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Most laptops and even some monitors come with built-in webcams, which can serve you well if you have no other option. But in the interest of video quality, you'd be better off buying and installing an external webcam, for a couple of reasons. The most pertinent being that separate webcams tend to be more capable and have better features to make you appear more professional on web and video calls. That's because they're specialized or rather built for a distinct purpose.

There's a saying that goes, "Jack of all trades, master of none." It's implying that focusing on a ton of different specializations, versus one, makes you good at a handful of things but not necessarily an expert at any of them. Spread your resources too thin, and nothing really gets quality treatment. That can also apply to modern electronics, particularly devices that cram lots of different components and functions into one meaty format. Take the average smartphone, for example.…