Laptop Recommendations
Below is a list of laptops we here at ECS would recommend to any user who may be looking for a new system. The prices and availability of the items are subject to change and are not provided by ECS; these are just referrals. To see previously recommended configurations click here. If you have a problem with any of the items or would like to recommend one, click here.
The following laptops were chosen with the common SoE user's workload in mind. Applications such as Matlab, Comsol, Ansys, Solidworks, and many more require fast CPUs and a decent amount of RAM paired with a good graphics card. With this in mind laptops that ship with AMD Ryzen 5 and 7 CPUs offer the best price for performance. Those laptops with Ryzen 7 processors and 16+GB of RAM are suitable for research and other intense workloads.
| Name | Specifications | Notes | Price (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
 Dell G5 SE Ryzen 7 |
AMD Ryzen 7 4800H |
This laptop offers all around excellent performance with latest generation technology. It has enough power to get all necessary jobs accomplished with ease while not overextending into very expensive price ranges. |
$1,050.00 |
 Asus TUF Gaming A15 |
AMD Ryzen 7 4800H 8-Core |
This laptop also offers all around great performance and value. This Laptop is recommended for student who want to take advantage of Nvidia proprietary features such as Cuda acceleration and NVENC encoding. |
$929.00 |
 Dell G5 SE Ryzen 5 |
AMD Ryzen 5 4600H |
This is a great value laptop for students that anticipate needing graphics processing power that exceeds what an integrated GPU is able to offer. The dedicated graphics will help students in 3D modeling/simulation applications found throughout the School of Engineering. This laptop also offers a possible upgrade path for the RAM (comes with a 2x4GB configuration) and storage should these be found to be insufficient. |
$850.00 |
 Lenovo Flex 5 |
AMD Ryzen 7 4700U |
The Lenovo flex 5 offers great value and versatility. Having the ability to be paired with a Lenovo active stylus, this device unlocks a new set of features, such as being used to take notes directly on-screen. |
$750.00 |
 Lenovo IdeaPad 5 |
AMD Ryzen 7 4700U |
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 offers some of the best value for money computing power available. The powerful and efficient Ryzen 7 4700U offers great performance making this laptop the perfect middle ground for a student who wants more computing power but does not want to spend extra for other features. |
$589.00 |
 Asus VivoBook 14 M413 |
AMD Ryzen 5 3500U |
At the current listed price, this Asus Vivobook offers great value. Included features such as a full HD display, backlit keyboard, Wi-Fi 6 and plenty of processing power to get students through the majority of projects makes this an easy recommendation. |
$400.00 |