(Buying a New Computer Part – 2) Laptop or Desktop?

Image via Wikipedia

The third question is what type of computer do you want? Is it going to be a laptop or a desktop? This is an important decision because it will drive the price of your computer. You must realize that no matter the situation, spec for spec the laptop will be more expensive. I cannot think of a single instance where this has not been true. The key to this is to determine if you want a laptop first. If you don’t want or need the laptop the desktop is the obvious choice. Let me say that if you plan to have a gaming system do not buy a laptop.

Yes you can run some of the latest games on a laptop but there are few things that will be problematic. One the expense will be considerably greater due to the fact you will have to purchase a high performance laptop. Second, you will run through you battery very fast causing the whole mobility thing to be virtually ineffective. If you have to plug your laptop in frequently, there is little reason to pay for the “mobility.” Third, and last is that upgrading is nearly impossible. The only thing you really can upgrade in a laptop is memory and even that is limited. So you might be asking why you should even want a laptop.

There are many advantages for buying a laptop. Portability is a major factor. Being able to access the internet where you are is nice. Some laptops have the option of buying cellular service so that wherever you can use your cell phone you can use the internet. In some cases for some phones and special plans you can actually tether your phone to your computer. This would allow you to use your cell phone to connect to the internet. Being able to do work anywhere is also nice. You must consider though if you really need it. Many times people will purchase things they do not need just because it sounded good in the brochure. Don’t fall victim to buying more than you need it will cause you to waste a lot of money.

If you want a lot of mobility and don’t need a lot of power then you might want to consider a netbook. I have never liked these computers until my partner purchased one for our company. Truthfully this was a good option for the business. It was small, we could load all the diagnostic software we needed and it was affordable. Surprisingly it has run remarkably well. I currently have Office 2007 Pro Suite installed with XP and there is very little problems with it. Yes it is a little slow when starting MS Word or Excel but over all it performs nicely. The disadvantage is the screen size so you might want to get a keyboard, Mouse and Monitor for home use. If you need the power and want to load the latest apps for years to come, buy a more substantial laptop. Netbooks will not have the power you seek. Oh and one more thing. If you plan to leave the Laptop plugged 90% of the time you will ruin your battery to the point where it is no longer usable and will need to remain plugged in all the time. Under normal use batteries last about three years.