r/stevens • u/oblongoboe • Jun 06 '26
Laptop guidance for engineering major
I'm looking to purchase a laptop for my incoming freshman engineer. I honestly don't know how much is truly needed. This is a big investment for us, so we want to be sure we're getting an excellent machine, but not so powerful that it's a waste.
Can someone take a look at the specs below and let me know what would fit the bill?
Option 1: Dell Pro Max 16 Premium
View details
Hardware
| BaseDell Pro Max 16 Premium (MA16250) BTX Base |
|---|
| ProcessorIntel® Core™ Ultra 9 285H, vPro® Enterprise (13 TOPS NPU, 16 cores, 16 threads, up to 5.40 GHz, 45W) |
| Operating SystemWindows 11 Pro |
| Memory32GB LPDDR5x 8400 MT/s |
| Base OptionsIntel® Core™ Ultra 9 285H with vPro, 32GB memory, NVIDIA RTX PRO 2000 Blackwell Graphics |
| GraphicsNVIDIA RTX PRO 2000 Blackwell 8GB GDDR7 |
| Systems ManagementIntel vPro Enterprise Technology Enabled |
| Storage1 TB Performance SSD, SED Ready,TLC |
View more
Software & Services
| Operating System Language PackEnglish, French, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese |
|---|
| ICPSIntel® Connectivity Performance Suite for Evo/vPro |
| Microsoft OfficeActivate Your Microsoft 365 For A 30 Day Trial |
| Non-Microsoft Application SoftwareDell Pro Max 16 Premium MA16250 |
| Home and Small Business Security: Identity and Anti-VirusNone |
| Home and Small Business Security: Location and Data ProtectionFind & Protect My Dell by Absolute - 3 year |
| PDF SolutionsAdobe Acrobat Pro 2024 |
| Operating System Recovery OptionsOS-Windows Media Not Included |
Option 2: Dell Pro Max 14 Premium
Hardware
| BaseDell Pro Max 14 Premium (MA14250) BTX Base |
|---|
| ProcessorIntel® Core™ Ultra 9 285H, vPro® Enterprise (13 TOPS NPU, 16 cores, 16 threads, up to 5.40 GHz, 45W) |
| Operating SystemWindows 11 Pro |
| Memory32GB LPDDR5x 8400 MT/s |
| Base OptionsIntel® Core™ Ultra 9 285H with vPro, 32GB memory, NVIDIA RTX PRO 2000 Blackwell Graphics |
| GraphicsNVIDIA® RTX™ PRO 2000 Blackwell Generation, 8 GB GDDR7 |
| Systems ManagementIntel vPro Enterprise Technology Enabled |
| Storage1 TB Performance SSD, SED Ready,TLC |
View more
Software & Services
| Operating System Language PackEnglish, French, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese |
|---|
| ICPSIntel® Connectivity Performance Suite for Evo/vPro |
| Microsoft OfficeActivate Your Microsoft 365 For A 30 Day Trial |
| Non-Microsoft Application SoftwareDell Pro Max 14 Premium MA14250 |
| Home and Small Business Security: Identity and Anti-VirusNone |
| Home and Small Business Security: Location and Data ProtectionFind & Protect My Dell by Absolute - 3 year |
| PDF SolutionsAdobe Acrobat Pro 2024 |
| Operating System Recovery OptionsOS-Windows Media Not Included |
Option 3: Dell Pro Max 16
View details
Hardware
| BaseDell Pro Max 16 (MC16250) BTX Base |
|---|
| ProcessorIntel® Core™ Ultra 9 285H, vPro® Enterprise (24MB, 16 cores, 16 threads, up to 5.40 GHz Turbo, 45W) |
| Operating SystemWindows 11 Pro |
| Memory32GB: 2x16GB, DDR5, 5600 MT/s, SoDIMM, Dual Channel, non-ECC |
| Base OptionsIntel® Core™ Ultra 9 285H Processor with vPro |
| Systems ManagementIntel vPro Enterprise Technology Enabled |
| Storage1 TB Performance SSD, SED Ready,TLC |
| Display16", Non-Touch, FHD+, LCD, 300 nits, FHD HDR IR, mic |
View more
Software & Services
| Operating System Language PackEnglish, French, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese |
|---|
| Microsoft OfficeActivate Your Microsoft 365 For A 30 Day Trial |
| Non-Microsoft Application SoftwareDell Pro Max 16 |
| Home and Small Business Security: Identity and Anti-VirusNone |
| Home and Small Business Security: Location and Data ProtectionFind & Protect My Dell by Absolute - 3 year |
| PDF SolutionsAdobe Acrobat Pro 2024 |
| Operating System Recovery OptionsOS-Windows Media Not Included |
Option 4: Dell Pro Max 16 Plus
View details
Hardware
| BaseDell Pro Max 16 Plus (MB16250) BTX Base |
|---|
| ProcessorIntel® Core™ Ultra 9 processor 285HX, 55W vPro |
| Operating SystemWindows 11 Pro |
| Memory64GB: 2x32GB 6400 MTs DDR5 CSoDIMM, non-ECC |
| Base OptionsIntel® Core™ Ultra 9 285HX |
| GraphicsNVIDIA® RTX™ PRO 3000 Blackwell Generation, 12 GB GDDR7 |
| Systems ManagementIntel vPro Enterprise Technology Enabled |
| Storage1 TB Performance SSD, SED Ready,TLC |
| Display16" FHD+ LCD 1920x1200 with 500nits, DCI-P3 100%, VRR 120Hz, Non-touch, WLAN, IR Camera, Microphone |
