lorddonk
I have a Dell Dimension 2400 Desktop that is aging and I think its time to get a new computer.
The new question is Laptop or Desktop. This wasn't really a question when I purchased this computer because at that time laptops were very expensive. But now, they are very cheap sometimes I can find prices far below a desktop with similar specs.
I don't really need a laptop but I imagine that mobility would certainly be nice to have! So I have a few questions;
1.) Is it bad to have it plugged in all the time? I would pretty much just place it where I had my desktop and use it from there (unless I had to go somewhere). Would this be bad for the battery? And how long do laptops usually work off of their battery before needing a recharge?
2.) Can you run games on a laptop comparable to a desktop as long as it has the same specs? I'm not looking to run some crazy graphics intensive game but I'd like to be able to play some of the games that I can't now like Sims 2 etc.
3.) Brands. Should I go for a Dell? I really like the computer I have now from them. It looks nice and it has a little bit of design (not just all one solid color). I saw that Dell has a lot of customizable "tops" that you can choose from, but I see the commercials all the time for HP as the laptop "masters". I've seen rave reviews on CNET and in PC World about "Acer" too, but I can't find anywhere to buy them if they are good?
4.) Maybe a silly question but can you use a standard printer with it? I know that most laptops support wireless and "bluetooth" but I don't want to buy a new printer, etc. and my DSL Internet takes an Ethernet jack and my printer takes a USB jack.
5.) Finally, do you think its a good choice to get a laptop or stick with a desktop? Price is pretty much a main factor, (I'm picking out desktop or laptop for X-Mas and don't want to break their pocketbook) Plus, If I get a laptop I can keep my old computer or somehow hook them together but if I get a desktop we have little room so I'd have to get rid of my old computer.
THANK YOU for reading my long question!! I hope someone can clear these up for me!!~
Answer
1. Laptop batteries tend to go over time. I haven't seen data on whether or not leaving them unplugged extends their life, but it makes sense to me!
2. Ehhh, kind of. The limiting factor for games is the graphics card, and graphical cards for laptops are a little different. They have to be, or they wouldn't fit! I'm in your boat, and I'm putting off a laptop purchase until February, when The Sims 3 comes out. I want to see what the system requirements are. You can upgrade the graphics card in a desktop,but you're stuck with the one you buy in a laptop!
That said, graphics cards are usually pretty close between laptops and desktops. The nvidia cards get an "M" after their name for "mobile," like 9650M as opposed to the 9650 for desktops. For the Sims 2, all you have to worry about is how much dedicated graphics memory the card has.
Since you can't upgrade them, you also pay a premium for graphics cards inside laptops.
3. Ah, brands. Everyone has strong opinions on these. Laptops are like cars that way! For the brands Consumer Reports had good data on, which is shamefully few, they say it's about the same. As a technician, I'm horrified by the Acer brand. Not because I've seen more problems come back, but because fixing the problems once they develop is a nightmare. The dang things don't cooperate. As a consumer, I'm partial to the Asus brand. Asus makes the motherboards for almost every other brand of laptop, so they can put awesome hardware into their own machines. Plus they have a two year warranty and a one year accidental damage coverage for every laptop they sell unless they sell it through retailers who prefer to sell their own coverage.
If you're fond of dell and comfortable with dell, there's no more wrong with them than with any other machine. I like that they have all the OS disks you need packaged in and are light on bloatware, and I drool a little over their XPS series. I'm no fan of their customer service or of the last (and only) machine I purchased through them, but I'm pretty sure customer service and lemon computer horror stories exist for every brand, especially when it comes to the mid-ranged computers.
4. Yes, you can use a standard printer with it. Your new laptop will have plenty of USB ports.
5. If price is your main factor, look at holiday sales. I'm finding deeper discounts on laptops, which is bizzare. Also keep in mind that you only need a new tower if you want to save a buck and keep your old monitor. As far as future costs go, desktops have more longevity than laptops: a 35% failure rate for 4 years as opposed to a 43% failure rate for laptops. Plus, you can upgrade the heck out of a desktop, while you're limited to upgrading your ram and hard drive size in the laptop.
You can, in fact, "hook the two up somehow." You can network your machines and access one from the other, or use your laptop elsewhere in the house and wirelessly print via the desktop. You can also hook up your monitor and keyboard to your laptop and use those when you're at home, as it's often more comfortable than the built in LCD and keyboard. Heck, you can even set it up to remote-in to your desktop so you can control both from your laptop at any time, even if you have the monitor disconnected.
All kinds of fun things you can do with technology! Happy hunting!
1. Laptop batteries tend to go over time. I haven't seen data on whether or not leaving them unplugged extends their life, but it makes sense to me!
