Laptop upgrade suggestion for an Engineering Student

Laptops Suggest a Laptop
1

Hey there! I have been using my Thinkpad E470 (intel i5 and a 940MX GPU) for the past 8 years. It has been my trusty stead during my Engineering bachelors and my work life and has worked well. However, I entered my MSc. in engineering recently and it has started to show signs of age and is unable to smoothly run the softwares (Fusion 360, Matlab, Origin, LAMMPS, Abaqus etc.) used in the course.

Given this, I am looking out for a suitable replacement. The general requirements are as follows

Ram: I would expect that 16GB should be okay or even 32GB, given my current 8GB has mostly been up to the tasks

Processor: around a Core ultra 5 or higher

Graphics: A GPU is a must to handle the tasks. Since I am not a huge gamer, playing a occasional light game etc, it need not be the top of the line. Something in the mid tier would do. It should be able to handle the simulation and modelling software without a hitch

Keyboard: It would be preferred that it has a numpad, as I am often entering in numbers. I have tried a few of my friend`s laptops and nothing has come close to the comfort and satisfaction of typing on a Thinkpad. So a good typing experience (close to or even like my thinkpad) is very important, as I type a a fair bit.

Storage: 1TB

Service: This is also important for me, while the laptop maybe good; it should have a good service network, good customer service, easily repairable and upgradable (Currently in Europe, if that affects things)

Should be portable, reasonably light and have a moderately decent to good battery life. I would also like it to be classy but lowkey in design, with no RGB lighting etc.

Given my experience, I would like to upgrade to another Thinkpad. However, I am open to suggestion of any other laptop that meets the above criteria. Are there any current or future thinkpads with a dedicated GPU or any other laptop with equivalent qualities? I will be holding onto this laptop for a good while (read around 10 years), so I wouldn`t mind stretching till around 1800 euros

Thanks in advance!

2

I could easily suggest you to go with the upcoming core ultra X7 panther lake, since it is miles faster than your current CPU and the igpu in it is also very capable in gaming. The only reason I will not be suggesting this is because you want your laptop to handle 3D modelling. You definitely need an nvidia RTX gpu.

  1. Lenovo yoga series ( yoga pro 7, yoga 9i) - ThinkPad like keyboard, some varients have nvidia gpu upto 5060.
  2. You can try finding a ThinkPad that has a dedicated gpu, but i doubt you can find one as I’ve not seen any new ThinkPad with a dedicated gpu.

Another great option could be the M4 or M5 MacBook pro, the igpu is capable to do 3D modelling but look if the software you want to work with is compatible with macos or not. Also look if the games you play are supported by macos or not.

3

Thanks for those suggestions! I did consider the Macbooks, but some of the softwares being used is not compatible with the Mac ecosystem. So as much as I did want to consider it, they are kind of out of contention.

Also, will there be a possibility of the Panther Lake chips to be paired with a dedicated GPU instead of only iGPU, as I wouldn`t mind holding my purchase decision if there is a real step up between the current gen of chips? I am a bit hazy between this or Nova lake.

Someone among my circle mentioned of the Asus ProArt? How is the experience with that machine as well as Asus`s customer service? (Say w.r.t. Lenovo)

4

Definitely go for the Asus ProArt P16 if you have the budget. The 2025 version basically fixed the only issue that it had in the 2024 version, which was the 60 Hz screen and a better OLED. It comes with a dedicated gpu and if you ask me about the customer service, then it varies according to locations. I have no clue about Europe but Asus has good enough customer service in the US. If you ask me, lenovo, dell and apple have the best customer service worldwide. Asus definitely varies in locations so look for Asus customer service rating in your city. The ProArt is actually a fabulous device. Very close to being a MacBook alternative.

5

The Proart is definitely a stretch for me, but I will still keep it in consideration. Just re-iterating my final question, as I don`t follow the processor news closely. Will panther lake chips be paired with dGPUs? Or will they only be available with iGPUs?

6

I think they will be paired with GPUs

7

I would suggest you the Lenovo Yoga 9i Pro, I think it’s the best laptop that aligns for the tasks you need

8

the Thinkpad P1 series do come with dedicated (workstation) GPUs, but they are expensive

9

Maybe maybe not, because Intel released 2 kinds of chips this year. Both were 200 series chip but one was lunar lake and the other one was arrow lake. The lunar lake’s priority was giving good battery life in a laptop hence lowering ita performance. This chip did not come with dgpu. The arrow lake on the other hand is a traditional CPU that gives better performance at the cost of battery life. This chip came with dgpu. The panther lake is kind of a replacement of the lunar lake, but this time it’s slightly faster or equal to the arrow lake but gives great battery life, just as the lunar lake. Hence I cannot be sure if it would be equipped with a dgpu or not as Intel could release another chip that would be replacement of the arrow lake

10

Hey All, first off.. compliments of the season! Thanks for all your suggestions and inputs. They have all been really helpful, especially the inputs with regards to the future processors. Given the current RAM crisis issue and possible impending release of new chips… I am considering to waiting it out, but if a good deal comes my way from your suggestions, it will be definitely something I would snag.

Having said all that when looking through laptops, I came across the Thinkbook series. Anyone has used them? How do they compare and differ to the Thinkpads (typing, performance etc.)? Genuinely curious cause I did not hear of this line before