Question:
$1400 laptop vs $500 laptop + $500 desktop
Im gona be moving out of state for school this summer.
At first, I was thinking about getting a high end laptop to serve as my primary computer. A price I was willing to pay is around the $1400 range.
Then I started thinking about getting a cheaper laptop (perhaps maybe in the $500 range) to use on school work, and a decent desktop (Im sure I can get one for $500) to use at home for anything else. Having a laptop is required for the school I am going to.
At the moment, I am leaning on the second option. What do you guys think?
I posted this post in one of the notebook forums a few days ago. I only got one response who encouraged me to put all my stock in the laptop.
I am curious what you desktop forum people may think.
Answer:
Re: $1400 laptop vs $500 laptop + $500 desktop
My advice would depend on what you're wanting to do with your computer
If you're going to want to game, the 2nd option isn't even an option. I don't think you can buy a $500 desktop that can even stand up to current games, especially if you buy it from the store.
And if you're not gaming, then you could get a decent laptop for under $1000. If you're gonna live in a small dorm room then you might also prefer not having 2 computers taking up space.
Answer:
Re: $1400 laptop vs $500 laptop + $500 desktop
yo my man, I suggest u get a quality laptop up to like 900 n then if u goin to a school with majors in computers make friends with some kids in the IT dept and have one of them build u a computer for under 500 that can always handle upgrades later...
Answer:
Re: $1400 laptop vs $500 laptop + $500 desktop
Building a $500 desktop won't do the job justice. You need around $800-900 to build a rig that can be called a "gaming" rig.
Answer:
Re: $1400 laptop vs $500 laptop + $500 desktop
If it's performance you want, then a 1400$ nb will be far, far better than a 500$ desktop. If I am to make an estimate, I'd say it'd be as fast as a 900$ desktop, if not more...
Answer:
Re: $1400 laptop vs $500 laptop + $500 desktop
You can actually get quite a powerful desktop for ~$500.
-AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+ Brisbane 1.9GHz $65
-WINTEC AMPX 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 $129
-BIOSTAR NF4UAM2G Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra -$55AR
-Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600JS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA $53
-Rosewill TU-155 Black SGCC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 400W $50
-EVGA GeForce 7900GS KO 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 $139AR
-NEC 18X DVD Burner - $28
Total: ~$519
*All prices are from newegg.
Answer:
Re: $1400 laptop vs $500 laptop + $500 desktop
You can actually get quite a powerful desktop for ~$500.
-AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+ Brisbane 1.9GHz $65
-WINTEC AMPX 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 $129
-BIOSTAR NF4UAM2G Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra -$55AR
-Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600JS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA $53
-Rosewill TU-155 Black SGCC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 400W $50
-EVGA GeForce 7900GS KO 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 $139AR
-NEC 18X DVD Burner - $28
Total: ~$519
*All prices are from newegg.
I agree with Jason there, that's a good deal.
Even if it is AMD.
Answer:
Re: $1400 laptop vs $500 laptop + $500 desktop
I have the same dilema as mtruo001, but my budget is a bit higher. If I were to go with the laptop option, my budget is around ~ 1500 (I'm cheap so I don't want to spend more than 1500 on a single laptop) but if I go with the laptop/desktop option, I would be willing to spend at most $2k (~1000 for a decent laptop, ~800 for a custom rig). What do you think?
Sorry for hijacking your thread :). I'm sure the advices can help us both.
Answer:
Re: $1400 laptop vs $500 laptop + $500 desktop
Here is a nice config for you superpig:
Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 - $169
Gigabyte DS3 - $123
WD 2500KS 250GB SATA 2 - $75
FSP Group 450W PSU 36amps on 12v rails - $56
G.Skill DDR2-800 (4-4-3-5) - $165
eVGA 8800GTS 320MB - $259AR or 7900GS $139
NEC 18X DVD Burner $28
Random Case ~$50
Total ~925 w/ 8800GTS or $800 w/ 7900GS. If you really want to keep it ~800, I'd recommend waiting till near the ned of this month for the 8600GTS. It should be ~$180.
Answer:
Re: $1400 laptop vs $500 laptop + $500 desktop
I'm a senior now in college and went with option #2... sorta
after having a desktop my freshman year and knowing nothing about computers whatsoever, i started reading up on things and eventually wanted a laptop. so summer going into my junior year i bought a laptop on craigslist.
IBM T23 PIII 1.26 ghz
1gb RAM
40GB HDD
included wireless card and power cables
~$220 and almost 2 years strong it's the best investment i've ever made
Then i got into gaming and decided to upgrade my old desktop which i never used since i got this laptop and added 512mb ram ($30), and a 9800 PRO AGP card ($40). This put my old emachines desktop (Athlon @ 2.2ghz, 1gb, 9800PRO, 120GB HDD) playing games at max settings like half life 2 and CSS and medium to high on doom 3, quake 4, medium with fear, and medium with company of heroes.
so rather than buying a whole new desktop or whole new laptop i simply bought a laptop that would suffice for my school needs (word, excel, email, music, and dvd's) and just upgraded my old desktop for $70 that i would have never bothered to use again.
but if i had i could do it all over again, i'd probably have bought a solid 14-15" notebook for school and built my own desktop.... and since you're saying you are required to have a notebook, maybe look on ebay or craigslist for a solid thinkpad or something that'll get the schoolwork done no problem.... then if you want to game either build yourself a nice rig like jason suggested or upgrade an older desktop you might have laying around the house
good luck