The Student's Handy Little Notebook That Could
Oct 22 '00
The is the Third epinion of mine in this topic.
The first is for <a href= http://www.epinions.com/cmd-review-5150-27297505-39EA80DC-prod6 >the die hard gamer</a>
The second is for <a href= http://www.epinions.com/./cmd-review-571B-1334BD53-39EE9018-prod5 >the average everyday user</a>
I written an epinion on how to save money when you are buying a Dell laptop <a href= http://www.epinions.com/cmd-review-69A4-75F0D42-39D9C65C-prod1 >here</a>.
That being said...
As laptops drop significantly in price, these portable computers of the mostly wealthy and eccentric have become very affordable as well as having a significant amount of processing power! Is it worth it to buy a laptop/notebook over a desktop... well, it depends on what your use for it is. So it's time to look at the student... more specifically the college and graduate student.
What about the high schooler and grade schooler?
Computers in general are helpful in education period but do you need to give them a laptop for use instead of a desktop. I feel that this group as a whole still don't know what they want from a computer. They know it can play games, can help their parents with various stuff, can help get information, can help write reports, and can access the internet. Plus a desktop is harder to move and would likely keep younger kids in one place instead of letting the younger children pick up the computer and running with it.
What's the appeal to this user then?
Sure, there are plenty of computers in the colleges/universities/research and reference areas across the whole nation. Those desktops may not be the latest machines but they give access to reference sites and programs that you don't have access to normally. Some of those programs you could obtain but not without get personal cost (like going into debt losing alot of meals... look at the cost of MS Office and Adobe Photoshop). Despite the great number of computers available... there is a problem. There are just a much greater number of people who need to use them! When is it your turn to use the computer for that important information that you need. Will that guy ever get off his Quake game to let someone who needs to use the computer get on?
1) Not specifically an argument for a notebook but whether it be a desktop or a laptop... the computer is yours and you decide who goes on it.
2) A low cost laptop provides enough power to do the number crunching, word processing, and research (especially internet research) that the majority of students would need. Your low cost processors include the AMD's K-6 2, K-6 3, and Intel's Celeron and Pentium III 600 and lower. Bare bones laptops with any of these processors should not go above $1500. Realize that the performance bar changes with the introduction of faster Celeron and Pentium III chips as well as AMD's Athlon and Duron for notebooks and Transmeta's Crusoe processor.
3) It is portable and small. How many students live in dorms... and how big is that dorm room of yours. Not very big is it. Space is a luxury to most student and the space that you have is valuable. Why put a bulky desktop system in your room? Plus, you can bring your notebook with all the information on it to the library, research lab, classroom, significant others place just like that. Now how cool is that?
4) The notebook is not a dead end on the upgrade scale. When you get a few more bucks or get a job after graduating, the notebook can still be very useful. They are plenty of accessories and additional hardware you can add to your notebook... the only problem is sometimes, these additional hardware will cost you the notebook's mobility.
5) Notebooks have average to above average graphics and sound. They have good screens/monitors (and a few have awesome screens with high resolutions if you are willing to pay the price). The processor speed is close to that of most desktops. You are not sacrificing processor power, graphics, sound, or hard drive space by settling for a notebook... you are gaining portability!
6) If you have to pay for your electricity, a notebook uses less power than the desktop... small point for the majority of dormitory students.
Why wouldn't I get one?
Well, a few things easily come to mind.
The first is cost. The notebook computer is still sold at a premium versus equivalent desktop systems... there is a difference of 2-4 times the price for a notebook versus and desktop computer. Most students don't have the out of pocket money to get a computer much less than a laptop. On top of that, hardware and accessories for a notebook also cost more to buy anywhere you go.
Despite what I stated above with notebook expandability, it is still limited when comparing it to a desktop computer. You cannot upgrade the sound card, video card, or processor at all. You cannot upgrade the speakers, the monitor, or add extra drives that don't fit into the drive bay without losing some if not all portability of the laptop. What you can expand costs more to do on a laptop as compared to a desktop... Laptop memory is a bit more expensive than a desktop. External drives add an addition $50 to $100 over internal versions of the same drive. Laptop versions can add $100 or more to the price. Example is the Zip drive and the Orb drive (I have reviewed the Orb drive). Another example is external CD-RW versus internal desktop CD-RWs. As you can see, the limited expandability ties in with the price differences and maintenance of a laptop.
There are technology differences. The downside is that the notebook is at least slightly slower than desktop equivalents... much slower than desktop price equivalents.
Can you afford to maintain that notebook/laptop computer... what if is breaks? The notebook is a single unit for the most part. If a part breaks, usually the whole notebook is down and has to go for repairs. In a desktop, you can often work around the broken part and replace just like part.
The portability can be used against you. How easy is it to steal a laptop computer if you left it alone for just a few seconds. You have to be a careful person if you bring your laptop anywhere.
The experience and immersion factor... it just isn't the same at this point. The best graphics cards and sound cards are for desktops only. The ability to enjoy a movie on a screen as big as a person's chest and a speaker system that can immerse you in surround dolby digital and still be heard for miles around is more the area of a desktop computer. If you added this to your laptop, you have killed the portability of the laptop. You would be constantly connecting and disconnecting equipment to make your laptop portable. The price you would pay for a notebook would get you a top of the line desktop computer with all the ultimate audio/video trimmings at the time you buy. However, it still is doable on your laptop... plus some users would consider this an added benefit to their laptop instead of a reason to buy their laptop. We all know how college years were like...
Conclusions
This is a tough call. I really can't call this one either way since it very much depends on your financial situation and conditions with the place of your education. If theft isn't a problem in your area and you have the money, a notebook would certainly be a good idea. If this isn't the case, then you may want to consider a desktop. REGARDLESS, if you buy a notebook, get a security device at the very least. It will not guarantee that your notebook won't be stolen but it will help. Thanks for reading, hopefully this gives students ideas of what to look for and clarify what their needs are when it comes to computers.
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