Engineering students don't need a workstation-certified laptop to run CAD software, but they do need dedicated graphics, enough RAM to keep SolidWorks or MATLAB from choking, and a processor that will not throttle the moment a simulation gets demanding. And for students on a budget, the best pick right now is the Lenovo LOQ 15, down to $1000 (was $1500) at Best Buy. This configuration packs in an AMD Ryzen 7 170 processor and an RTX 5050 GPU, alongside 16GB DDR5 RAM, 512GB SSD, and a 2K display. All in a 15.6in chassis that stays practical for daily carry between classes.