I just dropped way too much money on a new Dell XPS for my graphic design classes starting next week and honestly Im kind of panicking. I havent had a new computer in like six years and everything is different now like where are the ports?? I only have USB-C and I have all these old hard drives and a mouse I love. I spent most of my savings on the actual laptop so I only have about $150 left to get whatever else I need to make this work.

I was looking at those all-in-one USB hubs on Amazon but then I read a bunch of horror stories on Reddit about cheap ones bricking the motherboard because of power delivery issues and now Im scared to plug anything in. I dont want to ruin a two thousand dollar machine with a twenty dollar dongle but the official brand ones are so expensive. Then I saw people talking about laptop sleeves versus hard shells but some people say hard shells trap heat and scratch the finish over time while others say sleeves dont protect against drops. I just want to keep this thing safe but also actually be able to use it at my desk without it being a total mess of cables.

I was also looking at those vertical stands to save space because my desk at the dorm is tiny but I dont know if thats actually necessary or just an aesthetic thing for Instagram. Im really worried about the screen too should I get one of those matte protectors? I heard they can mess up the color accuracy which would suck for my design work but I hate the glare. It's just a lot to figure out and I feel like I'm gonna buy the wrong stuff and regret it.

What are the actual essentials I need to get right now versus what can wait until I have more money later?