When it comes to display, the Rog Zephyrus is second to none. It has a full HD 15.6 Inch ISP display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080. The display offers 240Hz of refresh rate, making it one of the best laptops for engineering students as well as for gamers. It is also a Pantone Validated display which means the laptop has auto color correction capability.

The laptop also has a beast of a processor in Intel Hexa Core i7-9750H. The processor has the turbo boost up to 4.1GHz, the base frequency of 2.6GHz, and SmartCache of 12MB.

Asus Rog Zephyrus comes with a 1Tb of SSD storage which isn’t a surprise considering its price. Similarly, the massive 16GB DDR 4 RAM is more than adequate to do multitasking and run heavier applications and games. Above all, the laptop has GeForce RTX 2070 dedicated graphics card with a huge 8GB of memory.

The gaming laptop also features a highly advanced Rog Aura sync Keyboard and Rog intelligent Cooling Thermal System. Not to mention, you get all the slots and ports for easy connectivity as well.

Our Verdict

Any mechanical engineer should choose Asus Rog Zephyrus M for his studies if he can splash $2000 on a laptop. Period.

Specifications

  • Screen Size: 15.6 Inches
  • RAM: 16GB DDR4
  • Storage: 1TB SSD
  • Processor: Intel Core i7-9750H
  • Graphics: GeForce RTX 2070 8GB
  • Operating System: Windows 10
  • Weight: 4.39 pounds
  • Battery life: Up to 4 hours
Pros
  • Extremely powerful processor
  • Huge storage and RAM
  • Full HD IPS Display with Pantone Validation
  • Durable and sturdy
  • Lightweight
  • Excellent and beautiful design
  • Excellent cooling system
Cons
  • Expensive laptop

8.    HP 15 15.6 Inch HD Touchscreen: Most Affordable Laptop for Engineering Students

best laptop for mechanical engineering students

The 2021 / 2022 HP 15 Touchscreen Premium Laptop may be the only computing machine you need for your entire duration of studies. It is the latest model by Dell containing the 10th Generation Intel i5 processor which offers better performance than some of the previous generation Core i7s.

Features

To begin with, the laptop has full HD 15.6 inches IPS display with the maximum resolution of 1366 x 768. You may think the resolution is particularly low but it is a micro-edge WLED backlit display offering excellent display no matter what you are using the laptop for.

Coming back to the process, HP 15 Touchscreen comes with the 10th Generation quad-core Intel Core i5-1035g1 process. The processor also has a 1GHz base frequency with a turbo boost of up to 6GHz.

The laptop also has 512GB of SSD which is an absolute bargain at this price. Similarly, the laptop boosts up in no time thanks to the SSD Boot technology. You also don’t have to wait for hours to transfer your files.

The HP 15 also has 16GB DDR 4 RAM which is a surprise at this price. Similarly, it also offers all the essential ports and slots for connectivity such as 1 HDMI port, 1 headphone/microphone port, 2 USB 3.1 ports, 1 USB 3.1 Type-C port, and 1 AC smart pin.

The laptop does not have a dedicated graphics card which may be a drawback depending on whether or not you need one.

Our Verdict

HP 15 1.6 Inch Touchscreen Laptop is a tireless working machine which can accompany you during your studies. Although it is not a super fancy laptop yet it is an affordable one that most of the students are looking for.

Specifications

  • Screen Size: 15.6 Inches
  • RAM: 16GB DDR4
  • Storage: 512GB SSD
  • Processor: Intel Core i5-1035g1H
  • Graphics: Intel Graphics Coprocessor
  • Operating System: Windows 10
  • Weight: 3.75 pounds
  • Battery life: Up to 12 hours
Pros
  • Excellent value for money
  • A highly competitive laptop for its price
  • Thin and lightweight
  • Huge storage space
  • 16GB of memory is unheard of at this price
Cons
  • No dedicated graphics card

9.    Microsoft Surface Pro 7: The Most Popular Laptop among College Students

best laptop for mechanical engineering students

Microsoft Surface Pro 7 is one of the best laptops for engineering students of all disciplines. There are many reasons which make Surface Pro a student’s favorite such as its ability to run any engineering software with the utmost ease.

Features

Microsoft Surface Pro is comparatively a small and lightweight laptop. However, this tiny machine encloses excellent features and specifications. Similarly, you can configure it the way you want and according to your requirements.

The model in the discussion has a 10th generation Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB DDR4 RAM, and 256GB SSD. However, you can upgrade the processor to the latest Core i7 chip as well as RAM and storage up to 16GB and 1TB respectively.

The surface Pro 7 is particularly popular among students for its design. Some of its best features are weight (1.75 pounds) and battery life (10.5 hours). As such, it is the best portable and lightweight laptop for students. Similarly, it can last for an entire day at college or university for a single charge.

Perhaps the best feature of Surface Pro is the seamless integration with OneNote. It also offers a very realistic feel when it comes to taking notes in the classroom. In fact, Surface Pro can act as a laptop, tablet, pen, notebook, textbook, and all other college supplies at the same time.

Similarly, you can also attach an external keyboard to use Surface Pro as a full-fledged laptop.

The only problem with Microsoft Surface Pro is the lack of a dedicated graphics card. However, it may not be a big issue because most of the 3D CAD software can run without a dedicated graphics card.

Our Verdict

Microsoft Surface Pro 7 is a great engineering laptop for many reasons. It is small, lightweight, and highly portable. It offers several features which also make it very popular among college students and you should give it a try as well.

