<p>I'm planning on building a new rig soon, it'll be a gaming computer so I'll be spending a bit of money on it. So I'm wondering if its common to bring one of these desktops into a dorm? I'm also wondering what sort of internet connection students usually use (How many rooms to a router, is it dsl or cable etc) Thanks.</p>
<p>I don’t know how common it is, but I say go for it after you make sure you have enough space and such.</p>
<p>I’m also planning on doing that, but I have 2 more years :)</p>
<p>I don’t know anyone in college with a desktop.</p>
<p>I have a desktop, and there are two ethernet ports in the room. There are also several wireless networks available.</p>
<p>If you have the right type of case, it can be as large as a small trash can. That means, if it’s one of those large gaming towers, spend $30-$50 on a new case and ask a geeky friend to help you move the internal components over.</p>
<p>I’ve had friends who have desktops in their own rooms and small apartments, but I haven’t seen anyone bring a desktop to a dorm.</p>
<p>Either way, if you plan on playing a few games, you certainly don’t want to do it on a laptop. I don’t see why not, if it’s important for you.</p>
<p>In terms of dorm internet, you’re usually just supplied one ethernet port. At most universities, it’s a connection into their network that functions much faster and more reliably than either DSL or Cable. You will need a router of some sort if you plan on having more than one computer (eg. desktop + laptop). Configuration details should follow from your dorm’s helpdesk.</p>
<p>Thanks excelblue. My laptop will be used for taking notes, so I probably won’t bring a router. One less thing to take to college.</p>
<p>Just an update to excelblue: my rig will be in either a Cooler Master Storm Sniper or a Cooler Master HAF 922. Both are Mid ATX towers, with dimensions around 22.30" x 10.00" x 21.70". Not too much larger than a nongaming Mid ATX case.</p>
<p>If you’re willing to swap motherboards and are in for a bit of a cable management challenge, try the Silverstone SG02 case. It needs a mATX motherboard, but it’s worth it. I recently transferred my girlfriend’s computer over to that case for portability, and she loves it.</p>
<p>It was a bit of a PITA to manage all her cables, but in the end I don’t regret it. The PC is much lighter than a traditional midtower (I’ve a midtower myself), and unless you overclock all your components like I do, the airflow in the SG02 should be enough for most users.</p>
<p>From what I’ve heard from my college peers … no one. But of course I don’t know everyone.</p>
<p>@r31ncarnat3d</p>
<p>I’ve decided to use a Cooler Master Storm Scout as my case. Decent airflow, excellent portability. It is also quite skinny and will for sure fit snug under a dorm desk.</p>
<p>@theReach: Nice choice, that’s my own personal case too 
I definitely don’t regret getting it.</p>
<p>The desktop % drops each year as laptops become more powerful. Unless you have some serious computing needs - like heavy gaming, like 3D modeling - the differences between computers have become less important. </p>
<p>But … many - I’d say most by far - kids don’t carry laptops around and use them only in their rooms or in the library or a cafe. I think it’s the cafe that makes the laptop most appealing. Lots of schools have computers you can use and you put your stuff on a flash drive or post it in your student storage online or email it to yourself and you can work anywhere … except a cafe.</p>
<p>@lergnom </p>
<p>I’ve been using a desktop for so long that I can’t accept substitutes. I have a cheap laptop I’m bringing as well, so its not a big deal for me.</p>
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<p>Some colleges rent out laptops for a few hours at a time, or at least UCLA does. It may be worth looking into that option at your prospective colleges.</p>
<p>Some even let you check out laptops for free, just like textbooks. UCM is one of those schools. Granted, those laptops are a bit on the weak and heavy side, but it’s free and usually there’s always a few available at all times.</p>
<p>The thought of bringing a desktop computer to college is absurd. Dorm rooms tend to be too small for them.</p>
<p>I have my whole desktop setup in my dorm… can’t live without it.</p>
<p>@JehRom: Not true. I know many people who bring their desktops to dorms. Besides, if space really is an issue, you can always go mATX with a Shuttle Form Factor case.</p>
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<p>Perhaps it’s just my school, but I’d beg to differ. I don’t think my grades my freshman year would’ve been nearly as high as they were if I didn’t have my laptop in class. And for the times when I had a 90 minute break between classes, it saved me the trouble of having to go all the way back to my room, only to have to leave a few minutes later to get back to class. I could find somewhere to sit and kill the time with my laptop. (Your statement there is also a bit unclear, as you’re saying kids don’t carry laptops around, but then you say that they use them in the library and at cafes)</p>
<p>And I haven’t met a single person who brought a desktop computer to college. (Though it could just be that they’re all hermits)</p>
<p>If you have a desktop, you should also have a laptop of some sort. The difference is that the laptop can be smaller/less powerful because you have the desktop to do long arduous assigments on.</p>