<p>Desktop to keep at home/in dorm, netbook to take to class for notes etc.</p>
<p>Am I right?</p>
<p>Most students are still going to be best served by having a low-midrange laptop that will cover all their computing needs. If you’re a little more tech savvy, don’t mind the hassle of syncing files, and have a reason to have a desktop (and also don’t have issues with getting your desktop to/from school), then desktop/netbook would be a better solution.</p>
<p>syncing files actually isn’t much of a hassle. Microsoft has a free software called Live Sync (used to be foldershare) which can automatically sync up to 20 folders of up to 20000 files (max of 4GB per file) each across multiple computers using encrypted transmissions over the internet. All you need is a hotmail account or a windows live ID which are free. </p>
<p>The software also allows remote accessing of client computers but that function can be disabled for security reasons. </p>
<p>Overall, having used the software for a bit over a year now, I can say that it works wonders at keeping me up-to-date between my two laptops without much effort on my part.</p>
<p>Edit: Live Sync website <a href=“Your request has been blocked. This could be due to several reasons.”>Your request has been blocked. This could be due to several reasons.;
<p>Also it’s compatible with both PC and Mac</p>
<p>I agree now that I’m finished with college. The only reason to have a laptop in college is for portability. For portability you need two things, low weight and battery life. The desktop would be good for entertainment purposes, etc.</p>
<p>However, not all freshman can afford both.</p>
<p>You can definitely find laptops which will serve as a form of entertainment in your room and be excellent for taking to class and such. There is no need for more than one laptop.</p>
<p>I think a (good) netbook is sufficient unless you need something they specifically can’t do (run the latest games, run very intensive software, etc…). I have stressed this view on other threads.</p>
<p>As a corollary, what do you think is cheaper? A desktop and a netbook, or a “desktop replacement” quality laptop? Both desktops and netbooks tend to be cheap, but there are two of them, so I dunno how this balances out.</p>
<p>For a college student, I believe that the pros of a netbook (lightweight, good battery life) are far outweighed by the cons (tiny screen, tiny keyboard, not as fast, etc.), but that is just me.</p>
<p>If you can afford it, get a real notebook. You are going to be spending way more time staring at that thing than you think…</p>
<p>
Small screen and keyboard are true, but in my experience a netbook with an Atom N270 1.6GHz processor and 1 GB of RAM (i.e. a good netbook) pretty much flies through day to day computing even in the face of multitasking. They are slower, but it is a slowness that will only be noticed in the face of trying to do something computationally intensive.</p>
<p>Definitely, definitely agreed. I’ll be going with a small form-factor desktop for my main workspace, and one of the bigger netbooks (around 10") for my portability needs. You can’t beat a 10" screen, under 2 pound weight, 7+ hour battery life, and a price under $400- so you won’t have an anxiety attack when/if you misplace it.</p>
<p>kansasdemocrat: What brand/system are you referring to specifically for that price?</p>
<p>ASUS’s EEE PC line, the 1000 model line if I remember right…</p>
<p>Here’s one of them on Newegg:
[Newegg.com</a> - ASUS Eee PC 1000 40G – Pearl White NetBook Intel Atom 10.0" Wide SVGA 1GB Memory 40GB SSD Integrated Graphics - Netbooks](<a href=“http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220368]Newegg.com”>Are you a human?)</p>
<p>I would agree if college students didn’t move so much. And when I say “move” I mean moving in and out of the forms. You will have to move that desktop, monitor, and keyboard every semester when you move in and out of the dorms. If you do more than one internship a summer – which is common, sometimes you’ll do a short internship and then go onto do another, or a summer program and then a summer job – you’ll have to lug it then, too.</p>
<p>For a netbook – a small notebook is better. Netbooks are only 1-2 lbs. lighter than some 13.3" notebooks (the MacBook is 4.5 lbs.; the Sony SR is 4.14 lbs., for example; the minis are around 2.5-3 lbs.) but you sacrifice a lot in screen size and your keyboard space. I would recommend going to a local electronics store and playing with a netbook a little before you decide to buy one, to make sure it’s something you really want.</p>
<p>I am currently contemplating buying a desktop and a notebook, but I’m in graduate school and I have an apartment that I won’t be moving in and out of frequently.</p>
<p>I got an Eee netbook, and found that synching files with my big laptop is not a problem either. I use “Easy Computer Sync”, from [url=<a href=“http://www.bravurasoftware.com%5Dhttp://www.bravurasoftware.com%5B/url”>http://www.bravurasoftware.com]http://www.bravurasoftware.com[/url</a>] </p>
<p>You just plug in this USB cable between the computers, and the software quickly syncs all your files. I use it at the end of each day, to make sure my Eee netbook and laptop have all the latest files.</p>
<p>Mhmm, I was going to just buy a subnotebook; they’re only slightly less portable than netbooks (1.5~2kg and ~6 hours battery life which is enough) but have enough processing to do anything you might need. And then put an external monitor in my room if I need to work on something for a long period of time and don’t want to stare at a small screen.<br>
IMO you don’t need a dedicated desktop unless you’re one of those gamers who must play everything on ultra high settings 2560x1900. There’s nothing else a laptop can’t handle; plus you’re stuck in your room all the time if you always need to use a desktop. The main advantage of a desktop is that you can upgrade it easily whereas laptops you are stuck with what it came with; however not many people will need to be buying new cpus/gpus/ram/etc. in college.</p>
<p>I went with a real desktop + netbook because I can get the best of both worlds, when I need them.</p>
<p>Core i7 desktop = $550, Netbook = $260; total cost = $810.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, for $810, I’ll only be able to get a mid-range laptop that has neither the power of my desktop (or even come close), nor as portable as the netbook.</p>
<p>I have to admit that I’m an enthusiast who pushes the limits on systems by doing lots of virtualization, compilation, music/movie encoding, etc. but the point is - I gave up on my 15" Thinkpad T500 after one year because while it worked, it didn’t come close to providing the power I wanted and it was a pain to lug around. And, I’ve already dunked $1000 into it and still gave up on it.</p>
<p>These days, I work off a 22" monitor with a real keyboard and mouse, and the netbook is so easy to carry around. Having a high resolution means that I have lots of desktop real estate to work with, which is critical when dealing with complicated applications, or even just writing a research paper.</p>
<p>As for the room of the desktop – the LCD monitor easily fits against the edge of my desk, and with the right case, my desktop is about as large as a second garbage bin.</p>
<p>Another option is to by a smaller laptop (13-14) that has the power you want to run whatever programs you want and then buy a big monitor that you can just hook your laptop onto. That’s mor expensive but it’s going to be a LOT less of a hassle on moving days between dorms and such</p>
<p>I went with a desktop+laptop myself. Keep in mind that my laptop has the battery life of a netbook (10 hours) but has a Core 2 Duo and bigger screen and keyboard, which suits my large hands better :)</p>
<p>Core 2 Quad (Q9550) mATX desktop w/ 4GB RAM and GTX 260 built by myself = $650
Asus UL30A w/ 32GB SSD: $600</p>
<p>Total cost: $1250</p>
<p>Netbooks don’t have any rom drives. (cd or DVD) If you want to listen to music, don’t buy a netbook. plus a netbook has an atom processor. that is Intel’s smallest chip. Personally I would not buy a net book! Do some research and decide for yourself what’s better for you.</p>
<p>You can transfer music via USB. You shouldn’t buy a netbook if it’s going to be your only computer, but that’s a separate issue.</p>