Pro vs Con for SFF vs Laptop

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ullyeus

Supreme [H]ardness
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This originally wasn't going to be a post but I was making notes for myself and thought I would share some of my conclusions, feel free to comment if you think I've missed anything:


Expandability
- Laptops lack nearly all forms of expandability as far as adding MORE components. I could add an extra harddrive if I wanted…uhmmm…come to think of it..that’s all I could really add…or would have any desire to. And truthfully…If I was going to be actively using two harddrives I would have one in an external box for backup reasons. As such…I find no decisive winner in this category.

Winner: Neither

Upgradeability
- Small Form Factor’s still do not have upgradeable motherboards, neither do laptops. Most other components can be upgraded in a laptop, albeit limited. There is almost no limit with upgrades in a SFF. Though I don’t really see myself upgrading much, whatever I get will be maxed out and require moving to a new system when it is time. So…no winner here either

Winner: Neither

Customizable
- This is the one category where the SFF will definitely win. I could add fans, paint it, whatever. With a laptop I’d have to keep it “clean” for warranty reasons. Of course…let’s face it…I am not going to paint it, maybe add a fan or two but that would be it. I’d love to get back into watercooling though so while I award this to SFF…it is a small award as I could live either way.

Winner: Small Form Factor


Fixability
- Im fawkin Handy Jack. I can’t fix a laptop but could definitely fix anything wrong with a SFF. So it has to win there though do I really want to buy something based off thinking it will break?

Winner: Small Form Factor

Cost
- Though the price gap is definitely lessening the advantage still (and always will) go to SFF.

Winner: Small Form Factor


Portability
- Laptops are still the most portable so they would win this category. Of course…in all my years of owning laptops…seriously I’ve never taken them out of my house and don’t know why I would start now…and I do already own an ibook if I really wanted to take it out. Part of me thinks I will want to take it out when I get into building websites so I can show people stuff over coffee…but…come on…an ibook will do fine and most likely that will never happen anyways.

Winner: Neither

So in conclusion…it doesn’t look like a laptop is in the books for me…I could say it would be nicer and easier to manage in the home…but I would always have it hooked up to an LCD anyways…so yeah….Small Form Factor for me.
 
I got the laptop for school and portability when going home (200mi round trip). It doesn't sound like you need that. Enjoy the oversized oversized peice of semi-portability (long as you have an outlet handy)
 
Truthfully, I'm not going to settle for anything less than a 24inch widescreen LCD so I would be adding that to the whole thing no matter if it was SFF or Laptop, with the laptop I'd pretty much be paying for a screen I wouldn't be using.

Good points though,
 
Expandability: You can add almost anything to a SFF if you try hard enough. I have 3 DVD drives, a floppy drive, a fan controller and one hard drive in my Micro fly. I could put in two more hard drives too, if I wanted. Laptops... Can't fit near that much... Not to mention I have a tuner and can go SLI if I want in my SFF. I think SFF wins here...

Many SFFs take mATX mobos, so they are upgradable... Therefore, SFF wins again :D


I really do not see the point of gaming laptops now that I have my SFF...
 
Portability. Maybe it doesn't make sense for you, but I like being able to fold up my laptop, stick it in my backpack and go to a Lan Party. Even though the SFF may be lighter than a normal box, it's not nearly as easy to carry as a laptop, esp when you need a 24" screen. And even though gaming laptops don't have the best battery life, it's easier to take them with you on trips where you'll have easy access to power. Like a hotel when you go on a business trip and want to unwind after a hard day by playing some games. It'd be harder to fit the LCD and SFF in carry on. :p
 
synaps3 said:
Expandability: You can add almost anything to a SFF if you try hard enough. I have 3 DVD drives, a floppy drive, a fan controller and one hard drive in my Micro fly. I could put in two more hard drives too, if I wanted. Laptops... Can't fit near that much... Not to mention I have a tuner and can go SLI if I want in my SFF. I think SFF wins here...

Many SFFs take mATX mobos, so they are upgradable... Therefore, SFF wins again :D


I really do not see the point of gaming laptops now that I have my SFF...
Click to expand...

How about a laptop is a one piece unit and has a battery? I'll take the laptop... I can take it everywhere
 
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