Laptops vs desktops

IF YOU’RE looking to replace an ageing desktop system or are in the market for a second or third home computer, the chances are that you’ll consider buying a notebook or laptop PC. In the US, where notebook sales have grown 35 percent since 2001, more than 25 percent of all computers sold this year are expected to be notebooks. The reasons for this sudden surge? In short, power and mobility.

With the advent of powerful processors like Intel’s Pentium M, notebook users no longer have to make compromises on muscle and functionality. Also, the growth of wireless networks at home, office and school make the idea of toting your computer around a lot more practical. One of the reasons I recently replaced my creaking PC desktop with a shiny Apple

PowerBook was that it could literally do everything my old system could do and then some yet, at less than six pounds and not much bigger than a bumper issue of GQ, it takes up less desk space and is easy to carry around. I can work in the porch or the bedroom, or it can double as a mobile jukebox and a DVD player. Portability still comes at a premium, though. Unlike the plummeting price of desktops, you will be hard pushed to find a decent notebook much under US$1000 and top-end machines like the PowerBook can cost US$2,500-plus in Trinidad, but the price gap is narrowing.

Apple’s new iBook, featuring powerful G4 processor, for example, starts at US$1,099. More important is that the technology gap has closed significantly. Most laptops today come with Ethernet (for high speed DLS connections) and wireless connectivity as standard, not to mention rewritable CD or DVD drives, screens up to 17 inches, fast Pentium processors and 40GB plus hard drives. Choosing the right notebook, though, is like navigating the weight divisions in boxing.

This can range from the heavyweights so-called desktop replacements at seven lbs to lightweight sub-notebooks the size of a large paperback book, weighing less than four lbs. All notebooks,however, do have common drawbacks. The simple logistics of packing all that power and functionality into something smaller than a pizza box mean corners inevitably have to be cut. It might be a cramped keyboard, an irritating pointing device or a smaller screen. But while smaller internal components are generally not quite as good as those on a desktop, most users unless they are serious game players won’t notice the difference between a 2.4Ghz processor and a 3.2Ghz one or 32MB of video memory from
a 64MB.

Also, notebooks are notoriously difficult to upgrade unless you are an expert. Adding memory or new sound video cards is nowhere near as easy as on a desktop, so make sure you buy one that will meet your foreseeable needs or has plenty of slots and ports to plug in external drives and other peripherals.They are also more susceptible to heat and cold
than desktops and those nice thin LCD screens can be easily cracked. And remember notebooks are not only easy to carry around; they are easy for thieves to carry off, too, so be extra-vigilant about security and password protection. But, despite the drawbacks, notebooks can add an extra dimension and a lot of fun to your computing.Choose carefully using the above guidelines as a starting point, and you’ll be carried away by the possibilities!

Anthony Mahabir is Chief Executive
Officer of IT Services Ltd based in
Montrose, Chaguanas