Korean Job Discussion Forums

[SuperHero]

A short time ago there was a debate about laptops vs desktops which started out about MASH4077 switching to an Ibook.

In my opinion desktops are superior to laptops in everyway except portability. Power, expandability, screen size, everything. The only thing that is better with a laptop is portability, but if your laptop is bigger than a viao T-series it is a waste of money and loses its appeal as you are now lugging around something that is too damn big and heavy. And even the viao is inferior power-wise.

A laptop is only useful for doing presentations at conferences or watching videos in the classroom when hooked up to a projector.

Desktop dual 19" screens or bigger open multiple big files in photoshop, word, firefox, messenger, and dreamweaver simultaneously with ease. Try doing that on a laptop.

Vote now.

[Demophobe]

Superior in what way? As you said, they both do things the other can not, so they both win and both lose.

Personally, I feel that as if tech weren't enough of a consumer soaking, laptops represent the pinnacl of waste. Spending a lot of money (yes, in order to be a truly portable solution that is equivalent to a desktop in terms of power, one must lay out huge money) on something inferior.

Apples to apples, with portability being the only advantage to laptop computing has that cannot be challenged by a desktop, dictates that it be a true desktop replacement. A powerful CPU, graphics system, loaded with at least a GB of RAM, massive hard drive, etc... must be in the laptop for a reasonable comparison in which the differences in the machines is to be minimized.

Now, a laptop of this nature may be bought for a couple of thousand dollars, but now, who wants to carry around a ten pound machine everywhere, and then, who want that machine to give you one or two hours of life from the battery before you need to plug it in? So, a light, powerful efficient machine is needed for a laptop to fully comply with it's own advantages.

This will cost you big money. Way more than a desktop of equal power.

Then, laptops are always behind desktops in terms of the latest tech inside. So, you are again paying a ton of money for something that isn't even on the cutting edge.

Also, the question of upgrades becomes a big factor in the choice. Now you have paid the big bucks for the truly portable desktop replacement laptop, you must contend with the fact that in a year or two, it's a paper weight.

The argument that "it still fits my lifestyle and needs" is fine, but it doesn't change the fact that it's worth very little in terms of resale. So rejoice in your simple lifestyle that doesn't require you to have the latest and greatest....but doesn't that seem at odds with your thinking when you bought the laptop a year ago?

Tech is always a soaking of the consumers. We pay for development, not so much products or fabrication. Who puts a price on development? Well, I am not economist, and the factors that lead Intel to charge $1000 for their latest offering are beyond me.

Laptops are this soaking times ten, in my opinion. It boils down to people being brainwashed that they "need" portability in their lives, yet, if they were so inclined, they could easily find a workaround for their computing needs. I love seeing dudes with laptops acting super cool in a room full of desktops, and this is the situation many times. I guess I really don't buy that the number of people who own laptops "need" that portability.

Without it, I guess you would have to stay home and work instead of looking so cool at Starbucks. What's so cool about someone paying huge money for a dinosaur that will soon be a fossil, then hiking it down to an overpriced coffe joint is beyond me. That kind of lunacy is lamentable, not enviable.

One could go on ad nauseum...maybe I already have. No matter how you dress it up, the only thing that laptops have is the dream of portability, which isn't the reality. People usually don't need portability, can't afford true portability (only a very limited version of it) and get totally hosed in their want of it.

People have computers at work, home and they are easily found and accessible in many, many public places. I just don't buy the "need" thing at all.

Perhaps if you are a nomadic drifter, you may need a laptop. But then, you must also be a journalist, covering something as it happens and firing off communiques in real time to "need" it. If not a journalist, then a person with defective hands, incapable of carrying/holding a small, 1oz. pad of paper and a pen with which to jot down your brainfarts, recording them in this primitive way for when you get home to your computer.

This brings me to comfort. A desktop will always win here. I am at home, my nice big table with my work laid out before me, my mouse a comfortable distance from my natural raked keyboard, my 21" monitor allows me to sit at a comfortable distance and all of this topped off by the fact that it's 32 degrees, and I'm sitting at home in nothing but my shorts.

The portability solution nulls all of this. I'm fully dressed, sitting in a public place with limited space, I have to collect and pack my documents when I'm done, pack up my system, carry it around outside in the heat, work with an unnatural keyboard mouse layout (not to mention those awful touch-pad things), on a small display with noise all around me and time is also always a factor in a public place. Let's see you nurse one latte for 4 hours in Starbucks, occupying an entire table alone without any grief from the management.

Of course, this is just my opinion. Fire away men!

[hypnotist]

I need a laptop for work. Reasons include

- inability to access my company network from any other computer
- need to carry lots of documents / presentations around from office to office, and meeting room to meeting room
- requirement to occasionally work on a plane - do that with a desktop

I might buy my own laptop soon, simply because even a Shuttle and a 17" TFT gets tiresome to lug around.

FWIW I use a real keyboard and mouse with my laptop 90% of the time.

