was it [H]ard 4 anyone else to pick a laptop after having a desktop 4 so many years??

[9guns]

Basically, I need my laptop PC to act as the "Mobile Command Station", that does just about everything my desktop can do, at least half a well. Thus I need power, but I also want portability, durability, and high quality materials, so I had a very difficult time finding something to suit my needs.

this is EXACTLY how I'm feeling!!!

Basically, when I was buying (and still to some extent today) there are only a handful of offerings that meet these requirements and when you want "Powerful, Thin, Aesthetically Pleasing" you have to give up something - "Money".

couldn't agree w/ you more but is it worth it? if the new sandy bridge MBA's are priced aggressively I'm going to jump right on one ASAP

It was hard to find a laptop to meet my current needs and it will be hard next time when this begins to go out of date, but I feel I must have a pretty unique niche. If I ever had the money to provide venture capital/angel investment, I'd love to start/fund a company that would make ultra-high end laptops made with Linux in mind. As much as I wanted to buy from something like System76, I couldn't justify buying an 8lb Clevo plastic block without so much as a backlit keyboard.

you know that's the one thing that pisses me off about laptops, a fuckin' backlit keyboard should be MANDATORY on every laptop ever made!!!

 

[iroc409]

I have a quad core Sony laptop that I paid about $1000 for that I'm very happy with. Do everything except gaming on it. I have a QX6700 desktop, and I would say they're about equal, if the laptop a little faster in overall performance. My laptop mostly stays put. I travel, and it goes with me, but I don't really sit around with it on my lap in various locations. It works well for me.

I've wanted to upgrade the desktop for quite some time, but difficult to spend that kind of cash on just a gaming computer-especially since mine still does OK in games (a little sluggish, at times).

 

[Black-Tom]

From what I can tell your biggest issue is just going to be compromising, since you can either have everything you want or a decently priced laptop.
I have essentially always had a laptop and a desktop, so it has never really mattered what specific specs my laptop has since I use it the way it is supposed to be used (taking it with me everyday, etc) and then use my desktop for the admittedly sparse heavy lifting. These days my PS3 gets more work than the desktop.

From my experience, what I would say is, choose your screen size, and then find something with a dedicated gpu in your price range and that's probably the best that you're going to get. In terms of build quality, you're probably going to tire of the laptop before it falls apart anyways

 

[Dantrax]

was it [H]ard 4 anyone else to pick a laptop after having a desktop 4 so many years?? What's a laptop?

 

[Trepidati0n]

When buying a "laptop" you need to decide how much content creation you plan on doing. If you plan on just using it to browse the web, watch you tube, facebook, etc...just get a nook color, iPad, etc. A decent destop + Nook Color = Good combo for the $ spent. If you want to step it up a notch, the eee transformer is good step up.

 

[9guns]

From what I can tell your biggest issue is just going to be compromising, since you can either have everything you want or a decently priced laptop.
I have essentially always had a laptop and a desktop, so it has never really mattered what specific specs my laptop has since I use it the way it is supposed to be used (taking it with me everyday, etc) and then use my desktop for the admittedly sparse heavy lifting. These days my PS3 gets more work than the desktop.

From my experience, what I would say is, choose your screen size, and then find something with a dedicated gpu in your price range and that's probably the best that you're going to get. In terms of build quality, you're probably going to tire of the laptop before it falls apart anyways

ah ha - compromise... yea I've been having an "internal struggle" w/ this whole desktop to laptop thing for about 3 months. it's getting your expectations in line w/ reality that's tough. I'll be happy to be rid of C2D for sandy bridge but I would REALLY like to see apple somehow squeeze a damn dedicated GPU into a MBA. can it be done given the size, probably not on the 11.6" but maybe the 13.3?

was it [H]ard 4 anyone else to pick a laptop after having a desktop 4 so many years?? What's a laptop?

+9,000 reps to you good sir!!!

 

[obug]

I'm in a similar situation. I've been trying to replace my desktop with a laptop and am having a terrible time making a decision. I haven't been interested in gaming for a long time (unless you consider Tetris like cell phones games to be gaming) so that makes my decision making a little easier.

The issue that pinches me the most is longevity of a desktop versus laptop. Almost every desktop I've built (for myself or others) has gone into the trash only when it was past the point of being useful (e.g. 5+ years old). Any repairs were typically minor, quick, and cheap (e.g. finding a used video card, changing the CD/DVD drive, upgrading RAM/HD, etc). The total cost of ownership with a desktop is pretty low.

Laptops change this whole situation. Many consumer level laptops have a life of about 2 years before you have issues. Even if you have an "At home extended warranty" you can go through some real hell to resolve issues. With desktops you can deal with HW problems yourself.

Business laptops are better built and have far better support, but there are some other issues since they are catered to a business audience.

I think picking a laptop would be much easier if consumer level Windows laptops makers spent a little less time scraping the bottom of the barrel. Even the "premium" consumer laptops can be plagued with problems.

All of the above might not help, so let me talk about something more useful.

