I'm a mechanical engineering student planning to build a new desktop computer for my dorm room to handle bigger projects. I'm reusing an old 24" HD office monitor and some peripherals. The main software I need to run includes Fusion, SolidWorks, Visual Studio, and MATLAB. My budget is around $1000, and I'm looking for an Intel processor (14th gen i5+), 32GB DDR4 RAM, and an NVIDIA graphics card (3050 or better). Does anyone have recommendations for storage? I'm considering a 1TB SSD and want to buy a standard desktop case secondhand. Any advice would be appreciated!
1 Answer
You really don't need a top-tier computer for engineering school. A decent gaming PC will handle the required software just fine. I ended up leaving my gaming rig at home because it was more of a distraction than a help. I found I did my best work in computer labs where all the software was available and I could collaborate with classmates. In the end, I switched to a budget laptop for taking notes and doing homework, relying on school resources for everything else. Just a thought!
Honestly, I don't play games either and really dislike my school's computers. I’m planning to build again since my current setup can't even upgrade to Windows 11.