Laptop Vs. Desktop in College?
959637
I think that the laptop is a better choice.  If someone is going to steal your computer it is going to happen anyway (always get student insurance that covers it and other items you own), whether you get a decent desktop or a laptop.  If you look after your laptop there is no reason why it should get dropped or damaged.\n\nAs a student you are going to have to get used to moving from one room to another, or coming home for holidays etc.  A desk top is just an extra hassle to worry about.\n\nOnce you get to college you will find that there are times when you may have to be elsewhere and still want to work.  Group projects, when your room mate is 'entertaining' her male friend in your room, if you want to work at some strange time of the day or night etc.  A laptop is simply easier for all that.\n\nContact the college and find out how their internet works.  They may be wireless, or they may need a cable.  Wireless is built in to decent laptops these days, and a cable is a pretty low cost cable.  Either way it will be pretty idiot proof, so don't worry about it.\n\nThe best advice I can give you as a student is to back up your work.  The cheapest method is to simply email assignments to yourself using a service like Yahoo! Mail.  There are also online back up services where you can upload your work to a secure web site.  Or consider buying a MyBook external hard disk.  You can just save all your work onto that with a click.  Seriously, if I had a dollar for every tear shed by a student who has lost all their work, I'd be rich!  ALWAYS MAKE  A BACK UP AFTER EVERY TWO HOURS OF WORK!  You'll thank me for that one day.\n\nI also strongly suggest a PC rather than a Mac.  Macs are way more expensive to repair and buy software for.  The only reason to get a Mac is if you are in some kind of arty major where they recommend them.  Otherwise you'll find the PC cheaper and more versatile in the long run.  You can get software cheaper and easier too.\n\nGood luck.  Hope you have fun.
559926
They HELP when used responsibly. I teach in higher ed and we are already putting laptops in classrooms and requiring them for distance ed. Additionally PDAs and IPODs are used for RSS feeds and Podcasts. Absolutely will help and enhance homework and the way knowledge is distributed.
924610
Well my friend both have their own advantages. Like if you go for desktop pc it will cost you less as compared to laptop.But with laptop you can anywhere means you will get freedom to work anywhere.But in case of desktop you have to work at one place. With laptop you need not to worry about power failures i.e. you can work for more then 2 hours with out power supply.Laptop battery backup is minimum 2 hrs. But in case of desktop you must have a good UPS and it will give you back up of max.30 mins during power failure.And if you want more back up then you have to buy inverter which is compatible to computers. So overall laptop is better for your requirement. One more thing always buy pentium 4 series laptop.Dont go for celeron processor based laptops. Go for ACER laptops they are economic and quality is good.
440106
Messing with latops is best left to a computer shop. I rip apart and put together desktops all day but would probably not do much at all with a laptop.
1069811
hi there\ni have used pc desktop, then mac laptop, then a pc laptop for college. my thoughts:\nmac\n- look better but more expensive even with student discounts, u can get a free ipod though this summer\n- it is difficult to find software. u have to buy them, as opposed to the PC world where many people would just pirate a software from a friend or family.\n- great for multimedia, espcially music and pictures. itunes and iphoto are the best out there, and there is no equivalent of iphoto on PC. if u like to create short movies, iMovie is great too. \n- great battery life, 4 hours\n- will run out of the box , does not require specific knowledge\n- u will have trouve sometimes because people would want u to try new software (games or more specialized software) which will probably run only on windows, but u can use BootCamp though to run Windows on your mac laptop.\n\nPC:\n- more choices, less expensive\n- u need to install lots of things, antivirus, firewalls, u need to cleanup your computer monthly. the software is less stable than windows, less user-friendly. it feels like broken.\n- u can play games and every software u can think of.\n- lousy battery life for most PC laptops.\n\ni would say that buying a PC is equivalent to buying a GM car and a mac is equivalent to buying a porsche car. a GM car is less expensive, u can take it on all roads, the quality is not great, whereas a porsche car is faster, is more beautiful but it only runs on perfect roads.
1152620
Since you are a collage guy so i am guessing that you will use it to connect to the net to do some research, so your should have a computer having the following (I have listed these according to your specified price. You may get all these features and even more under 40K, but according to me these are of utmost important to a college guy.)\n\n1) At least 2 USB drives (To use your USB peripherals like thumb   Drive or mouse)\n\n2) Ethernet and internet ports (To connect via. Lan or dial -Up)\n\n3) Wireless connectivity (For internet on the go)\n\n4) Card Reader (To read your Mobile or PDA's memory card)\n\n5) CD-RW/DVD Drive or DVD writer (To burn Cd's/DVD's)\n\n6) 40 - 60 GB HDD and 256 MB of Ram\n\n7) Good battery back up (At least 4 - 4.5 hours)\n\nNow according to the above list your best bet is a \nCompaq Presario V2623TS(EX029PA)\n\nIt has got everything i listed above and much more. It cost Rs. 37000 approx. and weighs around 2.5 Kg but the weight shouldnt matter considering you are a student and you wont carry it that much.(you can also try the lenovo thinkpad C series but the features dont seem much appealing)\n\nWELL NOW THE CHOICE IS YOURS AND YOURS ALONE\n\nPS: You must consider carrying a USB Thumb drive having a capacity of atleast 1GB so that you can have a backup of all your files because you never know when a Machine will Bug you out.
