Desktop v Laptop

Fido

Fido

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New Forest, England.
For several years I have done my computer "work" on my iMac. And I use a laptop in my lounge for internet browsing and "play".
I have at long last got a wireless printer.

I'm beginning to wonder why I still use my iMac. I sit at a very small computer desk in a corner and don't much like my sitting position. My laptops - my wife has hers, obviously offer more flexibility and have all the capacity I need.

So what am I really going to miss by not using the iMac?

I'm thinking of passing it on to one of my daughters. But I'm concerned I might have overlooked something which some of the experts here can point out.
 
I always played on a desktop pc, but my wife had a laptop for her thing's and we never saw much of each other, her watching the tv whilst surfing my in the dining room on the PC, 18 months ago the desktop just gave up the ghost and I thought rather than replace the CPU (its wat went wrong with it) I would look at upgrading, and the wife suggested I have alook at the gaming laptops.

Its old hat now but I have a Dell XPS M1710 and just love it, same sized screen I had on the desktop, better graphics, it has wireless, dvd burner CF card reader bluetooth, what more can I ask for? OK it only has 150GB HDD but I picked up an external 500GB for £40.

I now spend more time with the wife, even if I am on here posting/chatting or even play world of warcraft but we are together chatting, it also means I can take my 'work' with me where ever we go ;)

Would take alot for me to go back to a desktop now
 
I repair alot of computers, and only points I would make, if something goes wrong with a laptop (hardware wise) it can be costly to fix (if out of warranty).

Desktop PC's are extremely easy to replace parts (yourself), LCD Screens, hard drives, graphics/sound cards, RAM, PSU etc, and even if the Motherboard fails, you can buy a another one with a CPU and RAM fitted quite cheaply and just shove it in your old case.

opening up a laptop and replacing parts is a bit more tricky to say the least, and if you have to pay a techy to do it, it's costly (in most cases you will end up splurging out on a new laptop), alot of people claim off house insurance, but insurance companies are getting wise to this because of fraudulent claims.

As IanM said, spill your cuppa on a Laptop and see the hassle and expense it will cause, spill it on a Desktop keyboard and a fiver gets you a new one.

Also, if you play Games, Laptops are more limited when you get more demanding games coming out, apart from adding extra RAM there is nothing else you can upgrade on a Lappy, on a Desktop you can upgrade RAM, Graphics, Hard Drive, add extra Fans, USB Ports, Even CPU and MOBO if needed....

Just something to think about.

I am a Desktop person.....i do have a Laptop, but only gets a little use......
 
I think a lot depends on what you need the machine for. I do quite a bit of photo editing and printing so have a fairly powerful PC and good quality monitor. Laptop screens are not so good for photo editing. Having said that the convenience of the laptop means it gets a lot of use for every day internet.
 
sunburyboy93 said:
I repair alot of computers, and only points I would make, if something goes wrong with a laptop (hardware wise) it can be costly to fix (if out of warranty) .....

I am a Desktop person.....i do have a Laptop, but only gets a little use......
Click to expand...

I agree with all Steve says - the price of convenience is fragility and expense of repair. However I'm a laptop person... I do have a desktop but it only gets a little use.

Printing's been on the network since 1997 and the network has had wireless since about 2001 - so wireless printing not new here :mrgreen:

As for specialised use like photo editing - you can still plug in the screen and keyboard of your choice... in fact you should use a separate keyboard and mouse if you're using it for any length of time since you can't simultaneously be in an ergonomically good position to type/mouse and look at the screen with a laptop.
 
You're not going to miss perching like a sparrow at an insufficiently sized computer desk that's for sure. If it's what I think it is I hate those things, they should be banned on elf and safety grounds which is why I suspect you are considering letting the Imac go.

Personally I like and need having a static setup because I put my work head on and I "try" not to blur the boundaries between work and play,
equally I also sit on the most expensive chair in the house while I'm doing so. As CMOT says it depends what you are going to use it for, if it's all play laptops will certainly do.

I'd couple the machine with a decent office or favourite chair and table and you will start using it again, I'm sure of it. The screen on your Imac should be a good enough reason to keep it not to mention the maintenance issues already raised.
 
Thanks for these comments. I'll be leaving the iMac just where it is for a while and gradually shift to the laptop. That will give time to be fully aware of the wider implications of doing without the desktop option.
 
I'm actually considering putting this laptop on light duties and getting a desktop as the main machine. It's been a long time since this computer moved anyway. With a flat screen and the box tucked away on the floor, it might even take up less desk space.
 
I actually have best of both worlds, my Macbook Pro, is hooked up to external keyboard and mouse, external display and plugged in power wise, shut the lid and desktop straight away.
 
I've rearranged things.

My dining room is across the hall from my study where my iMac sits. I've moved all my business stuff in neat containers to my dining room. Laptop on table with wireless printer nearby. Table provides much more flexibility. It's worked really well for a couple of days. If we need the dining room for meals when friends and family come, things can quickly be rearranged.

Right now I'm laptop on lap in my study armchair, very comfortable. Best of all worlds. For now, the iMac stays where it is as I gradually transfer stuff to laptop. I think it will stay for a while yet! I really am grateful for the positive comments about the destop benefits - I might have removed it too hastily.
 
cozzyb said:
I actually have best of both worlds, my Macbook Pro, is hooked up to external keyboard and mouse, external display and plugged in power wise, shut the lid and desktop straight away.
Click to expand...
Same setup here, 13.3" macbook, hooked up to a 22" and keyboard+mouse. It's been running almost 4.5 years, it's running almost 24/7 in a hot climate (never suspend/sleep), only had to replace the fan once. (15 USD of ebay)
I'll soon be in the market for a new one, and may go for a iMac because I need some more raw power (HD video editing), I'll continue to use the laptop for a lot of stuff.

Max
 
I have 3 laptops at home and have just sold off my desktop. The desktop was a +300% in computing power and speed (even to my quadcore i5 laptop...) but have realized I have turned it on only 5 times during the last year... so I sold it off. I vote for laptops maybe with an external monitor if you need (I don't....)
 
To be honest I have my study for the desktop machines (have 6 of them, two are servers) as I work in IT and do alot of home research that I can't do at home. The down side is I spend less time with the wife.

That was the old setup, the new has me running 3 laptops for most of my work in the dining room with my wife while she works. We get to laugh and joke while working.

The Netbook is my everyday carry for word processing and internet surfing at wok or free wifi at internet cafe's.

My main laptop is for heavy use and run VMware workstation for testing stuff out for work.

My third laptop is the newer Mac book pro with the i7 processor, my first MAC but very impressed it handles editing my digital video editing great and also uses VMware workstation and runs a copy of windows when I need a specific bit of software that I have not bought for the Mac.

Laptops really are the way forward for me.
 
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