Do I really need a laptop?

<p>I’m still in high school, but I’m going to university next year and I’ll be living at home. I already have a PC and it’s 2 years old. I’ll be pursuing a bachelor’s degree in commerce and minor in either **finance **or accounting. </p>

<p>I want a laptop because it is convenient and mobile.
I don’t want a laptop because it is not durable like a PC, it is costly, it is easily stolen, components are not easily upgradeable, and it might not last for 4 years.</p>

<p>I want a desktop because I can play high-end games, easy to upgrade, more durable than a laptop, can last for more than 4 years, and it is cheap.
I don’t want a desktop because it’s heavy (not mobile at all).</p>

<p>Bottom line, I’m only thinking of buying a laptop because it’s light and you can carry it anywhere with you. Other than that, I prefer to have a desktop.</p>

<p>Do you think I should buy a laptop? If so, when? Should I buy a laptop now (meaning for first year and hope it lasts for three more years) or later (whenever I feel like I need a laptop)?</p>

<p>If I do decide buy a new computer, I’m actually going to build one myself. It’ll cost me approx. $1064 to build a computer with Q6600 processor, nVIDIA 8800GT video card, 650W power supply, 500GB hard drive, 2GB memory, Windows Vista Home Premium 32bit, computer case, gigabyte motherboard and DVD +/- RW optical drive.</p>

<p>I want to build my own computer because I can put in anything I want plus I won’t have to deal with bloatwire.</p>

<p>If I do decide to buy a laptop, my choices are (taxes not included and in order):</p>

<li><p>Sony VAIO SZ780 w/ T8100, hybrid graphics: 8400M GS; X3100, a/g/n card, 6 cell, 250GB(5400rpm) hard drive, 2GB memory, home premium 32bit, 1 year manufacture warranty, Double-layer DVD±RW/CD-RW - approx. $1900</p></li>
<li><p>Asus F8SN B1 w/ T8100, dedicated graphics (9500M GS), a/g/n card, 6 cell, 250GB(5400rpm) hard drive, 3GB memory, home premium 32bit, 2 year manufacture warranty, 1 year accidental warranty, Double-layer DVD±RW/CD-RW - approx. $1200</p></li>
<li><p>Toshiba U305 w/ T8100, integrated graphics (X3100), a/g/n card, 9 cell, 250GB(5400rpm) hard drive, 2GB memory, home premium 32bit, 1 year manufacture warranty, Double-layer DVD±RW/CD-RW - approx. $1200 </p></li>
<li><p>Lenovo T61 w/ T8100, integrated graphics (X3100), a/g/n card, 6 cell, 80GB(5400rpm) hard drive, 1GB memory, home premium 32bit, 1 year manufacture warranty, Double-layer DVD±RW/CD-RW - approx. $900</p></li>
</ol>

<p>I don’t really want a Lenovo laptop because I’ve read a lot of complaints about this company and a lot of issues with the components they make with the laptop. IBM was great, but Lenovo is another story. Lenovo doesn’t have a good customer service in Canada.</p>

<p>I like the Sony out of all my choices because it seems to be reliable even though the customer service sucks, but overpriced laptop for decent specs. Do you think VAIO laptops are durable, will they last for 4 years or more? </p>

<p>I like the Toshiba laptop too, but it has an integrated video card and the keyboard flexes. I seem to not mind the keyboard when I tested out this laptop at a retail store.</p>

<p>I like the Asus laptop. It would have been my top pick if only it had a longer battery life. It has a standard 6 cell battery and it cannot be upgradeable to 9 cell battery. I’ve read reviews that Asus doesn’t have a good customer service in North America.</p>

<p>What kind of complaints have you heard about Lenovo? Even with the IBM partnership gone, Thinkpads are still some of the most sturdy, highest quality laptops you can buy.</p>

<p>^I agree completely. My dad works for IBM so he gets discounts on Lenovo Laptops. He bought my sister one, and she still has it and it works great (and my sister is VERY hard on computers, so that's saying something) three years later.</p>

<p>Well, to me, I don't think the quality is the same. Anyway, it looks ugly so style is another factor too. I'm not going to consider Thinkpad T61 anymore.</p>

<p>Any other feedbacks? Should I buy a laptop or a desktop? Also, I'll be living at home.</p>

<p>Intel is shipping Atom chips which will be used in laptops and a new device category called Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs). The Apple iPhone and iPod Touch are examples of the new category. I think that there will be products quite a bit larger than the Apple products coming out this summer and fall.</p>

<p>And these are x86 processors so they will be able to run Windows, Linux and Mac OSX.</p>