10 Best Laptops for Engineering Students (Mechanical, Civil, IT)

In this article, we will review the best laptop for engineering students that are readily available in the market. Check out the Buyer’s Guide before jumping into the recommended laptops for students doing engineering in Mechanical, Civil, or IT faculty so you would know exactly what you really need.

For engineering students, buying a good laptop is the rule of the thumb. It must be reliable and fast enough to let them run various applications that are integral to their academic endeavor.

Generally, the best engineering laptops are those that have strong specs. It must be compatible and work with several engineering applications such as Solid Works, AutoCAD, and MATLAB and can run 3D modeling in between classes.

We also covered the best laptop for engineering students on a budget because we want to make sure that it is not only about quality but affordability as well.

We have asked some engineers about their insights on which laptop is the best for engineering students and what specs are good enough to run some of the most well-known applications in the field of engineering.

From their insights, we carefully gathered information and selected the best-performing laptops that every engineering student and professional must own.

List of Best Laptops for Engineering Students

1. Best Laptop on a Budget – HP Pavilion 15

HP Pavilion 15 is a go-to laptop for engineering students, specifically those taking mechanical engineering. There are several reasons why HP is an eye-catcher for them. First, it has a touchscreen interface and 15.6 inch HD IPS WLED display that provides clear images.  

Experience productivity and powerful performance at its finest with 10th Gen Intel Quad Core i5-1035G1 processor, ‎an Intel UHD Graphics coprocessor paired with 12GB RAM for heavy multitasking activities, rendering videos and processing of files. These specs will give you a smooth working experience.

Plus, the 512GB M.2 SSD gives improved and fast data access along with an ample amount of storage.

The opportunity to connect other devices is endless because it has USB 3.1 type C and A ports, HDMI, SD card reader, gigabit ethernet, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0 combo, and a microphone/headphone jack.

It operates using a 3-cell lithium-ion battery that can support hours of working. The laptop may be used comfortably under low light settings because of its backlit keyboard feature.

If you’re after the best laptop for mechanical engineering students that offers unstoppable performance, HP Pavilion 15 is the one for you.

2. Best Lightweight Laptop – Acer Swift 3 Intel Evo

The Acer Swift 3 Intel Evo is one of the best laptops that you can find in the market today. This 14 inch full HD laptop is made of magnesium-aluminum and aluminum metal chassis that weighs around 2.65 pounds which is convenient to bring anywhere, anytime.

Hence, it is dubbed as the best laptop for computer engineering students.

The fast processor which is one of the assets of this device is attributed to Intel Core i7-1165G7 while the vivid images and graphics are enhanced by the Intel Iris Xe Graphics coprocessor.

The 8GB RAM of this device allows you to manipulate and navigate among various tabs without a hint of lag. The storage capacity is 256GB NVMe SSD which is quite acceptable for engineering students. The boost in speed is awesome especially if you are rendering videos or presentations.

You can quickly connect with a wireless network through Bluetooth 5.1 and Wi-Fi 6. Moreover, it has Thunderbolt 4 that lets you connect with other accessories.

The battery is specifically engineered to last for at least 16 hours, allowing you to complete your heavy-loaded tasks within the day.

Get a laptop that lets you do your tasks swiftly, get only Acer Swift 3 Intel Evo. With its price, it is the best laptop for engineering students on a budget.

3. Best Laptop in Performance – Lenovo Legion 5

Lenovo Legion 5 Gaming Laptop is an amazing laptop with 15.6 inch IPS display that provides vivid and good color clarity. The specs of this laptop are right for engineering students who are always working with AutoCAD.

What’s nice about this laptop is that it has 512GB of storage and 16GB RAM which allows every user to multitask with great level of ease.

In terms of graphics quality, it is run by NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050Ti technology that enhances the depth and visual quality. It has an AMD Ryzen 7 5800H processor that boosts the overall performance of the device.

For connectivity options, the laptop may be connected through Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 6, USB ports, HDMI and ethernet ports. These are pretty much useful for students who are constantly connecting various types of devices to improve their outputs.

The battery can last up to 6 hours of continuous usage. Its keyboard is responsive and accurate, it also comes with a smooth trackpad, comfy number pad, and arrow keys.

