I'm in the market for a new PC. My existing PC is starting to break down. Unfortunately, I'm not sure what the problem is. All I know is that it sometimes doesn't boot up, and even when it does boot up, it can crash (not bsod - but just a complete freeze) very quickly afterwards. I considered taking it to a PC repair store but the thing is, my PC is closer to 3 years old than 2 years and so at this point, I figure its just easier to buy a new PC.
The question is - do I buy another desktop or should I buy a laptop.
The main benefit of buying a desktop is that I can get better hardware specs for a cheaper price. Based on the kind of config I'm looking for, I can probably get a decent PC for around HK$6,000-8000 (the price being so cheap because I already have a monitor). Pretty attractive deal right there.
The alternative is to buy a decent laptop which would cost in the region of HK$12,000-14,000. The annoying thing is that I am almost paying double the price but the hardware specs still aren't as good as if I go desktop.
The advantage of laptop, obviously, is the portability.
I have a friend who says that she will always go laptop, even considering the added expense, due to the portability. It allows her to use her PC in the living room, dining room, bedroom or even in the toilet (and yes, I agree - that was too much information).
Any opinions?
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4 comments:
Depends on what you intend to use it for.
Gaming on a laptop just doesn't compare - the keyboard is different layout, the screen is smaller, the graphics card is not as good.
Frankly, why do you need the portability? Why would you be doing something in the living room instead of in your computer room?
Some interesting points which I'll tackle here.
Keyboard
The only issue with a notebook keyboard is the lack of the numberpad. Otherwise, the keyboard layout is similar enough that you can play most games fine. I really can't think of any game that I couldn't play on a notebook due to keyboard layout (but if you can think of one, please let me know).
Screensize
I am planning on the 15.4" screen. This is the same size as my current monitor so no difference there.
Graphics card
There are several notebooks available these days which are targeted at gamers ie they have good graphics cards. Granted, if I want something with the most powerful graphics card, I would need to pay through the nose (eg the XPS 1730 has dual graphics card with an optional Ageia physx card but costs HK$20,000+). However, in the price range I am looking, the XPS 1530 has a Geforce 8600GT which is already DDR3.
Portability
This is a good question and one I asked myself a lot. One one side, if I never have portability, I may never find the full need or benefit of it. Anyway, the reason why I started to think about switching to a laptop in the first place is as follows.
My study isn't particularly large and it currently often has to house both myself and the missus when she is working at home. Although we can both use the same desk (me on my desktop, her on her work notebook), it is a bit crowded and can get uncomfortable sometimes.
Hmm - my thoughts on your reply:
Keyboard
Can't remember them off the top of my head, but have played some games where the number pad was useful. However, this may be prejudice from a while ago - I used to play on the work laptop on weekends when I was dating Kelly. Just remember some games that I couldn't play properly because of the limited laptop keyboard.
Screensize - 15"???!!!????! Pah. With prices nowadays, you should upgrade to at least 19" for desktop (ala me! :) )
Graphics card - ok, so you've got a 8600GT equivalent card. Dunno if you upgrade midway through your PCs lifecycle just to extend its life (like I do), in which case I don't think you've got much of an option with a laptop
Portability - so your wife is using her "portable" laptop on the study desk, and this is pretty cramped with you also on your PC. How will this change because you get a laptop? I don't see a huge space saving for desktop vs laptop (especially if you use a Tower case and have it under your desk), so the only way would be if you then moved to another location with your newfound portability? If so then let me get this straight - YOU "downgrade" to a laptop so that YOU can move whilst your (already) portable wife stays put?! Time to grow some cahoneys methinks....
Lastly - as you said - you are paying almost double the price for the portability - you better be sure that the portability is worth it.
Screensize
If I was to buy a new screen, I would definitely get at least 19" (possibly even 22"). The problem is that I would feel bad about buying a new monitor when my old one is still working fine.
Portability
Some more info - which I probably should have stated in my original response. If the missus is only using her work notebook, then this is fine and there is enough room for both of us. The reason it gets crowded is because she sometimes also has reams of paper, folders or other files which she needs to refer to while she is working.
Basically, the idea is that I would spend less time in the study so she can have the entire desk to spread out her files etc.
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