I think a lot of people greatly over estimate just how much portable use they will get out of a laptop. When you are a college student you get a lot of opportunities to carry a laptop around. Plus, college students don't necessarily see a laptop as a major weight burden over the books they already carry around with them.

Most adults I know don't have much portable use for a laptop. From what I've seen most times it ends up in a fixed position on a desk. All the "I'm going to sit at a coffee shop with my laptop" turns into a "I haven't gone to a coffee shop in 2 weeks and my spouse/partner hasn't gone in a month, so they want to go with me. I just spent 40+ hours/week on my computer, so I just want to sit an chill with my coffee."

The exception, of course, is people who use a company laptop for work.

And, finally, there is the point of ergonomics. At you get older (or after you throw your kid up in the air 15 times and revel in the joy you feel as they squeal in delight), you become more sensitive to the aches and pains that come with using a laptop. Even a basic desk setup can do a lot to prevent these body aches.

I use a standing desk. Using a laptop without an external device (keyboard/mouse or monitor) in such a situation is near impossible. I still haven't figured out if it makes sense for me to get a laptop, or just get something like a Desktop plus a tablet for those times I just want to look something up from the couch.

Some people just use their laptops for email, facebook, and a bit of browsing. In that situation the ergonomic concerns probably aren't much of an issue because they're only on the computer for short bits of time.

As for laptop sizes, I recommend a 12-14 inch screen. It doesn't take long to feel cramped with an 11 inch (and smaller) laptop, and 15+ inch laptops are big enough that it's easy to second guess yourself every single time you want to carry it somewhere. If you want a reliable gaming machine or a powerful workstation then 15 inch laptops are a good choice because you have of configuration options.

 

[9guns]

The issue that pinches me the most is longevity of a desktop versus laptop. Almost every desktop I've built (for myself or others) has gone into the trash only when it was past the point of being useful (e.g. 5+ years old). Any repairs were typically minor, quick, and cheap (e.g. finding a used video card, changing the CD/DVD drive, upgrading RAM/HD, etc). The total cost of ownership with a desktop is pretty low.

Laptops change this whole situation. Many consumer level laptops have a life of about 2 years before you have issues. Even if you have an "At home extended warranty" you can go through some real hell to resolve issues. With desktops you can deal with HW problems yourself.

yea I never really thought about longevity overall as a "determining factor" when purchasing a laptop. b/c I'm thinking of going w/ a newer MBA, I was thinking turnaround time more than anything especially when it comes time to upgrade or go back to a desktop b/c I miss the whole experience too much. almost like a "rental period" b/c apple products retain their resale value so well. but you bring up an excellent point about self-repair as well. w/ a laptop, it's got to be annoying enough to find replacement parts that fit. then go the apple route w/ proprietary ram / HDD / whatever, then figure it's one of the smallest, most compact laptops as well... repair may or may not be a nightmare. but this is all new to me and I WANT to learn a little along the way.

And, finally, there is the point of ergonomics. At you get older (or after you throw your kid up in the air 15 times and revel in the joy you feel as they squeal in delight), you become more sensitive to the aches and pains that come with using a laptop. Even a basic desk setup can do a lot to prevent these body aches.

I use a standing desk. Using a laptop without an external device (keyboard/mouse or monitor) in such a situation is near impossible. I still haven't figured out if it makes sense for me to get a laptop, or just get something like a Desktop plus a tablet for those times I just want to look something up from the couch.

I love the idea of a standing desk. I probably should have had one w/ my old rig b/c I spent hours trying to find a great chair. and after a while I get antsy as hell even in a comfy ass executive office chair. whatever I decide on either a desktop or a laptop (most likely a laptop) I'm definitely making myself a standing desk. it will be small but enough to fit some of my shit and room for a mouse and wireless keyboard.

ah ha, there are some of the hidden costs of a laptop. already I was thinking about peripherals like a mouse and wireless keyboard when it comes w/ both. damn you desktop mentality, damn youuu!!!

 

[pxc]

I didn't plan it, but I wound up using my laptop 99% of the time in the past year.

The 1080p LCD and very decent performance of the i7-720QM are good enough for most of what I do. The benefit is that I don't use the desktop as much anymore and that's saving me almost $20/month on electricity. I won't keep this laptop that long, but it would essentially pay for itself after 3.5 years in energy savings. I've had it for 15 months so far.

 

[obug]

The 1080p LCD and very decent performance of the i7-720QM are good enough for most of what I do. The benefit is that I don't use the desktop as much anymore and that's saving me almost $20/month on electricity. I won't keep this laptop that long, but it would essentially pay for itself after 3.5 years in energy savings. I've had it for 15 months so far.

I'm curious how you did the math on this. Let's assume the power usage difference between a desktop computer and laptop at full load is 200W. If you use your computer 2/47, you'll end up spending an extra $22/month at $.15/kWh. Calculations were done using the electricity cost calculator at the bottom of the linked page.

The above makes some very broad assumptions about the use of the computers. For one, in many places electricity is cheaper than $.15/kWh.

