Is it worth getting a laptop?

Well, I have both, as does probably everybody else here. However, I bought a real light notebook, to be able to carry it around with me everywhere I go. It is not the most powerful notebook out there, bu it serves its purpose, just as my desktop does.

For me, this is the way things are:

Destop: Video games, intense apps, long typing sessions.
Notebook: Notes on campus, surfing while around the house, taking it everywhere, etc.

What I suggest is... dont spend a lot of money on a notebook. Get a not so expensive one, and then upgrade your desktop. I suggest you look at the Averatec notebooks, since they sell for 800. You can find a review of it at Tom's Hardware.

The notebook is small, light, inexpensive, and all around pretty good.

I have a desktop and 2 notebooks in my home. The notebooks get used a lot more than the desktop. I really like the mobility of my notebook. I can sit and watch tv/movie and surf at the same time. My notebook is a 2 year old p3, but it still plays most games well and surfs great. My next computer will be another desktop replacement notebook.

For the serious gamer a desktop would be best, because it can be upgraded easily. I mainly use my computers for 1) surfing 2) digital photography 3) gaming.

When searching for a notebook, try to get one with a nice graphics card so you will have the option to play games if you choose.

Yes I think for me my desktop has become obsolete. But that is just my opion. I don't think I will purchase another desktop.

John

well i went the route of just having a notebook, now i am changing back.

I need a desktop cpu for server stuff.. and realistically for games.

I am going to use a 12" pb for my laptop needs.. light, great os, and relatively powerful.

I mean, my 3d mark scores were great for a laptop at this price, but to play how i want i really need to be turning 6000-8000

You dont necessarily need a Centrino (Pentium-M)... this is the link to the notebook I told you about.

http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0170332

Here is a review by Toms (a pretty reputable source)

http://www6.tomshardware.com/mobile/20030618/index.html

In some battery tests... the Averatec even did better than the FUjitsu s6000, that has a "Centrino" (Pentium-M).

Honestly ender, the only reason I'm buying a laptop is because I plan on studying abroad in Japan in a year or so. The majority of people I know with laptops don't even move them from their desk very often. Unless you do alot of riding on planes/trains, you might just be better off getting a small form pc like falcon's frag box http://falcon-nw.com/fragbox.asp Something like that would free up desk space, give you awesome game performance and lan-party ability all for way less money. But that's what I would buy anyways if I wasn't planning on leaving the country.

Kallaway I am a little confused... can you explain the meaning of your post? I am just asking because previous to that post, you werent part of the conversation, and I never aimed any reply at you. Just a little confused.

I have desktop (look below) that I built couple month ago and I barely use it. As soon as I get another laptop that I like it's going for sale.

Desktop was built for gaming but after trying out CL56 for a month I've made my choice. I used to be hardcore gamer, but lately I've been bored with the games and all I want now is portability and still being able to play games once in a while. So getting a laptop seems like the best decision for me.

I agree with Enderet 100%. I use my laptop(s) for the same purpose...when I'm out and about, which is quite often. My desktop is where I do my gaming. Honestly, I mentioned this up in the Dell forums here but with my 8600, sure it could play games 80% as well as my desktop...I just found I NEVER gamed away from home (I think I did about 2 times and that was just for the novelty of it when I went to the office) so it was redundant having two game machines.

My acer is acting as my "thin/lite" until I get a bonafied compact laptop I can sink my teeth into. Surprisingly the 1.5 pound difference or so in travel weight between the two books makes a big difference to my shoulders.

ill buy ur desktop off u for $200

lol whoops sorry ender... i'm sick today and my eyeballs are all over the place i mean it for donkey but i guess for some reason i thought you made the thread

I've thought about this issue A LOT, as of late. For months, I've been pricing, buying, testing and returning hi-end notebooks...as many on this forum can attest. I was set on getting a maxxed-out 8790, but a funny thing happened as I was clicking through different configurations. I simply realized that I've only used my current notebook (Dell 8600...now headed for eBay!) away from my desk once. For the rest of the nearly eight months I've owned it, this notebook has been on my desk, plugged into the port replicator. An 8790 is even bigger, heavier, and less likely to leave my desk. Yes, the 8790 is probably the best gaming notebook you can buy, but even it pales next to a top-notch desktop. Plus, you get all the upgradeability you ever could want in a desktop. So, after some thought, I've decided to buy a kick-a** desktop.

