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iPad 3 or laptop for engineering?( Mod Post: #68 *READ*)

  • 09-02-2012 8:37pm
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 19


    I'm thinking of doing biomedical engineering and was wondering if an iPad 3 would do me. I'd happily go for a laptop as they are way more powerful but I hate them and much prefer tablets.
    Are the engineering textbooks offered in ebook form? I dont want to be lugging around a load of books or a big heavy laptop. I'm quite the lazy student!:D


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Comments

  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,940 ✭✭✭BhoscaCapall


    Is this a joke?

    Why would anyone want an iPad over a laptop for college?

    My advice would be to buy a laptop but tell everyone you also own an iPad at every opportunity, this way you get the best of both worlds.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 19 THEMRMONGOOSE


    Is this a joke?

    Why would anyone want an iPad over a laptop for college?

    My advice would be to buy a laptop but tell everyone you also own an iPad at every opportunity, this way you get the best of both worlds.

    I don't want an iPad for bragging rights. I just think they are way more convenient for note taking and the fact that all the books are on it so some days you can just bring the iPad along to college instead of a bag full of books and notes.


  • Registered Users Posts: 469 ✭✭Janedoe10


    If u are using it for note taking then yes the iPad is light and perfect for that . But if will u will doing some engineering program's or items for practicals etc u have more leverage with the laptop . Won't u need to back up your work too ? Lectures . ? Nothing worse u lose your iPad or drop it and your years notes gone too .


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,064 ✭✭✭Gurgle


    You're going to need a computer if you're doing any form of engineering. Actually, scratch that; you'll need a computer if you're going to college.
    Ah, you're trolling. Nevermind.


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,992 ✭✭✭✭partyatmygaff


    Tablets are actually useless for note taking tbh. You need a bluetooth keyboard and stand to type anywhere near as fast as you'd need to for note-taking. Not only that but seeing as you're planning on doing Engineering you'll be including a lot of diagrams and symbols in your notes.

    I'd go for a laptop if I were you. Anything with a decent graphics card and high resolution screen should do.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 19 THEMRMONGOOSE


    Janedoe10 wrote: »
    If u are using it for note taking then yes the iPad is light and perfect for that . But if will u will doing some engineering program's or items for practicals etc u have more leverage with the laptop . Won't u need to back up your work too ? Lectures . ? Nothing worse u lose your iPad or drop it and your years notes gone too .

    Thats what i like about it, its quick and easy. I'm looking into a laptop also because i suppose its just realistic not to have one. Worst case scenario if i were to lose it, everything is backed up in iCloud anyway so it wouldnt be the end of the world.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 19 THEMRMONGOOSE


    Tablets are actually useless for note taking tbh. You need a bluetooth keyboard and stand to type anywhere near as fast as you'd need to for note-taking. Not only that but seeing as you're planning on doing Engineering you'll be including a lot of diagrams and symbols in your notes.

    I'd go for a laptop if I were you. Anything with a decent graphics card and high resolution screen should do.

    I've messed around with my friend's iPad and since i have an iphone I'm very fast at typing on it so i wouldn't be too disadvantaged but point taken.
    Would I need a very powerful laptop for some of the programs? I was looking into ultrabook/macbook air laptops as they are fairly portable but they are quite expensive and I'm left thinking would i need all that power?


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,481 ✭✭✭Your Airbag


    Get yourself one of these and a dirt cheap PC



  • Registered Users Posts: 469 ✭✭Janedoe10


    U can type very quick on the iPad . Touch typing is very quick .


  • Registered Users Posts: 469 ✭✭Janedoe10


    Check mactivate in Dublin if u are looking for refurbished macs . Saw good price there (online) but it was a few months back . The apple online store has a refurbished site too . Other than that u can check adds . Or buy new.can u buy macs on a pay so much each month I wonder ? Have to check that me self .


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,491 ✭✭✭Yahew


    The iPad is useful for note taking, if you can type fast on it.

    It is a useful as tits on a bicycle for engineering drawing at the moment. Things may change in the future - it would need to become stylus friendly I think. But best with a cheaper laptop for now.


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,992 ✭✭✭✭partyatmygaff


    Janedoe10 wrote: »
    Check mactivate in Dublin if u are looking for refurbished macs . Saw good price there (online) but it was a few months back . The apple online store has a refurbished site too . Other than that u can check adds . Or buy new.can u buy macs on a pay so much each month I wonder ? Have to check that me self .
    Macs are pretty useless for Engineering. They're not offered with workstation graphics cards and most Engineering software is designed for Windows.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 19 THEMRMONGOOSE


    Macs are pretty useless for Engineering. They're not offered with workstation graphics cards and most Engineering software is designed for Windows.