For a laptop that has the strength of a legion of warriors, don’t hesitate to get Lenovo Legion 5.

4. Best Large Screen Laptop – MSI Creator 17 A10SE-256

The MSI Creator 17 A10SE-256 sports a 17.3 inch full HD display, one of the best engineering laptops available today.

This is a multimedia laptop that is also ideal for engineering students. With its large screen display, rest assured that you will see quality images.

The laptop runs on Intel Core i7-10875H RTX2060 with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 GPU, which means faster transition when you are multitasking.

The 512GB Flash Memory Solid State and 16GB DDR4 RAM means no lags when checking different tabs or windows. If there is one word to describe this laptop, it is impressive. The powerhouse specs can hold heavy loads smoothly.

It has thunderbolt USB ports and Wi-Fi connectivity feature to help you carry out your engineering tasks successfully. It has a backlit keyboard feature too. No more “freezing” screens or “lagging” tabs if you will only buy this MSI Creator 17 A10SE-256.

5. Best Laptop for Computer Engineering Students – Acer Predator Helios 300

This AcerPredator Helios 300 is generally considered a multimedia laptop but has later gained popularity among engineering students. In fact, this is also known as the best laptop for computer engineering students.

The 15.6 inch Acer Predator Helios 300 has an Intel i7-10750H 10^th generation processor with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 6GB GPU that is perfect for any heavy-loaded tasks.

The 16GB Dual-Channel DDR4 RAM coupled with 512GB NVMe SSD storage offers enough space to store different files and provides ample speed to navigate various tabs.

You can plug in extra peripherals like HDMI 2.0, and some USB ports. Connectivity options of this laptop include Bluetooth and Wi-Fi 6. The battery can last up to 6 hours and has a backlit keyboard. The high-end design and build of this laptop make it more appealing to the eyes of engineering students.

With the specs laid down here, AcerPredator Helios 300is the best laptop for IT engineering students.

6. Best Laptop for Aerospace Engineering Students – Dell XPS 15

Your vision is more vivid with Dell XPS 15 that has 15 inch full HD display which is perfect for aerospace engineering students.

Considering its specs, the laptop can run engineering software and 3D graphics without lag. It runs on Intel Core i7 10th Gen processor with Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti 4GB GDDR6 graphics coprocessor that has the capacity to render high-resolution videos and graphics.

The RAM is 16GB and it has 512GB SSD.

This device may be connected to a PC or mobile phone through a feature called Dell mobile connect.

Moreover, it has various ports too like a USB port, SD card reader, headphone and microphone jack, HDMI, and Thunderbolt 3.

A lithium-ion battery powers this laptop when not plugged in an electric socket, plus it has a backlit keyboard that enhances the aesthetic appeal of the device.

DELL XPS 15 – a laptop that exudes powerful performance that is worthy of its price tag.

7. Best Laptop for BioMedical Engineering Students – 2019 Apple MacBook Pro

Laptops manufactured by Apple is known for defying limits and changing the world and the 2019 Apple MacBook Pro epitomizes this slogan.

The laptop has a 16 inch LED retina display and it is a reliable laptop. The price tag of this laptop may not be the best laptop for engineering students on a budget but nonetheless, its quality cannot be questioned.

Why choose 2019 Apple MacBook Pro? It has a 2.6GHz 6-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 4.5GHz, with 12MB shared L3 cache processor.

For graphics and video support features, the laptop sports an AMD Radeon Pro 5300M that comes with 4GB of GDDR6 memory as well as automatic graphics switching and Intel UHD Graphics 630.

The storage is 512GB and it has 16GB RAM. With these specs, you are certainly on the right path to becoming an efficient engineering student because everything will go along seamlessly.

There are varied connectivity options too namely Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi wireless networking and several other ports. The battery life is excellent for it can last up to 11 hours.

If you have enough money to spend for a laptop, 2019 Apple MacBook Pro is the one for you.

8. Best Laptop for Civil Engineering Students – ASUS TUF Gaming TUF505

Asus TUF is a lightweight laptop that has a 15.6 inch NanoEdge design screen that gives wide-angle view and vivid colors. The price is quite affordable which made it one of the best engineering laptops popular worldwide.

The processor is AMD Ryzen 7 3750H partnered by GeForce GTX 1660 Ti GPU.

