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laptop or desktop [merged threads]

is it better to buy a laptop or a pc with a flat screen for a room? i know laptops are better coz u can carry them around but my dad has one and he says the battery isnt very good, and its better to have a pc?

I just dont know which to get!

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Reply 1

Saree

I personally have a laptop and think having a laptop is the best option. It's small and compact so won't take up as much room and as you have said, you can take it with you where ever you want to go. :biggrin:

Reply 2

sexysax

I'd say laptop. I'm taking mine and I don't need to use up the battery. Just connect the plug to a plug socket and put the other end of the wire in the laptop!

Reply 3

nikk

I've got a laptop and it is so useful to take to the library / labs with you. They are also easy to take if you are popping home for a few days.

Reply 4

DeLboY

If you dont plan on carrying about, and using it on the move, get a PC. They are a lot cheaper. It really isnt worth the extra money to get a laptop which you dont plan on moving anywhere.

Reply 5

fuglyduckling

Nah. Get a laptop. You can get them cheap nowadays... £480 will get you one with a Pentium M chip, wireless internet, DVD rewriter (DELL Inspiron). They are so much smaller and convenient - you can take them home/to the library etcetera.

Reply 6

chriswhit

Depends what you are going to use it for . Laptops are better for portability (also v easy to nick - get insurance!) but if you are going to have it on for hours and hours laptops can get very hot. I had to have a desktop because it was on from when I woke up to when I went to bed. Desktops also tend to be slightly better value for money, though laptops have come down a lot and you can get some good deals on them too.

Reply 7

_poptart_

if the battery problem is what youre worrying about with laptops, you can always purchase a spare battery with it. but I doubt thered be an opportunity when you cant find a plug for your laptop for more than 5 hours.

Reply 8

john williams

Im having a laptop, plus some of the deals on with Dell and Acer ones, means they are much cheaper than standard pc's and once connected to the socket the battery wont be a problem.

Reply 9

natalie_p

From some of the sizes of desks i've seen in halls of residence, if u have a desktop, thats it.... all u'll fit on the desk is a dektop.

Laptops are great value atm, and they look cool! :smile:

Reply 10

PublicSchoolAnn

Laptop -purely because of portability.

Reply 11

hallucination

Get a laptop but make sure you buy a laptop stand and separate keyboard & mouse if you're going to be using it a lot at a desk though...it's bad ergonomics without one. I have the iCurve :biggrin:

http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/icurve/

Reply 12

lou p lou

If you don't want to carry it about then i would say desktop with a TFT screen- you gte more for your money, i think they're nicer to work on and they're better to watch dvds on, and they're less robber-friendly (if you're insured by endsleigh then a computer is automatically covered, a laptop is extra)

lou xxx

Reply 13

tommorris

Desktop's are much, much easier and cheaper to fix (if you don't want to get your hands dirty, find a geek and pay them with pizza and/or caffeine). Also, upgrading is much easier.

That said, the whole roaming wifi thing could save you if you get in to accomodation without Internet.

Reply 14

PieMaster

I'm bieng greedy and have both, and a PDA with a keyboard.

A Shuttle/SFF PC is best option if you need a fast machine, but dont want it to take up too much room though. Mine's less than half the size of a normal tower, and faster than virtually anything you'll find in a shop.

Reply 15

Kingspharm

Yes I'll definitely go with both! :smile:

If you need to move it backwards and forwards from uni --> parents --> uni, etc. then definitely go for a laptop. When you're using it on your desk, take the battery out and plug it into the mains (prevents overcharging/overheating the battery which will ultimately destroy it and lead to costly replacement).

Reply 16

beeblebrox87

PieMaster

I have a Shuttle SFF system, and while they are very nice, the need to carry the screen and keyboard around with you makes them much less portable than a laptop, which can be a real problem if you're going back and forth from home by train, bus, or plane (and you don't want to check it). I'm going to switch to a laptop as soon as dual-core ones become available.

Regarding the original question: one rarely uses a laptop actually on one's lap, usually you have a table or desk to put it on. If you can take the time to find a free desk, it's usually not much farther to find somewhere to plug in your laptop. Battery life is therefore not that important (except perhaps on trains and planes). Even a laptop with no battery would offer you more portabillity than a desktop and would not be much more expensive.

Reply 17

ArchiBoi

lol if its never going to leave your room whats the point? you could get a PC, which a much better spec. Ive always been lucky enought to have both.. but the bad thing about laptops is they date quick and you have to buy an outright replacement to do a proper upgrade.

However, a PC you can buy and upgrade certain bits / add extra bits on like firewire cards, or wireless LAN cards as your needs change.

One useful thing I do is this:

If your parents/brotehr has a PC:

Just take the main tower box home with you, when you get home, use a spare/different monitor, mouse, keyboard, printer etc. If you get a small case then it gives you quite some portability, and the advantages of both. I used to lug my PC around to studios and stuff when I was in a band, and it just about fit into my rucksack.

Laptops, I appriaciate are good too, for watching the occasional DVD on the train or plane, but to be honest, I find it annoying sat at a desk trying to use one, there small, the screens are hard to position

Compared with a proper keyboard, mouse, 19inch tft, and nice set of speakers, with your favourite music coming out, Id much rather be on the PC and use a laptop as a last resort!

Reply 18

Jassmine

I would personally say laptop because I take mine into lectures with me but I don't know if students without disability/learning difficulties are allowed to do that.

If you can touch type I find it is much easier to get lecture notes down on a laptop. It also helps with possible lack of uni machines if you need to use one