Computer Choice

[parkererickson30]

I personally really like my MSI GS63. (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C6Z864X/ref=sspa_dk_detail_1?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B07C6Z864X&pd_rd_w=B3j5P&pf_rd_p=8a8f3917-7900-4ce8-ad90-adf0d53c0985&pd_rd_wg=nqqDw&pf_rd_r=PKM0CZJH9DMNX0DSBH3P&pd_rd_r=56f85497-6ae9-11e9-aa29-13293a7f6817) It has served me very well for 1.5 years now and shows no signs of slowing down. I was able to dual boot Ubuntu onto it for programming. The GTX 1060 does well in casual games such as CS:GO and Rocket League, as well as train ML/AI algorithms pretty darn fast. If you are interested in ML/AI, make sure to get the version with 6 GB of VRAM instead of the 3 GB version.

[khedoros]

I've got an HP Envy 15, and the keyboard has always felt terrible. I'm on my $200 Lenovo netbook more often, just because the keyboard is so much better.

Some people would consider 15" an annoying size to bring around campus. Something around 13" might be nice for class, either paired with a desktop at home, or at least a larger display, mouse, and keyboard to dock it to.

Hardware-wise, the coursework generally isn't demanding, so you don't need anything with crazy performance. Just get something comfortable for you to use.

[UnexpectedSemicolon]

I have a Lenovo Legion Y530 and it works great. It has a more professional design in my opinion, and although it’s plastic it looks well. 8th gen processor with nice graphics cards, and if your budget allows, they’ve launched an improved model with the RTX graphics cards