I could possibly do 80% of what I do with an external hard disk and guaranteed access to a trusted computer everywhere I went.. but dream on.

[cheem]

This feels like deja vu so I'll be brief:

1. I voted "who cares?". People who need portability will say that laptops are superior and people who don't will say that desktops are superior; no other measurement is really meaningful.

2. I too need a laptop for work. I move between Seoul, Busan, and Daegu once, sometimes twice a month. I fly to Japan 4 times a year, and back home about twice a year. On the non-critical side of things, I consider working in the Starbucks, sipping a mocha, and scoping the lovely local ladies, one of life's small pleasures. Today I sat at a table with 3 other laptops, so apparently I'm not the only one who thinks this way.

I find when I'm at home, I'm equally capable of working shirtless on both laptop and desktop. This leads me to believe that having to wear a shirt in public has more to do with social propriety than any laptop limitations; which is a shame because I'm ripped underneath.

Like the previous poster, I use a bluetooth keyboard and mouse, with a 19" CRT like 75% of the time. When things get a little stuffy, I unplug my ibook, throw on a shirt and head out. Nice!

[redbird]

I mostly agree with Demophobe, but there are some situations where a laptop is useful. When I go to Korea later in the year, I plan to bring a very cheap laptop with me so that I'll have a working computer and I can hit the ground running.

A laptop can be useful in a teaching situation where it's a dedicated use machine. That is, you just use it for teaching. If you do some of your prepping at home, some more prepping in one room at your school and then use it to teach with in a separate classroom, a laptop can be the right answer.

Cheem feels energized if he can work on his computer in a public place. Demophobe prefers to work at home in his shorts. It's not surprising that they prefer different computers. But I agree with Demophobe that laptops are a poor deal once you get past portability. I'll have one, but if I want superior performance, I'll spend the extra cash on a desktop, not a laptop where every extra bit of juice costs so much more than it does on a desktop.

[the_beaver]

[Giant]

There is actually no right or wrong here. If you need portability for presentations etc. then cool, you need it. Go ahead and buy one. But whatever you do, dont buy one to only play games on.

If you are going to buy a laptop that will never leave one place then why bother, you can buy a desktop twice as powerfull for half the price.

[SuperHero]

THought I would revisit this thread. About a month ago I picked up a 12" second hand laptop for 150,000. It's still a little on the large size to carry around, but the price was right.

I am very pleased with this laptop and use it almost everyday at school. Would I ever consider replacing my desktop with a laptop? not on your life. I still think desktops kick butt over laptops.

Advantage laptop, I can do stuff in class I couldn't before. Disadvantage, any bigger and it would too heave to move any further than from the kitchen to the bedroom.Disadvantage, too small and under powered to do any real computing.

Anyhow, I've lightened my stance on laptops, but would say that anything larger than 12" is almost unusable and when I replace this model in the future I won't purchase anything larger than a 10" model.

[pkang0202]

My Thinkpad T40 is a little outdated but its an awesome workhorse. Its doing everything a desktop can do. I can even play World of Warcraft on it.

Its got a 14" screen and its only 4.5lbs. The battery life on Thinkpads are insane.

The biggest drawback is the power/performance. I really think everyone should have a powerful desktop, and an ultra portable laptop.

The Desktop is by far superior to a laptop. However, its up to the user. IF you move around a lot or need access to a computer on the go then definitely laptop. If you already have a computer at work and you aren't constantly on the move then Desktop.

[cubanlord]

imo, Superiority is subjective. Everyone needs a PC for different reasons (e.g. for work or portability - laptop; for gaming - DPC). Thus, superiority lies with the beholder.

[Wrench]

I like my laptop as much as my desktop. Different purposes.. Laptop no games strictly work and Desktop the goof around machine.

[rocklee]

I was going to buy a replacement for my current notebook (15.4 inch Pentium M 1.4Ghz) and after looking high and low, I realised that I didn't want to go any bigger than a 15.4 and am now considering even a 12.1. I wished the MacPro book had a better resolution and 2 button mouse, I would consider it but not at their price.

Nothing is going to beat the speed, power and price of a desktop, but then nothing beats the convenience of having a laptop. as a constant traveller a laptop is invaluable to me.

[gsxr750r]

I replaced my desktop with a notebook/base station combination last summer. I don't play any games on it, and I'm not a fan of the wide screen format (cuts off the bottom 1/6th of the screen) but I'm getting along just fine.

I don't find myself taking it to school much (we have new computers hooked to projectors and sound systems in every classroom I use). I do take the notebook off of the base and use it in my bed before sleeping at night.

The base is wired into my 5.1 stereo and 42" LCD big screen, so I use it to play DVDs. A wireless keyboard and mouse came with the base. All I have to unplug from the notebook is one big plug -- the rest stays plugged into the base.

I am happy with my system. My biggest gripe is that it costs about $700 less to buy the same system now! (actually, a better Core2Duo system... mine is CoreDuo).