    I heard you can run the windows programs in bootcamp though? I'd prob go for a pc although they're nowhere near as thin and light as the macbook air. But if macs are useless for engineering realistically there's no point getting one...


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,992 ✭✭✭✭partyatmygaff


    I heard you can run the windows programs in bootcamp though? I'd prob go for a pc although they're nowhere near as thin and light as the macbook air. But if macs are useless for engineering realistically there's no point getting one...
    You can but a Macbook Air isn't anywhere near powerful enough to run Engineering software.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,491 ✭✭✭Yahew


    You can but a Macbook Air isn't anywhere near powerful enough to run Engineering software.

    Ignore this technical illiterate post. The problem is the non-existence of the software - but it depends on what you need - not the graphics card on the Air, or Macbook.

    OP, what software do you think your course would need?


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,992 ✭✭✭✭partyatmygaff


    Yahew wrote: »
    Ignore this technical illiterate post.
    Technically illiterate, me? I'm not the one entertaining the idea of suggesting a Macbook Air to someone who needs a laptop for an Engineering degree.
    The problem is the non-existence of the software - but it depends on what you need - not the graphics card on the Air, or Macbook.
    Non-existence of the software? What does that even mean? I'd imagine almost all Engineering degrees will require students to use 3D Modelling applications like Solidworks. A Macbook Air will *run* Solidworks fine. The issues start when you actually work in Solidworks. If things get even slightly complicated it'll become unbearably slow.


  • Registered Users Posts: 424 ✭✭Landoflemon


    Finished my mechanical engineering degree in Limerick last year, if that's the type of engineering you're doing avoid Macs. Most of the CAD software and finite element analysis stuff will not be compatible plus most likely any of the programs your lecturers recommend will be exclusively windows based. Windows 7 is a great OS to work with.

    If you're doing CAD, any MacBook air or windows ultra book will start chugging when you start doing any serious rendering or mechanism work. Whatever you do, as potability seems to be a concern of yours, don't get anything with larger than 15 inch screen.

    Incidentally, I give some of the CAD and FEA labs in UL and I use an iPad for this, very convenient for attendance taking and when I'm talking the class through tutorial problem I have an annotated PDF in my hand on the iPad which is very handy when standing in front of a class and need a quick prompt as to what I will cover next.

    An iPad will not be sufficient for taking engineering notes, far too many diagrams with tiny labels and complex equations!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,491 ✭✭✭Yahew


    Technically illiterate, me? I'm not the one entertaining the idea of suggesting a Macbook Air to someone who needs a laptop for an Engineering degree.

    Technically illiterate. Who did you think I referring to when I quoted the post. The AIR has a graphics card better than anything avail be 5 years ago, so either engineering software didn't run then on anything

    And I didn't actually promote the AIR, because I wasn't sure if it had the software he needed, but then given that you cant understand simple English.
    Non-existence of the software? What does that even mean?

    It's simple English.
    I'd imagine almost all Engineering degrees will require students to use 3D Modelling applications like Solidworks. A Macbook Air will *run* Solidworks fine. The issues start when you actually work in Solidworks. If things get even slightly complicated it'll become unbearably slow.

    I doubt it. The number of polygons in most Engineering designs must be far lower than one scene of one relatively primitive FPS.


  • Registered Users Posts: 424 ✭✭Landoflemon


    You'd be surprised how fast CAD will bring a computer to it's knees, it's not entirely comparable to polygon count in games. For example my over clocked, water-cooled, PC will play certain games generating 80 frames/images a second, give it a decent model to render and all of a sudden you're waiting 5 minutes for a single image to be generated!


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,157 ✭✭✭srsly78


    Yahew wrote: »
    Technically illiterate. Who did you think I referring to when I quoted the post. The AIR has a graphics card better than anything avail be 5 years ago, so either engineering software didn't run then on anything

    You are just making yourself look silly now. The macbook air doesn't have a discrete graphics card at all, it has Intel integrated on-chip graphics. Even the latest version of this is pretty rubbish for anything 3d (cad or games), also it completely lacks basic stuff like antialiasing.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 19 THEMRMONGOOSE


    As much as I would like to get the air, from what you've said i think i'll stay away from it.
    Someone said that even an intel ultrabook would start to chug along but i thought that these would be very powerful machines. I suppose you're paying for the thinness in the end.

