Can a Laptop Computer really replace a Desktop Computer?

[GustySoul]

This might be a bit off topic, but I was hoping to get some opinions from people with laptop
computers, as I'm thinking of getting rid of my tower and monitor in favor of a small notebook.

Can a good laptop really replace a desktop? I've been in the "do-it-yourself hardware enthusiast" category for several years now. I know I won't be able to play with all the latest video cards and such with a laptop, but the portablity would be really nice since I move alot. How is their performance and ease of use? Do you all like your laptops as much as your desktops?

I currently use my computer for everything from network & GL programming, to word processing, to watching DVDs and listening to music. I don't play too many games though. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

obispo21

 

[Pederv]

For a laptop to be "passable" as a substitute for a desktop I wouldn't go with anything less than a 600MHz. Even then a SCSI HD helps to make it more bearable. But to me the price premium just isn't worth it. This may be the year where laptops become the hot item where last year everyone was getting desktops. With the mobile durons coming out and intel talking of moving the 1GHz to a mobile format, I may get myself one for Christmas.

 

[Syborg1211]

I was thinking about getting a laptop, but this onc emain occurence happened that made me not want one anymore. I am constantly changing hardware, tinkering with things, overclocking, and some other things. So, with that habit, it will be very hard to break with a non overclockable, not very easy to change parts, and not so good graphics laptop. I may get one just for entertainment on business trips or anything else away from home but I definitely will always have a trusty desktop at home waiting to be tinkered with and receiving the best amongst my friends title, but for only like a week or two until someone else upgrades.

 

[TonyT]

I'm in the same boat with Syborg1211. Although having "all the power of a desktop in a smaller package" (as some marketing claims have suggested) might be very convenient, I just don't feel comfortable locking myself into a system which can hardly be upgraded and doesn't allow me to try out all of the latest gadgets/components. If you're going to get a laptop, don't think of it as a "desktop replacement"; rather, think of it as an "extension" of your already well-established (and upgrade-friendly) desktop pc.

 

[GustySoul]

Thanks for the responses guys - good things to think about before diving in.

I currently have a fairly decent system with lots of the fancy gadgets that I do enjoy experimenting with. T-Bird 1Ghz, 512MB PC133, AIW Radeon, SB Live!, DVD, CD-RW, 19ich monitor, 5.1 speakers, and such... but whenever I move it seems like almost half my car is taken up just by the computer!

If I bought a notebook, I could afford to spend about $3000, which can get a nice Dell Inspiration Notebook with a 700MHz PIII, 256MB PC100, 15-inch screen (that can do 1600x1200 ?!), 32MB ATI Video, 32GB ATA-100 5400RPM HD and both an 8X CD-RW and 8X DVD.

If those were desktop specs, I'd say that that would still be a pretty decent computer for me, I don't even know if I would notice it was any slower than my current tower, but does a laptop with those specifications have the same performance as a desktop with those specifications, or am I missing something important here?

Also, I've noticed that lots of laptops don't come with Floppy disks anymore. How easy it is to go about formatting drives and installing new OSs and such? Do you have to make bootable CDs?

obispo21

 

[Pederv]

Most of the newer laptops I work on have the floppy external to the laptop. There is a performance hit because speed is sacrificed for battery life and compactness.

 

[John]

obispo21, it sounds like you are considering the Dell i8000. I have the specs for mine in my sig, and it is definitely a mobile desktop. It has modular bays that will allow you to swap out an optical device or battery and put the floppy drive in its place.

 

[ElFenix]

in a month real graphics hit the notebook scene, with the geforce 2 go (would you like ketchup with that order? ) and soon to follow mobile radeon. play games decently in comparison to the rage m4, GL should be better too.

 

[Degenerate]

With a p3 850 , Geforce Go, CD RW, 15" screen with high res, i think they are approaching the replacment catagorey, to tell you the truth, i wouldn't mind one at all..

 

[Eug]

Yes it can replace a laptop but with the specs you're talking about, it's gonna be expensive and heavy. Do you really need a CD-RW to take with you on the road?

I wouldn't go laptop alone unless you're sure you can give up gaming. You're going to have to wait a while to get a Geforce 2 MX in a laptop, and one wonders what the GF2MX's 2D is going to be like on the separate monitor. (The image in dark games absolutely sucks on even the best TFT monitor. I have a 15" screen, thought to be one of the best on the market, and it still sucks. Text is gorgeous though.) In the very least you'd be best advised to keep the monitor (and mouse, etc.).

Note to the naysayers though, some of the stuff IS upgradable. That would be only for specific machines so it pays to check, but upgradable stuff includes the hard drive, the CPU, the battery, the CD-ROM/DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive, and of course you have usually 2 PCMCIA slots and USB/serial/parallel slots. My machine has a connector for a docking station as well.

But to give you an idea what I have (Sceptre 69002):

PIII 600E on a BX motherboard
256 MB PC-100 SDRAM
6 GB hard drive
15" screen at 1024x768. (1600x1200 is a bad idea I think. 1400x1050 on a 15" TFT is even pushing it, because of the inadequacies of Windows. Also don't forget that TFT monitors essentially only have one resolution. If you don't like 1600x1200 you're stuck with it because all the other resolutions are faked.)
ATI Rage 128 Mobility with 16 MB
8X DVD-ROM
V.90 Fax/modem
10/100 LAN and HomePNA networking

This all together was only around $2000 US. This would make a fine desktop. However, I won't give up my desktop with a Celly 880 and Voodoo 3 and 65 MB hard drive space, surround sound, 19" monitor, etc. etc. etc.

What I would suggest is getting a fully spec'd desktop, and then get as LOW end a laptop that will fulfill your needs. Spend the extra on your desktop. (One reason I went with a higher end one was because part of the cost isn't coming out of my own pocket. Otherwise I would have probably gone with a 13 or 14" TFT with CD-ROM, 8 MB video, 128 RAM, and a Celly 600 or something to save several hundred bux.)

 

[Syborg1211]

I say get a geforce 2 go just for the longevity of it. And then a p3 700-800. Although expensive, it will last a while without being upgraded

 

[yuckck]

the laptop i have at work, uses a 4200rpm ibm dara and a 650mhz pentium, cpu's totally fine. but the drive is the bottleneck. portability of laptop is great, as long as its some better drive that you have in the laptop.