The ultimate question:Laptop or Desktop?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Johns Hopkins University
1

<p>Hey everyone,</p>

<p>I have been struggling over what I should bring to JHU, a laptop, a computer, or both? I know the distinct advantages of laptops and yes, I have read through many threads in which almost everyone says to get a laptop because of portability, but I was wondering what you guys thought? I've also been to some computer enthusiastic forums and they have been recommending me to bring both. Here are the pros/cons I can see. By the way, I would say my budget would be around the 1,500 dollars range. I probably won't use the computer to take notes(even though i may put my notes into the computer afterwards for reviewing/organizing reasons) </p>

<p>Laptop(~1,500)
-Portable
-Get out of dorm if roommate is loud
-Study in Library
-Notes(even though most don't use it for this)
-Easy to bring home(3 hours away by train)
-if power outage..</p>

<p>-More expensive
-Less computing ability
-Need to buy waranty(crack screen, drop when walking, etc.)
-Theft(even though I heard it's ok at JHU)</p>

<p>Desktop(~1,500)
-That is like INSANE computer=P
-Can act as TV(tsk,tsk, i know=P)
-When upgrading, can upgrade parts and not whole
-Games!
-Really stable, won't break that easily</p>

<p>-Not portable
-Desk space
-Maybe a distraction from studying?
-Can't bring home on train</p>

<p>Desktop(~1000) and Laptop(~500)
-Desktop is still crazy fast(faster than any 1,500 laptop you can ever wish to buy)
-Laptop is portable(w/ wifi)
-Desktop can still be used as TV
-Laptop won't have compacity to play games(less distractions when studying)
-Less worries over breaking laptop
-Power outage(for the laptop)
-Can still upgrade parts for desktop in future.</p>

<p>-Desk space
-desktop, maybe still a distraction?
-Laptop can be brought home, but not desktop(except during summer)
-Maybe stick price in getting either a good laptop or desktop, not both?(even though like i said, the desktop would be crazy still)</p>

<p>Another thing to consider is,...will i ever need to use my computer for games and such? Do you guys think we will be using it for anything other than word?(the way i'm doing things right now, I feel like i NEED at least some computing ability for things like games, adobe and such)</p>

<p>There are probably more pros and cons but i cant think now</p>

2

<p>What dorm are you going to be in? Not that it matters much. You will not have much room for a desktop. I was in a similar situation to you and ended up just getting a laptop and leaving the desktop at home. It was a good choice. While it would have been nice to have the games, use the PC as a TV, etc., I would have had even less room on my desk and under it than I already do, and no room to use the laptop if I wanted to use it instead.</p>

3

<p>That is true. I hope I will be in Buildings A or B or in the AMR's. Like you said, my main concerns with desktop is not enough room and also bringing it home during holidays. However, two major cons for the laptop, likewise, are the chance of them breaking and their non upgradability. Like I said, I am still leaning maybe, a little more on the side of just bringing a laptop, but sometimes, i still wish i could be persuaded otherwise,...so if you've got more arguements for either side, please do post! </p>

<p>Also, thanks for your response!</p>

4

<p>I bought a laptop a couple months back fo Hopkins, and I don't regret it.</p>

<p>The laptop is just as good as a desktop. Some components CAN be replaced, contrary to what you have stated in you post. You can buy a tv tuner, like I have, and use that as a replacement for a tv or desktop.</p>

<p>Secondly, desktops are not necessarily faster than laptops. I bought a dual core laptop and after a fresh reformat, it blows my desktop away. If you're afraid of dropping the laptop, just buy a nice laptop bag and you should be okay with it walking around campus.</p>

<p>If you want to play games, you can purchase a laptop with a dedicated video card, and not one with integrated graphics. Dell specificly has excellent laptops with top of the line video cards, like the nVidia Geforce Go 7800.</p>

<p>I suggest thoroughly researching your options first. Take a look at some desktops and laptops and see what you really need. Laptops can have the same capability as desktops and are much more portable, obviously. Desktops are a pain to transport every summer and certain times where you have to leave your dorm. Although you may not think you'll want to bring a laptop to class, it's much better knowing that you'll have the chance to if you change your mind.</p>

5

<p>You said it yourself. I am already having enough trouble getting my guitar home at the end of the school year, good luck with a desktop during holidays (unless you're driving--although it would still be a major pain). Just get a laptop and be done with it. Check out Apple--I got one and couldn't be happier (although I used to be a PC person).</p>

