This question is easy to answer as I have been involved in Electrical Engineering since 2011.
Electrical Engineering students will need to be able to program in C/Java/Python/R.
b) Simulations: Matlab/Simulink NI Labview NI Multisim pSPICE, Saber
c) CAD Softwares – Eagle, orCAD
d) Documentation/Word Processing: LaTeX and MS Office
e) Embedded Programming ecosystems: Vivado, Code Composer Studio etc
These examples are not complete. Softwares such as Matlab/Simulink require a lot of processing power and plenty of RAM. This should be the main focus, not a large screen or large keyboard. You will also need to transport your system as you travel as a student. A smaller screen size and longer battery life are better. Simulink and most other apps are simple to install on Windows. However, I have heard that Macs can be more difficult to use in this regard.
The system specifications would then be:
Processor: Intel i5 and Above
RAM: RAM up to 8GB with an additional RAM slot for easy upgrade
Graphic Card: 2GB. (U can opt for onboard Graphics, if your RAM is 16GB).
Screen Size: 14 inch
OS Windows
Hard Disk: 1TB (Standard).
These specs are why I recommend professional laptops. They are more focused on performance than entertainment and multimedia.
These are the possible candidates/brands
A) Lenovo ThinkPad
b) Dell Latitude
c) HP Probook
From 2011 to 2016, I used an HP Probook 4440s and had no problems. Since 2016, I’ve switched to the Lenovo Thinkpad E460 and haven’t experienced any problems.