Choosing a Computer: Portability vs Power

[Radhika]

Upon the time when I get a computer of my own and my own choice, I need to decide what to do for my writing. As a personal opinion, I was always thinking to get a desktop because it forced me to sit properly. But, what about the portability a writer needs?
What do you think you would get, and why?

[alleycat]

My own preference is a powerful desktop over a laptop (if I had to choose just one), but choosing between the two is largely a matter of what you prefer.

I think I've seen some quiz-like things on the net where you answer a bunch of questions about what's important to you on some kind of scale, then it makes a recommendation. It wouldn't be perfect, but it could be a starting point.

[RJK]

If your primary use for your computer is writing and surfing the web, a middle of the road desktop and/or laptop would work best. You don't need to spend a bundle on high-end graphics accelerators unless you're heavily into 3D gaming.

My desktop is a Dell 1.8 MHz with 2 Gigs of RAM, and a 150 Gig hard drive, with a 22 inch flat panel screen. It is all I need for writing and web surfing. I should say I also added an Ergonomic keyboard.

I also have an older laptop that I seldom use. I find that I find the smaller keyboard hard to get used to. Other than that, I have no complaints. I do virtually all of my writing at my desk in my den. I feel that I can concentrate better sitting at a desk.

I also plan to purchase an iPad2 this month, but that is more for pleasure, than for writing.

[kuwisdelu]

I prefer a laptop. Both a desktop and laptop is ideal if you can afford it (without skimping on either).

But I need my computer on-the-go far too often for a desktop to be my only option.

It really depends what you're going to use it for and how and when.

I would not get a netbook as my only machine.

My desktop is a Dell 1.8 MHz with 2 Gigs of RAM, and a 150 Gig hard drive, with a 22 inch flat panel screen. It is all I need for writing and web surfing. I should say I also added an Ergonomic keyboard.

1.8 MHz?? When did you get it, 1975? :tongue

[RJK]

I should add it's a dual processor 1.8 MHz. lots of speed.

[kuwisdelu]

I should add it's a dual processor 1.8 MHz. lots of speed.

How did you even get a 1970's processor to see 2 GB of RAM?

[Shadow_Ferret]

Not sure exactly how much power you need, but many laptops are almost as powerful as any desktop in terms of speed and storage. I think a laptop is more than most of us need unless you're an extreme power user/gamer.

[Chase]

How did you even get a 1970's processor to see 2 GB of RAM?

Ha ha ha, my first computer was a TRS-80 (trash-80) from Radio Shack with a daisy wheel printer, because dot matrix printers weren't acceptable for work at my grad school. To get italics or any different font required a stop to change daisies. The huge 5-inch disks were actually floppy. In the early 1980s, the speed required a seatbelt.

[Radhika]

Ha ha ha, my first computer was a TRS-80 (trash-80) from Radio Shack with a daisy wheel printer, because dot matrix printers weren't acceptable for work at my grad school. To get italics or any different font required a stop to change daisies. The huge 5-inch disks were actually floppy. In the early 1980s, the speed required a seatbelt.

This is why I was born in the late 90's. :]
The question is - how much space do we need, truly? I think I can buy an external hard drive, but for the sake of ergonomics and the inability to carry laptops around anyway, I think I'm going with a desktop. (One of those cheap things that only come with the base of it)

[BigWords]

The question is - how much space do we need, truly?

Well... I have a few laptops sitting here, the desktop computer, a couple of 3TB external hard drives, and I'm still running out of space. Whatever space you think you will need, you will have to double that number - it depends on the type of files you are creating, but there really can't be enough storage space. :)

[Radhika]

Well... I have a few laptops sitting here, the desktop computer, a couple of 3TB external hard drives, and I'm still running out of space. Whatever space you think you will need, you will have to double that number - it depends on the type of files you are creating, but there really can't be enough storage space. :)

Wow. Do you only write, or do you have videos and images hanging around? Writing seems to be what takes the least amount of space, after all.

