Do I need a good laptop on top of my desktop for engineering?

I'm in As year and I will be buying a new desktop soon in the ballpark of ~£1000 mainly for gaming and then other general use. I need to consider however, if I need to put any money aside for a good laptop? So I guess the main question really is - do you need a good (windows) laptop for engineering (either tripos or mechanical engineering) or could i get by with a chromebook for on-the-go and revert to my desktop for any software I may need to run?
Thanks a lot!

Anything that can run Office will do. Your department will have computers with the necessary software installed for you to work on.

Good to know! Would I need to install any software on my computers? If not, then surely I could use a chromebook for some notes, and have a windows pc at the halls/house?

There will be no need to install any software on your own computer as the department will have computers to run the software, but it'll be handy if you have Office for doing reports, for the times you want to work into the night, if that's how you work. You may have the opportunity to install other software on your own, but it's not a necessity and I don't really remember many - if any - people who did on my course.

There will be no need to install any software on your own computer as the department will have computers to run the software, but it'll be handy if you have Office for doing reports, for the times you want to work into the night, if that's how you work. You may have the opportunity to install other software on your own, but it's not a necessity and I don't really remember many - if any - people who did on my course.

I'd say put some money away for a light, portable laptop with some processing power. It's likely not necessary but it adds an extra level of convenience for doing e.g. matlab, CAD, CFD, FEA at home, or when there's no computers free at uni.

Or alternatively don't spend £1000 on a desktop, the gaming laptop market is pretty great right now and so you'll be able to get a laptop with similar performance to that desktop likely for significantly less than the price of that desktop plus a laptop. You can get something in the 1050 Ti to 1070 range for £900-1500, the lower end of that will handle 1080p games fine at max settings for the next couple of years, the top end will handle 4K max settings for a similar amount of time.

Interesting, I wasn't aware about laptops capability now. However - powerful laptops typically don't have the longest battery life nor the lightest weight.. I could always invest in something like the Dell xps series but that's a lot of money for something that won't play games like I want it too. I'd prefer to get a more powerful for the money desktop (I already have a monitor, mouse etc so need to worry about peripherals). In that case though, would a Chromebook be of any use to me, if all you really need a computer for is optional software and writing up reports?

Well I'm planning on going into animation/game design. So far while looking at the courses and their info, none of them have stated directly that I need a system of my own. The on-site facilities are adequately-equipped, so no pressure.

Having said that, I do have a laptop I'm very happy so far with. I do think the more tech you have in your hands, the better your prospects, since now I can work on pretty much anything I put my mind to. And the library computers are a bit...iffy.

I think I'm rambling...I'll shush now lol

No no! The more I know the better, ramble on it's good to know that a computer isn't necessary

Hehe I shall happily oblige.

It defo isn't necessary, but it sure would help if you want to get ahead in some ways. I'm looking into Blender, Maya, Unity3D, UE4, and Daz3D.

My setup is:
Win7 Ultimate
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2675QM CPU @ 2.20GHz
8.00 GB RAM
700+ GB HDD

Seems sufficient for my needs so I won't bother checking for anything to buy really. Heavy animationeering (lol) and intensive 3D rendering can really eat systems up so fingers are crossed that my GPU can handle what I'm planning on putting it through.

I think engineering is a bit more lowkey than my line of pursuits. So you should be perfectly fine with a new desktop in the ballpark of ~£1000. I'm absolutely sure you can satisfy all your needs with that, without the need for a laptop. Under different circumstances (e.g going abroad for a study year or going mobile with your work or even just for a more detached-work-feel) you could consider getting one. I personally choose laptops over PCs, feels more untethered.

P.S. I've been eyeing those nifty drawing tablets tho... *ehem* Wacom *ehem*

It's true the freedom a laptop gives you is great, and I'd love to see a nice clean disk with a sleek laptop on it, but I feel like it would be a compromise to get a laptop. Perhaps in the future as a 21st birthday present aha!