Choosing a Computer: Portability vs Power

Radhika · Mar 5, 2011

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 · Mar 5, 2011

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 · Mar 5, 2011

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 · Mar 5, 2011

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.

RJK said:
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 · Mar 5, 2011

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

kuwisdelu · Mar 5, 2011

RJK said:
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 · Mar 5, 2011

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 · Mar 5, 2011

kuwisdelu said:
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 · Mar 5, 2011

Chase said:
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 · Mar 5, 2011

Spika said:
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 · Mar 5, 2011

BigWords said:
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 · Mar 5, 2011

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 · Mar 5, 2011

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 · Mar 5, 2011

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

Chase · Mar 5, 2011

Spika said:
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 · Mar 5, 2011

Chase said:
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 · Mar 5, 2011

Spika said:
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 · Mar 6, 2011

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 · Mar 6, 2011

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

You can't use a desktop in the bath.

Chris1981 · Mar 6, 2011

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 · Mar 6, 2011

Shadow_Ferret said:
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 · Mar 6, 2011

RJK said:
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.

I even italicized the "M" in my post.

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

Margarita Skies · Mar 6, 2011

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 · Mar 6, 2011

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 · Mar 6, 2011

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.

Choosing a Computer: Portability vs Power

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Both Desktop and Laptop/Netbook

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