Specifications

  • Screen Size: 12.3 Inches
  • RAM: 8GB DDR4
  • Storage: 256GB SSD
  • Processor: Intel Core i5
  • Graphics: Intel Graphics Coprocessor
  • Operating System: Windows 10
  • Weight: 1.75 pounds
  • Battery life: Up to 10.5 hours
Pros
  • Lightweight and portable
  • Multipurpose laptop
  • Can serve as a tablet as well as a laptop
  • Excellent battery life
  • Excellent overall features
Cons
  • No dedicated graphics card

10. Acer Aspire 5 Slim Laptop: Best Cheap Laptop for Engineering Students

best laptop for mechanical engineering students

Acer Aspire 5 Slim is yet another great but cheap laptop from Acer. Its specifications are almost similar to the Acer Aspire E 15 but it is available for around $350 only. The major difference between the two is the processing speed. While the Aspire E 15 has a quad-core processor, the Aspire 5 only has a dual-core processor.

Features

First and foremost, Aspire 5 Slim has 8GB of built-in RAM which is enough for carrying out all your mechanical engineering tasks without any hassle. The laptop will not slug even if you use it for serious multitasking ranging from playing games to running heavy software such as AutoCAD, SolidWorks, and MATLAB. Similarly, you can also upgrade the RAM by installing another chip.

Perhaps, the most amazing thing about the laptop is 256GB of SSD which is unheard of at this price range. You can also upgrade storage just like RAM.

The major downside of Acer Aspire 5 is the lack of a dedicated graphics card. Therefore, you may find it difficult to run 3D software such as LabVIEW on this laptop, making it an ideal computer only for 2D engineers.

The laptop is made of plastic which is acceptable for a budget laptop. However, try to ensure not to drop the laptop frequently otherwise the motherboard will not survive the blow.

The best feature of the laptop is the brilliant full HD IPS display which is simply outstanding for a budget laptop. Weighing only 4 pounds, the laptop is also fairly lightweight and portable compared to other 15.6 inches laptops.

Our Verdict

Acer Aspire 5 Slim is the best laptop for mechanical engineering students under $400. It has all the essential features and adequate specifications to fulfill your requirements, especially if you are a 2D engineer.

Specifications

  • Screen Size: 15.6 Inches
  • RAM: 8GB DDR4
  • Storage: 256GB SSD
  • Processor: AMD Ryzen 3 3200U
  • Dedicated Graphics: AMD Radeon Vega 3 Mobile
  • Operating System: Windows 10
  • Weight: 4.8 pounds
  • Battery life: Up to 7.5 hours
Pros
  • Budget laptop
  • Slim and lightweight
  • Durable and sturdy
  • Fully HD IPS display
Cons
  • No dedicated graphics card

Why Do Mechanical Engineering Students Need a Laptop?

Do you really need a laptop as a mechanical engineering student? Having a good laptop can offer you a lot of benefits. For example, it helps you save a lot of time creating mechanical designs. Similarly, it reduces the costs involved in preparing physical models and their real world simulations. Furthermore, you don’t have to perform risky or impossible experiments in the real world. These are some of the reasons why every mechanical engineer should have a laptop.

On top of that, you would also use your laptop for Computational Field Dynamics (CFD), Finite Element Analysis (FEA), and other mechanical engineering fields as well. It is really useful to have a laptop irrespective of the mechanical engineering field you have chosen as a major. Besides, you also need a laptop to process design or manufacture robots, equipment, and machines, etc.

How to choose the best laptop for mechanical engineering?

As mentioned above, mechanical engineering students have to use a lot of heavy software and applications. Sometimes, you may run multiple software simultaneously as well. Therefore, you need a software which can provide incredible power and speed besides powerful specifications for smoother and uninterrupted working experience.

So, what makes the best laptop for mechanical engineering students? The following are some of the factors to keep in mind when purchasing the laptop for your studies.

1.    Processor

The processor is the heart and soul of any laptop. It is the computer’s brain and therefore, it has to be a powerful and fast one. A fast processor means you can complete your work in minutes. On the other hand, you may have to sit in front of your computer for hours if the processor is slow. It only means you will waste your valuable time which you cannot afford as an engineering student.

Any mechanical engineering student needs a powerful processor that can run your software with the utmost ease. It is advisable to buy a laptop with the Core i7 processor if the budget is not a constraint. However, you should at least buy a Core i5 laptop if you have a limited budget.

2.    RAM

As a mechanical engineering student, you should go for a laptop with a huge amount of RAM to manage all the multitasking and use heavy software easily. Once again, get at least 12GB RAM if the budget is not a problem. But, 8GB is the minimum requirement in any case.

3.    Storage

You have two options when it comes to storage. You can buy a Solid State Drive (SSD) which is costlier but much faster. The other option is to purchase a traditional Hard Disk Drive (HDD) which is cheaper but slower. The SSD considerably improves the performance of your laptop compared to HDD. However, you can get only 256GB or 512GB SSD for the price of 1TB HDD.

Choosing between HDD or SDD depends on your requirements. SDD is better if you want performance and speed. If you need more storage, HDD is always the better option.

4.    Graphics Card

Software will normal graphic needs can run easily on laptops with graphic cards integrated into the processor. However, software like AutoCAD, SolidWorks, and MATLAB require dedicated graphic cards. Most laptops on our list have dedicated graphics cards, making them the best laptops for mechanical engineering students.

5.    Display

The best laptop for mechanical engineering students should also have an excellent display with at least 1920 x 1080 resolution. Similarly, try to get a standard 15.6 Inch display if you are short on money. However, go for a laptop with 17 Inch display if you have enough money to spend.

Final Thoughts

Summing up our article, we can confidently say that Alienware M17 Gaming Laptop is the best laptop for mechanical engineering students albeit a little expensive. The Acer Aspire E 15 Core i5 grabs the second position for offering an amazing balance between cost and features. The Lenovo IdeaPad L340 Gaming Laptop takes the third position on our list.

We would love to take your recommendations and suggestions about what the best laptop for engineering students is.

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