Many people do not use their computer at full load 24/7. Even if you are a serious gamer, you probably don't game for more than 8 hours a day if you have a full time job. When you sleep you can turn your computer off. Modern power saving mechanisms can save a lot of power between idle/load states.

A lot of people just use their home computers for basic tasks, so the computers might never actually be at 100% load.

So the real world the monthly savings will be closer to less than half of $22 stated above.

All of this ignores another issue. Computers at full load get very hot. With exception of the workstation class business laptops, I suspect running a laptop at full load 24/7 will decrease it's life, thus adding to one's total cost.

Of course, the type of person who runs their laptop at full load 24/7 is probably very motivated to upgrade their computer every year or two since the increased computing power will be useful and worth the cost. So perhaps longevity is not an issue in that situation.

 

[mope54]

I suspect pxc is in California. He probably pays 2x what your'e estimating per kWh.

He's also in a better position to explain what he does/does not pay each month for electricity than a calculator using a series of assumptions...you know, because he has a bill to pay each month

 

[GreenMonkey]

My wife's Toshiba laptop is pretty beefy. One of the last core2 laptops, dual SSD/HDD, Nvidia 230M, Blu-ray, backlit keyboard. Pretty nice.

Too big for me though at 16". I'm kind of a 12-14" guy. I barely use my desktop these days but I didn't spend much on it either. I use my tabletPC laptop most of the time...sucks for video encoding and sometimes Calibre processing...Turion X2 chips aren't speed demons. But I get by for most of my computing tasks. For encoding I go kick it off on my desktop and come back to it later.

I tend not to focus too much on the screen resolution, because that just makes it that much harder to play games on it. I accept multitasking on a laptop isn't going to be awesome (I'm used to 2 monitors anyway).

I find any laptop with a halfway decent graphics card lasts a lot longer than the typical Intel-graphics garbage laptop. It shouldn't matter except for gaming, but they just stay peppy / workable a lot longer.

 

[Sly]

Curiously, is there still a DTR class for laptops these days? They're powerful, big, bulky and some don't even come with batteries. I assume they aren't overly expensive since 'compactness' isn't on their priority.

 

[Sly]

@obug
Wow! $0.15! That's cheap! Converted to dollars, i'm paying about $0.25 over in the Philippines!!!

I'm gonna go check how we compare to everyone else.

 

[pxc]

I'm curious how you did the math on this.

lulz, talk about assumptions and incomplete at that!

Firstly, the math is very advanced and I'll need you to stay with me because I don't want to lose you. Ready? I look at my electricity bill. It's $30-$40 less each billing period (semi-monthly) than before I switched to using the laptop nearly all the time. The bill also includes power usage from the previous year, so the difference is not caused by faulty (human) memory.

I am in California and my electricity rate is $0.11/KW-Hr (muni power, no rip-off "deregulated" power in my area, but no cheap coal either... booya!) and the city charges 10% tax on that. There are a couple of smaller fees too, but are insignificant to the rate. I was bad about using my desktop and left it on all the time (often the speakers too which got warm in the amplifier unit). I usually have somewhat decent hardware in it and with the LCD in sleep mode, the system uses around 120W at idle. With the 26" LCD on (it's not an efficient model), system power draw was closer to 220W while doing almost nothing. I used it for work daily, and also browsing and playing games.

The math should be easy to follow at that point (power usage was in the 3.5-4KW-Hr per day range). I estimate the desktop was using around $15 per month in power (sometimes less), and another few dollars per month was spent on additional AC for my place since the the desktop was equivalent of leaving a 1KW space heater on 3-4 hours a day and made the place warmer.

Does it make any sense now? The laptop I use sips power by comparison. I estimate it costs around $1.50-$2.00 per month in electricity.

 

[9guns]

as for the mini thread hijackers (ahem), >Brool Story Co.<, moving on...

I didn't plan it, but I wound up using my laptop 99% of the time in the past year.

The 1080p LCD and very decent performance of the i7-720QM are good enough for most of what I do. The benefit is that I don't use the desktop as much anymore and that's saving me almost $20/month on electricity. I won't keep this laptop that long, but it would essentially pay for itself after 3.5 years in energy savings. I've had it for 15 months so far.

a good point to bring up as my electric bill dropped dramatically when i got rid of my rig (1,000 watt psu). i mostly left it on day and night and gamed at least 4 - 5 hours per week night, 20 hours per weekend.

My wife's... is pretty beefy. Too big for me though at 16". I'm kind of a 12-14" guy.

he he!!! sorry man, i couldn't resist!!!

Curiously, is there still a DTR class for laptops these days? They're powerful, big, bulky and some don't even come with batteries. I assume they aren't overly expensive since 'compactness' isn't on their priority.

does anyone know if these even exist? if so, who makes them? and why would i want a laptop w/ out a battery? this seems to defy the whole purpose of having something portable! at this point i could mod a damn screen onto a micro-atx mid tower, attach some heavy duty handles, and carry that bitch around w/ me. a "home-brew" laptop that's definitely not made for your lap, like a portable desktop?

