Desktop vs. Laptop

[Aaron73153]

I'm heading off to NC State next year and I still haven't decided between a desktop and a laptop. Desktops are more powerfeul and can be upgraded easier, but the laptop is portable.

Which do you prefer?

[Krell]

If you know the limitations of a laptop, and can afford a decent one, then go with the portibility and small foot print, youll be glad you did.

You may want to buy a large monitor just to make it easier to see in the dorm room tho.

[Kyle06]

I will stay with my destop computer cause of the speeds lol

[Potato]

Go for a nice laptop. Their portability is quite nice, especially when it comes time to move out.

Whatever you do, make sure you have a nice quiet keyboard.

How far is NC state from where you are living?

[Aaron73153]

State is about a 90-min drive so I can come home for laundry lol.

Krell, the thing that worries me is how easily that a laptop could get lifted.

As a compromise I was thinking of getting a high-end desktop, and I have a friend who would sell me a win-98 laptop for $100.

[Ken17625]

It is also important (and maybe somewhat obvious) to remember that Laptops, unlike desktops are very difficult to "service" or upgrade.

Many retailers (partially because they want your money) advise against taking your laptop apart.

But if you know what you are doing.......ah...well go fo it.

I guess it comes down to your preference, and the space you have/will have.

[Krell]

Originally posted by Aaron73153
State is about a 90-min drive so I can come home for laundry lol.

Krell, the thing that worries me is how easily that a laptop could get lifted.

As a compromise I was thinking of getting a high-end desktop, and I have a friend who would sell me a win-98 laptop for $100.


. . .use the Force . . . .


You go with what you feel comfortable with, I personally wouldnt want to be chained to the worry about constantly keeping an eye on it.

Even an older one will let you read andtype at the library or starbucks.

That sounds like a good idea to me.

[Shy GurL]

Originally posted by Aaron73153
I'm heading off to NC State next year and I still haven't decided between a desktop and a laptop. Desktops are more powerfeul and can be upgraded easier, but the laptop is portable.

Which do you prefer?

I would get a laptop. Take it where u need it like to the library etc..

[isus]

laptops are awesome.

and when you get right down to it, if you can handle the fact that it's an apple, apple's are the best... they are thinner, lighter, and more powerful than many pc notebooks... unless you get one of the 8lb alienware beasts that use a normal p4 cpu. lol.

for desktops and gamers, get a pc. if you're not worried about games, get a mac.

watch the flames come in now.

[nasrules]

If you can afford a good laptop, go for it. But remember that you can't really get a decent laptop for under a grand (talking £s here), whereas you can get a decent PC for under £400 if you build it yourself.

[triniti]

I say laptops because I have a centrino 1.3ghz in which they have 1MB of cache and it is faster than my p4 2.0 ghz laptop, both with the same ram, however the centrinos can have a faster harddrive out of the factory which is a plus. And another note is that my centrino laptop runs 15" at 1400x1050 which gives me ample view of source code. It is a Gateway BTW. My desktop is cool for being at home however, i travel around so it is not convient to keep anything on except 100's of gigs of flicks.

[CCSDUDE]

If you can spare the cash I'd say go with a Sony laptop.....the ones I've used worked great and heat wasn't as big of an issue as with...oh....say a free P4 2ghz laptop from Toshiba I have....

Btw; love the avatar, potato. Calvin is classic...

[matstao]

Originally posted by Aaron73153
...

As a compromise I was thinking of getting a high-end desktop, and I have a friend who would sell me a win-98 laptop for $100.

This sounds like the best plan to me. A desktop is so much more powerful and flexible when it comes to upgrades or future concerns. It's also much less likely to be stolen or dropped. The old laptop will be good for portable activities like those which Krell mentioned or as an mp3 jukebox.

Have fun at college. Many of my fondest memories are from my college years as are most of my favorite blackouts.

[FrozenShadow23]

I'd go for desktop man. A nice desktop will beat any laptop. If you want a laptop for notes and wordprocessing, pay big for a desktop, then drop some chump change (in compairsion) for a cheap laptop to take around with you- No worries about getting it lifted, and a powerful box at home to play with. I SO Rule, heh.

Edit: Uh, my bad, you already thought of that... heh, well obviously I agree with this idea... heh... I got nothin'

[at.morris]

I'm living in student house at the moment with 5 other people. The person who lives in the room opposite me had his laptop stolen. The worst part is that we were all in the house and had two guests. The theif climbed onto the kitchen roof and arccoss to his bedroom window. Reached through, unplugged everything and made off without anyone noticing. Scary.

