Laptop vs PC

Coveredinbees!!!!

I had a laptop for 6 months which I have just taken back to Costco and got refunded, unfortunately you can't do this any longer so I'm looking around for another laptop. You soon get used to the convenience a laptop but when you no longer have it, it's really annoying!!!!!!

olly300

One thing people have not mentioned in this debate about laptops vs desktops is ergonomics. If you are going to spend hours at a time on a computer then get a desktop that way you will have to sit properly to use it and are less likely to end up with neck and back problems.

BTW I have an arbico desktop from 4 years ago before they moved to their new location. It runs linux and I have to say I was really impressed with their service.

Scout

Olly, this is one of the reasons I am buying a new desktop. I need to sit up at a desk when working, because if I have my laptop, I tend to slouch around on the bed or the sofa, which isn't always conducive to getting a proper day's work done :P

And yes, I find my back does play up when I have spent too much time reclining against my pillows with my laptop on my knee

Marty_J

That's a very good point about ergonomics, and I've never really liked laptops for that reason. I find the keyboards uncomfortable to type on, and the screen is always too low. I could get much the same effect by putting my iMac on my lap!

S0litaire

Why not get both

Get a half decent Desktop from Dell (around the £650 mark)
then pick up one of those Eee PC's or MSI Wind laptops for £300

You got all the power and storage in the Desktop and you can use the wee laptops when out and about.. :D

Leopard

The sensible way to go about it is to use a laptop and a docking station.

You put a decent monitor at a proper height on your desk and plug this, along with all the usual peripherals (Gigabit Ethernet, USB2 hub, Firewire 800 hub, Firewire 400 hub, external speakers, etc.) into the docking station.

(I personally prefer to use a Bluetooth wireless keyboard and mouse: alternatively you plug a wired keyboard and mouse into the USB hub.)

This creates a proper work station, powered by the laptop. Additionally, it enables you to run large external hard drives connected to the Firewire hub. Firewire 800 is fast.

When you want to use the laptop somewhere else, you simply release it from the docking station and take it away with you.

Some people (my companion is one) have a similar setup at work and dock their laptop at either location. It isn't always adequate simply to carry a USB stick or a pocket Firewire 800 drive between the two locations; you need the laptop itself if you want to work on trains, on aircraft, in hotels and in other situations.

When you really do want to use the laptop's own display for any protracted period of time, away from your work station, it's best to sit it on a purpose built stand, together with a (preferably wireless) keyboard and mouse. We keep a Griffin Elevator stand tucked away conveniently under the kitchen table, ready for instant deployment. (The cat likes it, too; she uses it to scratch her back!)

These may not be cheap solutions but they're a small price to pay for preventing back problems.

It's certainly the solution I would recommend to our long-suffering original poster whose indulgence of all these dissertations has been extremely indulgent, tolerant and polite.



Millionaire,

Everybody is entitled to their own opinions but when they advance them repeatedly in contradiction of hard facts and proven research they will be treated with neither credibility nor respect. (Even if they do it with a courteous degree of literacy).

Cheese_is_great

I would strongly recommend trying out a mac before buying a new computer. They may cost a bit more at first glance, but they tend to last longer, work better, and otherwise be more pleasant to use.

That being said, if you're looking to buy a mac I've had great experience with buying officially "refurbished" mac computers. It's cheaper than buying new, but the computers are inspected and like new. It's a cheap way to get a more or less "new" computer. Good luck whatever you decide!

Leopard

Cheese is absolutely right.

My companion bought a MacBook Pro from the Refurbs section of the Apple Online Store three months ago, just after Apple had updated its laptop range.

It cost 31% less than its retail price the previous month and it looked brand new. (Probably was. Unsold stock, in all likelihood.)

Only effective difference was that it came in a plain, brown box. Not much of a hardship when it's reduced in price by £400.

It was utterly beautiful, plenty powerful, highly specced and she loves it. :grinheart

S0litaire

There is always the Cheep git way....
source the "Mac" compatable components.
Buy a copy of "OSX"
and install it yourself...

HaY pRESTO...

Dell Prices
MAC Quality.
:D:D

Marty_J

S0litaire wrote: »

There is always the Cheep git way....
source the "Mac" compatable components.
Buy a copy of "OSX"
and install it yourself...

HaY pRESTO...

Dell Prices
MAC Quality.
:D:D

Of course, doing that would violate the OS X User Agreement:

"This License allows you to install, use and run one (1) copy of the Apple Software on a single Apple-labeled computer at a time. You agree not to install, use or run the Apple Software on any non-Apple-labeled computer, or to enable others to do so."

Probably easier just to buy a Mac.