<p>It’s been several years since systems got so powerful that older systems and newer systems don’t have much of a difference when it comes to doing most tasks, such as web browsing, word-processing, watching videos, etc. So, the difference mainly lies in tasks that do use the extra power, namely: encoding music/videos, gaming, simulations, number-crunching, virtual machines.</p>
<p>With that said, it still is fun to have a modern, powerful computer around. I personally recommend the route of going with a desktop + netbook. After all, the total cost is still less than one good laptop (eg. Thinkpad T500 /w 40% off). However, the 2.6lb netbook is easily portable, and my i7 860 desktop is more powerful than any laptop you can currently find, regardless of price. The netbook is powerful enough to do the stuff I really need to do while on-the-run, and if I need to do computationally-expensive things, I wait until I get back to my apartment.</p>
<p>I used to have a Thinkpad T500, and while it was an excellent laptop, I eventually got tired of it. It was supposed to be good all-around, but as I decided to do more virtualization and code compilations, the performance was becoming a real issue. I also got tired of carrying 6lb uphill on a regular basis. Yes, it’s not that heavy, but it still makes a noticable difference.</p>
<p>As for Mac vs. PC vs. Linux – you will usually be most satisfied with what you’re used to, unless there’s something that seriously irks you. For example, everybody I know who uses Linux did so because they got tired of having to defend their Windows systems from viruses/adware. Similarly, the Macs usually correspond with how people got tired of customer service from all the PC companies and found Apple to be much better in that aspect. To be honest, I don’t see much of an argument for Windows other than tradition, but I’m extremely biased. :P</p>