2. Ehhh, kind of. The limiting factor for games is the graphics card, and graphical cards for laptops are a little different. They have to be, or they wouldn't fit! I'm in your boat, and I'm putting off a laptop purchase until February, when The Sims 3 comes out. I want to see what the system requirements are. You can upgrade the graphics card in a desktop,but you're stuck with the one you buy in a laptop!
That said, graphics cards are usually pretty close between laptops and desktops. The nvidia cards get an "M" after their name for "mobile," like 9650M as opposed to the 9650 for desktops. For the Sims 2, all you have to worry about is how much dedicated graphics memory the card has.
Since you can't upgrade them, you also pay a premium for graphics cards inside laptops.
3. Ah, brands. Everyone has strong opinions on these. Laptops are like cars that way! For the brands Consumer Reports had good data on, which is shamefully few, they say it's about the same. As a technician, I'm horrified by the Acer brand. Not because I've seen more problems come back, but because fixing the problems once they develop is a nightmare. The dang things don't cooperate. As a consumer, I'm partial to the Asus brand. Asus makes the motherboards for almost every other brand of laptop, so they can put awesome hardware into their own machines. Plus they have a two year warranty and a one year accidental damage coverage for every laptop they sell unless they sell it through retailers who prefer to sell their own coverage.
If you're fond of dell and comfortable with dell, there's no more wrong with them than with any other machine. I like that they have all the OS disks you need packaged in and are light on bloatware, and I drool a little over their XPS series. I'm no fan of their customer service or of the last (and only) machine I purchased through them, but I'm pretty sure customer service and lemon computer horror stories exist for every brand, especially when it comes to the mid-ranged computers.
4. Yes, you can use a standard printer with it. Your new laptop will have plenty of USB ports.
5. If price is your main factor, look at holiday sales. I'm finding deeper discounts on laptops, which is bizzare. Also keep in mind that you only need a new tower if you want to save a buck and keep your old monitor. As far as future costs go, desktops have more longevity than laptops: a 35% failure rate for 4 years as opposed to a 43% failure rate for laptops. Plus, you can upgrade the heck out of a desktop, while you're limited to upgrading your ram and hard drive size in the laptop.
You can, in fact, "hook the two up somehow." You can network your machines and access one from the other, or use your laptop elsewhere in the house and wirelessly print via the desktop. You can also hook up your monitor and keyboard to your laptop and use those when you're at home, as it's often more comfortable than the built in LCD and keyboard. Heck, you can even set it up to remote-in to your desktop so you can control both from your laptop at any time, even if you have the monitor disconnected.
All kinds of fun things you can do with technology! Happy hunting!
Torn Between two computers?
Mikey
I'm looking at the dell xps base model(the low of the low) and the hp hpe h8xt. If you have had an experience with both or just one of the two please tell me which one you think is beter.
Answer
http://www.pcworld.com/article/244481/desktop_pc_reliability_and_satisfaction_dell_and_hp_home_pcs_get_poor_grades.html
The Dell XPS starts at $750.
Minitowers have cooling and upgrade issues. The case (enclosure) is barebones. HD 7570 1GB GDDR5
is not a great gaming GPU, the power supply is barely adequate, degrading into failure over time. It is an average new motherboard H77 which does not allow overclocking, but the PSU could not handle it anyway. It does have a wireless card.
Don't know what HP you are looking at.
Building your own is your best path. Plenty of advice on Y/A
Case, Motherboard, Ram, Processor, Heatsink/fan, Thermal Paste, Hard drive, DVD, Power supply, Operating system, Monitor (typical is 23 inch), Graphics Card, Mouse, Keyboard, Speakers or headset
Use Newegg.com and re-check at Amazon and Tigerdirect
It is basically a plug in the parts and wires
At $750 you should be able to build a decent system.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/244481/desktop_pc_reliability_and_satisfaction_dell_and_hp_home_pcs_get_poor_grades.html
The Dell XPS starts at $750.
Minitowers have cooling and upgrade issues. The case (enclosure) is barebones. HD 7570 1GB GDDR5
is not a great gaming GPU, the power supply is barely adequate, degrading into failure over time. It is an average new motherboard H77 which does not allow overclocking, but the PSU could not handle it anyway. It does have a wireless card.
Don't know what HP you are looking at.
Building your own is your best path. Plenty of advice on Y/A
Case, Motherboard, Ram, Processor, Heatsink/fan, Thermal Paste, Hard drive, DVD, Power supply, Operating system, Monitor (typical is 23 inch), Graphics Card, Mouse, Keyboard, Speakers or headset
Use Newegg.com and re-check at Amazon and Tigerdirect
It is basically a plug in the parts and wires
At $750 you should be able to build a decent system.
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