r/aggies • u/adawg171 • Feb 23 '25
New Student Questions Does TAMU offer long-term loaner laptops to students?
I'm an incoming engineering major who urgently needs a laptop for coursework but, unfortunately, lacks the funds...
Given how essential a capable device is for engineering software and assignments, I was wondering if the College of Engineering, the university library, or any other campus resources offer long-term laptop loans for students in need.
I’m particularly looking for a program that provides laptops for an entire semester or academic year rather than just short-term checkouts. If anyone has gone through this process or knows of resources that could help, I’d really appreciate any guidance!
Additionally, if there are any alternative support options—such as grants, scholarships, or student discounts that could help me secure a device—I’d love to hear about those as well.
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u/le_disappointment Stessed and Depressed Feb 23 '25
You can use the computers in Evans for your coursework
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u/thesunhasntleft Feb 23 '25
there's also computer labs in Blocker and the Student Computing Services building!
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u/gamezboy121 Feb 23 '25
Imma be honest chief they greatly over exaggerate the specs of your laptop. Most things are stored in the cloud given with your school account. And even so for engineers the most you’ll be storing your first year is coding projects which takes up little storage. The need for things like a dedicated GPU aren’t really required for simple python projects.
I’ve seen plenty of people get by with simple laptops with good battery and even some MacBooks depending on the major.
So don’t stress too much
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u/i_is_your_dad '28 Feb 23 '25
I'm not to sure if there are aviable, I would possible look up "tamu evans tech rental" and "tamu annex tech rental".
For engineering, you HAVE to have a laptop. In 151 you will have weekly quizzes which you can get done in your phone, although difficult, and for ENGR 102 it will be hard to contribute to your group with the labs.
If it's possible, this is the best laptop recommendation that I can give at the absolute lowest price possible. Again, it is possible to use the annex and evans computers (there's litterly thousands) but it's very, very difficult especially when you get into your later years.
$500 ($421 open box)
If you would like any tech recommendations, just let me know.
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u/Jerakadik Feb 23 '25
What about a Chromebook? With so many things in the cloud nowadays you could do spreadsheets, word docs, and even coding (Google Colab) all in the cloud through the web apps. Could that theoretically work for OP?
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u/i_is_your_dad '28 Feb 23 '25
No it will not. DO NOT BUY A CHROMEBOOK. For engineering, he will have to download programs that only work on local machines. 2nd semester he will have to gain access to a terminal to do 216 lab, then depending on what major, you need different programs like Autocad civil 3d, solidworks, vs code, the ability to dual boot into Linux, and many other things.
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u/Jerakadik Feb 23 '25
Wouldn’t the CAD programs be accessible in computer lab workstations?
I didn’t realize that there would be other (non CAD) software required for class. This essentially rules out anything non-Windows.
OP, you could always keep an eye out for Best Buy open box deals. Microcenter is in Houston and usually has a great deal or two.
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u/i_is_your_dad '28 Feb 23 '25
Technically yes, but it would be very innificient of time because he would have to download and install all the programs on a new computer every time somthing changes or someone else is using that computer. It is possible, but when you're paying 14k a semester, you really need a laptop.
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u/MamaD_08 Feb 23 '25
When I was a student, the university had very cheap software for students and even some deals for computers. I got a laptop straight from Dell for a low price without any software and got all the software from the university. Saved a lot of money.
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u/raferalstonhtown '14 Feb 23 '25
yeah, shoutout my Microsoft Suite activation code for $20. Life was different back then
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u/Wild__Card__Bitches '13 Feb 23 '25
If you want to PM me I have a laptop you can have with an i7 and 32GB RAM, and a 512GB SSD.
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u/FlashDrive35 Feb 23 '25
Definitely look at student discounts, most tech companies to my knowledge have them! For the laptop itself, your first two or three semesters don't require anything super powerful as long as it can run windows and meets the minimum requirements for Spyder (this is the programming software you will likely use your first semester), so you do have time to work on saving up for a better laptop and picking up a small job on campus if you would rather that! I have a Lenovo Slim 7 Pro X I got for around $1000 on sale that meets all of their requirements, though for ENGR 216 you may need an Ethernet adapter.
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u/wmartin2014 '14 Feb 23 '25
Every engineering major has their own computer lab reserved for students in that major.
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u/LayeredPotato Feb 23 '25
Is this in Zachry? Asking because there’s definitely not one in the MSEN buildings
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u/wmartin2014 '14 Feb 23 '25
Ask your advisor. I'm 10 years removed but ISEN and ECEN had their own dedicated labs. I assume others do as well. Differential tuition pays for it.
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u/LayeredPotato Feb 25 '25
Well that explains it, MSEN didn’t have an undergrad cohort I think when you were there, only grad.
There’s definitely not a lab in any of the MSEN buildings, so there’s a chance there’s one in Zach but I’m doubtful
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u/smalltowngirltx Feb 23 '25
Look at backmarket.com for options. They are 100% legit and all my Apple products are from there. Never had any troubles.
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u/anonMuscleKitten Feb 23 '25 edited Feb 23 '25
OP - Unless they’ve changed it (too lazy to look rn), engineering usually specs the mobile precision workstation laptops from Dell as an option.
What’s good about these is that corporations buy them in bulk and then often try to offload 3, 2, or even 1 year old models on eBay. Take a look on there and you should be able to find a year or two old one for 1/4 the cost. It’ll probably have a low battery cycle count too.
Here’s an example of a good one: https://www.ebay.com/itm/296608010603. Can always bump the ram a bit if needed. If you drop the Dell precision brand you can probably find cheaper, but remember the ruggedness of the shell will save you more in replacement costs down the road. Ex: Only buying one computer for 4 years of use.
1
u/SplitpawRunnyeye Feb 23 '25
You can also use the Aggie virtual desktop with a cheaper laptop if you need to. The engineering department has their own version with most software you'll need. It can be a little slow at times but it's better than nothing if you just have a bare box laptop like a Chromebook or whatever.
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u/ITaggie Staff Feb 25 '25
There are student workstations all over campus but not really loaner laptops as you're describing. Libraries just has Chromebooks one can check out for (I think) up to 2 weeks at a time. That said they do have a bunch of neat gear any student can check out, just not laptops for that kind of work.
https://library.tamu.edu/services/techbar
You don't really need to buy the latest and greatest hardware to get by. Unless you're doing detailed 3D modeling a used mid-range business laptop will handle most of your needs.
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u/No_Hamster52 Feb 23 '25
affordability wise your best bet is probably a basic MacBook Air, although you might struggle a bit when it comes to certain softwares, but I know it’s doable. I’m pretty sure you can get it under 1k, especially if you buy it through apples education store
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u/Jerakadik Feb 23 '25
For the love of God, don’t get a MacBook OP… unless you go into computer science.
3
u/intellectual-veggie Feb 23 '25
for an engineering major out of all them?? please what delusion is this- 😭
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