[TheProdigy]

I was dead set on a laptop that I configured to around $1400 until I went to the iBuyPower site and configured a similar desktop with no display for around $750.......

So my question to you- what would you do in this situation? I'm mostly talking to college students here- I mean do I need the portability/power? I'm not a heavy gamer, but I'd like to play Oblivion at the VERY MOST, but that's not that big of a deal. Mostly, I want a computer that will last me 4 or more years.

I'm a music major, so I'll need to run some music notation software at some point, although Finale '06 it actually runs "well" on my '98 Gateway (What?) I also use Photoshop on occasion.

I guess the real question- is almost a 50% increase in price worth the added portability? I'm leaning to laptop right now, but I'm really not sure.

 

[Mrvile]

For college, I would go with a laptop. Portability becomes very important in college, and even if you won't be taking your laptop to most of your classes (as a music major), you'll still love the convenience of its mobility. A $1400 laptop these days will play Oblivion easily, so you'll have no problem finding a laptop powerful enough to suit your needs.

However, if you plan to buy a laptop from ibuypower, I recommend against it and urge you to go with more trusted brands such as Asus, Dell, IBM/Lenovo, etc. Getting a poor brand desktop is one thing, but a poor brand laptop is an entirely different situation.

 

[rockin_amigo14]

even as a music student, you probably won't need a laptop as much as you think you will. most schools have music labs with Macs and garage band installed, so you won't need your laptop for that. if you can write, you probably won't need it to take notes.

i honestly can't think of an instance where you will need a laptop. usually, some other desktop will be available for use. just get a desktop and a thumb drive.

that's just my opinion though.

 

[dissembled]

Oblivion needs at least 128 MB of dedicated (GPU) ram. Then again, most laptops that have 128 MB of GPU ram are 17 inchers.

Wait. I remember a nice Oblivion mod that allows older/weaker computers to run it. I'll get back to you when I find it.

To be honest with you, I bought an XPS2 for college and regret it somewhat. It's smarter to buy a smaller laptop that you can fit into your bag. Smaller laptops also use up less battery. I can only get 1.5 hours with mine because it's rather demanding.

 

[TheProdigy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mrvile /img/forum/go_quote.gif For college, I would go with a laptop. Portability becomes very important in college, and even if you won't be taking your laptop to most of your classes (as a music major), you'll still love the convenience of its mobility. A $1400 laptop these days will play Oblivion easily, so you'll have no problem finding a laptop powerful enough to suit your needs. However, if you plan to buy a laptop from ibuypower, I recommend against it and urge you to go with more trusted brands such as Asus, Dell, IBM/Lenovo, etc. Getting a poor brand desktop is one thing, but a poor brand laptop is an entirely different situation.

Thanks for the quick reply- the laptop I am considering is actually a Sager NP2090, I did my research on notebookreview.com and I'm confident that it would suit me well- I'm just trying to decide if I want to spend that kind of money

 

[TheProdigy]

The Sager also comes with a 8600M GT with 512mb of memory- plenty for my uses

 

[Mrvile]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dissembled /img/forum/go_quote.gif Oblivion needs at least 128 MB of dedicated (GPU) ram. Then again, most laptops that have 128 MB of GPU ram are 17 inchers.

Not quite...most video cards for 15.4" laptops offered by manufacturers these days are 128-256MB cards. Both the older Geforece 7700 series and the newly released 8600 series cards are at least 128MB.

 

[dissembled]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheProdigy /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Sager also comes with a 8600M GT with 512mb of memory- plenty for my uses

15.4 is a nice size. Portable and powerful. Good deal.

 

[SysteX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheProdigy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Mostly, I want a computer that will last me 4 or more years.

This was my primary criterion when deciding between laptop/desktop for college. I ended up building myself a desktop--it's perfect because I can add/replace parts as they become outdated. This past term I added some RAM and I'm going to be swapping out the CPU and video cards next semester. Going with a DIY desktop adds a lot of flexibility in terms of upgrading that a laptop simply cannot.

 

[Mrvile]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rockin_amigo14 /img/forum/go_quote.gif even as a music student, you probably won't need a laptop as much as you think you will. most schools have music labs with Macs and garage band installed, so you won't need your laptop for that. if you can write, you probably won't need it to take notes. i honestly can't think of an instance where you will need a laptop. usually, some other desktop will be available for use. just get a desktop and a thumb drive. that's just my opinion though.

Well, it depends on how "attached" you are to your comptuer. If you are just using your computer to surf the web and write papers, well you probably don't even need a computer to begin with. However, if you use it for storage and entertainment, having a laptop becomes much more convenient than a desktop.

 

[AlanY]

One big variable is battery life. A lot of higher-end laptops (especially ones with good graphics cards designed for gaming and large screens) have relatively limited battery life. This makes them pretty impractical for actually using as portable computers. If you're only going to get a machine that gets 2 and a half hours of battery life, it's not that much better than a desktop in terms of portability and might not be worth the price premium for you.

Another thing: most laptops don't last four years like you want yours to. The longest-lived laptop I used was a ThinkPad that got 3.5 years. Desktops tend to have slightly longer lives.

The big thing though is portability. If you expect to bring your computer to class regularly, you should buy for battery life. My law school has plugins at every desk in 1/3rd of the classrooms; the other 2/3rds don't have enough plugs for everyone. People with bigscreen, gaming-oriented laptops run out of battery power constantly, while people with simpler machines with integrated graphics usually can go all day. Something to think about anyway. I agree with dissembled:

Quote:

Originally Posted by dissembled /img/forum/go_quote.gif To be honest with you, I bought an XPS2 for college and regret it somewhat. It's smarter to buy a smaller laptop that you can fit into your bag. Smaller laptops also use up less battery. I can only get 1.5 hours with mine because it's rather demanding.

 

[Mrvile]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheProdigy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Mostly, I want a computer that will last me 4 or more years.

Oooh, I missed this the first time I read through. One of the biggest weaknesses of a laptop is how "future-proof" it is. Most people with laptops tend to get a new laptop every two or three years and don't really worry about upgrading. However, with a desktop, upgrading becomes much easier and cheaper.

Have you ever considered building your own computer?

 

[TheProdigy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mrvile /img/forum/go_quote.gif Have you ever considered building your own computer?

I've never built a computer, but I've considered it. But now I'm thinking that I'm gonna run out of time to do that since I start on August 18th.

 

[Kirosia]

I commute so I use a notebook (as in pen and paper). I may get a laptop if needed, probably prioritizing portability over power. (I don't really PC game)

 

[Mrvile]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheProdigy /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've never built a computer, but I've considered it. But now I'm thinking that I'm gonna run out of time to do that since I start on August 18th.

It's actually not that hard. I went from having no idea what a "hard drive" was to having my own homebuilt computer within a month. The longest part is figuring out what you want to put into the system...otherwise the ordering takes about a week and the building/setup takes about two days at the most. Since you already configured something through ibuypower, I assume you pretty much know what you want, so it shouldn't be too bad. But in the end it doesn't really matter, you'll just save some money.