Warning: while typing away on the most important research paper of the year the night before it’s due, your computer may spontaneously combust and you will lose all of your hard work, research, and A+.

Unfortunately, it is often too late to backup information once you realize that the black screen of death has descended upon your once-faithful school laptop. Instead of waiting for that day to come, some students have solved the matter by getting a laptop of their own.

“My Macbook is so much faster than my school laptop,” sophomore Laura Engel said. “It’s also nice to know my work will be okay if my school computer crashes.”

Engel has adapted from school computers to a personal laptop.

“I can store all my photos and music on it without having to worry about it being deleted once school ends,” Engel said. “I usually never use my school laptop unless I absolutely have to. It mostly just sits in my backpack every day.”

Senior Emily Huse, however, doesn’t like to use her own laptop for school purposes.

“I can survive with just using my school laptop,” Huse said. “It’s slow, falling apart, and my internet randomly decides it can’t connect to the network, but other than that it’s okay.”

Although Huse uses her personal laptop at home, school work doesn’t intertwine with her personal life.

“I didn’t really ask for it,” Huse said. “My parents just gave it to me because they knew my school laptop doesn’t work too well. I never use it for school work though.”

Laptops can be a useful tool for students, but if they require multiple repairs, spending some extra cash on a higher-quality computer can be very beneficial.

According to dell.com, an Inspiron 15 laptop would be around $450, while apple.com advertises their Macbook for $1,000.  Although Macs are often regarded as higher quality, senior Dalton Wolfe feels differently.

“Macs have a lot of neat gadgets built in, but PCs are overall more solid computers,” said Wolfe.

While Apple certainly takes pride in their products with some topping $2,000, pricey products can sometimes be worth the money.

“It’s much easier to do graphics and projects on an Apple,” senior Julia Jordan said. “They seem to have a higher quality picture and perform faster and better.”

However, browsing the web and listening to music may be better suited for a PC.

“When I’m just using the computer to get on Facebook or update my iPod, a PC will work,” Jordan said. “PCs are better for leisure but I like Apples for everything else.”

CCU technician Zach Meyer said that for students, Macs are generally a waste of money as they must be used with certain software. Meyers said students should look more towards those with great service plans, such as HP and Dell.

Although the debate between Apples and PCs continues, some students don’t care what brand the laptop is.

“I could care less, as long as my computer is working,” sophomore Shannon Shubert said. “I don’t see much of a difference and as long as Facebook loads, I’m good.”