The MultiPurpose Laptop for the Everyman's Needs
Oct 18 '00 (Updated Oct 22 '00)
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. This will be one of several epinion articles about laptop replacement for desktop computers. Each epinion will be dedicated to a type of user.
This is the second epinion of mine is this topic.
The first was for <a href= http://www.epinions.com/cmd-review-5150-27297505-39EA80DC-prod6 >the die hard gamer and power gamer.</a>
Today's user is
The All Purpose User with Average Needs
What do I consider as an all-purpose user with average needs?
The users who do word processing, spreadsheets, finance calculations, the average gamer, and also use their computers for everyday internet/e-mail access. Really, their computer needs to be geared to do a large number of everyday computer tasks, but their computer shouldn't cost them an arm and leg. The computer is a practical item in the household with reasonable cost, utility, and practicality.
What is the appeal to this type of user then?
1) Even a low cost laptop is powerful enough to run simple programs like word processors and finance management programs to more complicated programs like games with good speed and graphic quality. As of Oct. 2000, the average low cost notebook is powered by the Celeron 600 Mobile Processor. The super dirt cheap notebooks are powered by AMD K-6 2 chip, which is a year or more old already. The Celeron 600 bare bones base notebook is running $1200 to $1600 depending on company brand. These prices are extremely low in comparison to notebook prices even a year ago. Although one should note newer K6-2 and K6-3 with PowerNow technology and upcoming laptop chips from AMD (Athlon and Duron) as well as Transmeta's chip (Crusoe)
2) The notebook has a small footprint. Look at the size of a desktop computer... you have the monitor, the computer itself, a keyboard, the room for a mouse, the speakers, and the multi-outlet surge protector. This is a deskful of equipment and a mess of cables and needed outlets. The notebook is one piece... one power cable... and take up less room than a monitor. Add to this that you can close it up and move it to another room to work on it. Or you can put it in a briefcase and store it away. How practical is that? There really is no contest in this argument on why the notebook is superior.
3) There are plenty of options to expand or upgrade a notebook although it isn't as great as a desktop computer. Regardless, you can add a networking card, a printer, scanner, joystick, a monitor, speakers, PC cards, more memory, different options to the drive bay... it should be more than enough for any average home user!
4) You have a decent sound card and graphic card built into your notebook. Most users will not complain about the stereo speakers on the notebook either.
5) The average screen of the low end notebook is either 12.1 inches or 14.1 inches. This equals a 13 to 15 inch monitor. The colors and resolution are very good these days. One prime example is the Ultra XGA screen for the Dell Inspiron 5000e... this is a 15 inch screen with 1280x1024 resolution... wow!
6) Processor speed for laptop are very close to desktop speeds (although bus speeds are not yet the same).
7) Hard drive size restrictions... really those are things of the past. Hard drives on laptops go as far as 30 GB! Not too shabby at all.
8) Laptop use less power than a desktop computer... period. Most laptops use less energy than a 17 inch monitor. (Ever take a look at how much energy your monitor and TV burn?)
Are there downsides to getting a laptop?
Of course there are...
The biggest downside is the price of the laptop. A baseline laptop still costs 2 to 3 times more than a desktop of equal performance. (At least that much, it can be much more especially with brand names!) The proof can be seen in any computer company ad or even browsing sites like dell or gateway. The prices differences don't stop there...
The notebook has limited expandability especially 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 other technology differences... A laptop's bus speed is slower (66 or 100 MHz) than some desktops. A few budget desktops can run a bus speed up 133MHz. The bus speed may be a moot point to the average user however... most differences wouldn't show until a high powered program is used.
Treat your notebook with care because if you break a part of it... the whole thing needs to be repaired... the good thing is most warranties are at least a year and as many as 3 years. In a desktop, you most likely can buy the actually replacement part to fix the computer... it can also be an excuse to update a part of your desktop too :)
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.
Conclusions
If you have the extra cash, the laptop drives a strong argument for itself. My personal belief is that the software is generations behind the power of computer processors. This means that many processors today are more than adequate for the everyday person's use for many years to come. The only two major bottlenecks are memory and hard drive space when you first buy the laptop. The memory should be easy to upgrade on your own... upgrading the laptop hard drive may be more of a hassle but still can be performed. The difference here is based on the price you are willing to pay for the computer. I would definitely go for a laptop because it does offer many more benefits considering the amount of power that everyday general application require. If cost is a problem and space isn't a problem, then stick to the desktop. Regardless, the everyday home user should keep the laptop in their mind when they shop.
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