[jyl]

Need some laptop advice from the brain trust.

My son is starting in the undergrad architecture program at University Of Oregon this fall. The department requires each student to have a laptop meeting certain minimum specs. They need to run AutoCAD, Rhino, Photoshop, etc.

I've spec'd out a Thinkpad P52 workstation that looks like it should handle anything he could need for the whole five year program. i8 quad-core, Nvidia Quadro 2000 graphics, 64 GB RAM with room for 128 GB, 512 GB SSD with more two drive slots free, 4K 15" screen, etc. It'll cost about $3,600 and is a tank.

Hmm. It really will be a tank. Like big and heavy. Like the bad old days of laptop bulk and weight.

The Thinkpad P1 thin and light workstation can be spec'd for a similar price to about 70% as much oomph. It maxes at 64 GB RAM, only has two drive slots, doesn't have near as much heat dissipation ability, etc. But it'd be a much more portable machine. Like, if you're not actually an architecture student it'd be all the laptop you need. And if you are an architecture student it'd be adequate but maybe not perfect.

Here's the thing. I'm not confident he'll actually stick with the architecture program. He's not a kid who has been dreaming about designing buildings his whole life. He's also interested in product design and marine biology, and who knows what else he might get into.

Should I buy the P52? Or buy the P1 and potentially have to spring for a better laptop or maybe a desktop later?