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General discussion

Desktop vs Notebooks

May 6, 2005 12:49AM PDT

Hi,

I have a friend who thinks because notebooks are smaller than desktops they must be easier to use and "better". I searched for ?desktops vs. notebooks? in the forums here and couldn't find a general discussion.

Maybe I am just a Luddite but at our age - over 60 and retired - i.e. no travel, I see no real advantage for us on a fixed income, with bifocals, and arthritis to buy a notebook over desktop. Here is my proposed email to him on the topic. Am I all wrong or have I just failed to keep up with the latest developments?
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As for the laptop: Mark my words you will regret it. Not only is the Notebook technically at least as hard to use as a desktop, it will break and be more expensive to fix. It's the same operating system as a larger desktop - except harder to see and harder to type on. Actually you can't do as much on the smaller machine. You may not be able to easily backup your DVDs and music CDs. Note that you are primarily paying extra for the miniaturization of the physical parts, and they will break before you can say, "boo". And, of course, the battery will run out faster than your cell phone does. Unless you really need to use the computer on an airplane or in a hotel room - it's a waste. Are you going to be doing a lot of travel and need to bring the notebook along? I think the real problem is that you seem to believe that a smaller machine will somehow be simpler or easier to use. Why? It's the exact same software - so the exact same steps to run Word,Outlook Express, or Internet Explorer. (You say you only need the Internet and Email.) The programs don't change on a laptop. And personally as I get older I find it harder and harder to read the small type. Surely you are eligible for bifocals by now and arthritis will make the small keys a pain to use. Buy an E-machine and monitor. They're $500 cheaper and no harder to use. End of Sermon. This is the last time I will try to explain why your wish to make life easier and simpler is doomed. There are no easy short cuts in life! Last suggestion - why not check out PC Magazine or CNET or at least Google some reviews. Again End of Sermon!
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So how wrong am I?

Jason

Discussion is locked

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I think You're absolutely right
May 13, 2005 6:17PM PDT

I have a friend who has a laptop(Fujitsu-Siemens, P4 2.6 GHZ, 512 Ram, Radeon 9000 64MB). And now his videocard broke, and his laptop doesn't work. It can't be repaired. So now he regrets that he didn't bought a desktop.

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your statement is exagerated!
May 14, 2005 3:33PM PDT

I personaly have a laptop. I have found that useing a laptop is good for me in the following reasons, it allows portablility, flexablility, and the pure enjoyment of haveing a nice lcd screen thats bright and shiny.

My model is a Sony PCG-K13. It is an older laptop its a year old. Its stats are: 2.8ghz cpu, pentium 4, 2 256 sddr dram memory sticks 333mgz 200 pin for a total of 512 ram, a radeon 340x 64 mb graphics card that works great on guild wars!

Now i agree in the fact that in most cases laptops would break easy but thats if you dont take care of it. I never droped it in the year that i had it. I am 16 years old and took 3 computer classes in school and i can type at 109 wpm at my best. I cant see how typing on a desktop keyboard would be faster its much slower for me.

Im writeing this on my laptop now in my room, it took like 5 mins to do! thats just great another great point for the laptops. My laptop cost 1200 bucks and its worth it. I have over 1 thousand songs 5 gigs in videos and pics dont get perverted now! and about 6 great games on my computer.

Laptops are not designed for gameing but they sure work in my case. But i love my laptop it has served me well and i never bought any additional things for it. I know how to take care of it and what im doing so yay for me!

GO laptops!

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what's your real typing speed
May 15, 2005 3:07AM PDT

You say you can type 109 words per minute, but what is your real speed once you correct your spelling and grammatical errors.

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I prefer laptop
May 14, 2005 5:27PM PDT

It doesnt make life much easier, same OS, same programs, same capabilities, small words on screen (adjust screen res or zoom in ctrl+mouse wheel), doesnt make you type slower (same keyboard layout, as human beings we can usually adapt to something as insignificant as this), and doesn't make you have to carry a lot of weight.

Laptops are great for travelling, or on the go activities. It's portable and carries all your essentials there. There are powerful laptops, ones that rival top of the line desktops, but costs 1-2 extra grand. Can't be upgraded, but if you really need the extra punch you probably have a demanding job that pays really well and will have no trouble finding $$$ for the upgrade (ie new laptop). I have both a desktop and a laptop, lately i've been using the laptop more than desktop. I feel more liberated as i do my work, rarely spend time at home doing work, but rather spend it outside. It was probably worth $500 more than had i spent it on a powerful gaming desktop but I'm happy with it. If need be, i will upgrade in the future, but i don't see myself doing any gaming then either.

