Replacing Desktop? Laptop or Desktop: Pros and Cons

[micocina]

I am thinking of replacing my old desktop computer, but I'm debating whether I should get another desktop or a laptop this time.
What do you prefer and why?

 

[chefann]

I'm not going to be any help at all to you, because I like both, for different reasons.I like my laptop because I can take it to shows and enter orders directly into P3. I can also surf here while I'm watching TV (non-productive multi-tasking!).But, a desktop is better for you ergonomically, unless you also have a separate keyboard for your laptop (and set the laptop on a table instead of your lap). My desktop has a larger screen, so it's easier to use for some applications.

 

[janetupnorth]

I'm not going to be any help at all to you, because I like both, for different reasons.

I like my laptop because I can take it to shows and enter orders directly into P3. I can also surf here while I'm watching TV (non-productive multi-tasking!).

But, a desktop is better for you ergonomically, unless you also have a separate keyboard for your laptop (and set the laptop on a table instead of your lap). My desktop has a larger screen, so it's easier to use for some applications.

Ditto Ann - LOL!

I like a laptop for surfing and non-productive stuff, but my chiropractor yells at me when I've used it a lot!

I use my PC for P3 and other things...and it has a larger screen and the printer attached, etc....

You could do the best of both world and get a laptop with a docking station and have a keyboard, printer, monitor all set up for when you use it there and still have the portability.

My DH's vote would be laptop.

 

[heather223]

I have an HP Laptop with the docking station. I LOVE IT. It is great for when I want to sit at my desk and work on a normal keyboard, but also wonderful that I can take it anywhere I need. I think my docking station only cost like $125, which to me was well worth it.

 

[micocina]

My husband has a laptop that he doesn't even use, but I find it too heavy to take to my shows. My old desktop is just that... OLD! And it is so slow. I get really frustrated when I'm on the phone with customers and the thing doesn't seem to want to go anywhere!

Hmmm, much to debate still.

 

[urbnk8]

I like the desktops because you can get so much more for the money. But it depends on what you use it for. I have a hard time justifying the money for a laptop when you just don't get as good of a computer. (unless you spend a fortune) But I don't need mine to travel much. Someday I would like to have a laptop in addition to my desktop. (well I have one now, but it's not that great of one and I never use it)

 

[Leigh0725]

I have to say 100% laptop! I have one and my DH has one. It just allows you the flexibility of taking it with you when you travel, for shows, to not be tied down to an office....etc....

All laptops are built with an internal wireless card, so you can easily get away from the house and go to a starbucks or panera to do PC stuff (or whatever). Just a thought.

 

[christinaspc]

I have a laptop and a desktop and it got to the point where i dont even use the desktop at all it just sits there, I love my laptop how i can basically take it everywhere with me and i get some compliants from it at my shows so i don't know if that helps you any but choose laptop over desktop

 

[angmillar]

LAPTOP!!

I haven't even used a desktop in sooooo long. I just love the flexibility of it. I love that I can take it to shows, use it for closings as I often meet up with my hosts for closings, surf the net while watching tv, or stretch out on my bed to enter shows while my kids are napping.

My husband is a desktop man, though. He never even uses a laptop at all except when he's TDY (gone for military reasons for all you non-military folks out there).

 

[Debala715]

I'm on my 3rd laptop and I love it! I bought a laptop that can play Sims2 on it, so it's gonna be awhile before other programs can't be used on this thing.I'd go with laptop. You can take it out in the yard with you, take it to meet with a recruit, or take it to shows. I quit bringing mine to shows, as it never failed, I didn't do as good of a job in the checkout portion of the shows. But I come home, enter in all the sales for the show, print off receipts for any outside orders, do up my Thank you letter and send them off to the host.

 

[PC_CPR]

I love my laptop. It's my second one since 2002. I take it with me to shows. I'm on the family room sofa as I type this while DH updates me on his errands. Love the multitasking of life! BTW--get one that has a good warranty. I've bought both my laptops online sight unseen but with good warranties and good reviews for little or no problems. My current one is a Fujitsu that came with a rare 3 yr. warranty and is extra light. LOVE IT!P.S. I haven't had a desktop since 2001.

 

[etteluap70PC]

LAPTOP!!!


