Hinge failure seems to be less common nowadays on mid to high range models then they used to be, at least in my experience. Devices tend to thermal throttle rather than outright overheat, so at worst the fan will run at full speed and the thing will lag but hopefully that won't be a problem with a bulky desktop replacement like what OP is eyeing. The exception is if the exhaust and intake ports are covered like by putting it on a bed or couch or throwing a jacket over it while it's on by accident. Bloat can be removed by using the "Reset This PC" option on newer Windows OS, or by using "PC Decrapifier" so it's far less of a problem now than it used to be. If OP is doing simulations or 3D rendreing then a workstation or workstation laptop would be preferable, and I would imagine a college would have labs with workstation computers as Aurega said. I had/have a Surface Pro 3 (i5/8GB/256GB), those damn things heat up really fast they work fine but the fan goes at full speed even when watching a video which is kind of annoying considering how much mine cost me, and if any part of it goes wrong it's a $500 repair job if Microsoft still repairs them out of warranty. And the damn keyboards are $100 a pop. Ended up shelving it for a ThinkPad X1 Carbon as my mobile computing device, it's lighter, has 1 more USB port, just as fast and has fast charging, no touch screen or stylus pen but oh well I'm not in college any more.
If you really want my recommendation, you'd spend 1k, but you will get the experience of the life time that is totally priceless. Spend 1 week to learn about building pc. It's extremely easy due to YouTube. You should search for science studio, that guy gives one of the most practical advice. Here's the list of items that I picked for you. You don't need the cpu fan and the case if you don't want rgb. https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ydRFsZ Get a friend who is experienced on building this to help you out, spend 20 dollars to treat him to a meal afterwards. You just need another 200 dollars for 27 inch 1080p monitor, keyboard and mouse of your need. Don't bother with printers, usually college students can print for free in school. Oh as for windows10 there are people selling keys for 20 dollars on the internet. In my country it's 5 bucks. Just reply to me if you need any advice, I check this site daily.
changed the 850 250GB SSD for an 860 500 GB, its only $18 more for double the space https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ZpbtQZ EDIT: @CosmicInferno added windows 10 and monitor https://pcpartpicker.com/list/9GG3Hh
Eh, my Surface pro 4 have never had any issues with heat as long as you're not doing anything gpu intensive. The excellent stylus pen is the main selling point though, since it's perfect for taking notes with (I even use it for that purpose today, instead of scribbling on paper). It's something I wish I had when I was in college for sure, as my notes were always disorganized.
*nod nod* that notebook is for gaming XD the best notebook and i bough is DELL XPS 15 - work fine for work and is not heavy i7 if you want it last longer 16gb is good *nod nod* (price of ram is high now) SSD <- is imporant for the HD (m.2 is the new tech and the best out in the market but very expensive) 14-15 best size nvida 1050 + NEVER EVER BUY RAZER
I had labs in college too, but them recommending specs made me assume they’d go outside of the bounds of the classroom more often than not. If the school is going to have those projects during class time in the computer labs, it’s a-okay to go with a light laptop for notetaking purposes. The surface pro is a lot nicer than I expected for that type of thing, but don’t expect to game on it heavily, it can possibly take rimworld but not overwatch. @CosmicInferno id ask some seniors at the college who’ve gone through the coursework you’re about to for advice. They will be able to share some horror stories or what not to buys. You might be able to meet some through the schools Facebook page. You’ll also likely get contact info for dorm mates if you have them, and they might know someone who went to the college.
microsoft surface notebooks have alot of bad reviews o.o https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/1/1...ce-pro-4-screen-flickering-issues-flickergate Surface Pro 4 owners are putting their tablets in freezers to fix screen flickering issues https://www.theverge.com/circuitbre...-reports-hardware-freezing-shutdowns-problems Consumer Reports stops recommending Microsoft Surface PCs over reliability concerns
First issue is "currently affecting less than 1 percent of all Surface Pro 4 devices." so I wouldn't put it too much weight on that. However, the reliability concern and a 25% failure rate over 2 years is worrying. But I guess I'm in the 75%. I have personally experienced freezing at times but those were mainly from me not using it over an extended period of time, which I suspect is a sleep issue. A restart fixes it though, and it never appears as long as I use it regularly.