-Paul

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Desktops Are Better
May 15, 2005 4:52AM PDT

Notebooks (or laptops) whatever you prefer to call them are MOBILE, they are useful in the sense that they are more compact and dont require a great deal of cabling like desktop pc's, but laptops are not as powerful, or useful if u want to manage a lot of things at once. They are useful for things like microsoft word, access, but they are not useful for heavy duty programs. They also tend to get very hot if you keep them on too long, as they dont have fans, well they normally have one, but its not enough. Hope this helps.

Matt

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I beg to differ
May 17, 2005 5:44AM PDT

I'm sitting outside on my patio with my notebook computer. It is a beautiful day. I do most of my work out here. I have a WiFi connection to the desktop and server systems inside the house and to the printers. If I decide to do so, I can walk inside with my notebook computer, to any room in the house without losing my network connection.

In the 11 years that I have owned a notebook computer, I have needed service twice. Once was when a bear savaged my campsite and threw it 20 feet into the bushes, and the other when I slipped and dropped it. In both cases, a repair technician came to me with parts within 24 hours. I don't treat my notebook computer gently - it goes with me to the boonies and cross-country on a regular basis.

I disagree on the cost differential as well. My LCD display / video card give me 1600x1200 resolution (a necessity for my work). Have you priced out what a desktop LCD monitor supporting that resolution costs? I'll give you a hint - just the monitor costs more than my notebook. If a font is too small to comfortably read, it is easy to adjust the size.

The keys on my notebook computer keyboard are no smaller than they are on my desktop systems. In the wilderness, I simply run a different profile to turn off the modem, 100 base-T adapter, and WiFi adapter, as well as services I don't need. If all I am doing is writing, the disk spins down and I get about 7 hours per battery pack. If all battery packs are low, then I just plug in the 12vdc adapter to my camper van to recharge the battery packs while continuing what I was doing.

While a notebook computer might not be your preference, your sweeping generalizations do not fit the needs and uses for everyone. Let's just agree to disagree.

--dh

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Ironic
May 17, 2005 6:19AM PDT

What I find ironic is the fact that I am sitting at my favorite coffee shop, deriving a huge amount of entertainment reading all of these "posts" (more like jabs, in many cases) about desktops vs. laptops, using my Dell Axim Z5 Pocket PC.

The point: I thought this was supposed to be a friendly forum, where people can hold intelligent, generally friendly conversations for the purpose of learning (either about a specific technology, or at least the varying opinions of a specific technology). Come on people, lighten up.

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(NT) (NT) Personally I like trucks better than sedans....
May 17, 2005 7:49AM PDT
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Personally I like trucks better than sedans
May 17, 2005 1:00PM PDT

LOL doesnt compare both are portable.

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desktop vs. laptop
May 27, 2005 4:45AM PDT

You have a point, Jason.
Laptops are made for those on the go and if your friend will mostly stay at home, a desktop might be a more economical alternative indeed.

The keys on a laptop are usually about the size of a regular desktop type keyboard, except lower (meaning the keys are easier to push down)so some users actually find typing on a laptop easier.

Laptops don't necessarily break more often than desktops. While there are horror stories on the web about both notebooks and desktops breaking, I've had no major problems with any of my four systems in the past five years. Luck of the draw I guess.

About battery life: laptops equipped with the Pentium Centrino chip package (= Pentium M plus wireless internet connection doodads) are a bit better in providing juice to the notebook, but even those will only last a few hours (depending on use and notebook's power demands). Luckily laptops can always be plugged in via a power chord. Happy

In summary, laptops these days can certainly play with the best of today's desktops but it all comes with a price. It sounds like your friend would indeed do best with a basic desktop system from Dell or eMachines. I've seen recent deals from Dell which package pretty much everything needed for basic use such as internet, email and light word processing into a system for around $400 including monitor.

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desktop vs notebooks
Mar 29, 2006 8:16AM PST

Laptops generally take up less space, and even if you don't plan to travel, you can store the notebook in a drawer when you're not using it. You can't quite do that with a desktop, although some small form factor pcs come close. On the other hand, notebooks are generally more expensive that desktops in the same performance range. They don't offer the same performance in graphics or harddrive capacity and the optical drive is slower. They're also made of proprietary components, so if they do break, they are more expensive to fix. However, there isn't anything that indicates that notebooks will break sooner than desktops, unless you drop the notebook.

If you want increased processing power for the same price and don't care about traveling or conserving space, go with a desktop. Otherwise, a notebook is just as good a choice.