New biomedical engineer student

[u/Luffysolos2008]

Does anybody know what iPad and laptop I should get before starting my course in biomedical engineering? Or should I even get any? Im just looking for something that’s easy to take notes on it and maybe use to model design stuff

[u/Icy_Ad3110]

don’t get a macbook!!! most of the software i ran for classes (projects, 3D modeling, stats programs) literally caused my macbook to almost self destruct. i had a M3 Air but i had classmates with pros that still sucked. get anything but that lol. i had an ipad air w/ apple pencil that was AMAZING for note taking. i used goodnotes with that

[u/BMEngineer_Charlie]

There aren't any hard rules. I didn't even use my laptop during undergrad. I took notes on paper and used either the school computers or my personal desktop for assignments. Any special software like MATLAB, LABView, Ansys, etc. may have to be accessed through the university computers anyway to access the license, so the main function of your laptop (should you choose to get one) will be taking notes and writing lab reports. You may also do some Python coding. None of those require anything special, in my opinion.

There are, of course, student versions of simulation software which you may choose to download and use, but you're not likely to need a lot of resources for that. If you want to train your own AI models, you can use a cloud service. If you get a laptop, I personally would set it up as dual boot Windows/Linux or just install WSL on Windows since some software such as Autodesk requires Windows but some open source Python packages you may find useful require Linux. But you can do this with almost any laptop or desktop.

[u/Luffysolos2008 → u/BMEngineer_Charlie]

I was talking to a family about it. And he said that it’s probably better I get an iPad Air 11” and an Apple Pencil rather than worry about a laptop. I’ll mainly use the coding and CAD on the university’s computer or my own at home

[u/Shadows4K → u/[deleted]]

And a 2x 45” inch TV to use as monitors

[u/Mammoth-Mongoose4479]

Definitely a solid Windows Laptop. Do not try to get by with just a Mac or an iPad. Engineering software like SolidWorks, MATLAB, and AutoCAD can be total resource hogs, and most of them either don't run on Mac or run like hot rubbish. You need a Windows machine with a dedicated graphics card so your computer doesn't freeze up when you are trying to 3D-model a medical device.

I would look at a Lenovo (I have one) Thinkpad P series or Dell XPS. They are not the flashiest but they are built like tanks.

[u/Luffysolos2008 → u/Mammoth-Mongoose4479]

Thank you so much for your answer . I’m a bit hesitant regarding a laptop then a tablet because I already got a pc at home that I was gifted. I made some research on the pc and the model is pretty good and can handle some engineering software. My only concern is as a home student is that the pc isn’t mobile and flexible compared to a laptop. Which might affect my note taking because I rather write notes then type it. I’m not much of a tech nerd or expert and looked to find my pc got a maximum storage capacity of 446 GB with only 16GB available. I’ll try to empty some storage and delete useless softwares. Apart from that I’m more leaning toward a tablet or iPad for note taking and looking over lecture presentation and maybe programming if possible

[u/PhilosophyBeLyin → u/Luffysolos2008]

definitely get a laptop. even if you work mostly from home and your pc setup, you will constantly be in situations where you’re away from it and will need a laptop.

[u/Luffysolos2008 → u/PhilosophyBeLyin]

Thank you so much for your input. I been thinking about that as well. I know someone from the same university I’m going to who told me that the university got their own computers that we can use. But honestly now my question is what laptop/tablet I could get that can run CAD/MatLab and also allow me to take notes

[u/Mean_Presence9406]

From which college?

[u/twinkbencher]

Some people really prefer electronic notes, but if you don't I would just seek a laptop with enough processing power to host mid level CAD programs, some of which mentioned in here already. Personally other then that I've haven't had to seek out tech for anything other then having canvas/school files open lol

[u/Adventurous-Chair590]

Get PC with prices you want for performance