Don't own a personal laptop; always use my work laptop for everything. I see people recommending Dell XPS or Lenovo Thinkpad but do you really need that for school? My plan was to just get a run of the mill laptop to use for excel and ppt...what else do i need it for?

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Get something used, preferably a thinkpad. The work load should not be that heavy. If you need horsepower for a heavy class, requisition a VM (Amazon workspaces, Citrix). Check out a T14 for thinkpads. Alternatively, you could try the surface products. You could get a gen 3 for around 500.

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Second using those virtual machines

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That should be fine honestly. The main benefit you get with an XPS or Thinkpad (IMO) is “nice to have” things like an excellent keyboard and screen. The only other consideration is if you’re planning on taking more data and analytics heavy classes, in which case springing for 16 GB of ram and at least an 11th gen i5 would make your life easier

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Some schools have virtual machines you can log into, which would require only a burner laptop, minimal ram and Wi-Fi.

I think the XPS is a bit overpriced (was looking at xps vs hp specter) I got the HP specter which I think is great and it looks cool in the copper color. You can get a good spec (16gb ram, i7, 256/512 SSD storage) for like $1200-$1500 (cheaper if you don’t need high specs) especially during sale months vs an xps that would be like $2k (not many deals on it). Only problem is HP quality is hit or miss (mines lasted me 5 years but grind got a new one and it had software bug so he returned it)

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I see $400-500 laptops on like best buy (note: i don't know anything about what constitutes good computer specs besides like memory) - this should be sufficient right? And then for internship and post grad ill be back to using the firm issued laptop. Just curious to see if i'm thinking about this wrong.

Other things to look out for, either by asking in store or searching up reviews:
-battery life
-camera and mic quality for zoom interviews
-screen resolution / brightness / size
-keyboard comfort (try to test typing)
-noise and heat

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I just got the MS Surface 4 laptop and it’s beautiful. Also got a used iPad for class notes.

When I finished my undergrad I bought a topped-out HP Spectre. My wife bought a Dell XPS (about $1500 each). That was five years ago and we're both still using the same machines, and I have no need to upgrade yet.

The higher end will give you a durable frame. Buying top-end specs will ensure you have what you need to operate for years to come. If you're in a position for it financially, buying a higher end laptop can save you from replacing your burner machine every two years.

I’ll still be working can i just use my work computer or is that a bad idea?

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