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Old 10-26-2008, 09:17 AM
 
Location: New Jersey
858 posts, read 2,986,027 times
Reputation: 708

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Our 6 year old Gateway desktop is getting slow in it's old age. We've maxed out the RAM, etc, and it doesn't even have a DVD writer or reader; Time for a new beast.

I think you can get more for your money with a desktop; however, a note is more portable, even if you just want to sit in the living room.

So for home use, which do you prefer: a desktop or a notebook?

Thanks,.....marc
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Old 10-26-2008, 10:45 AM
 
Location: Western Bexar County
3,823 posts, read 14,628,362 times
Reputation: 1943
First of all, donate your computer to either Fred Flintstone or Barney.

For portability, a laptop can't be beat. High-end laptops are catching up fast with desktops. With that said, I have a desktop because I like to use a better keyboard that is easier on the wrists. With the costs of computers these days, you might be able to buy a decent desktop AND a laptop and then set up a wireless connection to run both. Whatever you decide to buy, be sure to read the reviews (both professional and from actual buyers). Circuit City is a good place for reviews. Dell has lots of reviews also on their website for Dell computers.
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Old 10-26-2008, 11:23 AM
 
Location: Tyler, TX
23,485 posts, read 23,829,344 times
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Quote:
Which do you prefer for a home computer; Notebook or desktop?
Both.

I have a desktop that I use for work, A/V work, CD/DVD writing and some other things, and I use my notebook for hanging out in the living room - web browsing, coding, etc. I have FolderShare set up to sync a bunch of different directories between the two machines, so I can work on lots of things from either machine and always be working on the latest version of the files.

Evaluate what you need, what you want, and how much money you're willing to spend, then see which option best suits those things. A laptop has the advantage of portability, but a desktop has much more bang for the buck and is MUCH more upgradeable.
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Old 10-26-2008, 01:10 PM
 
1,597 posts, read 2,132,638 times
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Well, since I can't afford both, I'd rather have a desktop. I'm still of the old-school that believes a desktop does much better with gaming/graphics and A/V editing - although I've heard the LCD monitors have gotten much better in recent years. But I also prefer a regular mouse as opposed to one of those touch-pad thingies, and it's easier to type on a regular keyboard as opposed to the tierless rows of letters on a laptop.
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Old 10-26-2008, 01:20 PM
 
8,879 posts, read 11,668,095 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by marc515 View Post
Our 6 year old Gateway desktop is getting slow in it's old age. We've maxed out the RAM, etc, and it doesn't even have a DVD writer or reader; Time for a new beast.

I think you can get more for your money with a desktop; however, a note is more portable, even if you just want to sit in the living room.

So for home use, which do you prefer: a desktop or a notebook?

Thanks,.....marc
I am a minimalist kind of person, so it's been laptops for me. I have a 17'' desktop replacement and a 14'' for the road. Both have HDMI outputs for watching movies or surfing the net on a bigger screen. In my case, it's a 107'' projector screen. Like you said, the portability can't be beat. You also save on electricity. It's true you can get more with a desktop, but the price difference isn't near as much as it used to be.

If you are buying a new laptop, try to get one with a bluray/dvd drive and an HDMI output. These features will be standard by next year. For now, they are available on selected models.
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Old 10-26-2008, 03:16 PM
 
Location: SoCal - Sherman Oaks & Woodland Hills
12,974 posts, read 33,850,830 times
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I got a Macbook Pro as my desktop replacement and could not be happier.

Much better than any desktop Ive ever had.
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Old 10-26-2008, 03:54 PM
 
Location: Here...
347 posts, read 1,092,785 times
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Notebook, anyday. Made the switch 5 yrs ago when my desktop died, and never regretted it. Like you said, it's portable- that's the big deal.
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Old 10-26-2008, 03:58 PM
 
485 posts, read 1,311,528 times
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Have had the desktop for several years. Recently, while on vacation had the opportunity to use a friend's notebook. The keys are so flat that I found myself "bumping" into all kinds of problems distracting me from the task I was performing at hand. Sidetracked by the sensitive, flat keys to the point of utter frustration!!

I'm sure with a little time and practice a notebook would be the best out of the two. Hope this helps?
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Old 10-26-2008, 05:35 PM
 
11,715 posts, read 40,336,342 times
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If it doesn't need to go anywhere, desktop >>>>>>>>>>>>>laptop
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Old 10-26-2008, 06:47 PM
 
Location: Seattle, WA
1,368 posts, read 6,490,829 times
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The biggest key is portability.

If you think, for even and inkling of a second that you'd want a laptop for either a vacation, visiting family... or just moving to the other side of the house... get a laptop.

from there you have a lot of choices, and again... go off portability.

As it is for me, I have:
an aging desktop (The latest BIOS revision is from 12/04)
a decent desktop replacement laptop (17" glossy screen, nice and quick)
a company 15" laptop (for field use)

I use my desktop primarily when I'm at home, I watch movies on it, tv shows, listen to music, surf the web, chat, play games, do hw, etc. It does everything really well.

For my big laptop (17") I tend to use that for the living room, also whenever I go on trips.. etc. its beefy enough that its not slow, but doesn't have the battery life to truly make it 'mobile'. So it tends to only go places that have easily accessible power.

For my work laptop, it goes just about everywhere. I haven't taken it to class yet, but thats because this semester I don't have any classes that require me to be able to take near-verbatim notes... but it has come with me to the library on several occasions, and will travel with me for study sessions, etc.

Its all a matter of preference. We all have different preferences. Some of us 'hardcore' geeks will have the desktop + laptop solutions, but by no means should you feel obligated to follow suit.


my basic advice is this:
If its not going to move, ever.. get a desktop.
if you might move it at some point, get a desktop replacement.
If you're gonna take it over to a friend's for dinner to show home movies, pictures, etc... get a 15" laptop.
If you're going to take it everywhere, use it everyday, have it on you at all, or near all times... get an ultralight laptop.
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