<p>So I've been looking at getting the dell xps 12 for college, however I've started to realize that the 12" screen might be a little small for a computer science major. So I'm just curious on how big of a screen I'll need for programming, and if it should be bigger, laptops that would still be portable, but are better for programming.</p>
<p>15.5 is the perfect size</p>
<p>Keyboard size is an issue too. 15" is the smallest for screen/keyboard I would go. I would still recommend a full size keyboard and monitor for the dorm room. Dual monitors is great.</p>
<p>15" is the max size for portability. However I seen many people getting 12"-14" in computer science. Does this dell xps 12 have powerful specs? Powerful specs can sometimes make up for small sizes.</p>
<p>My brother was a computer science major and is now working in the field, and he has a 13.3" now. He says the screen’s a little small, but the keyboard size has never bothered him. 15" (or thereabouts) is usually the medium between portable and good screen size, but you could probably get away with a 14". 12" seems pretty small for your main computer, even for non-computer science majors.</p>
<p>there’s different versions of it but it either has an i5 and 4gb or an i7 and 8gb with either having 128gb ssd (i obviously would prefer the i7 but it costs more)…I already have a 23" monitor so right now I figure plugging that into the laptop when in the dorm and doing actual work would be a good compromise that still keeps the small profile when at class/out and about</p>
<p>If you have another monitor, it’ll probably be fine to have a smaller laptop that you use to just take notes in class and the like.</p>
<p>I know people who preferred the desktop + netbook combination, and that worked out fine for them.</p>
<p>Ok, thanks for the replies!</p>