u/Relative_Iron4473

I’m going to be a mechanical engineering student this fall and I’m thinking about getting the ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED with the Intel Core Ultra 9, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, and Intel Arc graphics.

Would this be a good laptop for engineering school and programs like Solid Edge, MATLAB, CAD, programming, etc.? I want something that will last me all 4 years while still having good battery life and portability for carrying around campus.

I know it doesn’t have a dedicated RTX GPU, so I’m wondering if that will become a problem later on for simulations or larger CAD projects.

This is also pretty much the maximum amount of money I can spend on a computer, so I’m trying to make the best choice possible.

Anyone here use a Zenbook for engineering? How has it held up?

Use this for the body of the post:

LAPTOP QUESTIONNAIRE

Country
United States

Budget
$1,600 USD max

Are you open to refurbs/used options?
Maybe, but preferably new

Screen size
14” preferred

Weight limit
Preferably lightweight since I’ll be carrying it around campus every day

Purpose
Mechanical engineering student laptop for college

Form factor
Standard/clamshell laptop, touchscreen preferred but not required

Intended usage
Mechanical engineering coursework including Solid Edge, MATLAB, CAD, programming, simulations, Arduino, Python, and general schoolwork. I also want good multitasking performance and enough power for 4 years of engineering school.

Desired battery life
At least 8+ hours preferred

Please list, in order of most important to least important, the priority between Size, Weight, Performance, Battery life
Performance, battery life, weight, size

Info/Requirements
Currently considering the ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED with Intel Core Ultra 9, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, and Intel Arc graphics. I want something portable with strong battery life but still capable of handling engineering software. I know it doesn’t have a dedicated RTX GPU, so I’m wondering if that will become an issue later on for CAD/simulations. This is also basically the maximum amount of money I can spend on a laptop.

I’m going to be a mechanical engineering student this fall and I’m thinking about getting the ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED with the Intel Core Ultra 9, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, and Intel Arc graphics.

Would this be a good laptop for engineering school and programs like Solid Edge, MATLAB, CAD, programming, etc.? I want something that will last me all 4 years while still having good battery life and portability for carrying around campus.

I know it doesn’t have a dedicated RTX GPU, so I’m wondering if that will become a problem later on for simulations or larger CAD projects.

This is also pretty much the maximum amount of money I can spend on a computer, so I’m trying to make the best choice possible.

Anyone here use a Zenbook for engineering? How has it held up?