 

[obug]

Sorry for the off topic posts about power use. Mostly I wanted to point out that you don't necessarily get a major electric cost savings from a laptop versus a desktop. However, if your rig has a 1KW supply...

As for the DTR without a battery, I remember using a [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_computer"]Portable computer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia@@AMEPARAM@@/wiki/File:Question_book-new.svg" class="image"><img alt="Question book-new.svg" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/50px-Question_book-new.svg.png"@@AMEPARAM@@en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/50px-Question_book-new.svg.png[/ame] similar to a Compaq Portable - how about one of those?

I don't have much else to add, so I'll just leave you with this. I can think of a lot of logical reasons why a desktop makes more sense than a laptop for me. However, somebody (in this thread?) posted that laptops have become stylish. If that's the case, then I'm afraid I've been sucked into the hive mind. A laptop just seems very appealing. The laptop that's caught my eye right now is the MBP 13. I want a *portable* laptop with a halfway decent screen and most Windows laptop makers fit terrible screens into their 13 and 14 inch models. There are exceptions like the Vaio Z, but I'm not inclined to give Sony my money.

Laptops are just sexy beasts.

 

[Sly]

DTR = Desktop Replacement. I first saw them a few years ago. Laptops with the same specs as desktops are actually still slower because of compromises with the power usage and size. Putting desktop processors and chipsets on laptops would instantly kill the battery, if they don't overheat first. They made this class for 'laptops' that are big enough to rival a desktop monitor, enough airflow that a CPU and GPU can go full throttle without melting down, and a full sized keyboard. Downside is that they use so much power that they're only good for around 20 minutes away from the plug.

Who wants these? I have no idea. The equivalent on a desktop is someone carrying one of those carrier bags (the one with all the straps), that lets you strap a monitor and a CPU together to carry between gaming matches. I mentioned earlier about laptops not really being mobile since they rarely leave the desk. There are actually people here posting questions if their batteries are gonna ge damaged from being plugged in 90% of the time.

BTW, there's a difference between portability and mobility. All laptops (DTRs, Laptops, Notebooks, Netbooks) are portable, even DTR's, but they have varying levels of mobility. The netbook is the one that's truly mobile, the rest rarely leave the table.

 

[pxc]

Not all DTRs used desktop chipsets and CPUs. I do remember some notebooks that did, especially the ones that included 90W+ CPUs with 12-14lb weights and 45-70 minute non-gaming "typical use" battery life.

Modern DTRs usually have 16"+ screens, 8lb+ weights without accessories and higher end CPUs and usually upper tier mobile GPUs. Examples are the Dell XPS 17 (i7-2820QM 2.3/3.4GHz or faster CPU, 192SP GT 555M) and HP Envy 17 (i7-2820QM 2.3/3.4GHz or faster and 800SP HD 6850M). Luckily those don't cost $3000 anymore, but closer to 1/2-2/3 that much.

I wouldn't spend $2000+ on the HP Envy, but it's pretty beefy and priced competitively against much weaker spec competition. It might even be faster than my desktop with i7-950 + GTX 460 in many things except for gaming. Isn't that a good example of a DTR laptop?

 

[Eiolon]

Not really. I miss the screen size, but I had way too much invested in power than what I ever needed. In fact, I am getting ready to ditch my laptop and go to an iPad at this point. I never thought I would become such a minimalist with technology.

 

[9guns]

Laptops are just sexy beasts.

some definitely are dude but are they worth the mobility? I'm going w/ yes b/c who doesn't do and say dumb shit for a smokin' hot lady w/ a tight little body? ummm... oh yea I'd like to mention this again, backlit keyboards s/b a standard for every single laptop produced today w/ out fail.

BTW, there's a difference between portability and mobility. All laptops (DTRs, Laptops, Notebooks, Netbooks) are portable, even DTR's, but they have varying levels of mobility. The netbook is the one that's truly mobile, the rest rarely leave the table.

portability vs. mobility, fight!!! mobility wins, flawless victory!!!

Not really. I miss the screen size, but I had way too much invested in power than what I ever needed. In fact, I am getting ready to ditch my laptop and go to an iPad at this point. I never thought I would become such a minimalist with technology.

my iPad 2 is great but it still lacks some basic, needed features like memory expansion or easy file transfers. I saw the seagate go flex satellite wireless storage solution for the iPad 2 but I cannot get past having to carry 2 pieces of hardware when 1 should be able to do the job. MOAR STORAGE!!! I love this damn thing but even w/ iOS 5 coming up I feel that most will still need a either a laptop or desktop. the mainstream is just not ready for a world without a mouse or keyboard.

