   To laptop or not to laptop?
  I am considering buying a laptop for college. I was originally intending on buying a workstation, but I will not need this type of power for at least a few more quarters. How useful did or do you find having a laptop for college? I don't want to purchase an expensive paper weight. Some other info...I will be commuting to college (1 hr each way).There are labs for CS student use only.Most of the laptop use will be for CS and Math classes.   
  I bought a laptop, but then found that I'm not the kind of person who likes to work outside or in the library or pretty much anywhere else away from my desk.  So most of the time the laptop would sit in my dorm room anyway.  There were a few occasions where the mobility came in handy, such as when I had a demo a few CS projects, but not much beyond that.  I do live 3,000 miles from school though, so it was very convenient for vacation traveling.  But after the first year I built a really powerful workstation and just shipped it to school and then back home for the summers.Ironically, this semester (my last one) I'm only using my laptop since I decided that I'm done shipping crap, and that I was only taking what I could bring on a plane.   ;  I would say: definately yes. Laptops are indespensible to me, and in fact I have three:Macbook pro for messing around with OpenGL, Ibook for taking notes, and an HP 12" thing for playing around with Linux. MBP will be my main work laptop when I start to study at the end of this month. Ibook still good for taking notes, and the HP i'll probably sell.Advantages:MobilitySmall footprint on deskshow off factoreasy to reach behindonly takes one power outlet, and not all the time.Disadvantages:more expensiveeasier to stealless power per buck.   ;Quote:Original post by smcI am considering buying a laptop for college. I was originally intending on buying a workstation, but I will not need this type of power for at least a few more quarters. How useful did or do you find having a laptop for college? I don't want to purchase an expensive paper weight. Some other info...I will be commuting to college (1 hr each way).There are labs for CS student use only.Most of the laptop use will be for CS and Math classes.anyway, i imagine that, after a while of being at college, you will know if you need a laptop or not. give it a week or so and ou can find out for sure.   ;  Hold off on getting your laptop. Scout out your labs and what your classes are going to be like, and decide if you actually want one.Remember, the key to a laptop you actually bring with you is that it is light enough to actually carry with you. That means those beautiful 17inch screens are out of the question. Get the smallest, lightest thing you can, this will help insure you actually carry it around with you. Make sure it has good battery life, so get an efficient processor in it.When you do get one, setup multiple accounts. Make sure the account you log into for classes has NO games accessible to it. Or just don't install any games on your laptop.   ;Quote:Original post by TalrothHold off on getting your laptop. Scout out your labs and what your classes are going to be like, and decide if you actually want one.Or need one. I carried a laptop for my first semester because it was required for one of my classes and because I chose to live on-campus rather than commute. Since then I've had no classes that required a laptop and I find that the burden of carrying a laptop is, well, a burden.Also, if you find that you absolutely do need a laptop for classwork but aren't sure you want to buy one, see if your school will let you borrow a laptop from them.   ;  I'd say while you are studying, a laptop is absolute gold. But there are a few disadvantages to it:A) Unless you have a fast laptop, compile times can be a pain in the assB) No games for you (which depending on how you look at it, could be an advantage)I'd say defiantly get one. You save yourself all the clutter of a PC, you don’t have to worry about transferring stuff back and forward from PC to laptop, and you can take it with you. One main advantage I see in class is the simple ability to have all the lecture notes right there on the laptop with you. Plus most schools will have Wifi everywhere, so if the lecturer is blabbing on about something you have no clue on, BAM, google.;  Thanks for the replies. It definitely helps.Right now I have enough for a Mac Pro. This is what I have been eying for some time now. I just thought it might be nice to have a MacBook while at school. Small, light and ultra portable.   ;  Before you buy your macbook, ask around school, and look into Apple's student developer discounts. Apparently it can be some impressive savings.   ;  I've got a killer laptop so it doesn't matter.  Also, it would look silly lugging a workstation around the conference at GDC.   