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Hi ,
I am currently in great dilemma. I am using desktops since 386’s were present and currently running AMD 1700 desktop(around 2003-2004 ). All my desktops were assembled by me , but in last 2 years I am not in touch with the hardware world. I am also using my company laptops for past 4 years but those are company laptops so I can’t do the cool stuff + gaming on those one.

Because my desktop is old, I am planning to buy a new one. The question in front of me is, Should I go for laptop or desktop?

Earlier I was not thinking about the aesthetic point of my computer room , but this time I am thinking of it and so in this laptop / desktop dilemma.

My requirements are ,
In my current setup everything in present on computer table , but
1) It catches lot of dust,
2) Wires are exposed

I just want to see
1)[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]A big monitor
2)[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]A closable drawer, which will hold keyboard and mouse.




My main usage for this machine will be as entitlement machine and a download machine.
I am pretty impressed with the slim line machines provided by dell , hp which do not occupy much space , but they are expensive compared to assembled one. Also over- clocking limitations are present with these machine.

For laptops ,
They will not consume space but size of the screen will be the problem. Thus I may also need to buy big monitor and connect it to laptop when I am watching the movie.

I am thoroughly confused.

Can you share you thoughts on this?

Why not get a good desktop assembled & pair that to a 19/20" monitor from Dell/Samsung/LG etc. Would cost you about as much as a mid-end Laptop or perhaps cheaper.

For the wires, get yourself a wireless mouse & keyboard so the only exposed wires would be the display cable & monitor power cable.

Had the same dilemma sometime back, and I bought an Apple MacMini + a 20" Viewsonic Widescreen monitor, wireless keyboard & mouse.

Aesthetics, functionality, space, clutter and a certain amount of portability - all taken care of!

Wireless mouse + keyboard is a good option.

But I am not sure about what to do about ,

1) Heat generated from the desktop tower
2) putting cd/dvd / cards..

Also,

How about battery life of wireless keyboard and mouse?

What about the Windows media center or something similar?

Battery life for keyboards is very good. Lasts about six months in my non-gaming usage. The mouse is another story though. That lasts only 15 days. So for the mouse I use rechargable batteries.

Great. Same idea poped in my mind when I was reading the post. I am planning to pick up Mac Mini during my next trip to US ;) .

Dude,

Since you have mentioned gaming as well as entertainment, laptops are out of the picture. Look at any mid-segment laptop today. Most of the hardware is that which was released last year for desktops. (By released, i mean for mass production. For example, a 1TB HDD exists, but its not for mass production. However, the 750GB HDD is available for mass production. And laptops come with a max HDD of 120GB)

Moreover, every year, newer hardware keeps popping up in the market. If you have a laptop, it is impossible to upgrade the hardware - you can only change laptops - sell the old one, and buy a new one....a very costly affair.

However, a self assembled desktop will always mean that you just replace one component, not the whole computer.

As far as entertainment other than gaming, the largest screen in the mid-segment is 15.1" screen. Really takes the fun out of watching movies and tv serials. Also, if you are looking to hook-up a 5.1 channel sound system, you will need to add an external sound-card.

When it comes to prevent wire-clutter, here is my experience.

I am an avid gamer, movie watcher and downloader (i download over 50GB of movies and TV serials in one month). So here is my setup - I have a 3 year old Dell Latitude D61, with 3 external hard drives (2x250GB 3.5" Ultra ATA, 1X40GB 2.5" laptop HDD...and i am already short of space). I have one Gainward external sound-card, one joystick (MS Sidewinder) and a Sony DVD writer. That makes it 2 power cables for the 3.5" HDD, 1 power cable for the DVD writer, 6 USB cables hanging all over my room, and a cleaning nightmare. Also, my laptop has only 4 USB ports, so i am always juggling around with cables. Depending on how much you download, you may end up facing similar issues with a laptop.

If, on the other hand, i had a desktop, my HDDs would be inside the CPU tower, as would my DVD writer and the soundcard. That gets rid of 5 cables right there. Add to that, i cannot change my graphics card, i cannot add a TV Tuner (I do not have a TV), i have to watch dvds on a 15.1" monitor, and most importantly, i cannot play any FPS and a number of RPG gapes released after 2004.

So, my opinion?? go for a desktop. The wireless keyboard and mouse make sense. Go for a 20" LCD Monitor, or if you want, you can go for a 32" Plasma TV and connect your desktop output to that. That should make gaming and movie watching really fun!!!!

One more thing... Are you in a job which involves frequent transfers/travel overseas (i.e. IT job :p). Then desktop wouldnt be such a nice idea after all.. Thats what forced me to buy a Sony Vaio laptop. Otherwise, its desktops any day.

If possible ask someone from US to bring a 17" LT for you.
You wont regret it.
In Pune, my question for a 17" LT in some 'so called' laptop houses was met with a blank stare!

Go in for an assembled desktop. This way you end up paying less for the specs of your choice.

I recently picked one up for 30K.

Here are some of the specs :
17" LG TFT Monitor
Gigabyte Motherboard with blu ray compatibility and S video out
2.1 ghz AMD Athlon X2 Dual Core 64 bit processor
2GB ddr2 ram
250GB hard drive
logitech mouse (optical) and keyboard
DvD Rw

This 30k desktop is as efficiant as our Sony Vaio LT which is 5.4 times the price. The Sony came with Windows Vista which has major issues accepting older softwares. No such probs on the desktop which runs on Windows Xp.

Shan2nu

Theres a 17inch laptop from HP available now with AMD processor. The price is around 48K.

Once can find it on HP india website. I think the model number is dv9502

Going by your requirements I would definitely suggest a desktop. You get MUCH more bang for your buck. I use both and have set up a dual monitor system for my desktop.

Once you use a dual monitor you will never go back to single monitor systems.

MY suggestion is a Laptop + 19"LCD panel + Docking station + Gaming accessories. This way you would get best of both worlds.

hrishig please do let us know what is your budget , if is specific then what is the budget of the laptop and desktop.

Desktop is no doubt better VFM whether it be performance, upgrading ability, maintenance (parts are inexpensive compared to laptop counterparts)

Laptop scores in the area of portability and of course SHOW OFF..

I do have a 17" HP i bought from US just 3months back which is more of a desktop replacement, I can play all the games I like at 70 % settings (Quake 4, Doom 3) but it really loses out on the all time portability factor but it does have Greattttt Ooomph factor