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build desktop or buy laptop?

Poll Results: Desktop or LAptop?

 
  • 48% (15)
    Desky
  • 51% (16)
    Lappy
31 Total Votes  
post #1 of 24
3/22/06 at 9:29pm
Thread Starter 
the eternal question for every!

to build or to buy laptop?

desktop- can be made faster than any laptop for 60% of cost, but its not mobile.

laptop- hell its mobile (which i use a lot), but its slower, and more money.


so my question to all you is, if you had the money, and no computer, what would you do? im a college student. i dont "need" a laptop at school, but its nice to have my own solution. but desktops are so much fun to build, and are faster/cheaper. what would you all do?

been very happy with the i6000, but its time to sell it (sept. its gone), so should i build a desktop with conroe? or buy a laptop with merom/yonah?
both could be my last option, but i dont really want to play that game now.

just curious.
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post #2 of 24
3/22/06 at 9:35pm
what are you looking to spend?

I ditched my homebrewed Athlon64 9800pro a little over a month ago for the E1705. I am happy and its nice for class.

are your classes "laptop friendly"? Some of mine are in rooms fitted with outlets at everydesk while others have a strict policy of "no laptops"

how many years do you have left?
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post #3 of 24
3/22/06 at 9:37pm
Thread Starter 
my classes are laptop friendly yes, (with moving some shit around for space)

i have 2 yrs left. and i dont really need one at school. i have a 6000 now, and would like a 1705, but feel it would just be too big. i will look much more into it when i buy though. the 1705 has a crap video card for now, so id be buying a 1505 if it was AS OF TODAY

also there is the whole yonah/merom, and conroe thing.

will conroe blow both away?

my budget is 1500 max. i am getting 700$ for the i6000, and would prefer to spend about 1k$. i think if i wait a few m onths, i can get a 1505 for about that with a coupon maxxed out. but again, there is the beauty of building a desktop solution, and having it be super fast.

as for what i do with my computer.... encode dvd's, mp3s, games (not much of one with my x300), school stuff, programming stuff like that

lastly, i feel like the WScreens hurt my eyes after a while. or maybe im just on it too much. (6hrs a day)
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post #4 of 24
3/22/06 at 9:41pm
How much space do you have in your dorm room? How easy would it to be to lockup/secure either or Laptop/Desktop.
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post #5 of 24
3/22/06 at 9:46pm
Thread Starter 
space not an issue, will be commuting from home, or have my own place (whaevet i can afford)

security not issue either.
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post #6 of 24
3/22/06 at 10:19pm
if you have gone this long without really feeling the need, I would go desktop personally.

best bang for the buck, which is what matters at this point in our lives
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post #7 of 24
3/22/06 at 11:12pm
Now-a-days, laptops are awesome, they can have great video cards, fast dual core processors, fairly large harddrives, awesome screens, great battery life, RAID, all that with mobility. I view desktops as a utility, notebooks are "cool" toys.

That said, I have both. I game primarily game on my desktop because of the keyboard and my 30 inch LCD. I also have a desktop as a PVR, video and TV viewer, and to be connected all the time for downloading files from the internet like over BitTorrent.

I use my laptops for browsing the web, notes and organization, work, and computing on the road.

So if I could only have one or the other, I'd go for a hopped up 17 inch notebook, probably the Dell 9400.
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post #8 of 24
3/23/06 at 1:11am
Thread Starter 
yea im leaning towards the 9400 with a 2ghz duo as of now.

id love to build a desktop though. its so fun being annoyied(sp) at fixing wires in small places.

plus the money is there, and performance. but then again, if i go lappy, it will not have raid, which is something i look forward to messing with.

maybe be both. if i get both though, lappy will be a 12.1 like 700m.

i would love another laptop, but desktops are more fun i think.
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post #9 of 24
3/23/06 at 1:22am
Are you worried about size? Laptops are smaller
Are you worried about heat? Laptops are cooler
Are you worried about noise? Laptops are quieter
Are you worried about upgradeability? Desktops are easier to upgrade
Are you worried about resale value? Laptops hold their value better
Are you worried about warranties? Laptops have manufacturers warranties
Are you worried about longevity? Desktop components tend to last longer
Are you worried about speed? Desktops are still the fastest

Simply put:

Building a desktop can be fun and you get a sense of accomplishment when it all works well together. Then you can build/upgrade for more "fun". Laptops let you get the work done. There's very little to tinker with.