I ordered a Monarch Hornet Pro, today. It's one of the SFF (small form factor) units that are growing in popularity. You can see the Hornet at www.monarchcomputer.com. This thing is equipped as follows:

- AMD Athlon 64 3200+
- ATI 9800XT 256 MB
- 1 GB PC 3200 DDR 400 memory
- 120 GB 7200 RPM hard drive
- 8X DVD+-R/RW 40x24x40 CDRW combo drive

The total cost for this mini-monster was just $1870!!!!! It'll blow away ANY notebook for years in terms of gaming performance and, of course, is fully upgradeable.


I'm now deciding between a couple of LCD and CRT monitors. You can get a magnificent 19" CRT Viewsonic Ultra-brite for just $270. I don't know if wanna put such a beast on my desk, but I will if I can't find a 19" LCD that's comparable. The BIG drawback to the LCD is its very high expense. Regardless, I'm certain I've made the right choice by going the desktop route. If I want or need something mobile, in the future, I'll pick up a relatively cheap thin & light P-M or maybe even a used Powerbook G4.

Anyway, I hope this tale is of some help to you. I'll definitely post a review and pics of my Hornet Pro when it's here. Good luck with your decision!

I have walked a similar but different path of indecision toward my next notebook purchase, which hasn't occured yet!
Unlike you, I still want a notebook in addition to my current desktop.
I had 5+ months of trouble getting Dell to get me a properly working notebook. They finally replaced it with a brand NEW defective Latitude, that I sold the next day on EBAY!!
When I started looking for a new notebook, I thought "a 12" notebook would be great, I would take it everywhere", followed by "well...12" is going to be kinda hard to work off, too small a display". Then I started looking at the 17" notebooks, and, I totally agree with you...yes, they are "desktop replacements" but they don't replace my desktop, especially because my desktop has 74GIG WD Raptor 10,000 rpm drives!! I won't get anything approaching that level of performance in this generation of notebooks. Maybe a few years from now, who knows? Anyhow, I started looking for
a.) portability/lightweight
b.) good screen
and decided to get the lightest 15" or 15.4" available. However, now that I am down to the decision, I can't help but think that a 14.1" would be more portable (because, obviously, it would be) and wondering why the 15.4" and 15" are so popular, and why there are such "slim pickings" in the 14.1" market??
Can someone explain that to me??
The other day, I showed my wife various laptop sizes, not models, just sizes, and she pointed out that a laptop should be able to fit on your lap!! (a radical concept, indeed!!) So, now I am really thinking 14.1".
Bottom line, I think that there is some real value to portability. Granted, that is subjective, and some people don't mind toting a 12 pound beast. But, for me, when I sacrifice portability, I also am very unlikely to take it with me, and the notebook concept is therby defeated. Kind of like camera's. You have a huge camera with tons of lenses and attachments, but you never want to take it anywhere. I got a 5.1MPixel small Canon S50 and I use it all the time!!
Sorry to ramble on. (great camera, BTW!!)
Andrew
Austin, TX

Basically, every one of us has their own preferences.

I wanted SFF for along time, but they were more expensive then desktops with problems such as heat/space, weak PSU and still not portable as laptops.

Current laptops are great for any games that are out. If you are hardcore gamer then of course laptops maybe not be the best solution for you, but it works for me. I liked taking my laptop to Starbucks and play some UT2k4 online can you do it with your SFF?

