Do i really need a laptop in my major? (computer science)

[L Nguyen]

I'm currently majoring in computer science as a junior at University of Washington. I took quite a few major courses and from my point of view, I didn't need a laptop at all since all the assignments was done individually. But, I'm scared that things might change in future courses, where we have to do group projects and I don't really know if I need a laptop for these group projects courses. The reason why I'm asking because i know there are a lot of you out there who already graduated or almost graduating in computer science. If i don't spend my money on a laptop then i'll just upgrade my PC though.

 

[hang-the-9]

If you have a PC, you may not need a laptop. But depending on your work ideas, you may want to have one. If you go to work for a company they will give you a computer to use, and likely a laptop, but if you do side work or work in consulting, you'd want one.

A good compromize is getting a solid used system which will be 1/3 the price of a new one so you are not too worried about it. I suggest a Lenovo T410 or 420, very solid build, and an upgrade to a 120 gig SSD for like $50-60 will give you a nice speed boost in loading programs and how fast Windows feels. Or if you don't care about screen size, the Lenovo X201 or X220 systems, light and easy to carry around school if you need one for class.

Plus if someone steals it or you drop your backpack on the thing you are not out $600 that you'd spend on a new decent laptop, maybe $200.