Laptop vs. Desktop

M

mcbrett

2,500+ Posts
The 2005' desktop is on its last legs. Time to replace it with another Dell.

Question for the board- yes, we all know laptops cost a little more, apples to apples to a desktop. There is after all a screen and a premium for being portable. But, the difference in cost for comparable hardware I believe has dropped significantly in the past 5 years.

I am leaning towards a lap top because- why not have the option of being portable? I can buy a docking station, use my existing monitor, mouse and keyboard, and it will be just like my old desktop. The premium, I am calculating is about $50-$75 compared to the similarly powered desktop.

Thoughts? Am I correct or way off?
 
Laptops also have higher upgrade and maintenance costs. If you are planning to keep this laptop as long as you kept your last computer, you can probably expect to replace the battery at least once, maybe twice. Also, if you ever upgrade your RAM or hard drive, those are going to cost a little more than their desktop counterparts. All told, the premium for a laptop may be higher than you think, especially if you buy a well-built laptop and not something that will shatter into a million pieces if dropped.

On the other hand, laptops consume roughly half as much energy (or less) as desktops, and judging from your posts on the TV thread that could be important to you as well.

Having said all that, my wife and I both use ThinkPads (T400 and T500) as our primary computers at home and we love them. I also have a desktop (self built) that serves as a file server and gaming machine.

If you are thinking laptops, I would stay away from Dell. I don't know how their home laptops are, but their business line (Latitude) has a lot of build quality issues. My boss bought an E5410 and one of the keys popped off the keyboard two days after he got it. I also used to own an E6500 and a piece of the bezel chipped off within a week.
 
Laptop... I concur on the Thinkpad... I have a W500 and it's a nice machine. I would never buy a desktop for home use any more. Laptops are just too convenient.
 
I say laptop but I'm a techie and spend a lot of time on my machine and need to be mobile sometimes. Load up on RAM if you can. I got 8 GB on mine and a 7200 RPM drive, performance is good. Doubt I'll ever buy another desktop.
 
Thanks guys- glad to hear some assurance on the lap top.

wherz- about how much more is RAM for a LT than a DT?


Also- a general question, about how long do you guys generally keep a computer of either form? I was thinking I should be proud that this one lasted 5.5 years. Typically I've bought a high end, although not the highest, performing computer, I add some RAM about 2 years in when it's cheaper to boost performance, and then let it ride until a repair cost does is not justified when a new one offers so much more. It's been nice to skip over the Vista debacle from XP, straight to Windows 7 too.
 
Just my opinion, but I think if you get 3+ years of good performance from a laptop you're doing pretty well, especially if you use it heavily.
 
I prefer the laptop for portability - such as being able to post on HornFans while watching MNF in the living room as opposed to being stuck in the office with a desktop. Not to mention taking it with you when you travel. I've had this Thinkpad T61 going on 4 years now and still going strong w/ no upgrades. Also still on the first battery and it still lasts 4 hours with wireless on. I would recommend getting the largest capacity battery you can. This is my third laptop since '98 - haven't had a desktop at home since and had laptops for my work computer at my last two jobs.
 
My main PC is a Toshiba laptop(over 8 years old) purchased new. It is not generally used for work, but sees a lot of use as it was the family computer for 4 years. The battery is now junked so I am mostly plugged in. I could replace, but choose not to.....

I have replaced a fan and added a little memory(not much by today's standards). Still runs fine. Maybe just an outlier......

What is driving the need for upgrading to the latest model? I am guessing software driven requirements?...What do you mean by last legs?

Maybe you can get some minor repair work to your current desktop and add a laptop to your Computer inventory. It will give you flexibility and a ready backup systme in the event of issues with the laptop.
 
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