[BigWords]

I also draw (print-ready .psd's at around at least 1GB take up a LOT of space over time), create music tracks, and edit together videos (when I have the time), so I may be an outlier when it comes to the "typical user" - still, you should always calculate double what you think you will need, as there are projects which will require research (those websites, images and .pdf's you will undoubtedly be saving build up over time), so don't skimp on memory.

[ejket]

I hate to admit that I have seven computers and still want more.

If I had to choose only two, I'd go for a high-end desktop and a low-end laptop or netbook.

[She_wulf]

just a guess but based on a document of mine 3 Tb = 805 million pages in ascii text...

[Chase]

This is why I was born in the late 90's. :]
The question is - how much space do we need, truly? I think I can buy an external hard drive, but for the sake of ergonomics and the inability to carry laptops around anyway, I think I'm going with a desktop. (One of those cheap things that only come with the base of it)

Ah, the late '90s (what the heck are the 90's? :]). Everything was so simple then. Almost everyone had desktops. But since carrying a laptop poses a problem, then problem solved!

[Radhika]

Ah, the late '90s (what the heck are the 90's? :]). Everything was so simple then. Almost everyone had desktops. But since carrying a laptop poses a problem, then problem solved!

Forgetfulness when addressing incorrect wording, again. I must improve on that.

Actually, I didn't have a computer until the early '00s (if that makes any sense at all).

But, yes, laptops are what have been posing the problem, so problem solved!

[kuwisdelu]

The question is - how much space do we need, truly? I think I can buy an external hard drive

It really depends what you intend to use it for.

If it's really only for writing, there's nothing to worry about. <40 GB is more than enough for writing documents.

If you plan on having a music collection or storing movies or pictures... you can need a LOT very fast. Even if you think you have enough now for these things, you won't soon, because as filesizes will only increase as we use higher and higher resolutions and bitrates. I have 500 GB internal and 1.5 TB external, and nowhere near enough space to store all my media.

But hard drive storage space is cheap. So it's really not an issue, since it's trivial to buy more.

Definitely get at least a secondary drive anyway, though, for backup. If you're getting a desktop, you can have multiple internal drives, too, to make backups of your backups.

[RJK]

Sorry kuwisdelu, I meant 1.8 GHz dual processor. I couldn't understand what you were getting at until I went back and re-read my specs.

[RobJ]

Honestly, this is a no-brainer. Get a laptop.

You can't use a desktop in the bath.

[Sarah1981]

I have a middle-of-the-road (by the standards of three years ago when I bought it) desktop for all the computer-related things I do, from listening to music to writing to Web surfing. Backups are on both a 1TB external drive and Dropbox.

When I want or need to go portable, I have a NEO. The keyboard's great for writing; the AA batteries last a long, long time; and it does little but word processing. (By which I mean that it has a calculator.) If I want to fart around on the Internet, play games, or keep in touch with people, I have an iPhone for all that.

Oh, and the NEO's rugged, as it was originally designed for kids in school. I've accidentally dropped mine on my floor a few times, with only the odd scuff mark as a consequence. I wouldn't do it on purpose, but I cringe when I think about what would have happened to a netbook in the same situation.

[scarletpeaches]

Not sure exactly how much power you need, but many laptops are almost as powerful as any desktop in terms of speed and storage. I think a laptop is more than most of us need unless you're an extreme power user/gamer.I agree with Fuzzface. (Hey, it happens)!

All I use my laptop for is surfing the web - emails, AW, Twitter, and that's about it. Add in MS Word and Excel, that's about it. The rest is just storage of files. Some videos, mostly snapshots, and of course my writing.

I have a netbook too, but that's mainly due to paranoia. A previous laptop died on me while I was writing and I didn't have a back-up machine to work on. I use the netbook when I'm writing out of the house. The laptop, though portable, is kept in the office. If I fancy writing in another room, or in bed, I use the netbook then, too.

