I will be honest here. I have realized that the majority of students will just buy a school laptop. But going for the desktoproute is also a viable idea too, especially if you need extra computing power beyond Netflix and email. Owning a more powerful machine with more storage, RAM, and processor power makes a lot of sense for gamers and students with design and creative activities such as audio production, filmmaking, and photography.
Depending on the budget that you have, surely, you can also purchase a laptop to take class notes. Plus, you can even pull that off with just a tablet/iPad and keyboard. For this back-2-school article, I have chosen 5 desktops - 3 PCs and 2 Macs.
Mac Mini
Apple Mac Mini
Finally, Apple has updated their Mac mini product line. Therefore, it is now a good choice for those looking for a reasonably powerful and compact desktop for their dorm. Or maybe you just look for the cheapest Mac out there. This new Mac Mini is quite small yet packs quite a punch. It features a fast SSD, along with a quad-core processor. With that power, it would be capable of handling all your class projects with ease. Remember to leave a budget for peripherals and a monitor because Mac Mini doesn't come with those. You should also get an external storage device if you don't want to pay the hefty price of the flash-based storage on the Mac Mini.
iMac (4K Retina, 21.5-inch screen)
Apple iMac
iMac costs more than the Mac Mini, however, it is more convenient, and it does not cost more than a premium laptop. The base model is around Rs 78,249, but you should go for the Rs 92,489 option. At that price point, you will get a 4K Retina screen together with a 2GB AMD Radeon Pro 555X GPU.
Unluckily, both models all come with the traditional hard drive of 5,400 RPM; you would have to pay Rs 7,120 more to get a solid-state Fusion drive. If you have a big budget, go for the 27-inch model, with the price tag starts at Rs 128,088. However, we think that the 21.5-inch one's price and size will fit better with most student's dorm space.
ASUS ROG STRIX GL12
ASUS ROG STRIX GL12
It is not a difficult task to find good gaming desktops nowadays. But to find one that is already overclocked is much harder. ASUS ROG STRIX GL12 features an i7-9900K Intel's Core which is capable of running at beyond 5Ghz. They also pair that with the RTX 2080 Ti NVIDIA graphics card. Adding to the bunch is the SSDs with unique RAID, for cases when you need more speed. This machine is a solid investment if you want to keep up with the AAA game releases of the next 4 years. Plus from the look of it, this machine could really survive a battle with the ninjas.
Corsair One i140
Corsair One i140
If you have limited space in the dorm, but still you want a machine with lots of gaming power, the Corsair One i140 is the one for you. It is a real gaming rig with i7-9700K 8-core Intel CPU, 32GB of RAM, GeForce RTX 2080 GPU, and 480GB NVMe SSD. Still, it is quite compact and just weighs about 7.38kg. Moreover, this beast is a quiet one so that it won't affect your roommates "private" life at all. The drawback of this option is the hefty price tag of Rs 213,600 and a mediocre storage drive.
HP Omen Obelisk 875
HP Omen Obelisk 875
In case you want your gaming PC to stand out from the crowd, but don't want to opt for the hassle of custom-built computer. Then, you should check out this machine. It features a compact, distinctive design that would catch lots of attention. Plus, it is fully upgradeable. Therefore, it could be as beastly or modest as you prefer it to be. Thus, you can modify it for casual gaming between learning times or a beast gaming rig. Just check out the systems from Origin PC or Maingear for a good deal.
HP Envy 27
HP Envy 27
It is a PC (all-in-one type) with a beautiful Quad HD 27-inch screen, speakers from Bang & Olufsen, and also enough power to handle video and audio editing with ease. It is an ideal choice for students of design or architecture because they usually need a big display. It features all the port you would need. There is even an HDMI-in port.