Hello. I’m a Mac guy, graduating soon with my double major and a minor and headed to grad school. I’m doing more and more GIS modeling and data crunching using mostly raster and LiDAR. I am sadly realizing I need to get a laptop that’s not Apple. I have about $3,000 to spend. I want this to last me for 4-5 good years, getting me most of the way through grad school.
first question: should I stick to gaming laptops? For example, I’ve heard good things about longevity of Lenovo but don’t know if I’m better off looking at a beefy thinkpad or a Legion.
second question: screen size?
third question: is there a “best” processor for GIS work?
fourth: what would you do?
Although Esri cannot recommend one computer system over another, there are multiple resources you can use to make your decision.
Good luck with grad school!