<p>I was planning on getting a new desktop that would hopefully last me 8+ years of solid usage (with upgrades in between, of course) because I already have a laptop and my father just gave me some money to spend on a college present. I wouldn't know where else to spend the money because it's quite a lot (unnecessary amount lol).</p>
<p>I could buy another laptop but that would make my other one useless and I don't want that. I will also be getting a single room so annoying roommates probably won't be a problem (though this is not guaranteed...). I never type my notes; when I type up notes I can't focus well and everything seems so limited, so I always use notebook and pencil. For group projects and other tasks that require me to be outside my room I can always use my older laptop. The desktop I plan on getting is a small micro ATX desktop so it doesn't take up much space, but it's still big enough so that it's hard to steal. But I guess for the things I do, my laptop is getting a little outdated and its processors are getting slower and slower.</p>
<p>So my question is, does anyone in college use a desktop? This is just kind of a more general question so I thought I'd post it here... I mean, if my father wants me to spend the money on anything I'd like, I mean, why not...?</p>
<p>If you have no use for all that money then simply save it! Save it for paying back loans, car repairs, future rent, or if you’re really desperate for a reason to spend money, a vacation. No use buying something just for the sake of spending money.</p>
<p>Technology changes way too much so that in 4+ years you won’t be able to reuse much. With two teenagers at home I did this for a while, and eventually you’re one important technology upgrade away from doom… Things like memory (DDR3 vs DDR2 or DDR, super power supplies, and the like. Maybe keyboard, mouse, and case :-). Drive interfaces? PCI express 3? 4? SSD?</p>
<p>If you want to spend on a desktop build yourself a Shuttle SFF with i7 and a good graphics card but be prepared to chuck it in 3 years. I’ve lost count of how many new sockets Intel and AMD put out every year…</p>
<p>I use one exclusively. You get a full-sized keyboard, a proper mouse, you get the keep the monitor and all other I/O peripherals from one system to the next (laptops always have the cheapest, lousiest monitors, so if you plan on doing ANYTHING where picture quality is important like photo editing or gaming you do not want to rely on the cheapest monitor possible), you’re carrying around this big piece of equipment in addition to your other stuff, you’re never worried about it being stolen if you go to the bathroom at the library, etc. If I’m on campus and need to use a computer, I go to the lab or failing that the library, if I’m at home I have my ideal desktop setup, and if I’m in class I take lecture notes by hand or do homework. If I’m at a restaurant I eat and maybe read a book. I rarely am in a position where having a computer right then and there would be handy but I can’t get to one quickly. It’s nice to not carry around a $500 piece of equipment that if the monitor starts wigging out on me or the power supply breaks, I don’t have to replace the whole unit.</p>
<p>Desktops are easier to upgrade and repair, much much easier, and if you are a gamer or doing anything computationally intensive you’ll appreciate this: you get more bang for your buck with a desktop than with a laptop. On laptops you pay a premium for the compactness and the addition of a monitor and itty bitty keyboard. With a desktop I can buy a nice monitor and use it for the next three computers and focus my money on CPU, RAM, video card, HD, etc.</p>
<p>FWIW: I am an engineering physics major and a computer science minor.</p>
<p>Don’t get a desktop! One of my roommates from last year had a desktop and a laptop. She almost never used the desktop. She could do the same things on the laptop as she could on the desktop, it wasn’t like she was playing video games or anything. It took up all the space on her desk, and was most definitely not worth it. Probably the number 1 thing I tell people is unnecessary when they ask, ‘What should I bring to my dorm?’
Don’t let the money burn a hole in your pocket. Save it for when you need it, or buy something that isn’t pretty much obsolete in the college world.</p>
<p>I know a few people who had a desktop. My college has a certain requirement for laptops, so some people brought their Mac desktops from home because they just “couldn’t live without their Macs”. haha but I wouldn’t say it’s that popular.</p>
<p>I had one in my dorm but it was really annoying to transport from home to school. I only used my desktop for gaming (what else do people use pc desktops for nowadays?). Dude, save that money. Pc’s become out of date in less than a year. Just wait for the next big technology change!..or invest the money.</p>
<p>First: if you are going to be doing video editing or gaming you might as well just get the desktop.</p>
<p>However most people in dorms that have two computers tend to have:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>a bigger laptop 15" or 18 " (commonly called desktop replacements) that they often hook up to a flatscreen TV and use a wireless keyboard. This is used for typing papers as well as watching movies and just surfing from your bed. These get really hot and usually have very short battery life, so they are really terrible for taking to study group, or the library.</p></li>
<li><p>The smaller laptop is usually a netbook of some kind that they take with them to class, labs, the library, and study groups. I can honestly not tell you how helpful it is to have a netbook for the library because it gets old trying to look at stuff on your phone (especially if your library has private study carrels without computers in them.) I know that you do not like taking notes on a computer in class, but this might change depending on your major and the class setup (such as if the prof teaches all powerpoint and uses blackboard extensively in class) I personally have only had a few classes like this, but some places seem to be pushing the whole “interactive learning experience.” If your schools pedagogy is leaning this way, then it might benefit you to look in this direction.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>One of the great things about your two computer idea is that if you are like me you are more likely to save backups of your papers to the other computer than to either a cloud server or thumbdrive. If you are not making at least 2 backups now… start! Almost everyone in college has lost a huge paper and not had a backup.</p>
<p>You can build a pretty decent desktop for under $500. Take the money you save from buying a “desktop replacement” laptop and get a netbook if you need any sort of portability.</p>
<p>Also, I don’t believe anyone when they say their dorm didn’t have enough room for desktops. Unless your dorm was built within the last four years or so there have been students bringing desktops in for probably 15 years so they could type up papers in their dorm room. I remember one of my dorms was so small my roommate and I would bump heads if we both tried to lean back in our chairs at the same time. We managed to fit two desktops, a 27" CRT TV and two laptops into our room and yet somehow still live there.</p>
I use a G5 as a desktop, and will be upgrading soon. :)</p>