ChrisBardon Posted February 14, 2007 Report Share Posted February 14, 2007 So after installing Vista on my current desktop, I realized that my paltry p4 1.6 with 512 MB, even overclocked to 2.1 GHz, wasn't going to cut it anymore. I suppose I did buy those components back in 2002... It's obviously time for an upgrade. The question I'm looking at now though is new desktop, or just a good laptop. On one hand, I know I need to get a new monitor with whatever I buy. I'm still using the old 17" CRT that I bought used from a friend 10 years ago, and while it's served me well, there's much better stuff out there now. I'd also like to get something that'll last for a good while-after all, I scraped 5 years out of my current box, so why not again? The most cutting edge games I've run in the last couple years have been Civ 4, Sam & Max, and Defcon, so I don't think I need bleeding edge video performance. By the time you add a monitor onto a desktop though, you're approaching the price of a laptop already. And since the only things I'd probably end up saving from my current system would be the hard drives (which should probably be upgraded to SATA anyway) and the DVD burner (which would be a cheap replacement), I'm looking at a total replacement either way. The real question then, is does portability trump upgradability? The only disadvantages I can think of to buying a laptop are much more difficult/expensive/impossible upgrades and repairs. If the keyboard breaks on my desktop, I can fix it with a $30 replacement, whereas a laptop probably has to get repaired. Ditto with just about any "integrated" component. It's also a hell of a lot more expensive to upgrade things like media drives, so if in a year I decide I want a blu-ray burner, I'd be paying a premium for a laptop/external version. On the other hand, the laptop would be portable, meaning that it could live just about anywhere in the house, which is a nice benefit. I don't know-anyone here replaced their desktop with a laptop and regretted it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BdoUK Posted February 14, 2007 Report Share Posted February 14, 2007 Personally I would go with the desktop machine as my primary PC. Luckily my employer furnishes me with a laptop but I lived without one all through college and it never really bothered me. Like you said the ability to upgrade a desktop PC would be one of the primary benefits. If something breaks it would be much easier to replace than a similar part on a laptop. Of course the initial investment in a desktop machine would likely be lower as well. Just my two cents... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelley Posted February 14, 2007 Report Share Posted February 14, 2007 I have a laptop because work gives me a laptop, if I was buying for myself I'd have a Mac Pro at home. I do really enjoy having a laptop though, but it wouldn't be my primary machine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenMonkey Posted February 14, 2007 Report Share Posted February 14, 2007 Personally I would go with the desktop machine as my primary PC. Luckily my employer furnishes me with a laptop but I lived without one all through college and it never really bothered me. Like you said the ability to upgrade a desktop PC would be one of the primary benefits. If something breaks it would be much easier to replace than a similar part on a laptop. Of course the initial investment in a desktop machine would likely be lower as well. Just my two cents... Agreed. BTW Integrated graphics really are awful for any sort of gaming. I can run C&C generals fine (dated game, from what, 2001?) on our integrated ATI graphics/Sempron lappy (Radeon 9000 equivalent), but Civ4 barely runs, even on minimum settings. You've got to spend some heavy coin on a laptop that can even play a game like Civ4. IMO you're better off with a carefully-budgeted desktop and a budget laptop for portability. My desktop only cost me maybe $500 tops over the past 2-3 years. I've got no real complaints with our HP Black friday $378 laptop either (minus the battery which died, but the wife abused it IMO). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisBardon Posted February 14, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2007 That's a good point-anytime I price out a laptop, I get up to $2000 pretty quickly. I'd like to top out at about a grand including a monitor (maybe a little more), and I think I can put together a desktop for that much. I suppose it'll come out to more than that if I end up replacing everything and making a clean break instead of just swapping out the motherboard/CPU/memory/monitor on my current system. Hell, even the case I'm using is ancient-no front end USB ports Maybe check again once tax refund comes in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magness Posted February 15, 2007 Report Share Posted February 15, 2007 For $1K you can get a good gaming PC with a monitor and Vista etc or custom build a Great gaming PC and get a good Widescreen LCD to go with it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyberwoo Posted February 15, 2007 Report Share Posted February 15, 2007 I dont see myself getting a desktop for my next computer. I hate having a big bulky desktop in my living room (I use it as a media machine hooked up to my HT). Granted it sits next to the tv and blends in with the rest of the hardware (HT rack, speakers, tv, etc) but the prospect of having a nice laptop that I can hide out of the way intruigs me to the point of not wanting another desktop ever again. As far as gaming goes as long as the laptop can play the racing games I want to play I'll be happy. Also I'll be using my tv as the main screen so it wont matter how big the laptop screen is. Laptops built around a core duo processor and a decent video card are more than capable gaming machines from what I hear. I am starting to look around for such a setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave C Posted February 15, 2007 Report Share Posted February 15, 2007 I love my Dell XPS desktop replacement. I also own 2 desktops but spend most of my time with the XPS. Although it's 2 years old now, it still plays any PC game I throw at it. If I decide to upgrade, I will more than likely sell it and buy a new one with the latest and greatest components. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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