Computers now play an important role in our culture. In the digital age, much of your university course will be entirely online. This means that getting the right computer for university students is critical. This choice is especially important for computer science students. You must not only select the best computer for your university experience, but you must also decide whether you want to study on a laptop or a desktop computer. Both have advantages and disadvantages.
Below is a detailed discussion of how to weigh these benefits and drawbacks so you can make the best decision for you.
Performance
In terms of performance, both laptops and desktop computers can handle virtually any computer task. This includes almost all the software you will need to use during your time at university. A laptop will perform all of these tasks in the same way that a desktop does, but not as well. This is due to two factors: storage and upgrading.
First, let’s talk about storage. The amount of hard drive space available is one of the most significant differences between laptops and desktops. Laptop hard drives are physically smaller and can only hold so much data.
Despite the availability of larger drives, 100 GB laptop drives remain common, whereas 500 GB desktop drives are common, and larger drives can simply be added to computers. Larger storage does, in fact, improve computer performance because it provides faster speeds. In addition, when it comes to upgrades, upgrading a laptop is more difficult.
Although you can later install a new hard drive in your laptop, doing so will necessitate the use of an external disc, which is inconvenient to carry around with you. As a computer science student, this is an important consideration because you will be storing a large number of potentially large files throughout your degree. However, you can find a computer science laptop that holds its own against desktops in terms of speed, reliability and storage space.
Portability
A laptop’s biggest advantage is its portability. This is extremely useful for university students. You can carry a laptop in your luggage and take it with you wherever you go. This is ideal for university students who require mobility on campus. Because it has a power supply, you are not restricted from taking notes in class or at the library.
Furthermore, laptops are extremely convenient for students to use at home on weekends or during vacations. This means you can program on the move and complete all of your computer science assignments from wherever you happen to be.
Size and Space
Again, the laptop has the obvious advantage in this department. Laptops rarely weigh more than ten pounds and are not much larger than a sheet of A4 paper. Desktops, on the other hand, require significantly more space. As we all know, dorm rooms in universities are usually small, so if a student has a desktop, it will take up valuable real estate in cramped dorm rooms. Furthermore, desktops are very complicated, with numerous cords to deal with. And those cords will take up a lot of space as well.
Overall, the laptop is probably the better option; nowadays, laptops are powerful enough to get you through university. Obviously, desktop PCs are more powerful and will be faster overall, but the portability and size of the laptop make it too convenient to ignore for computer science students.