It has a 256GB PCIe SSD + 1TB HDD storage and 16GB DDR4 RAM. These are the jaw-dropping specs that you can’t miss because they are compatible with different engineering software like SolidEdge and SolidWorks.

In terms of connectivity, it has WiFi 5, Bluetooth, HDMI 2.0, and several USB ports that you can use to connect extra peripherals.

Its battery can keep up for at least 4.5 hours but with its fast-charging feature, it won’t take too long before the battery becomes fully charged once again. It has a comfortable RGB backlit keyboard which makes the device look nice.

Asus TUF is a durable laptop that won’t let you down.

9. Best Laptop for Engineering Graduate Students – Microsoft Surface Book 2

Microsoft Surface Book 2 – a 2-in-1 laptop built for performance. The device has a 15 inch detachable screen that may be used as a tablet.

The specs are good to go! It has a ‎4.2 GHz core i7 8650u processor and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics coprocessor that is further enhanced by 16GB LPDDR3 RAM and 256 GB flash memory solid-state storage.

Everything you need is already embedded in this device! You may confidently browse different tabs and do your designs using any software that you want without experiencing lags.

If you’re wondering about connectivity options, it has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports – so, yes you can actually use additional devices for your own convenience.

This sleek and portable device can last up to 17 long hours with a backlit keyboard and interactive touchscreen display. This is the kind of innovation that you need to carry out your tasks as an engineering student.

Experience the convenience of using Microsoft Surface Book 2 now!

10. Best Laptop for Mechanical Engineering Students – 2019 Lenovo Yoga C930

The last laptop on the list is the best laptop for engineering students on a budget. It is a 2-in-1 convertible laptop that has a 13.9 inch full HD touch screen display.

Despite the physical size, this laptop comes with ‎4 GHz core i7 and 12 GB DDR4 RAM which can process data and applications instantly.

It also houses an Intel HD Graphics 620 graphics coprocessor and 512GB storage.

These features will let you run your engineering software smoothly which will lead to the productive accomplishment of your tasks.

Connectivity is never a problem because the laptop has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth features. It also comes with Thunderbolt ports and microphone and a headphone jack. The battery life is 12 hours which is enough to let you finish your design within the day.

For a student who wants to get a laptop that is highly functional but won’t cost too much, this 2019 Lenovo Yoga C930 is the best choice for you.

How to Choose the Best Laptop for Engineering Students – Buyer’s Guide

Processor

The best laptop for engineering students must be able to run AutoCAD or other related software which are deemed necessary in carrying out academic-related tasks.

To run such software you need at least 3+ GHz processor recommended.

Hard Disk and SSD

A laptop with adequate storage and memory is also a gem for engineering students, especially those who will be using Solidworks, AutoCAD, ANSYS and Catia. They also need high storage space for storing their outputs, photos, or games; at minimum, 512GB to 1TB are decent options.

Moreover, SSD drives are faster, more reliable, and comparatively more efficient than the conventional HDD.

GPU

A laptop for engineering students must contain a good GPU to load any software efficiently and at a faster rate regardless of the bulkiness of the program. It will also give students clearer graphics when watching or playing videos or looking at images and designs.

RAM

The higher the RAM, the better the performance of the laptop will be. For engineering-related tasks, 8GB to 12GB RAM is good enough to run any application but if you can get one that has 16GB, this is a great value for your money.

Screen Size

The screen size is not a primary consideration but if the portability of the device is a major concern for the user, then a 14 inch to 15 inch laptop is good to go. A bigger screen size like 17.3 inch is okay too but maybe quite bulky for others.

Connectivity

A laptop that offers different connectivity options is a good investment. At least, it must have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. The presence of ports like USB type, HDMI, and mic/audio jack are an advantage too.  Having a wide range of connectivity will allow you to be more productive when doing your tasks.

Read Also: 10 Best Laptops for Programming and Coding (Expert’s Choice)

FAQs on Engineering Students Laptop

Conclusion

Now that you’ve read the buyer’s guide and the specifications of different engineering laptops along with some of the frequently asked questions, it’s time to make a decision.

Choose the laptop that suits your needs and of course, your budget. Might as well share this review to other engineering students so they will get to know which laptop they can possibly buy.