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Desktops vs. Laptops... & what is my system worth?

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DJ Pat

Member
Hey all 🙂 I have a pretty powerful computer (at least, what I think is a pretty powerful computer), and I don't really think I use and/or need the capabilities it has. I was wondering what owning a laptop instead might be like, and am curious as to your experiences with desktops/laptops and the pros/cons of each.

I really only use my computer for the basics, plus occasional online gaming (FFXI); rom playing, music, DVD's, occasional video editing, and lots of photoshop use... you know, probably what all of you do. I also have a VGA box which I can hook my PS2 up to my monitor with.

I was thinking about perhaps selling my desktop to buy a laptop in it's place, but was wondering where you draw the line at functionality versus price.

My current specs are: (It's a Sony Vaio Desktop, RZ32G I believe, I'll grab that number and update once I get it right..)
Pentium 4 2.6 GHZ
1G RAM
Nvidia GeForce FX 5500 Graphics card
80 gig hard drive
DVD R/RW drive
CD R/RW drive
Windows XP Home
ViewSonic VX910 19" LCD/TFT Monitor

Not sure what else to say; I'm a n00b when it comes to hardware.

Also, where do you feel would be the best place to buy/customize a laptop to suit my needs? I'd say 90% of the time, I'm playing roms and doing the basics like email and chat and surfing...

Thanks for any advice you can give this humble n00b 🙂

(And also, since I'm potentially selling this computer, if any of you might be interested in buying this computer, lemme know)

How much could I sell my current system for? The laptop I'm interested in is just under $1500.

Thanks!
~Pat


 
I don't know if you're going to be needing a nice videocard for your laptop, but if you're not I feel the need to point you at this thread in the hot deals section for a pretty nice laptop for really cheap. It's cheap enough that you might just be able to keep your desktop too 😉
 
to the OP:

You look like the type who does not want to bother with messing with the innards of a computer (i.e. upgrade a part every month or something).

In that case, a laptop is definitely for you. You can definitely find laptops with comparable specs to what you have right now in that Vaio, except laptops usually have only a single optical drive. You might want to hang onto that 19" flat panel though for use with both your laptop and PS2.

HTH.
 
The problem with laptop, they're always more expensive then desktop at least 200 percent ^EEK^
I love upgrading, taking my pc to pieces every once in awhile with laptop you can never do any of these other then add more memory and is not recommended by a veteran at pc building as they are easier to toast by amateur pc tinkers
 
I've been a laptop user for over 4years. . I love it since i'm a consultant. Don't expect PC type gaming as laptops don't really include realy high quailty graphics. But they are pretty decient. I would suggest finding a laptop with a nice docking station so when your at home you can dock to a monitor keyboard/mouse and when your away you can use the standard setup . Also, wide-screen notebooks are becoming more easy to get these days. Check out the HP Notebook.

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm...957-64295-89315-321838-f33-380679.html

Our company got 2 of these last week and these are AWSOME. NIce widescreen and quick. VERY LIGHTWEIGHt around 6.5pounds. (if weight is important to you, than make sure its under 6p. some laptops can get upto 8-9pounds. .. .
 
Also, if you can wait for a while, Dell has some outrageous deals sometimes.

My sister got the following for $850 shipped

Pent4 3.0ghz 800fsb
512mb pc3200
60gig hdd
mobility radeon 9700
wireless networking
15.4" widescreen
cd burner/ dvd-rom
 
Thanks for the quick responses! 😀

Hmm... thats a crazy deal from Dell there 🙂 It's definitley not urgent, and I can wait 🙂 Although it'd be nice if some magical computer fairy came out of nowhere, took away my desktop, replaced it with a comparable notebook and a wad of extra cash on the side lol.

The only way I could afford any laptop of anykind would be to sell this computer.

Are any of you familiar with what the catch is of "no payments no interest for 12 months" is? HP has some nice laptops (the on I was interested in was $1600). I would hope that I could sell this desktop and stuff I have now for $1600 bucks within a year...


Keep the advice coming! I appreciate it mucho mucho 🙂 You are all the best 🙂
 
If that dell deal sounds good to you and you're willing to wait, I think it's fairly common to have great dell deals around christmastime.

It was a $750 off a laptop of $1500 or more deal that she got in on.

I found it here on Anandtech. If I were you, I'd check Hot Deals often and wait for a killer deal to come around if you're not in a rush.
 
I'm sorry for the additional bump so soon, but I added a question to the original post. I won't bump again til later tonight.
 
You won't get much for your current equipment, maybe a few hundred. Check the FS/FT forums or E-bay and you'll see how much your stuff is going for.

$1500 will get you a good laptop, but to get one that plays the latest games, you'll have to spend 3k. Desktops are still faster than the laptops, but they are catching up. Just depends on what games you want to play.

Sager has the best gaming laptops, and the Nvidia Go Ultra video card was just announced. Dell gets it first with their new XPS2 which comes out April 8th. After that, Sager will come out with something even better.

Browse these forums for more info.
www.notebookforums.com
 
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