6

<p>did anyone get a discounted laptop through hopkins?</p>

<p><a href="http://www.it.jhu.edu/desktop/mcp%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.it.jhu.edu/desktop/mcp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>i dunno, i like the dell 820 model but i wish you could customixze it
so...did anybody buy it through hopkins? how much do you save?</p>

<p>oh and btw, if you're deciding between desktop and latop, only choose desktop if you're a hardcore gamer. and even if you are a gamer, laptops are fine for playing most games (unless you want to play like doom3 on highest resolution or something). plus, you can always tweak your laptop if you need a little more juice</p>

7

<p>Ok, so i guess I'm pretty much swayed to buy a laptop. I MIGHT just drop gaming as a whole given the fact that i SHOULD be studying more and that it might be a little antisocial(?). Knowing that, would you guys recommend me get a laptop that is superportable(light and longer battery life) or still a faster computing laptop? And any suggestions on what company and/or even a model?</p>

<p>For portability and build, I was kind of thinking of IBM/Lenovo(Maybe X31-~1,670-Intel® Core Duo processor T2300 1.66GHz, 60 Gb Harddrive 5400 RPM, 512 Mb RAM,Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950, 12.1'', fingerprint security(dont really need=P),Sturdy laptop,and external slim optic drive)
For computing ability, I was thinking of Acer stuff(Acer Aspire AS5672WLMi-~$1,500, 2 Gb RAM, 120Gb Harddrive 5400 RPM, 6.6 lbs, ~3 hour battery life, Intel Core DuoT2300(1.66GHz), ATI Radeon X1400 w/ 128 Mb DDR video memory, and of course Wifi,15.4'' screen)</p>

<p>both of these are without the purchase of warranties!</p>

<p>Oh yeah, if anyone has any arguements for computer, you can post them still!</p>

8

<p>I love my Apple 15 inch PowerBook (discontinued now--replaced by the new MacBook Pro). It's very portable in my opinion (although my girlfriend would disagree), and I carry it in my backpack (special section for it) to all classes to take notes, etc. It's also very powerful--and from what I hear the new MacBook Pro is even more powerful (and can dual-boot Windows XP with a beta program, Boot Camp, from Apple).</p>

<p>If you're going Apple, I'd wait until later in this summer and they should have at least one more laptop model out to choose from, and later revisions of the MacBook Pro (less problems).</p>

<p>If you want a PC, I would get a 14-15 inch that is fairly light. I think Dells are fine but they pre-install so much garbage that it really slows down the machine. Not sure about other PC OEMs, but I would have a feeling that Sony Vaio laptops are nice.</p>

9

<p>Yeah even though I hate the idea of giving up my super awesome gaming computer its hard to argue otherwise. A laptop is much easier to use in a small dorm. Besides, even though it sucks, you could just get a much cheaper xbox or ps2 and play games on that. (Powerful computers are expensive, much more than the consoles.)</p>

10

<p>cowsgomu,</p>

<p>I looked at the JHU mobile computing discount thing before, and I opted not to order through there. The models they offer are sometimes outdated, and like you said, they offer little to no customization. Dell has a lot of coupons, so you could probably get a nice laptop for the same price from the mobile computing program. And if you don't like dell, there are lots of other great laptops out there.</p>

<p>One of the few advantages of the Mobile Computing Program is that they will repair it for you if you have a problem with your laptop. If you know a few things about computers, you can just troubleshoot it yourself. If all else fails, you can probably find a student at hopkins that knows just as much as the tech people from the MCP.</p>

11

<p>Hey mdkeung,</p>

<p>I was curious if you had any specific suggestions within the Dell line of laptops. I know Dell makes good quality portable computers; my dad had an inspiron a couple years back and loved it.</p>

<p>What I'm looking for is both portability as well as strong video performance/high GHz. I know, the two may seem a bit contradictory. So far I've only seen one computer, one of Alienware's newer models, which claims to meet both of these qualities. Money won't be much of an issue, so if you have any suggestions for Dell or another brand, it'd be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.</p>