You can get just as much memory and power as a desktop especially for everyday use. And it takes up less space. I will never buy a desktop for myself ever again. I have had my Toshiba laptop for 4 1/2 years and I LOVE it! I take it to every show and anywhere else I want.

 

[legacypc46]

Love the laptop. I take it to all my shows and input right there...am never going back to figuring up orders with a calculator! Also love that I can get up from my desk, walk to the couch, and work 'all comfy.'

 

[chefheidi2003]

OK, I don't have a laptop but I know that when it is time to replace my desktop computer it will be with a laptop. My mom has one and she sits out on our deck and uses it in the summer and it is great...there are more reasons too but I am just saying that I definately can't wait to be able to get a laptop...but as stated above I am definately planning on getting a docking station for it as well...

 

[pregochef]

I do not have a laptop, but I do plan on buying one when I replace my computer. But that is because my other job requires me to work-from-home as well, and therefore it would serve both purposes. Plus if I go away for a few days or a week - I can bring it with me.

 

[pregochef]

I just happened to come across this site that is offering $200 off dell computers (laptop or desktop)...

http://www.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/odg/hip_yahoo?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd

Hope it helps!

 

[micocina]

Thanks for all of the feedback!

Now... for the confusing details... RAM?... Processor?... Memory?... Speed?... Gigabyte?...

WHAT DO ALL OF THESE NUMBERS REALLY MEAN?!!!

 

[PChefPEI]

My husband has a laptop that he doesn't even use, but I find it too heavy to take to my shows. My old desktop is just that... OLD! And it is so slow. I get really frustrated when I'm on the phone with customers and the thing doesn't seem to want to go anywhere!

Hmmm, much to debate still.

Can you "steal" your DH's laptop and use at shows and get yourself a new desktop computer?

I do like Heather's idea of the docking station, though.

But, my vote, would be LAPTOP!

 

[chefann]

Thanks for all of the feedback!

Now... for the confusing details... RAM?... Processor?... Memory?... Speed?... Gigabyte?...

WHAT DO ALL OF THESE NUMBERS REALLY MEAN?!!!

RAM and memory are the same thing. RAM is like the computer's short-term memory. When you run a program, it's loaded into the computer's RAM. The more RAM you have, the more programs you can have running at once, or the bigger the files you can process (in case you want to write the great American novel in Word).

The processor is the brain that does the actual work. The faster the processor, the quicker it will get your stuff done. That's the speed number that you'll see advertised, too.

Gigabyte is a measurement of storage, usually for the hard drive, although many computers on the market can have a gigabyte (GB) of RAM. An easy way to think of it is like a bookcase. The bigger your bookcase, the more books and photo albums you can fit. Same thing with the hard drive.

 

[Smashie]

Definitely the laptop. I don't even touch my desktop anymore. I have a Sony Vaio, and I love it!

 

[ahammons]

I'd say a laptop too. After DH got his, we barely touched our desktop - unless he was on the laptop, and I was forced too! lol I especially love the fact that I can take it w/ me and still work with shows. A few months ago, I closed a show while we were visiting family in TN - so convenient! I just ordered myself a laptop a few days ago, and I can't wait to get it! I think I'll definitely look into a docking station once we move to our new house next year. I like the idea of being able to work from a desk every once in a while too.

 

[Vicks]

If possible, I'd say both. With a desktop, you can usually put so much more on it, than a laptop. They are more durable and sturdy and if something goes out, it's fairly easy to replace (unlike my laptop screen that has crystals broken in the bottom corner of the screen, which is not fixable, unless I want to take it in and get a whole new screen $$$). Also, laptops get real HOT! Be careful when they are on your lap and nothing is near the fan, you CAN get burned! I have a cooling mat under mine, but it still gets pretty hot.

Desktops are cheaper and if you want to go REAL economical, you can buy a case and piece it together yourself (NOT HARD). That will save you a ton of money off of anything at the store, and you'll get what YOU want on it (processor size, memory, video card, etc). Of course you'll need all your CDs from all the programs on your current computer, to install on the new one, as it won't have anything pre-installed. We've saved $100s by buying parts, instead of a store-bought.

Laptops, like many have said, are great for the flexibility. We have a wireless router, so I can access anything from the desktop right on my laptop, from anywhere within the range of my router, which is AWESOME! I can print from it, too!! The downside is the battery life SUCKS! And another battery is pretty pricey, so we just keep it plugged in, which defeats the purpose of taking it outside and to Starbucks or wherever.

