VLab vs. buying a beefy Windows laptop: is remote access “enough” for AE coursework?

Incoming AE freshman at Georgia Tech here. Trying to figure out my laptop situation before I show up in August.

Is it possible to get a lightweight MacBook as my daily driver, lean on GT’s VLab for anything Windows-only. Basically outsource the “hard” software to campus infrastructure instead of buying a powerful laptop upfront.

On paper this seems like it should work fine, but I keep seeing people insist you need a real Windows machine with a discrete GPU for engineering coursework, regardless of what the school offers.

So, for people who’ve actually gone through AE/ME/similar at Tech.

Was VLab actually reliable enough day-to-day, or did latency/session limits/downtime make it miserable for real coursework?

Did you end up needing local software anyway for specific classes, deadlines, or just sanity?

Trying to avoid either overspending on hardware I don’t need or under-provisioning and hating my life during crunch weeks.