In saying that, for a student laptops are the way forward (although whoever said take it to the library must be having a laugh - whats a library?). I often get jealous of my flatmate sitting out working in the sun! He even got a network cable long enough so he can keep internet access while he is out there!
He also takes it to the computer labs, unplugs a computer network cable and plugs it into his laptop! Then he can get superfast T1 connection. Films actually take minutes to get, and BitTorrent comes into a life of its own!

[Theinfamousone]

Yeah, if was going to college, I'd get an Apple laptop like Isus said. Who would steal a pbook? LOL. For what you need, an Apple is going to do everything you need it to and it'd be very simple.

[Aaron73153]

Yeah, I'd love to have an Apple G4, but the major I'm choosing has labs that run on either Windows 2000, or Linux, so I'm worried about compatability despite the option of Virtual PC. I think I'm going to go with a dual-boot PC.

[wonderboy2005]

well personally, id get a high end desktop, then a cheapo old laptop. i highly doubt you'll do much more than type and listen to music on a laptop, so leave the stuff you dont need at home. you could even network the two and have access to all the stuff you do on the go on your desktop.

[ferrarimodena360]

i have 2 desktops

a p||| 550 , 128 ram for my college

and p 4 1.7 256Ram with orignal intel motherboard (this i bought last year) 64 Ge force nVidia, for home

given a choice i'll again buy a desktop, coz of the enhancements you can make, a desktop wins because u can upgrade it more easily then in case of laptop.........

i rite now have a 17" flat screen, i am thinking of switching to slim lcd display, or instead may be buy the nokia 7650.

[leleyusa]

I'd say laptop, I'm part of a missionary family (my dad is a pastor) and we move a lot, we have 2 desktops and it's just awful on moving day. I'm saving up my $$ to get myself a laptop, and make my moving a whole lot easier...

but that's just an idea...

wmr :sw

[isus]

Originally posted by Aaron73153
Yeah, I'd love to have an Apple G4, but the major I'm choosing has labs that run on either Windows 2000, or Linux, so I'm worried about compatability despite the option of Virtual PC. I think I'm going to go with a dual-boot PC.

understandable.

sucks that you hafta work with so much microsoft.

try not to be choked into oblivion or worse by having to work with such a crappy os.

[Captain_FLX]

I guess whatever you really want more and yes if you travel alot i'd recommend a laptop but if you dont! i'd say a desktop but of course that's on ya :)

[isus]

Originally posted by the-un-named
I used to be a straight desktop person, "NO LAPTOPS!"

but now i am learning how to play with laptop hardware too...

Either one is fine w/ me, but I would still much prefer the desktop.

yea, thats another good thing about laptops... the technology has improved a lot lately. graphics are better, cpu's are better...

[CTC Command]

As a perpetual college student, I recommend the laptop. Time is a precious college commodity--suppose you have an hour between classes--but with 20 minute walk back to the dorm/desktop, and then another 20 minute walk to next class--why bother? But with a laptop, walk to your next class and work until it starts. Buy a lock, and keep it locked. Back up your documents FREQUENTLY. Laptops can go to the library, the bus, the quad, the coffeeshop (We know you would be studying too much to go a bar, but they can be brought there too!) Set o'headphones, you can't pack as many MP3's in anything else. I would go with a decent laptop, then pick up an old PC for a couple hundred bucks as a server for the dorm room. I know this is contrary to much of the rest of the advice given on this thread, but bear in mind my first year in college was in 1982...back in the "Age Of Typewriters." I have a little bit experience to pass on to you whipper-snappers.

[random nut]

Originally posted by triniti
And another note is that my centrino laptop runs 15" at 1400x1050 which gives me ample view of source code.

15" screen @ 1400x1050? Isn't it hard to read your source code? How good is your eyesight? ;)

[Aaron73153]

I would go with a decent laptop, then pick up an old PC for a couple hundred bucks as a server for the dorm room.


The reason I think I'll go with the powerful desktop and cheap laptop is for building maps, that can take some power.

[CTC Command]

Ok-makes sense now. For my purposes, the main college comp only has to be glorified typewriter for writing / saving / editing papers. And DLing...

What is your major, if you mind me asking? Cartography?