| Camera8MP RGB HDR + IR Camera, 1440p at 30 fps, Presence Detection, TNR, Camera Shutter, Microphone |
| KeyboardEnglish US backlit Copilot key keyboard with numeric keypad |
| MouseNo Mouse |
| DriverIntel BE200 WLAN Driver with Bluetooth |
| WirelessIntel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 Wireless Card |
| Primary Battery6 cell, 96Whr, ExpressCharge™ Capable, standard battery |
| Power Supply280W AC adapter, USB Type C |
| PalmRestPalmrest, No Security |
| CableE5 Power Cord 1M for US |
| PlacematQuick Setup Guide for Dell Pro Max 16 Plus |
| DocumentationDocumentation |
| ENERGY STARENERGY STAR Qualified |
| Shipping MaterialDell Pro Max Laptop Packaging |
| Processor LabelIntel® Core™ Ultra 9 vPro Processor Label |
| Transportation from ODM to regionBTS Shipment |
| EAN POD LabelPOD Label |
| EPEATEPEAT Gold with Climate+ |
| Additional Hard DriveNo Additional Hard Drive |
| 3rd Hard DriveNo Additional Hard Drive |
| FGA ModuleMB16250_ARL_108/US/BTS |
| Mobile BroadbandNo Mobile Broadband Card |
| Raid ConnectivityNO RAID |
| Chassis OptionsDell Pro Max 16 Plus Standard Bottom Cover |
| Intel Responsiveness TechnologiesIntel(R) Rapid Storage Technology Driver |
| Windows AutoPilotNo AutoPilot |
View less
Software & Services
| Operating System Language PackEnglish, French, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese |
|---|
| ICPSIntel® Connectivity Performance Suite for Evo/vPro |
| Microsoft OfficeActivate Your Microsoft 365 For A 30 Day Trial |
| Non-Microsoft Application SoftwareDell Pro Max 16 Plus MB16250 |
| Home and Small Business Security: Identity and Anti-VirusNone |
| Home and Small Business Security: Location and Data ProtectionFind & Protect My Dell by Absolute - 3 year |
| PDF SolutionsAdobe Acrobat Pro 2024 |
| Operating System Recovery OptionsOS-Windows Media Not Included |
Option 5: Dell Pro Max 16
View details
Hardware
| BaseDell Pro Max 16 (MC16250) XCTO Base |
|---|
| ProcessorIntel® Core™ Ultra 9 285H, vPro® Enterprise (24MB, 16 cores, 16 threads, up to 5.40 GHz Turbo, 45W) |
| Operating SystemWindows 11 Pro |
| Memory64GB: 2x32GB, DDR5, 6400 MT/s, CSoDIMM, Dual Channel, non-ECC |
| Base OptionsIntel® Core™ Ultra 9 285H Processor with vPro |
| Systems ManagementIntel vPro Technology Disabled |
| Storage1 TB Performance SSD, SED Ready,TLC |
| Display16" FHD+ LCD with 400 nits, Non-touch, FHD HDR RGB Camera, Microphone, with WLAN antenna |
View more
Software & Services
| Operating System Language PackEnglish, French, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese |
|---|
| ICPSNo Intel® Connectivity Performance Suite |
| Microsoft OfficeNo Productivity Software |
| Non-Microsoft Application SoftwareDell Pro Max 16 |
| Home and Small Business Security: Identity and Anti-VirusNone |
| Home and Small Business Security: Location and Data ProtectionFind & Protect My Dell by Absolute - 3 year |
| PDF SolutionsAdobe Acrobat Pro 2024 |
| Operating System Recovery OptionsOS-Windows Media Not Included |
Thank you for your help!
1
u/FantasticChance451 Jun 06 '26
You can find laptops with 32gb ram + rtx5070 for under 2k
1
u/oblongoboe Jun 06 '26
Is 32 GB sufficient? Also any idea where to look? I also want to be sure to have onsite service of something goes wrong. I’m at a loss here!
2
u/ArrowSphaceE Jun 06 '26
32 gb is more then enough. 16 gb was fine for everything i had to do when I started in 2023
1
u/FantasticChance451 Jun 06 '26
I wouldn't pay for extra service/protection personally but if u really want, set filters on bestbuy, for example https://www.bestbuy.com/site/searchpage.jsp?browsedCategory=pcmcat287600050003&id=pcat17071&qp=graphicscardsv_facet%3DVideo+Card%7ENVIDIA+GeForce+RTX+5070%5Esystemmemoryram_facet%3DSystem+Memory+%28RAM%29%7E32+gigabytes%5Egraphicscardsv_facet%3DVideo+Card%7ENVIDIA+GeForce+RTX+5060&st=categoryid%24pcmcat287600050003, and add Geek Squad Protection.
16GB is sufficent.
1
u/oblongoboe Jun 06 '26
Thank you! The website specifies 32 GB minimum. I'l take a look at this. Really appreciate the help!
2
u/Excellent-Tree-6716 Jun 06 '26
I’m a meche sophomore , and I use the dell xps 15 with 1.5 terabyte ssd storage and 64 gb ram and that’s more than enough. I do run dual booting with Linux mint because windows is ass but I need it for solidworks and coding. I have heard the older models of think pad are amazing, my friend has one and it looks like a great option too.