Recommendations

Due to rapid market place changes, it is not possible to provide a listing of recommended notebooks for use in the College of Engineering. Please see the Notebook Purchasing Recommendations section, below, for some guidelines.

Please note that the information on this page is provided primarily to assist CSU faculty and staff with university-owned equipment. ENS does not service personally-owned computing equipment for students, faculty or staff. To avoid a $39/hour service charge for an unsupported CSU-owned notebook, please contact the ENS Help Desk to discuss your options with one of our Senior Support Analysts. (If you're purchasing a notebook for personal use, there is no need to contact us.)

For New Students

For first-year students, especially those staying in the Academic Village residence hall, we do not recommend purchasing your own computer at all. The College of Engineering supplies many resources for computing, including computer labs and classrooms. For the most part, you will be unable to install software used in your courses on your personal computer. Your student technology fees pay for some excellent computing resources that you can access with no additional fees!

For further reading, please see our New Student Information technology page.

Mac or Windows PC?

In general, it simply comes down to what you're most comfortable with. It's a matter of preference. You can accomplish all of the basic academic or business computing tasks with Windows, Mac OS or even Linux.

The biggest question is: What applications will you be running? If all the programs you need run "natively" (that is, without using Parallels) on OS X, a MacBook will work great. Keep in mind, however, that there are a large number of engineering software programs that don't support Mac OS X. While emulation options such as Parallels and Bootcamp do exist, they have their own limitations and are not a full replacement for a Windows PC. Please consult with a Senior Support Analyst before purchasing.

Notebook Purchasing Recommendations

This information is provided for those who are interested in purchasing their own notebook computer, but we strongly recommend consulting with a Senior Support Analyst before purchasing any notebook.

Intended use

What do you plan to use your notebook for? There are two basic styles of notebooks: smaller, more portable models (including the "ultraportable" models, or netbooks); and bigger heavier ones. The smaller ones usually sacrifice screen size, keyboard size and performance for a smaller physical package. Bigger notebooks tend to improve on these qualities at the expense of bulk and weight.

If you want to use your notebook for taking notes in class, and expect to be mobile (that is, in a lot of different places often), the smaller format models are the way to go. If you primarily use it in one place such as your office, or you need to run very high end programs or simulations, the bigger models are the best choice.

Screen size

Common sizes are 12”, 14”, 15” and 17”. The 12” and 14” screens are usually seen in the small ultraportable category of notebooks. The 14” and 15” are the mid-size options, and by far the most common. 17” screens are great to look at, but are only found in the really large notebooks.

Upgrading the screen to the ultra-high resolution options should be considered with caution, as these ultra-high resolutions can make reading text every day very hard on the eyes. Usually the base model resolution is more then enough.

Processor (aka CPU)

Common processor choices are the Intel i3/i5/i7 series, Intel Core 2, and AMD variants. The AMD variants are somewhat cheaper, while the Intel processors give improved battery life. Also, the Intel processors tend to perform the best in notebooks. Generally the Intel processors are the best choice when factoring in the combination of price, performance, and battery life.

Unless you are running many engineering programs or simulations for extended periods, higher clock speed processors are not as important. Additionally, the Quad Core processors are unnecessary unless your programs are specifically designed to use such a processor.

Memory (aka RAM)

Two gigabytes (GB) is the bare minimum; 4 gigabytes are more realistic (especially if you are going to use Windows 7). More than that is usually a waste of money unless you are running high-end programs or very high powered simulations.

Hard Drive (aka Storage)

Practically any hard drive in a modern notebook will be big enough for common usage. Bigger isn't a bad idea, especially if you plan to store a lot of music or movies on the system. Most hard drive speeds are 5400 rpm, but 7200 rpm upgrade options are available. The 7200 rpm models definitely give a nice performance jump.

Video Card

Intel based video cards in a notebook are the most common, and also the slowest. Even normal programs are slowed down by the Intel video card, and many engineering programs will NOT work well or even correctly. If you plan to run graphically intense programs, such as 3-D games or engineering programs like CAD, the Intel video card is totally unsuitable. ATI and NVIDIA options (even the lower end ones) are a much better choice.

Optical Drive (aka CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, DVD-R/W, DVD Burner, etc)

Most current models will come with a DVD burner. Avoid models that are unable to record to a DVD.

Extras

Almost all modern notebooks being sold on the market will have integrated ethernet and wireless networking built in. It's almost never necessary to upgrade these options above the base level package. Other features such as 1394 Firewire, digital card readers, and Bluetooth may or may not be useful depending on what you plan to do with your notebook.

Tablet Style Notebooks

While some users find these handy, they tend to be more complex, expensive, and much harder to service compared with standard notebooks. Unless you REALLY want this feature, and will use it, we recommend avoiding these types of notebooks.

Operating System

For the vast majority of notebooks, we recommend any version of Windows 7 (64 bit). For personal use, we recommend Windows 7 Home Premium or Windows 7 Ultimate. If you intend to use your notebook in a professional networked environment, such as CSU, get Windows 7 Professional or Windows 7 Ultimate. Please note, ENS does not support "Home" versions of Windows.

ENS neither supports nor recommends Windows Vista. Computers that are capable of running Windows Vista are generally able to run Windows 7, and we recommend upgrading to Windows 7 if your computer is using Vista.

For netbooks, Windows XP is an acceptable alternative to Windows 7. Please note, ENS does not support "Home" versions of Windows.

Computers purchased through ENS on CSU accounts are eligible to receive Windows 7 and Microsoft Office at no additional cost. Personal computers purchased by Engineering students and faculty may be eligible to receive Windows at no cost through the MSDNAA ELMS program.