257442
HOW IS THIS QUESTION RELATED TO DESKTOPS?
719282
For gaming, PC's are better, since most modern games have support only for MS Windows.\n\nFor writing, either perform equally well, each having good word processing facilities.\n\nFor coding, the Mac is probably better, but if you run Linux, then there will be little difference.\n\nFor pictures, the Mac does indeed perform well, however if you are more used to using a PC, you'll find the switch over fairly difficult, and probably not worth the effort. A PC set up correctly and with the forethought a decent database programmer is capable of should perform adequatley for your needs. \n\nIn terms of price, the PC is far cheaper, and the relative improvements in performance for the extra money of buying a Mac really are not sufficient in my mind to sensibly warrent the purchace of a Mac.\n\nMy suggestion would be to go for the PC and have it dual boot. Let Windows handle the gaming and writing, allowing your family to use what they know and are used to, while using a fedora core Linux to handle the programming side of things.
191719
Are you really that thick? or are you serious? A laptop is a PORTABLE computer
175796
First of all, if you live in the United States, most people are eligable for Financial Aid and Grants from both the State and the Federal levels.  Often there is enough money left over to be able to afford a computer after tuition and fees are paid for the semester.\n\nAlso, schools have many computer kiosks, so initially you can do work on campus.. especially if you do the studying a little after normal busy hours.
477132
Well, I've got a desktop for gaming, and a laptop for school work, portable stuff, misc small scale assignments.\nIt really depends.\n\nI think you should invest in a desktop with the highest performance you can afford. If you can, get a 2nd hand laptop for assignments, etc.\n\nAs for the Geforce 8 series, if you have a desktop upgrading the graphic cards shouldn't be a problem.\n\n\nJenova\n(d.yuffie@gmail.com)
544553
Get a fairly affordable one with about 30GB memory, i have a Dell laptop since my uni days, still going strong. Laptops are also much handier, you can lug them around to the library with you, and back to your family home. I think thats the best option.
965725
I have a windows desktop and laptop, but even so I'd recommend an Apple notebook based on playing with a friend's.\n\nWhile the stats (CPU speed, RAM etc) are less on the Apple, it runs a lot faster.  It is also a lot cooler - my laptop especially gets quite hot to touch around the mouse pad when its been on for a while.  The Apple also has no fans in it, so is silent, whereas my laptop has a fan that kicks in every now and then and whilst not very noisy, is still annoying.\n\nOther than that, you'd only really want an Apple if its any good for you. If you're gonna fall for the hype that Apple's are better for graphics, you wouldn't want a laptop anyway, so choose the one that suits what you need.
1071439
The majority of graphic design world uses Macs. More importantly, most schools require specific computers for many of their students. The first thing I would do is look up the graphic design department's computer requirements at your college. Buy one based on their recommendations/requirements. That way your system will be compatible with your professors' and classmates' systems. This is essential for sharing files for group projects, etc.
970033
Well,so far as online computer is concerned,i would suggest for the sony vaio.It's the best u can ever use.Bcoz sony has provided lots of online facilities in it.I just had one previous month and now i am enjoying my university's computer work.
266220
By the time they get to college you'll be looking at getting another laptop.  So focus on what a good laptop if for a high school student.  And is a laptop what they need?\n\nSome high Schools encourage a student have a laptop but other don't want the laptop at school (Schools can't control network settings or whats on the laptop if the student uses a personal laptop.)\n\nIf the high school wants the student to have a laptop then they most likely have a recommendation list to make class work intergration easier, that you can follow.   I'd check with school and see what they say. Even most college now recommend what computers student should use or at least what features the computer need to have. (I've even hear some college mandate you buy the laptop they have set up for students.)\n\nIf the high school does not encourage a laptop then actually a PC might be better for them.  A PC tends to be cheaper then a laptop and is actually easier to upgrade so it has a longer shelf life then a laptop. (Because of issues in part prices and fit it still tends to be better to buy a new laptop when tech has signifcantly upgraded.)\n\nAlso if you teen plays computer games and your ok with that, Desk Top PC are still better.  To get a laptop that plays games well you will have to pay around $1500 to $2000 but a good $600 Desk Top will play most games better then the pricer laptop.\n\nPlus with a teen, a Desk Top isn't likely to get dropper or have stuff poured on it or get thrown in a back seat of a car where tons of other stuff gets thrown on top of it.\n\nAs to where to buy?  Dell is having some really good deals these days and it's a site is pretty good at explaining what you need and what to get.\n\nHP also makes a really good laptop, very sturdy and their prices where very good.  Last one I priced was $650 (with rebates) and it quited loaded for a laptop.\n\nI also saw some nice ones on Walmart surprisingly enough.  Not alot of choices but the pricing was good and their machines would cover all the basic needs of a general PC user.
309250
Desktop a better experience and all around gaming and it Will probably cost less than a True Gaming notebook.