Laptop? Desktop? or Both?

[waazzuup]

In the fall, I'm gonna be going to college. I currently have a desktop with the following...

Abit NF7-S Motherboard
ATI 9800 Pro
ENERMAX EG301P-VEm 300W Power Supply
AMD Athlon XP 2500+ (overclocked to 3200+)
2 sticks Kingmax Hard-core 512MB PC4000
WD Raptor 36.7GB
Seagate 80gb
Samsung 19" CRT Monitor 955DF

I want to have the mobility of a laptop for multiple reasons.

When looking at laptops that would "meet my approval" for everyday use, they all end up being $2000+.

So I was thinking to myself...

I could get a decent laptop for about $800 if Dell has the $750 off coupon sometime in the next 3 months. Then, I could upgrade my desktop to 64bit processor/mobo for around $500. I could also spend a couple hundred more on other varius upgrades (that Dell 2005FPW LCD for $400 has been very tempting) and still be spending less than if I bought a sweet laptop.

I don't really see myself using the laptop a lot. I would only use it on the occasional trip, coming home for a weekend every once in a while, playing with connecting my cell phone to it (to get wireless internet anywhere), possibly using it in class and to do work around campus. The last reason is probably the biggest one. I want to be able to take a laptop to the coffee shop, library, etc. (The campus is all wireless)

What do you think? Am I looking at this the wrong way? What would you do?

 

[Cheesetogo]

I would get the lightest one dell has (700m), and then just upgrade your desktop like you said. You don't want it to be large and heavy.

 

[Wall7486]

You would defintely want a light laptop. Since, you don't sound like you'll be gaming much you can virtually get any low-end laptop. I agree with cheesetogo about the 700m. It's cost effective, with a widescreen and perfect for wordprocessing. You can also look into the Asus M5N, is very lightweight and travel friendly as well. Save a couple of hundred bucks on your laptop and look forward upgrading your computer in the near future.

 

[waazzuup]

Any lightweight laptops that have at least a 14inch screen? I think I'm going to get the Dell 20inch LCD and going from that down to a 12 incher would drive me nuts.

I was looking at the Inspiron 6000, but can't seem to find how heavy it is.

 

[anarchyreigns]

Originally posted by: Cheesetogo
I would get the lightest one dell has (700m)...

The lightest one Dell offers is the Latitude X1.

 

[waazzuup]

anyone else?

 

[airfoil]

Another recommendation for the 700M - for occasional use this one cant be beat at the price. Sounds like you need a thin & light laptop, this one fits the bill perfectly.

Your upgrade path makes sense as well, for the desktop.

 

[HopJokey]

The IBM Thinkpad T42 is a light 14.1 inch notebook (about 5 llbs I think). However it is not as cheap as a Dell, that's for sure.

 

[rusted embrace]

In the original post you mention you might not even use a laptop all that often...so my question is why get one then? I know a lot of people who thought that getting a laptop was going to be this great thing for school, and they sit around and collect dust or they play solitaire during class. I know maybe two people that take notes, and they have their notes pre formatted and just dump stuff in as it comes up.

What about those laptops that have the light pen? Those are pretty cool...a bit expensive, but more practical I would say.

 

[MobiusPizza]

Laptops with a pen is called Tablet PC

Yes they are really cool. Light and stylish. Very good for taking notes than regular laptops since you just can't draw diagrams with laptops; especially maths notes.
They are a bit expensive but the 2nd hand older generation ones in ebay are very affordable.

I bought my Compaq TC1000 from ebay 2 years ago 2nd hand and it's still working great... A bit slow CPU which is annoying.
The Pentium III -M Centrino ones such as Toshiba and Fujitsu ones would be a plesant to use.

 

[sniperruff]

get an LCD and use the current computer, so it'd be easier to move back and forth home.

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: HopJokey
The IBM Thinkpad T42 is a light 14.1 inch notebook (about 5 llbs I think). However it is not as cheap as a Dell, that's for sure.

the economy t42 is currently $1299, not too bad as it only 5# and have a real nice keyboard. i would probably stick another 256MB stick in it and that would suit me fine.

 

[waazzuup]

Originally posted by: rusted embrace
In the original post you mention you might not even use a laptop all that often...so my question is why get one then? I know a lot of people who thought that getting a laptop was going to be this great thing for school, and they sit around and collect dust or they play solitaire during class. I know maybe two people that take notes, and they have their notes pre formatted and just dump stuff in as it comes up.

What about those laptops that have the light pen? Those are pretty cool...a bit expensive, but more practical I would say.

Well, I also listed the reasons why I think I need one. I really want to give myself the best opportunity to succeed. If after a couple months I figure out that I'm not using it, I could sell it. If I buy a Dell with a $750 off coupon and then end up selling it, I probably wouldn't lose very much money in the end.

 

[waazzuup]

I don't want a tablet pc.

The t42 looks very nice, but I think it's more than I want to spend on a laptop (assuming I'm upgrading my desktop and getting a laptop).

 

[ryanv12]

I was in the same dilemma as you when I transferred Universities this past year. I had a good desktop, but needed a laptop. I ended up upgrading my desktop and getting an HP dv1000 (14" widescreen/5.5lbs/3-4 hour battery life). I'm pretty happy with that. When I don't have to, I hate working on a laptop, even if a keyboard and mouse are attached. My desktop has a 2005FPW, and it's very very useful for me to sort of spread out all my work. The laptop, of course, has its advantage for keeping me productive while I'm out...going to coffee shops, library, girlfriend's apartment etc. If you prefer working on the desktop, then I would go that route too.

