My dream of a Hydrogen Future needs a Laptop

I am an undergrad at IIT, Varanasi, and currently pursuing a degree in the field of Metallurgical Engineering. During the course of my Bachelors,I have been involved with an Automobile research team from the institute. In our pursuit, we have developed India's most efficient battery electric vehicle, with a staggering efficiency of 465 km/kWh, as compared to Tesla Model S60D 's 5 km/kWh ( https://pushevs.com/2016/11/23/electric-cars-range...). We have also bagged the 2nd position at the prestigious Shell Eco-marathon Asia, 2019 ( https://www.financialexpress.com/auto/electric-veh...).

I am 3rd from the left

Following the success, our team contemplated that at the end of the day, we are still producing electricity using the fossil fuels (indianpowersector.com/home/about/). Thus we have decided to fabricate a Hydrogen Powered Fuel Cell Hybrid Electric Vehicle, and I have been given the helm to develop the Fuel Cell Assembly for the vehicle.

I am also performing a project which involves computational modelling of the materials and characterizing using DFT.Using Quantum Espresso as a tool, I want to develop a new material which will be more economical and utilize the sunlight as an energy source (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photocatalytic_water...). Using this tool, I can currently perform band structure calculations, Phonon Dispersion Curves, Density of States calculations, and many more.

Fig: Model of TiO2 displayed on Xcrysden

Fig: Band Structure of Silicon

Fig: DOS of Titanium

Fig: Phonon Curve of Silicon

I am also among a handful of students to be given access to the institute's supercomputer. This is also utilized for the materials based simulation .

Fig: SSH based client hosting using Putty. The name of the supercomputer is Param Shivay (Credentials hidden due to security reasons) (https://www.cdac.in/index.aspx?id=pk_itn_spot1230)

I currently use a Lenovo Ideapad 500 with Ubuntu 18.04 LTS as my OS.

Desktop

I plan to further my ambition by doing a post-graduation in the field of Quantum Mechanics and Materials Science. However, over the time, my laptop's condition has worsened. Even after using Linux, the laptop at times freezes and shuts down. The simulations which I perform takes about 4-5 hours and the CPU works at about 100% capacity. This has caused severe degradation of the structure.

The hinge is severely jammed, leading to the breaking of the main body. When I took it to the service center, they denied that deeming it as irreparable. As a last resort, I had to stick both panels together using M-Seal.

I had to get the battery as well as the adapter changed after it had malfunctioned.

Vent has melted due to severe heating

The CD drive has stopped working

Chipping has occurred at the edges

I recently had to get the battery changed after it stopped functioning. Also the laptop's hinge was also severely damaged, causing the back panel to open up when opening or closing. This is also a recent expense.

I belong to an average middle class family, with my father had to recently quit his job as a telecom engineering due to the recent economic slowdown in May 2019. He is venturing into Organic Farming business currently, and he cannot make much investment in my regards. Also, my sister is in her final high school year and will be looking for a humanities college in the upcoming May 2020. She is a meritorious student (secured 94% in half-yearly exams) and I don't want to be a hurdle in her ambitions. The only income sources of my family is my mother who works as a primary school teacher.

I want a laptop with a better performance so I can perform simulations and calculations on the go. Whatever I am now is all because of my Hard work and Perseverance, and I always strive to achieve more than is possible for me. The laptop will be the tool which will give me the edge which I currently require to pursue my ambition.

It is my humble request to kindly assist in this regard by contributing whatever is within your capacity. I want to assure you that your smallest contribution will make me eternally grateful.