Suggestions for Simulink and MATLAB use

[ApoorvPrem]

Hi Guys,

I am gonna start my Masters in mechanical engineering in this fall. Now I have an ageing 2011 MacBook Pro 13 inch ( with 8Gb ram ). Which I am gonna replace in the next two months. Before I had my mind set on a MacBook Pro 15inch with dGpu. But now I have another brainwave!!
Why not get the base 13inch rMBP (Initially I decided on getting a Macbook but it won't be sufficient for my CAD/MATLAB/Simulink needs) plus an iMac 21inch with fusion drive + 16 gb ram and + GT 750M. Here I can store all my files and also use for gameplay whereas 13inch can be used for college purposes.

 

[superlawyer15]

Having everything on 1 device can be better than a fragmented system where u use multiple devices.
I think you're better off getting the dGPU MBP and picking up a monitor (maybe the thunderbolt display) if you can find it for cheap.

 

[snaky69]

Hi Guys,

I am gonna start my Masters in mechanical engineering in this fall. Now I have an ageing 2011 MacBook Pro 13 inch ( with 8Gb ram ). Which I am gonna replace in the next two months. Before I had my mind set on a MacBook Pro 15inch with dGpu. But now I have another brainwave!!
Why not get the base 13inch rMBP (Initially I decided on getting a Macbook but it won't be sufficient for my CAD/MATLAB/Simulink needs) plus an iMac 21inch with fusion drive + 16 gb ram and + GT 750M. Here I can store all my files and also use for gameplay whereas 13inch can be used for college purposes.

How big are your projects?

 

[ApoorvPrem]

How big are your projects?

I have absolutely no idea. My course hasn't started yet. It begins in September. I will be working on these for the first time.

 

[khabboub]

im a mechanical engineering student at usf, you should get the dgpu 15 inch. i have the late 2013 model with the 750m, and i use solid works for CAD via boot camp.

i had to make a walking robot, which was designed on solid works, last semester for a kinematics course, and it had lots of parts in the assembly. after a bit there were so many parts that the programm started becoming really laggy. so i can imagine that the new 2015 15 inch rmbp will be a lot better.

but if my 750m could barely keep up with my robot, i don't think that the 13inch will be able to do any better.

also, when i get home i plug my laptop into a samsung 4k monitor (running it at 1440p) and use it in clam shell mode with a BT mouse and keyboard. this is the best solution.

 

[khabboub]

also, for matlab, just buy it. there is a student version for mac i think. my university has an apps portal, so you can use a virtual version of the program, and i have been doing that for the past 2 years. I'm not sure what your university has.

 

[khabboub]

also, having the big screen is SO MUCH NICER than the 13 inch. my friend bought the 2015 13 inch for a CAD course, and his is nice and all, but mine still runs the assemblies better, and the more real estate is really nice.

and honestly, the 4k monitor solution is very elegant. you can pick up one of these samsung 4k monitors for less than 400 now. and they are so crisp.

 

[ApoorvPrem]

also, having the big screen is SO MUCH NICER than the 13 inch. my friend bought the 2015 13 inch for a CAD course, and his is nice and all, but mine still runs the assemblies better, and the more real estate is really nice.

and honestly, the 4k monitor solution is very elegant. you can pick up one of these samsung 4k monitors for less than 400 now. and they are so crisp.

Thank you! That seals the deal then.

 

[khabboub]

Thank you! That seals the deal then.

glad i could help. what are you studying, and what do you plan to do research in? i am graduating in a year and i am trying to decide if i should do a masters, or just try to find a job. but all the jobs i want are a little out of reach (Lockheed, Boeing, NASA, or in a data center for a tech company)

 

[ApoorvPrem]

glad i could help. what are you studying, and what do you plan to do research in? i am graduating in a year and i am trying to decide if i should do a masters, or just try to find a job. but all the jobs i want are a little out of reach (Lockheed, Boeing, NASA, or in a data center for a tech company)

Well I did my UG in Automobile Engineering from India and am now heading to Michigan Tech for masters with Engine specialisation. I would suggest you the same. The UG isn't just enough to make the cut in the real world.

 

[khabboub]

Well I did my UG in Automobile Engineering from India and am now heading to Michigan Tech for masters with Engine specialisation. I would suggest you the same. The UG isn't just enough to make the cut in the real world.

my advisor told me something similar, he said that USF, and a lot of companies don't want to fund research for just a masters degree, they would rather invest in phd students. but he said if i find a willing professor, and a useful enough research topic, i should have no problem getting funded.

 

[sebseb]

I bought my mac for the exact same requirements as you have. I run long scripts in Matlab and some control projects using simulink. I also use soldiworks time to time. I went with the base 15" and increased the specs. I also thought about the 27" iMac but trust me you need portability in the new world, you just can't stay in one place. You will have to move to a lab, then to your office, then back to the lab, oh and classes. I don't think the iMac is that portable.

 

[ApoorvPrem]

my advisor told me something similar, he said that USF, and a lot of companies don't want to fund research for just a masters degree, they would rather invest in phd students. but he said if i find a willing professor, and a useful enough research topic, i should have no problem getting funded.

It depends on the university a lot - Whether its industry oriented or research oriented.