Speaking of cameras... same thing. I went from Canon G3 to S45 and now s400, the smaller the better for me personally, but I still want smaller, so I am looking into getting Sony T1

As a soon to be college student, i much debated the issues desktop or laptop. As my profile attests to i choose a laptop for the following reasons:

1) No room in dorms....so towers are bad and so are monitors..
2) LAN Parties - while i will admit my CX6 will the living snot beat out of it by any of the high end desktop rigs it still should be able to hold its own though again against most laptops and medium to medium high systems
3) Studying - The ability to work at libraries and the like make this an obvioius choice for me. Also many of my textbooks have a CD rom version so its a lot easier to take 6 CDs with me to class rather then the hard copy of those.
4) Travel - i travel a lot (though that might stop a bit once i get into college ) so being able to play any game i want on the go made it this choice

there are of course advantages to desktops and when i have room i plan on either getting one or a true DTR laptop (as in dont care about bat life), but currently at my houses i have 3 desktops and soon have one laptop. The desktops are going to be for storage, and server as servers, other then that i really dont see me using them much anymore. As they are older and wont be able to play games nearly as well as my CX6.

And why is there not a better selection of 14.1" laptops?? Is it that everyone wants a 15" - 15.4"?? It would seem that 14.1" would be the perfect compromise between an ultra-portable and a regular sized display???
The 14.1's seem to be mainly cheaper models with shared video, and although there are the T41p's and nc6000's at the high-end there is not much in the middle.
Or am I missing something obvious??
Andrew
Austin, TX

aamsel.... in the middle, you might want to look at the Toshiba Tecra M2.

JS...my brother! I feel like we're inexplicably tied together! That's exactly how I feel. The reality of how people chooose there laptops is how they "REALLY" plan to use it. It's fantabulous to say, hey my laptop pulls X frames...but will you use that? Ask yourself this. Let's be real, most of use here have pretty kick ass desktops. Honestly, I have one that is VERY nice. If I'm at home, there isn't a SINGLE notebook out there that can make me say..."yo Kevin, don't use portable, use me!". Simply put, my PERSONAL laptop usage has boiled down to one thing. Work . Ironic isn't it? I use my laptop for work, to listen to mp3's while I'm acting the pretentious fool at Starbucks going over price sheets, to surf the web while I'm watching the playoffs, etc, etc.. Once the novelty of having a "kick-ass" notebook wears off...the real reason for owning a notebook surfaces. We need portability.

Now look here, I'm not saying everyone just get a kick ass desktop and a web-surfer/emailer type laptop. Not at all. I'm just suggesting one thing. I think everyone who is making a purchase be real with themselves. Be honest with what you truly hope to achieve!!! If you want to get rid of that desktop altogether, than shoot, get that 8790. Get a paint job whlie you're at it! Etc. etc.. There's a market for everyone. All I'm suggesting is that if you alread have a kick ass system, than consider what you're purchasing and why you're doing it. I don't want anyone to waste money needlessly. I don't think anyone else should either. By the same token, I know in recent months that the laptop market is exciting...hell I get caught up and want to throw my next commision check on yet another fancy notebook. It's easy to get caught up. I'm just saying, know what you have, what you want, know what items achieve those objectives, yadda, yadda. Just mah 2 cents . Ask questions and by all means if you don't feel the answers are correct, than dig deepr for YOURSELF. Lord have mercy, the misinformation in video card power, bottelnecks, blah blah, that has been expounded recent...that has been passed around as legit info recently is just an example of why everyone who has questions needs to just dig that stuff of. It's out there! GL all...there's my long winded rant.

Bravo, Kev!! Well said and highly reflective of my attitude, as well. We MUST have some kinda west coast - east coast synchronicity going on here. Although, not being a coffee drinker, I can't say I occasionally play the pretentious fool at Starbucks. Sounds like fun, though. I'll give it a try at a Barnes & Noble when I get a thin & light notebook.

BTW, Have you seen the prices on the new Dothan notebooks at Powernotebooks.com? Incredibly good deals are offered there. You can pick up a 1.5 GHz Dothan (with its lovely 2048 MB cache), 15" SXGA+, ATI 9700 128 MB, 512 MB, 40 GB HD, built-in wireless, etc. for about $1350...even less if you cut a few corners. It's the perfect machine for those Starbucks moments!!!