 

[elm669]

I've been a desktop guy since I got into computers back in 2000 but i have been feeling the pull of laptops and the yearning for mobility since I started as well... Since 2001 I've had at least a minimally functional laptop for basic mobility and playing around with.. were talking 486 to pentium class hardware at a time when PIIIs and Athlons ruled. My first real taste of a actually USABLE laptop that was faster than my desktop came when my brother got a IBM Thinkpad A31 from school back in 2003, It had a 1.6ghz P4-M 512mb of ram with a Mobility Radeon 7500M. at the time my desktop was only a 600mhz celeron oc'ed to 750mhz with a desktop radeon 7500 and 256mb of ram running windows 98se. I remember loading No Limits roller-coasters to it and running a track, then editing it while going down the road then firing up some half life and gaming till the battery ran out. I thought it was the neatest thing ever considering up to that point I was tethered to a desktop to do both of them. From then on I pushed and pushed to get a high powered laptop but always fell short.. desktops were just too cheap to build my upgrade path went..

Compaq Armada 7800 PII-pe 366mhz 256mb ram 40gb hdd 4mb 3d agp card builtin that struggled with half life lol

IBM Thinkpad A31 P4-m 2ghz 512mb ram 40gb hdd mobility radeon 7500, bought me one in 2006 for cheap but at that point it was way behind the times.. my desktop was a 2.5ghz axp with a highly oced fx5700le. poor old laptop just couldn't keep up.

It wasn't until I got financially stable that I finally got a chance to buy a real laptop, last year I picked up a Acer Aspire 7740g with a i7 620M and a Ati mobility 5650, it is a dtr but I like it.. all the power and comforts of a desktop with the portability of a laptop. Coming from a Intel Q8200 with 4gb of ram and a 9800gt desktop to it was like night and day.. the first time my laptop was actually FASTER than my desktop. Granted its only a dual core arrandale i7 but its overkill for what I do with it, I can see keeping it for at least the warranty period... three years.. maybe longer. I DID break down and build a new desktop at the end of last year for the hell of it.. i7 950 @ 4.2ghz with a oced Galaxy gtx560 ti and 6gb of tri channel ram. granted its about twice as fast in gaming as the laptop... but I still find myself on the laptop more often than not.. I just love my portability too damn much at this point I'm thinking of selling my i7 desktop because the boost in performance just isn't worth the hit to the power bill and the amount of heat it put out.. not to mention all the space it took up and being tethered to a desk .

As an update.. earlier this month I picked up a 7" Kyros tablet for 100 bucks just to play around and tinker with... I'm ending up using it more than my laptop! about the only time I touch my laptop is if I need to do something heavy or gaming otherwise I'm on the tablet.... Posting from the tablet right now as a matter of fact

 

[9guns]

I've been a desktop guy since I got into computers back in 2000 but i have been feeling the pull of laptops and the yearning for mobility since I started as well... Since 2001 I've had at least a minimally functional laptop for basic mobility and playing around with.. were talking 486 to pentium class hardware at a time when PIIIs and Athlons ruled. My first real taste of a actually USABLE laptop that was faster than my desktop came when my brother got a IBM Thinkpad A31 from school back in 2003, It had a 1.6ghz P4-M 512mb of ram with a Mobility Radeon 7500M. at the time my desktop was only a 600mhz celeron oc'ed to 750mhz with a desktop radeon 7500 and 256mb of ram running windows 98se. I remember loading No Limits roller-coasters to it and running a track, then editing it while going down the road then firing up some half life and gaming till the battery ran out. I thought it was the neatest thing ever considering up to that point I was tethered to a desktop to do both of them. From then on I pushed and pushed to get a high powered laptop but always fell short.. desktops were just too cheap to build my upgrade path went..

Compaq Armada 7800 PII-pe 366mhz 256mb ram 40gb hdd 4mb 3d agp card builtin that struggled with half life lol

IBM Thinkpad A31 P4-m 2ghz 512mb ram 40gb hdd mobility radeon 7500, bought me one in 2006 for cheap but at that point it was way behind the times.. my desktop was a 2.5ghz axp with a highly oced fx5700le. poor old laptop just couldn't keep up.

It wasn't until I got financially stable that I finally got a chance to buy a real laptop, last year I picked up a Acer Aspire 7740g with a i7 620M and a Ati mobility 5650, it is a dtr but I like it.. all the power and comforts of a desktop with the portability of a laptop. Coming from a Intel Q8200 with 4gb of ram and a 9800gt desktop to it was like night and day.. the first time my laptop was actually FASTER than my desktop. Granted its only a dual core arrandale i7 but its overkill for what I do with it, I can see keeping it for at least the warranty period... three years.. maybe longer. I DID break down and build a new desktop at the end of last year for the hell of it.. i7 950 @ 4.2ghz with a oced Galaxy gtx560 ti and 6gb of tri channel ram. granted its about twice as fast in gaming as the laptop... but I still find myself on the laptop more often than not.. I just love my portability too damn much at this point I'm thinking of selling my i7 desktop because the boost in performance just isn't worth the hit to the power bill and the amount of heat it put out.. not to mention all the space it took up and being tethered to a desk .

