I rent a machine to steam my carpets at home twice a year but I think I just want to buy a steam cleaner. Who makes a good one?

I just moved into a new apt and need a vacuum cleaner. Am a student, so on budget (~0). Are steam vacs any good? Do they leave the carpet wet after use? Do I need to vacuum the carpet with a regular vac first? I don’t intend on using vacs for hard surface, just carpets. Should I stick with just a regular vac? Any advice is appreciated.