 

[The Pentium Guy]

ASUS W3C (I think that's the right model number) is extremely thin

 

[waazzuup]

Originally posted by: ryanv12
I was in the same dilemma as you when I transferred Universities this past year. I had a good desktop, but needed a laptop. I ended up upgrading my desktop and getting an HP dv1000 (14" widescreen/5.5lbs/3-4 hour battery life). I'm pretty happy with that. When I don't have to, I hate working on a laptop, even if a keyboard and mouse are attached. My desktop has a 2005FPW, and it's very very useful for me to sort of spread out all my work. The laptop, of course, has its advantage for keeping me productive while I'm out...going to coffee shops, library, girlfriend's apartment etc. If you prefer working on the desktop, then I would go that route too.

I'll check it out - Thanks

Originally posted by: The Pentium Guy
ASUS W3C (I think that's the right model number) is extremely thin

Are you talking about the W3V? It starts at $1899, which is more than I'm looking to spend (assuming I'm upgrading my desktop and getting a laptop).

 

[gobucks]

i agree with Rusted Embrace - it's just a self-perpetuating perception that college students NEED laptops their freshman year, a perception that I'm sure dell is doing nothing to stop. I am currently a senior at Ohio State in computer engineering, and I thought about getting a laptop in addition to my desktop during my freshman year. I'm glad I saved the money. The only thing I would ever use a laptop for is to work on homework, but that is between classes and I have computer labs everywhere for that purpose. Besides, I'd rather work on a Xeon workstation with 19" LCDs than on a cramped laptop, anyways. Most of my friends who have laptops basically just use them as desktops, anyway. They realize early on that they never actaully get work done anywhere they bring the laptop, and it's just a $2000 piece of hardware with a huge "STEAL ME" sign on it. There is usually only 1 guy in any given lecture that has a laptop in class, and while he's loudly typing his class notes and sitting in the front row and raising his hand every 3 seconds, everyone is thinking about what a huge douchebag he is.

I'd just beef up your desktop. If you aren't against a little overclocking, you can get a beast of a new PC for around $1000 - 1 or 2 GB of RAM, an overclocked Venice 3000 or 3200, a Radeon X800XL, and a nice nforce 4 Ultra board. Also, I recommend grabbing a nice LCD, like the 19" Hyundai L90D+ ($350) or the 20" Dell 2001FP ($400-500 on sale), since those will make shuffling back and from home much easier. Get a smaller case, also, like maybe a Super Lanboy, or, if you don't mind limiting your expansion slots a bit, the new Shuttle small form factor nforce 4 barebones. Those things are tiny, but still support all the latest and greatest CPUs and video cards.

If you need some mobility, maybe a PDA would suit you better. Dell's top-of-the-line X50v is like $350 on ebay, $400 on sale from Dell, and it's awesome. You could have apps like word, powerpoint, and excel, internet connectivity, etc. It's also great for games and windows media player files, and it isn't as conspicuous as a huge laptop (I can't imagine the people behind you in class wouldn't notice your 15" laptop screen playing the new Star Wars movie in class)

 

[waazzuup]

Originally posted by: gobucks
i agree with Rusted Embrace - it's just a self-perpetuating perception that college students NEED laptops their freshman year, a perception that I'm sure dell is doing nothing to stop. I am currently a senior at Ohio State in computer engineering, and I thought about getting a laptop in addition to my desktop during my freshman year. I'm glad I saved the money. The only thing I would ever use a laptop for is to work on homework, but that is between classes and I have computer labs everywhere for that purpose. Besides, I'd rather work on a Xeon workstation with 19" LCDs than on a cramped laptop, anyways. Most of my friends who have laptops basically just use them as desktops, anyway. They realize early on that they never actaully get work done anywhere they bring the laptop, and it's just a $2000 piece of hardware with a huge "STEAL ME" sign on it. There is usually only 1 guy in any given lecture that has a laptop in class, and while he's loudly typing his class notes and sitting in the front row and raising his hand every 3 seconds, everyone is thinking about what a huge douchebag he is.

I'd just beef up your desktop. If you aren't against a little overclocking, you can get a beast of a new PC for around $1000 - 1 or 2 GB of RAM, an overclocked Venice 3000 or 3200, a Radeon X800XL, and a nice nforce 4 Ultra board. Also, I recommend grabbing a nice LCD, like the 19" Hyundai L90D+ ($350) or the 20" Dell 2001FP ($400-500 on sale), since those will make shuffling back and from home much easier. Get a smaller case, also, like maybe a Super Lanboy, or, if you don't mind limiting your expansion slots a bit, the new Shuttle small form factor nforce 4 barebones. Those things are tiny, but still support all the latest and greatest CPUs and video cards.

If you need some mobility, maybe a PDA would suit you better. Dell's top-of-the-line X50v is like $350 on ebay, $400 on sale from Dell, and it's awesome. You could have apps like word, powerpoint, and excel, internet connectivity, etc. It's also great for games and windows media player files, and it isn't as conspicuous as a huge laptop (I can't imagine the people behind you in class wouldn't notice your 15" laptop screen playing the new Star Wars movie in class)

I appreciate the advice, but I am still leaning towards getting a semi-cheap laptop and upgrading my desktop. If I don't use the laptop, I can sell it. If I originally buy with a $750 off coupon, I probably wouldn't lose much in the end, plus I would be able to use it all summer.