Laptop or Desktop for uni work/gaming?

Hi all. I've recently decided to return to university after a gap year. I'm planning on doing a course focused on game art and animation and as such have decided it's probably worth getting a new device as my 5-6-year-old hand-me-down desktop PC struggles with some higher intensity work and is generally prone to issues. Even if I wasn't doing a new course I would like to replace it.

Currently, I have a Microsoft surface pro that is 3-4 of years old that I bought for my previous (more traditional art-based) course. When covid came I primarily used this for text processing and simple digital drawings and used my main PC to dabble in a bit of 3D model work which I enjoyed immensely (and is what informed my choice to pivot to a greater digital focus). I can't game or do 3d work on the surface though due to the storage space size and general power being too low to do it without slow down and general frustration. I currently have a rough £1000 budget for a new device though am happy to spend a little more if it's needed.

What are people's experiences about having a desktop vs laptop at their uni? Any ideas on what might be the best thing for me to do?

Reply 1

username1993817

0

22

Would strongly advise against getting a desktop for university, it's just too inflexible. Get yourself a decent gaming laptop and an external monitor (or hopefully you already have one). You're obviously not going to get the same performance as an equivalently priced desktop, but your hardware being stuck to your room just isn't sustainable at uni imo.

Reply 2

username5022672

0

9

I would strongly advise that you get a Laptop that has a strong GPU and CPU and using a monitor that. However, most laptops come with a good high refresh rate display. Getting an external monitor would not be worth it. If you have one then you could potentially use it as a secondary with your laptop as the main display as that can come in very handy. If you need help picking out a laptop let me know as I have recently gotten one myself and can save you the time of researching and finding the best deals as I have gone far and wide. Good Luck :smile:

Reply 3

CurryCurry2468

14

Original post by Aluri

Hi all. I've recently decided to return to university after a gap year. I'm planning on doing a course focused on game art and animation and as such have decided it's probably worth getting a new device as my 5-6-year-old hand-me-down desktop PC struggles with some higher intensity work and is generally prone to issues. Even if I wasn't doing a new course I would like to replace it.

Currently, I have a Microsoft surface pro that is 3-4 of years old that I bought for my previous (more traditional art-based) course. When covid came I primarily used this for text processing and simple digital drawings and used my main PC to dabble in a bit of 3D model work which I enjoyed immensely (and is what informed my choice to pivot to a greater digital focus). I can't game or do 3d work on the surface though due to the storage space size and general power being too low to do it without slow down and general frustration. I currently have a rough £1000 budget for a new device though am happy to spend a little more if it's needed.

What are people's experiences about having a desktop vs laptop at their uni? Any ideas on what might be the best thing for me to do?

Hi, I would recommend buying a gaming laptop that has a good GPU as well as CPU.

I am a first year student doing computer science and my course recommend getting a good laptop (it says 16GB on the website but I think 8GB will suffice tbh), I think in semester 2 because its more practical focused rather than theory its gonna be a lot more hands on so they suggest we have a good machine to cope with the demands of the work.

My current laptop is one that my sixth form gave to me in year 12 before the first national lockdown begun, it only has 4GB RAM and 128GB SSD storage so yeahh its lacking in all areas.

I am planning to buy this gaming laptop, that is £900, it has 16GB RAM, 1TB storage and RTX 3050. Yes its quite on the expensive side however I reckon its more than enough and will last for my time at uni and beyond. I am getting my bursary and scholarship money instalment for this semester in November so I might wait till like late November/early December to buy the laptop

Reply 4

dp247

9

Usually I'd go with building your own, but the chip shortage is real and consumer component prices are high(er than they should be), so definitely buy something. As my two cents, I did my games degree with a desktop since my coursemates and I always played online, and we had lab PCs that were able to handle most of the work whenever we were actually in uni.

I suppose it depends on where you'd want to work - if you want something you can take into uni and work with - definitely get a higher spec laptop; otherwise I'd say that a better option.

Reply 5

bilals123

1

If you’re into game art and animation, both desktops and laptops have their advantages. Desktops usually offer better performance for the price, especially for 3D modeling and gaming. But laptops are more portable, which is helpful for uni work, classes, and moving around campus. If your budget allows, consider a high-performance laptop with a good GPU, it gives you flexibility without sacrificing too much power. Also, for creative inspiration, I’ve been enjoying Toca Life World on PC lately. It’s a fun and interactive sandbox game that lets you build, design, and explore, perfect for sparking creativity in game design!
4o

Reply 6

cksiu

Universities Forum Helper

14

Original post by Aluri

Hi all. I've recently decided to return to university after a gap year. I'm planning on doing a course focused on game art and animation and as such have decided it's probably worth getting a new device as my 5-6-year-old hand-me-down desktop PC struggles with some higher intensity work and is generally prone to issues. Even if I wasn't doing a new course I would like to replace it.
Currently, I have a Microsoft surface pro that is 3-4 of years old that I bought for my previous (more traditional art-based) course. When covid came I primarily used this for text processing and simple digital drawings and used my main PC to dabble in a bit of 3D model work which I enjoyed immensely (and is what informed my choice to pivot to a greater digital focus). I can't game or do 3d work on the surface though due to the storage space size and general power being too low to do it without slow down and general frustration. I currently have a rough £1000 budget for a new device though am happy to spend a little more if it's needed.
What are people's experiences about having a desktop vs laptop at their uni? Any ideas on what might be the best thing for me to do?

For uni study, laptop is always preferred. You won't have a fixed working location and there will be lots of group works that you need your computer moving around with you.

To be honest and blunt, your budget could barely cover a laptop for your course. I suggeat adding a few hundred for a top model that could catch up with your needs for the whole 3 year course.

Laptop or Desktop for uni work/gaming?

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