[CCSDUDE]

I just built a brand spankin' new system over night...lol

Decent case...
AMD XP 3000+
1gb DDR ram
ATi 128mb AiW Pro
250gb Western Digital HD
Crappy on mobo sound...lol

Just OC'ed the bitch past 2.5ghz...damn thing burned the hell outta me when I 'pollock' tested the temps....

:wings So go build a dorm PC and buy a mid grade laptop...something used...around 200 bucks (p2 366mhz 64mb/128mb ram and a 4-6gb HD).

[KurtCocain]

Laptop is always the solution if u dont have internet/or u r blobked by firewalls. id u r filesharing manuac -- laptop will serve u better -- u can use the internet everywhere -- libraries, campuses... i have even used mine in a library where it was not allowed to :)) I just unhooked the regular PC and put my laptop -- i was getting sick that i cant d/l stuff i needed...

[witmann]

since I don't know your budget, hard to say what you CAN get.
maybee a medum laptop + medium desktop
you can build a cheap dektop with decent perofrmance for probably around $400
$50 for a cheap mobo (ECS K7S5A), 50 for like an XP 1700
Gf 4 Ti 4200 or Radeon 9500 gfx, case for like 50.
for 400 you should be able to get something together.
All a question of budget:)
and get a Wlan!

[Patryck]

If I got the money, I'd choose the laptop that has iLink, and buy an external 80GB Harddrive.

[DainBramaged]

Think hard before you make a decision. Consider your needs and a few of your future plans.

If you want to save space and be able to move crap around, a laptop might be for you. Since you'll doubtless be downloading, purchase one with a large HD. Remember, laptops are not the greatest for gaming or particularily graphics-intensive applications. Top of the line video cards come at a premium. If your plans demand that you be able to quickly move stuff, or you just prefer the space-saving aspect, a desktop-replacement laptop might be the right choice. These are also expensive.

If you want a powerful machine, a desktop is obviously the way to go. Easy upgradeability, powerful components at a more than reasonable cost. Desktops do not cater to the mobile environment.

You might choose a third option. You can buy the cheapest laptop available, even a second or third hand one, that will let you surf the net, email, and write papers. This will suffice, and can cost as little as a few hundred dollars. The convenience might be worth the price. With the leftover money, purchase the most powerful desktop you can. This way, you get a little of the best of both worlds.

The choice is yours, though.

[CCSDUDE]

Originally posted by DainBramaged
Think hard before you make a decision. Consider your needs and a few of your future plans.

If you want to save space and be able to move crap around, a laptop might be for you. Since you'll doubtless be downloading, purchase one with a large HD. Remember, laptops are not the greatest for gaming or particularily graphics-intensive applications. Top of the line video cards come at a premium. If your plans demand that you be able to quickly move stuff, or you just prefer the space-saving aspect, a desktop-replacement laptop might be the right choice. These are also expensive.

If you want a powerful machine, a desktop is obviously the way to go. Easy upgradeability, powerful components at a more than reasonable cost. Desktops do not cater to the mobile environment.

You might choose a third option. You can buy the cheapest laptop available, even a second or third hand one, that will let you surf the net, email, and write papers. This will suffice, and can cost as little as a few hundred dollars. The convenience might be worth the price. With the leftover money, purchase the most powerful desktop you can. This way, you get a little of the best of both worlds.

The choice is yours, though.

Exactly! Hell I've got a load of *free* laptops from techie 'friends of the family' that their office was throwing out...yes...throwing out as in smashing the 2.5 HD's and chucking the whole thing...(tax write offs on this older shit wasn't even worth *alerting* the IRS of their dealings I suppose) so he snagged all that he could...I ended up with 5 ... 3 486 based ones..IBM/Compaq and 1 p1 based one...IBM along with the cream of the crop...a P2 @ 366mhz with a 6 gig drive...

The last two in the P1/2 era can be picked up for a fairly cheap price or begged off some big ass company as a gift/tax write off and the last one wouldn't be parted with by most smaller companies...and probably would go for around 200-400 on Ebay.

Then again I have a brand spankin' new... *free* P4 @ 2ghz Toshiba laptop....it's a monster for heat...so I usually use the old ones to write up reports/ect.

Anyway listen to him....he's got the right idea...

Cheap laptop good enough to surf/write email/play afew mp3's and use something like word 2000 or corel for school and a nice high end desktop slowly built by picking up deals on parts here an there...

Spring for the laptop first...do your school work then slowly create your monster over the months...that way you don't break the bank and end up eating cat food like an old lady who just lost her meals on wheels account...lol