[kuwisdelu]

Sorry kuwisdelu, I meant 1.8 GHz dual processor. I couldn't understand what you were getting at until I went back and re-read my specs.

:ROFL: I even italicized the "M" in my post.

And naturally, I assumed you meant Ghz, but couldn't help teasing you.

[Margarita Skies]

When I got my first laptop, I'd had desktops for years, (4 of them) and I didn't think I would get used to the laptop keyboard. I've been using laptops for 3 years now and I have to say, as long as I always have a computer available to me, whether it's a netbook, laptop or desktop doesn't really matter. I only use my computer to write and listen to music. Right now I have a Toshiba L305D-S5974 with 3 GB RAM, 250 GB hard drive, Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit. It has more than enough of what I need.

[cbenoi1]

Laptop or desktop?

Nothing beats a docking station. It's worth the two hundred bucks to be able to have a nice wide screen, a full keyboard, and all your printers, backup disks and perpherals when you need them, and be able to pull the laptop out for a stroll.

-cb

[leighh]

It definitely depends what you want it for. I have a desktop (that needs a new motherboard. Right now it's just mouldering under my desk.), a laptop (Macbook), which is my main computer, and a netbook which I bought because my laptop is too heavy to lug to class.

If you aren't doing anything more intensive than writing and surfing the web, then I'd say go with a netbook or a low-end desktop to keep costs down. If you really don't need portability, then desktops have the advantage of being more easily upgradeable.

[Jamesaritchie]

For writing, any computer has more than enough power, so it's really lifestyle that matters. Compters are so dirt cheap now, you may as well get a laptop and a desktop. If you can find a bundle deal, and they aren't uncommon around here, you can get a very nice desktop and a matching laptop for just about a thousand bucks.

Or you can buy both used for under five hundred.

[JMC2009]

I am so confused over so many comments people have made anti-laptop... Keyboards are smaller? They're hard to carry around? I guess these are two issues I've never run into, and I haven't owned a desktop since I was in highschool (I DO use one at work though)... the only problem I used to have with laptops is they didn't have a numerical keypad, but manufacturer's have fixed that problem. I guess my only laptop con is that there are more things that can happen to it because of its portability -- electircal cord getting damage, the computer itself getting dropped, etc. However, in my eyes I will take the extra steps to protect to be able to take it on weekend trips, use it at the coffee shop, and to be able to move it around the house depending on what's going on (cooking and need to stay in the kitchen? No problem! Need a room with less distractions, pack up and move. Need a room with more distractions? Ditto)

[Torgo]

My main PC was a Toshiba Satellite Pro laptop for a few years - my desktop PC was getting rather decrepit. It was a good little machine but it did have a few drawbacks.

Laptops are portable, yes, but not, I find, tremendously so; not like netbooks. If I wanted to tote it about, it actually meant carrying a fairly heavy bag and a power brick. So most of the time it sat on my desk like, well, a desktop, where it collected dust and overheated like a mofo, leading to multiple shutdowns. The trackpad was fine but not really as good as a mouse; the graphics card was some sort of mobile Radeon thing that wasn't terribly impressive; it had an OK keyboard but no numpad etc. I like me a bit of gaming and when you can barely run Portal without it chugging horribly with effort it is time to move on.

In the end, when I got a bit of cash together, I went to ebay and bought a PC that had been custom built by an extremely anal Russian dude, and was selling because he suddenly needed the cash. (He had all the bags, boxes, and polystyrene for all the different components.) It's an absolute brute of a thing that runs Crysis without breaking a sweat. The Russian dude lived round the back of the Blind Beggar pub in the East End, where Jack the Hat McVitie got shot, so I dubbed the beast the Kray II. (The HDD is called Ronnie and the SSD is called Reggie.)

If you've got a smartphone or a tablet like an iPad, there's no need for a laptop, IMHO. A desktop PC gives you more bang for your buck, and most things you'll need to do on the go can be taken care of with a more lightweight mobile device. Writing on the go - I don't think that's something to prioritize. I've always found it tricky to write on the train etc.