12

<p>thanks mdkeung, yeah i think you're right</p>

<p>jimp,
if money really isn't an issue,
<a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/Dell_XPS_M1710/4505-3121_7-31789682.html?tag=pdtl-list?tag=promo2%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://reviews.cnet.com/Dell_XPS_M1710/4505-3121_7-31789682.html?tag=pdtl-list?tag=promo2&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>or
<a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/Toshiba_Satellite_P105_S921/4505-3121_7-31812922.html?tag=txt%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://reviews.cnet.com/Toshiba_Satellite_P105_S921/4505-3121_7-31812922.html?tag=txt&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>anyways, cnet's a good place to get laptop reviews</p>

13

<p>I would recommend getting a laptop over a desktop. I only know two people who have both a laptop and a desktop. They both have one of the small cube mini-ATX cases which take up almost no space.</p>

<p>I bought my laptop directly from Dell because I got a better deal than I would have through Hopkins. True, the Hopkins program allows you to get your computer fixed on-site and has loaner laptops for your use, but if you get a laptop directly from the manufacturer or from a store, there are definitely people who can help you fix any problems. If you do have to send in your laptop for service, there are still 24 hour computer labs on campus that you would be able to use.</p>

<p>P.S. If you're getting Dell from dell.com, be sure to use [url=<a href="http://edealinfo.com/dell/#C2%5DDell"&gt;http://edealinfo.com/dell/#C2]Dell&lt;/a> coupon codes<img src="if%20that%20link%20gets%20deleted,%20go%20to%20Google%20and%20search%20for%20Dell%20coupon%20codes" alt="/url"></p>

14

<p>Jimp,</p>

<p>If you go the Dell route, I'd suggest an Inspiron. The Latitudes are more business oriented and lack the media center functionality that the Inspirons offer. I've got a fully loaded Inspiron E1705, and it weighs a little less than 10 pounds. It isn't exactly the most portable thing out there, but it has so many functions that i'd choose them over the weight anyday.</p>

<p>The Dell Inspiron line offers dedicated video cards for the higher end models. Like I mentioned before, the 9400/E1705 has the nVidia GeForce Go 7800, which is one of the top graphics cards for laptops. The high-end Inspirons give you the functionality of a complete desktop filled with tv tuner, CD/DVD burner capability, and amazing video playback with an upgraded TrueLife screen. Like tanman mentioned, make sure to use the Dell coupon codes. The current one offers $750 off an Inspiron $1999 and up.</p>

<p>For notebook information, chck out <a href="http://www.notebookreview.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.notebookreview.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>they've got full reviews of practically every laptop and forums where you can compare and ask any type of question related to notebooks. Happy buying!</p>

15

<p>Personally, I think the Dell XPS line is highly overrated. Those are reserved for those people who lock themselves in a house and play videogames 24/7. For casual use, you'd be wasting your money on an XPS. Overclocking a nVidia Geforce Go 7800 could possibly yield similar results with an XPS. </p>

<p>I forgot to mention, if you want a 9400/E1705 with the nVidia card, you'll have to wait due to short supply of the cards.</p>

<p>Oh yea, and if you're worried about the bloatware that comes preinstalled on a Dell laptop, just do a fresh reformat of XP and it'll all be gone. There are step-by-step guides on notebookreview.com that are very quick and efficient. My notebook startup went from 80+ seconds down to 40 something after a reformat.</p>

16

<p>Can we keep this post going for anybody that has VERY nice deals to share with us? That would be cool. When I mean nice deals, I mean deals that are so cheap that they are insane or deals on higher end computers that end up being around the $1,500 range. i know this isn't any laptop forum, so let's reserve this for only the CRAZY deals.</p>

17

<p>go to notebookreview.com</p>

<p>they already have a site dedicated to laptop deals. No need to repeat less-detailed info here when it's much more organized there.</p>

18

<p>well u can carry your laptop around to places</p>

<p>i'd say laptop, but bring an extra usb keyboard/mouse and if you want, another monitor to hook up to your laptop.. then it'll feel like a desktop</p>

19

<p><a href="http://messageboard.chatuniversity.com/jhuboard/Default.asp?action=9&read=31029&fid=785#117885%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://messageboard.chatuniversity.com/jhuboard/Default.asp?action=9&read=31029&fid=785#117885&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>OR </p>

<p><a href="http://messageboard.chatuniversity.com/jhuboard/Default.asp?action=9&read=25886&fid=785#96188%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://messageboard.chatuniversity.com/jhuboard/Default.asp?action=9&read=25886&fid=785#96188&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

20

<p>i am bringing one of each. but my laptop will be a small tablet.</p>