As an update.. earlier this month I picked up a 7" Kyros tablet for 100 bucks just to play around and tinker with... I'm ending up using it more than my laptop! about the only time I touch my laptop is if I need to do something heavy or gaming otherwise I'm on the tablet.... Posting from the tablet right now as a matter of fact

your progression is exactly what I'd prefer to avoid. selling my rig wasn't easy but now (especially now since I started this thread!!!) I'm itching to build another. then today I read that apple is going to refresh their MBP & MBA sometime in late July / August. playing this hardware waiting game is making me CRAZY!!! I broke down and installed steam on my wife's MBP (older w/ C2D) but I didn't get to install TF2... I really just want my own laptop that I can call my own and not have to share or worry that I'm "messing up her settings". doing everything on my iPad 2 is starting to get to me as well. like today I tried and post something on CL but I couldn't add images b/c THERE IS NO FILE BROWSER ON MY FUCKIN' iPad 2!!! I'm ready to commit to the laptop lifestyle but I don't think I can wait any longer. I need this kid to come already so I can spend some $$$.

damn I just realized my postings / responses in this thread are beginning to stray from my OP. it seems that time doesn't heal all wounds...

 

[obug]

It seems you are primarily focused on the MBA. Why is this?

IME the 11" MBA is a little small for a primary machine. The 13 is far better in an ergonomic sense, but I'd be hesitant to use a computer with a LV processor as my primary machine, even if it does have a Sandybridge processor. Seems like an invitation to be outdated quickly.

There are some other thin&light laptops out there with regular power mobile processors. An example of this is the Lenovo X1.. Considering it's a Thinkpad and that it uses Gorilla Glass to protect the LCD, it should be able to take a bit of abuse and still last a while.

I don't see Apple making any major changes to the MBP in August. If anything it'll probably be a spec bump. Apple does a fairly good job differentiating all their products so as to not cannibalize the market share of another product, and IMO the MBP 13 doesn't have a discrete GPU because it would have eaten into the sales of the MBP 15. So I don't seem them adding one back in.

 

[Zumino Zufeilon]

I don't see Apple making any major changes to the MBP in August. If anything it'll probably be a spec bump. Apple does a fairly good job differentiating all their products so as to not cannibalize the market share of another product, and IMO the MBP 13 doesn't have a discrete GPU because it would have eaten into the sales of the MBP 15. So I don't seem them adding one back in.

I don't see Apple making any major changes to the MBP's in August because it's not the update cycle. That's one of the ways that Apple keeps production costs down (and hence, profits up) is to only refresh once every 10-12 months on all of their lines.

As for the 13" MBP and a dedicated graphics card, Apple has flat out said there isn't room on the logic board for a Sandy Bridge + GPU, if Apple keeps the ODD and the battery life that the 13" MBP has. Maybe with the Ivy Bridge revision the 13" MBP will get a dedicated graphics card, but as long as the Intel GPU's are above "absolute crap", and as long as they take up as much logic board space as they do, then there isn't really a high chance. Unless Apple drops the ODD, which is why so many of us [H] Mac users want the ODD to go away. It's not like I miss having an ODD in my 15" MBP (I replaced it with a HDD).

 

[cvgd]

I used a desktop from ~1994 - 2002, a laptop exclusively from 2002 - 2009, and have had both since.

I ended up buying a desktop because I was doing more actual work on my computer; I started getting into some web design and programming. It was a gradual thing, and I used my last laptop (a 15" Qosmio) without a keyboard or screen for quite a while, but eventually I splurged and bought a Gateway desktop.

The Gateway immediately started getting me problems. It would overheat and shut down at least once a day. Rather than returning it (in retrospect, probably what I should have done), I ordered a new case and power supply for it from Newegg. It's all been downhill from there, as I've built a half dozen systems in the last two years, have gone from a state of tech minimalism to a cluttered world of textured black plastic, ccfl radiation, and anodized black aluminum.

In general, I think there's a continuum, Desktop -> Latptop -> Tablet, with content creation at one pole, content consumption on the other. The tablet is an awesome device for simple content consumption -- web browsing, checking email, watching movies, even some game playing. On the desktop, I can transcode video, actually use photoshop/Gimp, and have a dozen programs running without a system slowdown. The laptop is somewhere in between. I don't think I could go back to developing on a laptop, but I actually think I enjoyed writing more when I was able to change my environment.

 

[9guns]

It seems you are primarily focused on the MBA. Why is this?

IME the 11" MBA is a little small for a primary machine. The 13 is far better in an ergonomic sense, but I'd be hesitant to use a computer with a LV processor as my primary machine, even if it does have a Sandybridge processor. Seems like an invitation to be outdated quickly.

There are some other thin&light laptops out there with regular power mobile processors. An example of this is the Lenovo X1.. Considering it's a Thinkpad and that it uses Gorilla Glass to protect the LCD, it should be able to take a bit of abuse and still last a while.

