why get a sff over a laptop?

[hahher]

i was looking into getting a sff for size and portability. after adding up costs of system + lcd, sff was about $150-200 less than a laptop. now i'm looking to get a laptop instead (600m maybe).

so given that they're priced somewhat similar, why do people get sff?

 

[Frightcrawler]

are you going to be moving around constantly?
if so, get a laptop.

if you're just going to go to occasional LAN parties, get a SFF.

 

[WackyDan]

Originally posted by: hahher
i was looking into getting a sff for size and portability. after adding up costs of system + lcd, sff was about $150-200 less than a laptop. now i'm looking to get a laptop instead (600m maybe).

so given that they're priced somewhat similar, why do people get sff?

Why do people get a SFF??? Because they want Power, graphic ability, and the future ability to upgrade at reasonable prices.

A SFF is portable where as a Notebook is Mobile....

If you are not going to be toting around your system on a regular basis, go with the SFF.... If you need to have it with you most of the time, get a notebook.

 

[Bateluer]

SFFs give you access to most of the desktop's components, notebooks do not. You can move the SFF around from location to location, but you need an AC power source to power it. Notebooks can run on batteries. In the end, it comes down to what you want to do with the system.

 

[akers]

I have used 5 laptops and been fairly pleased but finally I put together an MSI MEGA 180. I have only had it a short while but so far it is great.

While it may not be as portable as a laptop it has advantages that outweigh the disadnvantages, at least for me. I load it up in my SUV, hook it up to the AC/DC inverter and I have AM/FM stereo radio, CD/MP3 Player/burner, and DVD player/burner for entertainment and a computer sporting an XP3000+ with 1GB of RAM, 250GB hard drive with media card reader built in. The MEGA 180 has most of the features you might need built in.

The next step will be to install MSI's TV tuner card, and get a TV antenna.

That is a whole bunch of power and versatility in a small box. I guess I could have got an HP ZD7000 series laptop with almost all the features but no radio, much smaller and slower hard drive, etc. etc. for about $2,500.

I guess it all depends on how you plan on using it and how you travel. I want to take it ALL with me.