[Margarita Skies]

extremely anal Russian dude


:ROFL:

[kuwisdelu]

How big laptops do ya'll get that they're so hard to carry around? :Wha:

I take my 13" MacBook pretty much everywhere, including class everyday.

[Torgo]

How big laptops do ya'll get that they're so hard to carry around? :Wha:

I take my 13" MacBook pretty much everywhere, including class everyday.

Heh, mine's a lot chunkier: wider screen by a few inches, and 2.9KG vs. your 2.13kg, plus the bag and the brick. I could probably slip a 13" MacBook in my satchel, or a MacBook Air in my newspaper. For me, an iPad + smartphone combo does anything I'd ever really need or want to do when out of my own home, but your mileage may vary.

[Synovia]

I also draw (print-ready .psd's at around at least 1GB take up a LOT of space over time), create music tracks, and edit together videos (when I have the time), so I may be an outlier when it comes to the "typical user" - still, you should always calculate double what you think you will need, as there are projects which will require research (those websites, images and .pdf's you will undoubtedly be saving build up over time), so don't skimp on memory.


Hard drive spaces rapidly gets cheaper, faster, and more reliable. If you're going to skimp on something, its the best thing to skimp on. Its easily upgradeable.

You can get a 1TB drive for like $100 right now, and in another 2 years, when you fill it up, you'll be able to buy an 8tb drive for $50.

Spend the money upfront on the things that can't be easily upgraded (processor, motherboard, maybe RAM[which is actually easy to replace, but makes big performance impact]), or the things that you expect to hang around for a long time (like monitors).

[BigWords]

You can get a 1TB drive for like $100 right now, and in another 2 years, when you fill it up, you'll be able to buy an 8tb drive for $50.

Sometimes I cringe at just how much money I have spent over the years. You're absolutely right about prices plummeting - the soundcard I put in my desktop six years ago was close to 200 quid, and the brand new, even more powerful one which was just put in... £120. It's so much easier to get new parts these days as well. :)

[kuwisdelu]

Now the price of flash memory just needs to drop....

I want a freakin' SSD as standard! A 512GB SSD costs more than most computers. :(

[Tirjasdyn]

How big laptops do ya'll get that they're so hard to carry around? :Wha:

I take my 13" MacBook pretty much everywhere, including class everyday.


My gaming / work laptop is a hefty beast...20 in screen, dual video cards, built in speakers with crazy lights and gaming displays, physix card, full size keyboard with number pad...it requires a special bag to be able to lift the thing. I love it, but I only move it if work requires.

However my 12.1 inch hp goes in my purse with me everywhere.

[kuwisdelu]

My gaming / work laptop is a hefty beast...20 in screen, dual video cards, built in speakers with crazy lights and gaming displays, physix card, full size keyboard with number pad...it requires a special bag to be able to lift the thing. I love it, but I only move it if work requires.

I'd call that an all-in-one desktop that just happens to fold in half. O_o

[screamingturnip]

I have a middle-of-the-road (by the standards of three years ago when I bought it) desktop for all the computer-related things I do, from listening to music to writing to Web surfing. Backups are on both a 1TB external drive and Dropbox.

When I want or need to go portable, I have a NEO. The keyboard's great for writing; the AA batteries last a long, long time; and it does little but word processing. (By which I mean that it has a calculator.) If I want to fart around on the Internet, play games, or keep in touch with people, I have an iPhone for all that.

Oh, and the NEO's rugged, as it was originally designed for kids in school. I've accidentally dropped mine on my floor a few times, with only the odd scuff mark as a consequence. I wouldn't do it on purpose, but I cringe when I think about what would have happened to a netbook in the same situation.
The only Neo I could find is a really smart inventory scanner. Are these neos like XOs? Is that an acronym? I'm coming up with absolutely nothing. Sorry, I'm usually confusing not confused. It's a new feeling for me.