I don't see Apple making any major changes to the MBP in August. If anything it'll probably be a spec bump. Apple does a fairly good job differentiating all their products so as to not cannibalize the market share of another product, and IMO the MBP 13 doesn't have a discrete GPU because it would have eaten into the sales of the MBP 15. So I don't seem them adding one back in.

it's not that I'm so hung up on a MBA, it's more about the allure and sexiness of it's form factor and build quality. I'm also drawn to the iOS and OSX integration as I own a bunch of apple devices. but the $$$ and lack of backlit keyboard is keeping me hesitant. I've also been intrigued w/ OSX ever since my wife got a MBP. don't mistake me for a wandering, lost soul about to be dragged into the RDF (reality distortion field), but every windows based laptop I've searched and reviewed (hp, dell, alienware, acer, lenovo, msi, asus) they just all seem have me confused on which to choose... ok whoa, whoa, whoa! I overlooked a huge piece of this puzzle... a fuckin' ethernet port!!! neither the 11" or the 13" MBA have it!!! oh damn... back to searching & reviewing again

I don't see Apple making any major changes to the MBP's in August because it's not the update cycle. That's one of the ways that Apple keeps production costs down (and hence, profits up) is to only refresh once every 10-12 months on all of their lines.

As for the 13" MBP and a dedicated graphics card, Apple has flat out said there isn't room on the logic board for a Sandy Bridge + GPU, if Apple keeps the ODD and the battery life that the 13" MBP has. Maybe with the Ivy Bridge revision the 13" MBP will get a dedicated graphics card, but as long as the Intel GPU's are above "absolute crap", and as long as they take up as much logic board space as they do, then there isn't really a high chance. Unless Apple drops the ODD, which is why so many of us [H] Mac users want the ODD to go away. It's not like I miss having an ODD in my 15" MBP (I replaced it with a HDD).

I'm w/ you about getting rid of the ODD for the MBP as it really won't be needed now that apple can push their software through their app store like w/ lion and final cut pro. but it will piss off the bootcamp people (unless there is a way to install windows 7 on a MBP using a bootable usb?). hmmm...

 

[wonSR4]

it's not that I'm so hung up on a MBA, it's more about the allure and sexiness of it's form factor and build quality. I'm also drawn to the iOS and OSX integration as I own a bunch of apple devices. but the $$$ and lack of backlit keyboard is keeping me hesitant. I've also been intrigued w/ OSX ever since my wife got a MBP. don't mistake me for a wandering, lost soul about to be dragged into the RDF (reality distortion field), but every windows based laptop I've searched and reviewed (hp, dell, alienware, acer, lenovo, msi, asus) they just all seem have me confused on which to choose... ok whoa, whoa, whoa! I overlooked a huge piece of this puzzle... a fuckin' ethernet port!!! neither the 11" or the 13" MBA have it!!! oh damn... back to searching & reviewing again

Haha didn't know about the lack of ethernet port huh? It's okay, for some reason, I remembered it not having it before I bought it, but when I got it, I was still surprised by the lack of ethernet port

 

[jay2472000]

was it [H]ard 4 anyone else to pick a laptop after having a desktop 4 so many years?? What's a laptop?

Hahaha. A laptop is what you use to RDP into your desktop from the living room to get real stuff done

Honestly OP you dont seem to know what you want.

As an avid tech-head with 3 children I would suggest seriously considering your needs, and save all the money you can save for the "oh crap I gotta buy a new such and such for the baby" fund. Trust me, you think you have all the bases covered financially but children surely throw a lot of curveballs as far as money goes.

I would say go with a desktop. Price per performance is way above and beyond what any notebook can achieve. If space/aesthetics are an issue with the wife/girlfriend, the SFF category has come a long long way.

 

[9guns]

Hahaha. A laptop is what you use to RDP into your desktop from the living room to get real stuff done

Honestly OP you dont seem to know what you want.

As an avid tech-head with 3 children I would suggest seriously considering your needs, and save all the money you can save for the "oh crap I gotta buy a new such and such for the baby" fund. Trust me, you think you have all the bases covered financially but children surely throw a lot of curveballs as far as money goes.

I would say go with a desktop. Price per performance is way above and beyond what any notebook can achieve. If space/aesthetics are an issue with the wife/girlfriend, the SFF category has come a long long way.

hey everyone, we went for the ultrasound and found out... IT'S A BOY!!!

yea I'm definitely confused by this desktop to laptop transition and it's been making me crazy, I keep jumping back and forth between windows 7 and OSX. if I had to give you guys a point of reference as to which way I'm leaning, it would be 51% - OSX / 49% - windows 7 for a laptop. if (and that's a pretty big if) I go back to a desktop, it's going to be a windows 7 small form factor gaming rig w/ a standing desk. and yea we are doing the best we can to get our finances straight before the little guy shows up. this whole laptop vs. desktop battle will probably drag on for a while (or at least until we get our deposit from our old apt back). see w/ a desktop I can swap out / replace anything I want so it's easy to run down to micro center and piece together an awesome gaming rig. w/ a laptop I have to make more of a commitment to the [H]ardware...

 

[obug]

I'll give you an easy way to sort through all the Windows laptops. Add the following prerequisite to any laptop you purchase "Laptop should come with decent technical support."

