A 14" or 16" Laptop

MattJmac · 08-10-2009, 10:26 PM

I've never owned a laptop before and I'm not sure what exactly my needs will be. I'm a history major and I'll be living on campus. I was a huge gamer at one time, but I don't think I'll be doing it in college. If I do, it will only be a few times. I would like to do some photo editing and I watch a lot of videos. I'm also transferring from a community college so I've been through college classes before without needing a laptop. Personally I don't like typing notes, but I may do it from time to time.
So here's the dilemma.

Should I get a 16" HP Pavillion power house with 1 gig dedicated graphics (I'm drawn to it because I'm used to buying those computers for gaming) that ways over 7 pounds and has a battery life of about 1hr 50 min? It also has a blue ray player, but that's not that important. It's honestly not THAT big but the battery life is what bugs me. I'm not sure if I will need to be that mobile or if I want the option to play games.

OR

Should I get a 14" Toshiba that's basically the same except that this has the Intel Integrated 4500MHD graphics card, no blue ray player, and doesn't have Gigabit Ethernet. This laptop is obviously more mobile and has a 12 cell battery so battery life is way better.

Both Laptops have the P7350 processor, 4gb ram, wireless n, 500 gb HD, etc.

franticpizza · 08-10-2009, 10:28 PM

If you were a huge gamer, you should have a desktop.

Lug in your desktop for gaming and buy the 14" for your schoolwork. :P

But seriously, get the 14". School comes before games. ;D And the 14" is mobile, has a good battery life, and should do you fine.

aforautumn · 08-10-2009, 11:36 PM

yeah, 1.5 hours of battery life is a joke. definitely dont get the 16".

modestmelody · 08-11-2009, 01:09 AM

Why are you looking at such drastically different machines? There are plenty of things in the middle that make a lot of sense.

Don't buy a laptop that's basically a desktop. Don't buy something that's always going to be plugged in and never leave your desk. That's pointless.

andylaws · 08-11-2009, 04:24 PM

I'd go with the 16'. It is likely to last you the longest. Just carry it in a bag.

-- @ the comment above "Don't buy a laptop thats basically a desktop --

Why not? It's nice to have comfort of a desktop in the form of a laptop in the dorm.

modestmelody · 08-11-2009, 04:33 PM

That's not the "comfort" of a desktop-- that comes with the keyboard, mouse, and massive screen. I use a desktop in my apartment, laptop on the go. Laptops built to be desktop replacements overheat and overstress components more often, are heavier, have worse batter life, have screens that are lower quality and still smaller than desktop screens that are cheap, don't have great keyboards (though this has been getting better on laptops), etc etc etc.

Invariably the desktop replacements just sit on a desk, are used like desktops, and they just break down more often, cost more than similarly spec'd desktops, and have no portability, the whole reason to buy a laptop.

andylaws · 08-11-2009, 06:32 PM

16's have no portability?..

MattJmac · 08-11-2009, 09:12 PM

As someone who's never owned a laptop, I don't know how to measure my needs of mobility. I've heard that many students don't ever take their laptops out of their dorms. Keep the thread going, I'd like to see more opinions.

modestmelody · 08-11-2009, 09:18 PM

Many students don't because they think they need more power than they do and then buy massive machines. I know because I just graduated and many of my friends are buying new laptops and every single one of them that had something larger that 15" and/or more than 6lbs their main concern is to get something much smaller and much lighter.

If your laptop is going to sit and never leave your room, don't waste your money on a laptop. Desktops are cheaper and more powerful and have more longevity across the board relative to a laptop. The only reason to own a laptop is to move your computer with you.

aforautumn · 08-11-2009, 09:48 PM

its hard to know what you'll do with a laptop if you've never had access to one. if you've always used a desktop, its hard to imagine going into the living room, or going outside, to do homework.

personally, i love the freedom of being able to go outside and do homework, or go work with people on a project or with studying in a social setting. you WILL be working on the computer a lot. you're going to be typing up almost every assignment you have. if you know you will only be working in a cramped, dull dorm room, then get a desktop because they're cheaper and upgradeable. if you think that working on homework in the cafeteria or library with friends sounds appealing, then get a laptop.

one thing i do NOT recommend is getting a laptop, or even a pc, with the intention of gaming on it. you should not be spending what could potentially be the best 4 years of your life spending money on gaming. light gaming is fine, but when you start investing money in things in order to play games, in my opinion, you've found the line and are at risk of crossing it.

basically, go for mobility, because as much as you like gaming now, you're probably going to like doing research and things in a more social environment than your dorms even more. 16" 7 lbs machines are portable, but they aren't fun to carry around. you'd just be happier carrying around a smaller notebook, period.

andylaws · 08-12-2009, 12:11 AM

Let me rephrase on the items specified above. While the majority of students will not need decked out laptops, I feel that I do because of online work in relation to online communities and other various web related projects. Also, I DID need a desktop replacement (cannot bring desktop into dorm due to space requirements and also heating issue with a big desktop) but I agree with the above statements. For regular usage I wouldn't advise it.

MattJmac · 08-13-2009, 02:04 AM

Thanks guys. I opted for the 14". I'm typing on it right now and I love it. Definitely better than a 16" screen. I can't imagine having a bigger laptop. Thanks for all the help guys.