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In This Issue » Games & Tech » Laptop vs. Desktop

Laptop vs. Desktop

Which will you choose?

Written by: S. Thompson – Posted: Sat Apr 28th, 2007
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Going away to a university requires a lot of thinking ahead because you are investing in your future. There are tons of institutions to choose from that offer a variety of majors, programs, specialties and different opportunities. However, another key consideration could be what kind of computer to bring with you to school. Each one has its pros and cons and it's important to have the complete facts before you invest.

Portability


A laptop will give you a little more freedom and movement than a desktop computer. It is very transportable and you can bring it from your room to class to the library and back which makes studying in different places very easy. If you prefer to study in a quiet place, you can simply pack up the study notes you have made on your laptop and head over to the library.


Desktops, on the other hand, stay in your room of residence and are not portable. This might be a better option for you if you like to stay in one place and study over moving from place to place. This also may be beneficial if you do not do a not of traveling or are actually going to class in a lecture hall. Distance education courses may have very strict deadlines and if you were to travel and had no access to a computer, your grade may be affected.

If you are planning on going away to school, a laptop may also be a better option due to the portability it provides. Having a laptop would allow you to bring home study notes or homework over breaks that you may have (whether or not you choose to do it is a different story). This may help you to catch up on work that you've been slacking on, or even get ahead.
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i own both... it's good to have two computers... you don't know
how much trouble you have to go through if one of your pc die and
you need the files on the pc.... it happened to me before so i
pretty use a laptop because i need to work in team a lot and need
to take my computer with around... and i use my desktop to back up
all of the data... desktops are very cheap nowaday... i got mine
for only $500 and it's much more powerful and has a bigger storage
than my $2000 laptop. i do have flask drive but they are rather
small so i tend to lose it.... i just lost my 2nd one a few weeks
agon
here's my opinion, i own both:
pros for laptop:
-portable, bring it to class and library,
-can type notes in class
-go online wireless
-play movies or games wherever u go like watching a movie on bed
-use the laptop for class group presentation like powerpoint

laptop cons:
-not enough memory
-batteries, need the power adapter-charger
-if bored in class, playing card games or chatting can distract
people nearby, especially if they are bored and wanted to see
what's ur wallpaper, etc.
-screen not large enough to watch a movie

pros: desktop
-more memory
-faster
-no need to charge batteries etc

cons for desktop:
-take up more space
-cant move around like take it to places


....so yea thats all i can think of right now. if ur going to
college just have a laptop, it'll be useful
I go to UNC and everyone is required to have a laptop. They do
offer laptop grants too, so its not like someone has to pay for it
if they can't afford it. There's wireless just about everywhere. A
lot of places like the library and the union have outlets located
at every table/desk so a person can plug their laptop in and not
worry about the battery running out. There are some days when
professors ask for everyone to bring their laptop to class. On a
regular basis, most people don't take their laptops to class,
though some do. I usually don't either because I don't want to
bother to carry it. When I want to get out of my room and work on
something somewhere else, I'm always very glad that I do have a
laptop.
I like my laptop because of its size and its soo easy to move
around. The downside is that the battery dies way to fast. Also
desktops tend to be better if your a game player.. It just all
depends on what your gonna use your computer for.
i have both; my laptop is great, but i don't have wireless on it,
so i can only use it when i have the ethernet cord anyway. i
never take it to class cause we usually take our own notes or the
professor gives them to us on blackboard.

i like my desktop also cause it's faster, but it does take up room
on my desk along with my tv.

as far as taking notes with you, that's why you have a flash
drive...
i think that it would be better to have a laptop better than to
have a desktop. i have a laptop at home and i love it. i hope that
when i get older i can get another one. :)
i live at home and commute to school. i have a desktop at home and
a laptope that i got for free from the honors program at school.
the thing is, i only bring my laptop to school when i have to,
which is when i have a computer class which required a lap top.
i keep it home and i use it for everything because it's a lot
better than my old desktop. so yeah....and i dont have to pay for
internet becuase i just connect to some wireless (which is not
always relaiable, but, hey, it's free). i really like my laptop
and i use it for pretty much everything. desktop is there just
becuase it has a larger memory and i save files i dont exactly
need at a time but might need later on onto the desktop memeory.
and also to print out my work. so i personally think a laptop is
great. as long as you keep it plugged in, it works perfectly fine.
A laptop is so much easier. I don't know why people still debate
this. Even if you're gonna keep the computer in my room (which I
do: I never take my laptop anywhere, not to classes, not to the
library), they take up less space and they're easier to transport
to and from your dorm when it comes to moving in and moving out.

My friend has a desktop and it seems like so much hassle. What
with the tower and the monitor and everything else, it means he
has at least two other bulky, heavy things to carry when he's
moving in or when he has to clear out his room. Not to mention the
space it takes up. He has virtually no room left on his desk.
I don't want to remember life before my laptop.
I'll be moving into an appartment instead of a dorm room which
will allow me to have the best of both worlds too. Although I'm
going to school for computers and my college does everything over
the internet. So I have a feeling not many of my teachers will be
banning lap tops, especially since I think they are required to go
there.

So I'll be buying a new lap top over the summer and bringing my
desktop from home when I move. I'm just hoping that they have
wireless internet where I'm going, which they should, but you
never know. I'll have to check that out.
I personally hate sitting next to someone in class who has a
laptop and there is a "tap tap tap tap tap ta ta ta tap," but
that's me. I like to take long hand notes because it helps me
remember and I feel like when I'm typing I don't pay attention as
well. Again, that's just me. However, I will be buying a laptop
and will also be taking my desktop computer so I'll have the best
of both worlds.
In some of my classes I can take up to 8 pages of typed notes in
75 minutes. I'd die if I had to do it by hand. Also, if I'm
looking for something in my notes I can easily spotlight it (or
search it for you PC people) a lot easier than sifting through
pages of hand written notes.

I've yet to have a teacher ban laptops... I think the general
feeling is if you're goofing around your grade will reflect it.

The only time I've had trouble with battery life was when I had 4
classes in a day - my laptop (Macbook Pro) gets about 4 hours of
battery life and would die in the last 15 minutes of class so I
started carrying my charger.

Its also nice to be able to write an essay in the library.
Instead of needing to be tied to a desktop at home.

Most people at my school though take notes by hand - the laptop
people are still a sizeable minority.