That pretty much removes all consumer level laptops from your choices. What's left are business laptops from HP, Lenovo, Dell, and Apple laptops. If you want to game, a good choice is the Lenovo W520. People have gotten some great deals on the W520 by shopping around and bargaining with Lenovo sales agents. The only issue is that the W520 power brick is literally the size of a brick so mobility is out. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpGgUiws0Wg"]YouTube - &#x202a;ThinkPad W520 Unboxing&#x202c;&rlm;[/ame]

Unfortunately most business laptops aren't built for gaming, so that will be a serious issue for some. However, if you don't game and have a separate work computer than just about any business machine will meet your needs.

For laptops with a mix of power and mobility, the two I've liked best is the MBP 13 and the Lenovo X220(t). The X220 has an IPS screen as an option. My only issue with the X220 is that is has no high speed data (e.g. eSATA, USB 3.0) port. You can get a USB 3.0 port if you pay for the dual-core i7 processor, but I don't see that i7 being of much use to anybody over the i5.

The problem with MBP 13 is OSX if you prefer/need windows

As for all the costs, I think you're over thinking it. Kids are expensive. The cost of computers is peanuts in comparison. About a year after your kid is born you'll be thinking "Did I really think so much about a laptop versus desktop?"

 

[MentallyNormal]

I'm actually going to do that this week. Not much of a gamer anymore though,just doesn't interest me anymore. However I saw this in todays Bestbuy ad
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+Pa...mber/2738329.p?skuId=2738329&id=1218348120631

Was going to purchase it today at the store,Unfortunately they said they didn't have that model in yet.

After reading this thread and several others. I'm stuck on either one those hps or them thinkpads 420 or X220.
Wish I could find it for under 800 dollars that be cool.

Anyone have any opinions on that HP?

 

[9guns]

ok everyone after much, much thought (and a complete lack of fund$$$) I've decided to give up my endeavor. yep, after having traveled to nor cal for my sister-in-law's wedding last month, then to missouri for my brother-in-law's wedding last weekend, and then moving into our new apt this week (along w/ needing to buy a new washer & dryer, new tv, and all kinds of new household stuff), I don't think I'm getting a new laptop any time soon. anyway thanks everyone for all your help, I'll be back when I have some $$$... later guys...

 

[9guns]

ok so a deal has crossed my path off CL... it's a fully loaded m11x r3!!! I priced one of these bitches out on dell for about $1,350 w/:

Processor:
Intel® Core™ i7 2617M 1.5GHz(2.6GHz w/Turbo Boost, 4MB Cache)
Operating System:
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit
Memory:
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz
Hard Drive:
500GB 7200RPM SATA 3Gb/s
Video Card:
NVIDIA® GeForce® GT540M graphics with 2.0GB Video Memory and Optimus
Sound:
Internal High-Definition Surround Sound Audio (5.1)
Wireless:
Killer™ Wireless-N 1103 a/g/n 2x2 MIMO for Gaming & Video
Display Panel:
11.6" High Def (720p/1366x768) with WLED backlight

so that's what he's selling for $800 fuckin' dollars , should I pull the trigger??? is it worth it it's started @ $1,200 and he kept dropping the price every 2 weeks then it was @ $1,000 w/ the optical drive and I told him I'll take it for $950 w/ out it. then I backed out and he came back and said $800 b/c he REALLY needs the money. I'm going to meet up first b/c he's local and check it out, I'll keep you guys informed...

 

[Smallville]

ok so a deal has crossed my path off CL... it's a fully loaded m11x r3!!! I priced one of these bitches out on dell for about $1,350 w/:

Processor:
Intel® Core™ i7 2617M 1.5GHz(2.6GHz w/Turbo Boost, 4MB Cache)
Operating System:
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit
Memory:
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz
Hard Drive:
500GB 7200RPM SATA 3Gb/s
Video Card:
NVIDIA® GeForce® GT540M graphics with 2.0GB Video Memory and Optimus
Sound:
Internal High-Definition Surround Sound Audio (5.1)
Wireless:
Killer™ Wireless-N 1103 a/g/n 2x2 MIMO for Gaming & Video
Display Panel:
11.6" High Def (720p/1366x768) with WLED backlight

so that's what he's selling for $800 fuckin' dollars , should I pull the trigger??? is it worth it it's started @ $1,200 and he kept dropping the price every 2 weeks then it was @ $1,000 w/ the optical drive and I told him I'll take it for $950 w/ out it. then I backed out and he came back and said $800 b/c he REALLY needs the money. I'm going to meet up first b/c he's local and check it out, I'll keep you guys informed...

That seems like a pretty good deal. Make sure to THOROUGHLY check out the laptop for any damages. Also check the warranty if it's still intact(if its transferrable).

 

[9guns]

ahhh the warranty!!! i totally forgot

 

[Sojuuk]

Making the transition soon enough but everyone here seems to be moving to less powerful machines while I am going to an almost fully loaded Sager NP8150. I don't think my transitional pains will be as painful because of it, however, the investment was huge to do so and not for everyone I am sure.