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So you wanna replace your desktopSep 08 '01 (Updated Nov 16 '01) Write an essay on this topic.
Popular Products in PC Laptops
The Bottom Line Upgrade or buy an new desktop, get a moderately priced laptop
Really think about what you’re getting into prior to making that purchase to replace your desktop unit. As a matter of cost, desktops are a huge deal. You get tons of power for very little cost and depending on your ability to choose carefully you can get upgrade ability. Just so you know where I come from, I work in Medical Technology and have made plenty of mistakes in trying to get my own laptop. Laptops have not arrived in the world the same way that our behemoth desktops have. They carry less RAM, have a few generation’s slower processors, poorer graphic capabilities and the best part of all this, is you pay more for this technology. Also, laptops do not come with an option to upgrade the motherboard, graphic cards or processors. The most you can do is get new RAM and a hard drive – period. I know that you are well aware of this but you want to be mobile. What does it mean to get the latest and greatest in terms of a laptop? I bring this up because the hardware folks love to talk about multi-media and your computers ability to do video editing. Think about it are you really going to do tons of video editing from your laptop? I contend there are only a few people out there that really are going to fumble around on a small keyboard and use the tiny mice to navigate these big projects. Things like video editing are best done on powerful desktops using the best possible processors, huge hard drives and oodles of RAM. A lap can do these functions but your frustration level will vastly outpace your ability to be creative. I do not deny that there are some powerful laptops out there, so don’t get me wrong but why try to replace the desktop with an inferior product. If you want to be a movie or TV producer and you need this type of power then I would suggest that you use a MAC. Mac's use the G4 velocity engine that is super for video and Photoshop. They outperform PCs because of the software takes advantage of the 128bit processing power that comes with these chips. There is little difference in the peripheral hardware of a MAC and PC's. The T-book from MAC uses the 8 Meg ATI graphic cards (G4 400 and 500). This leads me nicely into a discussion of regarding graphic boards and capabilities for laptops. I know there are people out there who are into the latest and greatest graphic cards for PCs. For those who don’t know, NVIDIA has released a 16 and 32 MEG graphic cards for laptops but bear in mind it is behind technologically speaking compared to its big brother that sits in a desktop system. Also unless you are a big gamer or need to use 3d imaging these cards won’t offer you much in terms of value for your money. Furthermore, increased resolution on your screen will also affect your CPU ability to process - it does become marginally slower when you use higher end graphics (Again the end user will not really notice this). Now that you have a handle on graphic boards, here is the low down screens size. Yes its true ladies and gentleman, size does matter. When it comes to screen size, I often hear debates. Watch out for sales people, have they have missed the boat on this topic. Here is the skinny on that subject. The person with the biggest screen does not always win! Consider your needs and where you are going to be. Screen sizes vary and go and over 15 inches. If you travel – 15 inch monitors do not work well on planes – trust me I know. Big computers do not travel well – This is the truth!! Don’t let the specs on a machine fool you. When you walk down the store's laptop isles with all the screens glowing in your face, you will start to read the specs on the monitors then work yourself into a tizzy because you can't decide between UXGA, SXGA, and XGA? Alas, it’s your choice again. In my humble epinion there is no human need for or use for an UXGA monitor. You will have to be doing some pretty intense CAD work to require this resolution. SXGA is likewise also quite high in the resolution game but a short step down from UXGA. If you choose any of these resolutions you will have to alter the windows settings so you don't get eye strain from looking at all the tiny letters and icons. All the windows desktop items will appear smaller (because of the higher resolution) but you can adjust them so long as you know to work with the windows settings. So bottom line, if it’s a small price difference between XGA and SXGA then go for it – no harm done. During your cost benefit analysis of why a laptop is the way to go, write down all the things you do with your computer now. I mean the software that you use. Then consider what the advantages to you for having the portability are. Differentiate between want and need – its important distinction. I use MS office and the internet for work purposes and I travel for living. My company gives me a computer to use while on the road, but I don’t want my personal stuff on the company’s computer. Ok I am a little afraid / paranoid of our IT department poking around on my hard drive. I carry two computers because of this but it and this remains an important consideration. When it came down to looking all the extra features I needed I acknowledged that I play only one 3d game, use Photoshop. For me and my work, the portability issue is important as is good overall speed. I found that I only need reasonable graphics capability - 8 Megs is fine, and a regular XGA screen does the trick. So if you have decided that a laptop is critical to your functioning, here is what you should do. Get a computer with a reasonable processor a P3 (850 or higher) or AMD Athlon (1GHZ). You will see a variety of ads for different processors and the speeds. Yes some processors handle different software tasks better than others but in most cases, there is little difference in “seeable performance from a P3 850 to P 1000 (or Athlon chips) is doing MS office tasks. Consider your needs and get memory that is appropriate to you – 128 is fine for using office applications. 8 Meg video rendering is wonderful, don’t let anyone snow with bigger or better graphics cards unless you are a huge gamer. The reality is the difference between cards when using non game applications is minimal. If you are a gamer then you already have the best of the best at home on your PC anyway because laptops come nowhere close to graphic desktop performance. If you travel 14 inch screens are wonderful. Some computers have slightly longer battery lives than others, but having used so many different systems when the chips are down they all perform about the same at 2-3 hours max. Think about spending an extra 100.00 for an additional battery if you are away from an outlet. Portable computers are only portable so long as their batteries work. Also get the combo CDRW DVD drives. You won’t need to worry about finding another attachable device later. Finally look around at what you are getting for your dollar. In my opinion Toshiba, HP, and Compaq’s offer good value for your money. Also think about where you get your system. I have experienced lots of problems when dealing with online retailers; they can be hard to get a hold of once you are finished with your purchase (Dell are you listening?). In the end, I would improve or buy a new desktop system with the latest and greatest (for a moderate price), then get a moderately priced well featured laptop. These combined items will cost less then a wannabe all in one laptop that offers nothing to the buyer in terms of improvement once the sale is finished. Remember all computers have a lifespan of only a few years because of the improvements in technology and sophistication of operating systems and software. Good luck with your purchases and I hope this has been helpful to you. PL  |
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by seakins5100