    As a biomed engineering course has chemistry and biology lectures I think i'll get and iPad as well as a laptop, it couldn't hurt to have both considering the iPad will come in handy for note taking in non-maths lectures.
    I was researching into the benefits of the iPad and found out that I can download free Yale and harvard engineering notes and lectures off of iTunesU and iBooks2.I know the laptop will be my main machine but this is a very handy study tool to have for extra reference and information.

    I have one last question, With Ivy Bridge coming out, will that make some of the intel ultrabooks noticeably more powerful and actually worth the fairly high price tag?


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,992 ✭✭✭✭partyatmygaff


    Yahew wrote: »
    Technically illiterate. Who did you think I referring to when I quoted the post.
    You must have missed the lesson on rhetorical questions in school.
    The AIR has a graphics card better than anything avail be 5 years ago,
    No it doesn't, my technically illiterate fellow. The Geforce 4400 Ti that I remember being all the rage when I was 8 years old in 2002 even beats the i5 ULV's graphics controller. http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/video_lookup.php?gpu=Quadro+FX+570
    so either engineering software didn't run then on anything
    Are you familiar with the concept of software developing and changing to take advantage of current-day hardware?
    And I didn't actually promote the AIR, because I wasn't sure if it had the software he needed, but then given that you cant understand simple English.
    How embarrassing.
    It's simple English.
    Simple English arranged stupidly speaking nonsense.
    I doubt it. The number of polygons in most Engineering designs must be far lower than one scene of one relatively primitive FPS.
    Yet again, you've demonstrated to us all that you haven't got a clue about what you're talking about.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,207 ✭✭✭longhalloween


    Laptop all the way.

    You will be expected to have prototyping software such as CAD, MultiSim and a few others so spare yourself the compatibility hassle and go for Windows 7.

    You'll also be able to pick up a decent laptop cheaper than an iPad.

    Don't worry about all the above comments, they're just posturing. Any half decent laptop will do, the lecturers won't expect all the students to have access to cutting edge technology and you can always use computer labs if you have any intensive modelling.

    Best of luck with your degree!


  • Registered Users Posts: 424 ✭✭Landoflemon


    Laptop all the way.

    You will be expected to have prototyping software such as CAD, MultiSim and a few others so spare yourself the compatibility hassle and go for Windows 7.

    You'll also be able to pick up a decent laptop cheaper than an iPad.

    Don't worry about all the above comments, they're just posturing. Any half decent laptop will do, the lecturers won't expect all the students to have access to cutting edge technology and you can always use computer labs if you have any intensive modelling.

    Best of luck with your degree!

    The above response is accurate and concise with regard to the laptop question, however I don't believe all the previous responses should be dismissed as posturing.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,157 ✭✭✭srsly78


    I have one last question, With Ivy Bridge coming out, will that make some of the intel ultrabooks noticeably more powerful and actually worth the fairly high price tag?

    Ultrabooks are just like the macbook air. They have no graphics card, the integrated intel is rubbish. Stuff like antialiasing is very important for CAD.

    So no.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,258 ✭✭✭Tora Bora


    You need to take a tablet, not use one:cool:


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,080 ✭✭✭marketty


    Get a windows laptop with a good graphics card and plenty of ram for your projects.
    For note taking get an iPen and iPaper.
    For angry birds get an iPad.
    You get some free apple stickers with it that you can stick over your laptop manufacturers logo and onto your copy books.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,069 ✭✭✭musical.x


    Enough with the insults please. If the grammar and spelling bother you that much don't read the thread. thanks!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,689 ✭✭✭joeKel73


    You'll get a much more powerful laptop for the price you'll pay for your Mac. Get plenty of RAM. Also worth picking up a second monitor for cheap (or free) somewhere - great when doing projects without having to flick between windows for data/assignment.

    Also worth noting that you can download most of the Autodesk software for free here as a student; http://students.autodesk.com/
    (takes some 1st years a good while to realise that)


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  • Registered Users Posts: 10,992 ✭✭✭✭partyatmygaff


    If you want a laptop that will last you for the duration of the degree, get a refurbished Dell Precision M4600. €1200ish but it's a bulletproof Engineering workstation.


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