Are you a geek or a nerd? Geeks build computers, nerds use computers (or is it the other way around?).

Really, it sounds like both would be good for you. Keep your hobby stuff on a $500 desktop (you can upgrade later), and use a $1000 laptop for school and real work.

- A geek turned nerd -
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post #10 of 24
3/23/06 at 2:21am
Why are you selling the laptop? You could build a nice desktop for 1k and continue to use the laptop for in class notes and other mobile tasks.
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post #11 of 24
3/23/06 at 1:45pm
Thread Starter 
girlfriend has an old as$ dell desktop with a 1ghz celly in it. she wants a decent laptop thatll last her a while (this is it). i feel my needs overall are for somthing a little bit snappier (although ive managed to use it)

the 6000 is going to my girlfriend for a decent price. most of the money from it will be put towards a new 1505/1705 or home build.
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post #12 of 24
3/24/06 at 1:37am
Desktops are superior. They can be upgraded far more often and basically have more computing power than the laptop. Even the little Lanboxes are more powerful than laptops.

Personally, I prefer to have a laptop and a desktop but thats just me. If I could only have one or the other? I'd choose a desktop.
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post #13 of 24
3/24/06 at 2:07am
Thread Starter 
i see your laptop is no slouch skott? mine is getting there though.

what part of florida? grew up in JB
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post #14 of 24
3/24/06 at 2:13am
I prefer my laptop to my desktop by far. I barely use my desktop right now...It just so convinient to have a laptop with a wireless connection....I carry it all over the appartment.

But it depends...if you really want next generation gamming....then...go for a desktop. cause you'll get more for your money.

But look....I'm lying in bed...got my laptop...checking stuff on the internet....then gona start a movie or documentary....or something and fall a sleep to it.
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post #15 of 24
3/24/06 at 4:58am
well, i think you allready know my views from talking, but my vote goes desktops. Many more Pro's to a desktop.
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post #16 of 24
3/24/06 at 5:04am
I would go with a laptop with the deals dell has going on righ tnow, i'd just bite the bullet and go for it LOL but hey thats me

Then later down the road, when you rlaptop cant handle somethings you do, build your desktop then and save the lappy for things that you could do moving around
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post #17 of 24
3/25/06 at 2:13pm
Thread Starter 
so the other question that comes is 1505 or 1705? if i go 1705, ill wait for something better than x1400 obviously.

ive been overall happy with the i6000, but i feel i may like a little bit bigger. i carry it around quite a lot. major thing is size. i played with a 9300, and was liike damn this is huge. but ill probably end up buying a 1705.
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post #18 of 24
3/25/06 at 4:41pm
I'm am kinda in the same situation. A year ago or so I bought a 9300 w/ 6800 Go, 1.6GHz and got rid of my desktop that had a 17" lcd, 5900XT, Athlon XP 3200+. It out-performed my desktop by a good margin in gaming.

After a while I got bored...I wanted to build another desktop, even though I had just got a deal on a higher spec'ed 9300. I just think it's fun to build desktops. New desktop: A64 3000+, 2GB RAM, 6800GS, and a 2005FPW 20" widescreen montior. At this point I had a more powerful desktop (gaming wise) and a higher end 9300. I really don't need 2 computers and I rarely move my computer off my desk to take anywhere. So I should just have a desktop, right? Adios to my 9300!

I recently went to a couple of lan parties and I was reminded how much easier it would have been to have a laptop, although I don't go to a LOT of lan parties I almost think it is worth sacraficing a little power for mobility.



Hmm...
-More power for your $ with a desktop.
-More upgradable than a laptop, although laptops are right behind them.
-Laptops hold there value longer
-Desktop - a pain to take places
-Desktops are fun to build/mod.
-Laptops use a lot less power and are quieter.
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post #19 of 24
3/25/06 at 6:20pm
Chevy,
I live in a small town in the Tampa Bay area. Oldsmar, Pinellas County. I'm about three blocks from the water on Old Tampa Bay.

Dont get me wrong about laptops. I love mine. I take it back and forth from home to work everyday. Its a pretty good gaming lappy too. Just loaded Oblivion on it last night and having fun with that.
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post #20 of 24
3/25/06 at 6:24pm
I would buy a Notebook.
I like the way the screen looks after I calibrate it.
And it looks better than a desktop beige crt monitor.
It looks cool.

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