Myself I've got an EEE Pc with all the accouterments of a desktop except the power and the storage.

[Torgo]

Fascinating page (http://ns1758.ca/winch/winchest.html)chronicling the cost of HDD space. 20 years ago a 19MB drive would set you back $5,495! I have a USB stick on my keychain worth $1.18M at those prices.

[kuwisdelu]

The only Neo I could find is a really smart inventory scanner. Are these neos like XOs? Is that an acronym? I'm coming up with absolutely nothing. Sorry, I'm usually confusing not confused. It's a new feeling for me.

Myself I've got an EEE Pc with all the accouterments of a desktop except the power and the storage.

I believe these (http://www.neo-direct.com/) are the Neo's she's talking about.

I'm probably betraying my nerdiness that I can't imagine anyone using an EeePC as a primary machine, though netbooks naturally have their uses.

Fascinating page (http://ns1758.ca/winch/winchest.html)chronicling the cost of HDD space. 20 years ago a 19MB drive would set you back $5,495! I have a USB stick on my keychain worth $1.18M at those prices.

Great, now find one on flash memory space. :D

After all $/GB on a USB drive are still going to be more than a spinning platter.

[screamingturnip]

I believe these (http://www.neo-direct.com/) are the Neo's she's talking about.

I'm probably betraying my nerdiness that I can't imagine anyone using an EeePC as a primary machine, though netbooks naturally have their uses.



Great, now find one on flash memory space. :D

After all $/GB on a USB drive are still going to be more than a spinning platter.
Ah, welp excuse my silliness. For the life of me, I couldn't find anything on that. Anyways on the note of the EEE pc, it wasn't exactly by choice the desktop is currently in sort of a Schrödinger's state. Luckily I use ubuntu so basically nothing is impossible, although usually it's absurd and maddening.

edit: With my own accidental pncuation I just got verve pipe stuck in my head. For the life of me... I can not remember...

[Torgo]

Great, now find one on flash memory space. :D

After all $/GB on a USB drive are still going to be more than a spinning platter.

How do you know it isn't a USB hard disk drive on my keychain eh, answer me that! I am already carrying around a laptop the size and heft of a refrigerator after all...

[Aylaa]

I require a laptop for all my writing purposes. Computer in general I have a custom built desktop I use for gaming and heavy use. I keep the laptop safe and clean for my writing with multiple external drives for backup.

[Aylaa]

On cyber monday last year i got a 1 TB external USB for $70.

[kuwisdelu]

How do you know it isn't a USB hard disk drive on my keychain eh, answer me that! I am already carrying around a laptop the size and heft of a refrigerator after all...

Yes, I did dismiss the possibility of anyone wanting to carry an external USB HDD on their keychain.

I figured even if one was so determined, the constant motion of a keychain would deter even the most stubborn nerd from attaching an HDD with moving parts to one.

After all, even if one used on a very small one like on the older and Classic iPod's... there are more reasonable places to put it!

[Torgo]

Yes, I did dismiss the possibility of anyone wanting to carry an external USB HDD on their keychain.

I figured even if one was so determined, the constant motion of a keychain would deter even the most stubborn nerd from attaching an HDD with moving parts to one.

After all, even if one used on a very small one like on the older and Classic iPod's... there are more reasonable places to put it!

I am sixty feet tall.

[kuwisdelu]

I am sixty feet tall.

I'd still worry about the motion for an HDD! If you're 60 ft tall, even more so! O_O

That poor data. :(

[greggranger]

Power is not really much of an issue if all you do is writing. Seems a lot of people knock the tablets like the iPad for not having physical keyboards. The good thing is the iPad has a plugin keyboard that sets it upright. The biggest drawback would be the lack of Flash. I think no matter what, we are still in the stages of technology where it seems necessary to have a desktop at home as kind of a "mother" device to all of your other portables.