Laptop advice Systems Engineering, Policy Analysis & Management

Bachelor’s students intending to take the Systems Engineering, Policy Analysis & Management degree programme are strongly advised to buy a suitable laptop. The modules currently being devised assume that students have their own laptop and all the necessary facilities. Laptops can be used for projects, assignments or tests and allow you to work whenever and wherever you want. 

Modern education is based on swift access to data sources and your own files. A wireless network in combination with your own laptop will enable you to use the Internet and your own files and applications practically anywhere in the Faculty.  You will no longer have to take the opening hours of the computer rooms and the availability of computers into account during busier periods (during exams or approaching deadlines for submitting work). Synchronising your files with your laptop and network will also allow you to continue working offline, on the train, for example.

Which laptop?

Taking part in the laptop project is not compulsory, but it does have many benefits (good price/performance, 3 years service and guarantee for both the system and the battery). All laptops offered by TU Delft are suitable for the Systems Engineering, Policy Analysis & Management programme.  Participation in the laptop project is not compulsory but does offer considerable advantages.

  •  It is a powerful computer with good screen quality.
  •  The price is good
  •  3 year warranty. On campus repair and battery and possibility to get a swap laptop while your laptop is in repair.

If you decide not to take advantage of the laptop project and prefer to buy your own, pay particular attention to the battery life: most lecture rooms only have a limited number of plug points.  Specific Systems Engineering, Policy Analysis & Management applications do not require 'high performance' processor or video performance, so a modern Windows laptop will suffice.

  • Suitable for Windows 10 (64-bits)
  • A multi-core (quad-core) processor
  • A discrete (dedicated) video card
  • At least 16 GB of RAM (32 GB recommended)
  • At least 512 GB of storage (1TB SSD recommended)
  • At least 15” full HD screen

Apple

For your studies you mainly use Windows software that is often not available in an Apple Mac (OS) version. A Mac is therefore less suitable for your studies. On a Mac with an Intel processor (the i7 processor) you still use this Windows software via a detour. Follow the Bootcamp manual from Apple for this. You do need a Windows 10 installation file and serial number (available from Surfspot) and a lot of free disk space.

Apple now also offers Macs with an Apple M1 processor. This processor is not compatible with the Intel processors, which means that no Intel version of Windows 10 can be installed on it and therefore these Macs are less / not suitable for your studies.

Software

The required software can be downloaded by all students from the software portal. Click here for more information. 

The student is responsible for installing the software he or she needs. If the student is unable to do this, SID-Studoc students are available to help install the software and offer assistance in its use. 

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