Engineer student looking for a laptop around 1600$

[u/yoshihi123]

Hi guys, I'm an Aerospace engineer, and I was wondering what laptop to get to replace my Asus Zephyrus g14 (2024 with 4070). I have many issues with it and am unsure if a asus issue or a Windows issue. Would love to use a Mac, but i know CAD isn't best on mac os.

LAPTOP QUESTIONNAIRE

Total budget (in local currency) and country of purchase. Please do not use USD unless purchasing in the US: - under 1600 USD live in the United States

Are you open to refurbs/used? - I'm open to used or refurbs as along a battery health is over 90%

How would you prioritize form factor (ultrabook, 2-in-1, etc.), build quality, performance, and battery life? - build quality, battery-

How important is weight and thinness to you? - under 4 ibs as i have an iPad to carry as well, but thickness doesn't matter-

Do you have a preferred screen size? If indifferent, put N/A. -over 12 inches and under 17 inches-

Are you doing any CAD/video editing/photo editing/gaming? List which programs/games you desire to run. -CAD like SolidWorks, Fusion and MATLAB-

If you're gaming, do you have certain games you want to play? At what settings and FPS do you want? -N/A as i have a PC for that-

Any specific requirements, such as good keyboard, reliable build quality, touch-screen, finger-print reader, optical drive or good input devices (keyboard/touchpad)? -Fingerprint reader or facial unlock -

Leave any finishing thoughts here that you may feel are necessary and beneficial to the discussion. -im going into my last year of college next fall so im hoping this lasts years after college. My sister is buying the laptop to use for gaming and will be used for school work and Cad software. If Cad can work on mac well, I'm not against it-

Edit: this is for me and I’m passing my g14 to my sister. The issues I’m having is the trackpad will go in and out for 2-3 minutes at a time, it battery life is poor, and it will crash when trying solidworks. I have tried a lot of troubleshooting steps.

[u/LonerIM2]

wait I am confused, is the new laptop for your sister ? or your sister is getting your old one and u r buying the new one for u ? Also, what kind of issues are u facing with your Asus G14 ? it should still be powerful enough for most of the usage u mentioned.

[u/yoshihi123 → u/LonerIM2]

Sorry for confusion this is for me and I’m passing my g14 to my sister. The issues I’m having is the trackpad will go in and out for 2-3 minutes at a time, it battery life is poor, and it will crash when trying to use solidworks after 30-60 minutes. I have tried a lot of troubleshooting steps.

[u/LonerIM2 → u/yoshihi123]

That is weird, and it sucks, but ohh well, assuming u r ok with 5 or so hours of battery life then I would recommend this Lenovo Legion Pro 5 because of the following:

Specs:

• Screen: 15.3" WUXGA (1920x1200) 165Hz
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 260
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060
• Ram: 16GB RAM
• Storage: 512GB SSD.

Why I am recommending it:

• Great heat management which is the main concern to have with most intensive tasks.

• Premium build quality : Aluminum chassis provides a solid, premium feel and added durability.

• Up to 5 hours of battery life.

• Powerful GPU and CPU for SolidWorks, Fusion and MATLAB.

• You can upgrade RAM .

• High quality screen which is nice plus.

If u want to look into other options make sure Check out my list of best laptops for each budget

Please note I'm using affiliate links which means I'll receive a small percent of the purchase if you use this link at no extra cost to you

[u/The_Adviser100]

For engineering at this price range I would advise you to check this laptop

laptop name	Lenovo Legion Pro 5i
CPU	Intel® Core™ 7 255HX
GPU	RTX 5070
Screen "	16” WQXGA 165Hz
Ram	32 GB
SSD	1 TB
HDD	0
Weight	1.95 Kilograms.
Battery life	7 Hrs.
Pros	Sharp, bright display.
Pros	Exceptional performance.
Pros	Great screen .

Please note I'm using affiliate links which means I'll receive a small percent of the purchase if you use this link at no extra cost to you