If you are going for a laptop, check out the Black Friday sales, or even a desktop. There is almost guaranteed to be a GREAT deal somewhere! That's when we got ours a few years ago at Circuit City. I can't remember how much it was, but it was $275 cheaper than the same thing a day later. You should be able to see some ads by Google-ing Black Friday 2007. If not now, pretty soon. They get a hold of those fairly early.

HTH,
~Vicks

 

[lkprescott]

I'm jonesing for a laptop. I had one with one of my old bookkeeping clients and LOVED it. I feel very tied to my desktop... like I'm constantly being separated from my family just to check my email and I don't like that feeling. Plus I think it'd be nice to enter orders right into P3 at the shows - would help me catch small things like when someone puts a pantry item in the wrong place and adds in tax... then I'm left owing them like 10 cents...

There's pros and cons to both... but laptops have come such a long way from where they were (uber-expensive and heavy) to what they've become (sleek, light and under 1000 bucks in many instances)... they're portable... if you have wi-fi you can surf the internet from just about anywhere in your house... you're not tied to a desk so if it's a nice day you can work outside on the porch or deck! I'm definitely putting it in my DH's head (he's an IT guru) that the next time we 'upgrade' my pc, I'd like a laptop...

 

[lkprescott]

Just to add you can get some real deals online for laptops too. ZipZoomFly Geeks.com - Computer parts, Laptop computers, Desktop computers, Computer hardware and others often have great deals.. oh and TigerDirect.com Best Deals - Computer Parts, PC Components, Computers & Electronics those are all good companies we've ordered from for my DH's computer business. Those are also good places to go for parts to upgrade and barebones boxes to build your own.

 

[caynreth]

If possible, I'd say both. With a desktop, you can usually put so much more on it, than a laptop. They are more durable and sturdy and if something goes out, it's fairly easy to replace (unlike my laptop screen that has crystals broken in the bottom corner of the screen, which is not fixable, unless I want to take it in and get a whole new screen $$$). Also, laptops get real HOT! Be careful when they are on your lap and nothing is near the fan, you CAN get burned! I have a cooling mat under mine, but it still gets pretty hot.

I'm curious as to why you say you can put more on a desktop machine? my desktop machine has a 40 gb hard drive. My laptop has a 120 gb hard drive. But I have a 500 gb EXTERNAL hard drive (it's about the size of a trade paperback book) that most of my stuff actually lives on so it can move easily between the two machines. (also because my itunes library is 58 gb and takes up most of my laptop hd.) My ibook also doesn't get very hot. Now, my husband has an ibm thinkpad and my son has a dell inspiron and they both DO get very warm if not elevated off the surface properly. You can buy stands that prop the back up so they get properly ventilated.

 

[jcsmilez]

I love my lap top!!!! I can go to my local coffee shop and do some of my non-phone call business work there. People are always talkative at coffee shops -- combine that with my pampered chef bag and set up to book a few shows!
* Enter guest orders directly into P3 (tell people that PC helped you pay for it)
* Bring lap top to booths and fairs for a Powerpoint presentation and/or to sign new recruits (if you have wireless access)
* Bring laptop to recruiting interviews and sign them right there. ~~ I do want to invest in a docking station and an external hard drive though.

 

[daniellemorgan]

I would get a laptop, just not a DELL. My DELL somehow ended up with over 200 viruses and finally crashed. I ended up losing all my photos, addresses, important documents, etc. We ended up buying a MAC (desktop) and I had a new hard drive put in my DELL. I only use it for Pampered Partner. Luckily I was planning on doing that since Pampered Partner isn't compatible with MAC. The convienence of bringing your laptop to shows is nice and I feel looks more professional. Hope this helped!

 

[micocina]

Looking at this weekends paper, I see that computers are actually not that expensive anymore. Great for when I make up my mind.

Now for my next question... do the new computers already come with Word, Powerpoint and Publishers or do they need to be purchased seperately?

 

[chefann]

Many computers come with demo versions that you can use for 30 days, but you must then purchase the software. You can download Open Office for free at openoffice.org. It's an open-source suite that opens and saves Office-compatible files.