Desktop vs Laptop

[Captain Picard's Hair]

We seem to have a lot of laptop users, and that's the way things seem to be trending. I'm now a laptop user after having used a desktop until a couple of months ago. Indeed I have come to appreciate it's portability; much of my browsing I now do reclining in bed with my laptop perched on, well, my lap! My biggest complaint is the touch pad, which I've never gotten comfortable with (I like to use my wireless USB mini-mouse as much as possible). On a technical level, desktops have a few advantages: the ability to add/swap expansion cards or swap peripherals easily, not to mention the fact that for pure performance the best laptops trail the best desktops considerably. A laptop's keyboard and screen are fixed and can't be repaired without performing surgery on the machine. Desktops can support a screen of arbitrary size in principle - though most laptops include an external video port of some kind also. I can do this but most users can't. However, the practical advantages of laptops seem to win out for many consumers.

Which do you use, and which do you prefer?

[kostmayer]

Laptop.

It hardly ever leaves my desk but its much quieter then my old desktop. I can also have a dual monitor set up without the need for 2 monitors - I use my laptop screen and a large TFT.

I miss the ease with which I can add stuff to it, but it does everything I need at the minute, and takes up very little space.

[Reliant121]

I use both, as i have dominion over the house's only laptop and my computer.

Laptop

The advantage of the laptop is obviously portability. I love sitting downstairs with my parents or while on the ps3, and still being able to use MSN and such like. Plus, I can take it with me on holidays and use it for the various programs i run. Its good for MOST of the things I do, but gaming is not really one of those things. Its fairly powerful, but its choked quite badly by Vista, meaning modern games are almost unplayable on it. That said, there is plenty of hardrive. The one downside is the lacklustre speakers for playing music.

Desktop

Useful for multimedia. This is what i use to play games (some high end ones) and music. It has a CD-Writer too, so i can write songs to CD's for my friends. It's also clagged up to my external hardrive with the families music library (which is fucking huge and spans 5 decades of music). Also, this machine has the only licensed copy of Microsoft word which i find a lot easier than most alternative processors purely because its easy to switch documents to and from school. And this machine is linked to the printer. I also have the internet cable plugged in to this one, where as the laptop has to use the built in wireless receiver.

[Captain Picard's Hair]

Laptop.

It hardly ever leaves my desk but its much quieter then my old desktop. I can also have a dual monitor set up without the need for 2 monitors - I use my laptop screen and a large TFT.

I miss the ease with which I can add stuff to it, but it does everything I need at the minute, and takes up very little space.

Yes! I have indeed noticed the much quieter nature of my laptop compared to my old desktop.

I use both, as i have dominion over the house's only laptop and my computer.

Laptop

The advantage of the laptop is obviously portability. I love sitting downstairs with my parents or while on the ps3, and still being able to use MSN and such like. Plus, I can take it with me on holidays and use it for the various programs i run. Its good for MOST of the things I do, but gaming is not really one of those things. Its fairly powerful, but its choked quite badly by Vista, meaning modern games are almost unplayable on it. That said, there is plenty of hardrive. The one downside is the lacklustre speakers for playing music.

Desktop

Useful for multimedia. This is what i use to play games (some high end ones) and music. It has a CD-Writer too, so i can write songs to CD's for my friends. It's also clagged up to my external hardrive with the families music library (which is f***ing huge and spans 5 decades of music). Also, this machine has the only licensed copy of Microsoft word which i find a lot easier than most alternative processors purely because its easy to switch documents to and from school. And this machine is linked to the printer. I also have the internet cable plugged in to this one, where as the laptop has to use the built in wireless receiver.

My laptop does have a DVD burner; for music I may use my bluetooth headphones or my 2.1 external speakers from my laptop's audio ports - either one sounds just as good as that powered by my old desktop, which I've since sold. It's been no problem for me to connect my laptop to my all-in-one printer/scanner/coper either via USB. I use Linux, but Open Office is compatible with Microsoft formats (although some of the more fancy kinds of presentation may get a bit screwed up in the translation). My laptop is not a good gaming laptop (integrated graphics...) but then I'm not a gamer either. it's base specs (Pentium dual core 2.16 GHz / 4 GB DDR2 RAM / 500 GB 7200 RPM HDD) are still pretty good - better than those of my former desktop in fact, and doubly good when not encumbered by Vista!

[kostmayer]

Mines got a gaming laptop by any means, but its good for a play.

It will however play High definition videos. I've also got an external usb sound card and 5.1 Speakers. Not exactly a multiplex, but a nice little home cinema that suits my needs.

[Lazar]

I use a MacBook and I'm quite satisfied with it - and I find the trackpad just as easy to use as a mouse, so that's not an issue with me. I don't game on it at all though.

[Reliant121]

My Desktop is a high power 2.8 Core Duo, with A HD graphics card and 3gb ram, plus XP

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

I use a desktop, although I'm saving up for that new ENIAC wall-mounted computer.

[Teaos]

I use a laptop, the portability is great even if it does spend 80% of its time on my couch. The idea of having to sit in a certain spot and use a certain set up for a desk top is not appealing to me.

[Lighthawk]

I have both, though it is rather unfair to compair them, as the laptop is a 5 year old store bought paperweight and the desktop is right around a year now and home built. Guess which one works better.

Disregarding age though, I consider both viable, useful, and well suited to their given tasks.

Desktop, Pros: Full keyboard, good speakers, big hard drive, big screen, ability to play modern games
Desktop, cons: Cheap mouse(not a true con, but I need to get the thing replaced), lack of mobility, takes up the vast majority of my desk space.

Laptop, pros: Mobility...that's about it. It comes to work with me and keeps me from dying of boredom.
Laptop, cons: Can't play modern games, long loading, compact keyboard, small hard drive, small screen.

[Sionnach Glic]

I use both. I've actualy 3 computers I use.

I use a laptop mostly when it's warm outside and I want to browse the internet/corrrect stuff/whatever in the sun. It's also great if I ever go on holidays.

I use one fairly new desktop computer purely for gaming.

I've a third rather old one that I use for browsing the internet indoors.

[Mikey]

when it's warm outside

I thought you lived in Ireland.

[Reliant121]

Warm by our standards then

[Sionnach Glic]

when it's warm outside

I thought you lived in Ireland.

Or do I?

[Mikey]

>.>


...ummm, yeah, you do.