If you need urgent support, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. To contact our Crisis Messenger (open 24/7) text THEMIX to 85258.
Options
lap top or normal computer
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
id appreciate a bit of advice from people somewhat more knowledgeable then me.
im goin to uni in September and have decided to buy a new computer but i cant deciede whether to buy a normal one or a laptop. A lap top would be more conveinient to bring home at holidays and to keep in the limited space im going to have to have to live in. hOwever they are more expensive and iv heard more can go wrong with them, or was this just one persons opinion!
Someone please help me!
im goin to uni in September and have decided to buy a new computer but i cant deciede whether to buy a normal one or a laptop. A lap top would be more conveinient to bring home at holidays and to keep in the limited space im going to have to have to live in. hOwever they are more expensive and iv heard more can go wrong with them, or was this just one persons opinion!
Someone please help me!
Post edited by JustV on
0
Comments
For convenience, definately get a lap top. I have found lugging a huge pc around difficult.
Some universities have a computing service or somthing similar who you can get in touch with for cheap laptops. People finishing uni sometimes advertise thier old laptops to be purchased, so they dont have to be expensive.
I know Bristol uni has loads being given away all the time for around £400 (inc software). Just wait till u get there, there are many offers going.
I am in the unfortunate situation of needing a portable, but also a REALLY powerfull one pc. Therefore I am saving up for a top end desktop and a medium of the range laptop.
It crashes sometimes, but so do PCs. It's really convenient for me because I can take it to the faculty or in to college. I even took it to a tutorial once because I finished my essay without enough time to print it.. (oops! wouldn't recommend doing that!)
I think it just depends what you need it for and what you want to do with it.
I originally got a lappy 'cos I wanted the added portability, but I got a cheap tower and rebuilt it a bit in the second year.
Personally, I think you're best going with a desktop, providing that:
a) There are good lab facilities (for checking email etc)
b) You don't need a great deal of portability.
Lappys are good if you want to take them to the library, but as you've said they are expensive, so its a question of which is more important to you. Also, as has been previously mentioned, the cheaper lappys don't have a great battery life, and if your library doesn't have an abundance of power points you're shafted.
Go with a desktop (ranging from £500 up, but remember, with proprietary brands, you get what you pay for) unless you need to be able to move around.
CD <IMG SRC="eek.gif" border="0" ALT="icon">
Especially if you get a lappy with a nipple mouse rather than a touchpad. For eg., Toshiba make some of the best portables around, but the nipple mouse is what annoys me every time.
CD <IMG SRC="rolleyes.gif" border="0" ALT="icon">
A laptop would be ten times better. If you don't like using the keyboard on it, you can plug in a standard keyboard and the same with a mouse.
I definently wouldn't consider carrying it into university in case I was mugged or something, but maybe that's because I am studying at Manchester! <IMG SRC="wink.gif" border="0" ALT="icon">
Laptops are smaller, Lighter, Portable - but are more expensive, less easy to upgrade, service and go out of date faster
PCs are easy to upgrade, cheaper, flexible - but aren't portable (period), bulky
Think about what you need to for, personally I'd buy a PC as it will last longer with the technology advances.. if I was going to buy a laptop then I'd wait till later this year and buy a new Tablet PC...
So whats a Tablet PC I hear you cry? Imagine the flexiblity of a palm with touch screen and a laptop combined, thats in essance what one is and all laptop companies have devoted themselves to the development of them for the future, so laptops will eventually become obsellite! Trust me as a bit of news from a Microsoft insider...
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/tabletpc
As with all computers, buy as higher spec and expensive one as is affordable in your buget cause it will last longer and works out cheaper in the long run.... Don't be tricked into all those extra software freebies that you get with computers making them appear good, software is easy obtainible and you might be able to talk down a price and shop around and get quotes that way you can get things cheaper with shops wanting to match sales...
.... and take someone with you who is pretty knowledgable on computers, that way you won't get fobbed off by some dodgy Salesman!
Lastly, if you did decide to buy a PC, if you've got any friends who are a dab hand with computers (surely you know one) you could consider building your own and you'll save yourself several hundred pounds and it'll work out a better system than you could buy for the same price....
Good luck.. anymore questions give us a bell.. <IMG SRC="smile.gif" border="0" ALT="icon">
[ 26-03-2002: Message edited by: Justin Credible ]