Question about Laptops

[whitesphere]

@Susan

I never heard of people custom building their own laptops.  I agree that a custom built desktop can be a great thing, but they're not nearly as portable, when you add in the monitor, mouse, keyboard. 

Then again for gamers there might be a market for a "pseudo-laptop" which is just a portable monitor/mouse/keyboard that closes neatly and can be carried easily.  It would come with all the required cables built-in and retractable, including a power plug for everything.  The idea is it would be used with a desktop case to make for an easy, semi-portable gaming experience.

 

[Susan]

Sorry, when I say computer, I meant desktop.

But that is a good suggestion you are making there.

If a person is a really good with computer hardware though, I'm sure they can pull off custom building their laptops.

 

[Andar]

No, they can't - laptops do not use the same base parts, and most of the time every component is on the mainboard, which only fits one specific chassis...

 

[Susan]

That would explain why a lot of the laptop parts are so 'generic'.

I kind of like whitesphere's idea.

 

[whitesphere]

The only problem is the pseudo laptop would still require external power so it would not be able to run without a plug. I think gamers might like it for Lan parties though.

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

@Dread - it was an inspiron N4010 I think or something. It lasted me for 5 years, I'm not saying without problems. :3

 

[Kaiju Master]

instead of going for a laptop get an all in one pc,  Of course you need a separate mouse and keyboard but it is just as portable as a laptop otherwise.  I have an hp pavilion all in one with windows 8.1 and apart from my windows xp has been my best pc so far.

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

Just a curious question, does all in ones have batteries? I've never really used one (I still prefer laptops anyway)

 

[_Shadow_]

@Dread - it was an inspiron N4010 I think or something. It lasted me for 5 years, I'm not saying without problems. :3

17 days later.... spotted the reply... 

Really? An Inspirion? Didn't expected that. Lucky you and this is the first time I hear good feedback from an Acer user.

5 years with some problems is ok though I guess. 

As for all in one PCs, these are not as portable as a laptop, I am not sure if there is a battery module anyway, and imagine the person taking the screen around instead of a very well designed laptop. And as you said, mouse and keyboard is also needed. I believe that doesn't make it as portable as a laptop, but that's my opinion of course.

On the other hand, if portability is not the case but space still IS, then the all in one computer is a good solution.

Keep in mind though that nothing can beat ATX ability on upgrading, repairing etc etc. An all in one PC could be a small box attached to a monitor, thus not as good as an ATX can be.

It's up to the needs and what weight you put in every need. If you have significant need for space, then All in one sound nice.

If you got a need for portability laptops beat the whole debate.

Otherwise I see no reason for not going for an ATX.

Still, I am interested on Engr. Aditkuzmiko's question too. 

Is there a battery to power such a thing? 

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

I never really expected to find an Acer good actually. Because my friend's experience is bad. But it seems like they've becoming good the past few years. I searched first around the net for problems and I'm surprised that I haven't seen much problems with this unit, in the past I see heaps of problem reports with Acer laptops.


If they don't have battery modules, I don't see any reason as to why I would get an all in one instead of laptops if I'm mostly on the go. Plus there are far more small laptops than all in ones, so it's also a plus on portability.

 

[whitesphere]

Personally, I would purchase a laptop over an all-in-one.  A laptop is completely portable and by definition can run for some hours solely on battery power.   Most laptops have USB ports and VGA/DVI out ports, so you can hook them up to a larger display and larger mouse and keyboard.  They can usually have their memory and hard drives upgraded.

Desktops provide the most performance for your money and are the easiest to upgrade.   But, they really aren't portable and the only battery power you can use (which works fine for laptops and all-in-ones as well) is a UPS.  The latter is a great idea anyways since low capacity ones (that last a few minutes so you can do a clean shutdown) are inexpensive.

And I would not purchase a "Tablet PC" --- these cost around $800 or so for a decent one, and look nifty, but don't have quite the performance of a comparable laptop.     They really can't have anything upgraded, although some have USB ports.

So I'd go with a laptop for portability or a desktop for maximum performance.  Both can be upgraded to an extent.  The all-in-one and tablet PC are kind of in-between computers.

 

[captainproton]

What's funny is I have an HP and love it! It is almost five years old, so maybe the quality of the company has dropped since then. It runs Vista, I use it for photoshop and Vx Ace and does great. It's got a 16 inch screen, just gorgeous, with a 12 cell battery. It was about $700, but it had the best reviews at the time, and I knew spending a little more at once would be better than getting a cheap one and replacing it in two years.

 

[_Shadow_]

 It was about $700, but it had the best reviews at the time, and I knew spending a little more at once would be better than getting a cheap one and replacing it in two years.

Correct!

Actually, excellent point.

HP are a pain in maintenance and repairing (I repaired a few and you have to open the whole stuff to reach the ventilation to clean it)

but the quality of their products is really high.

There were a bunch of bad ones but there were also a bunch of good ones I guess.

 

[Kaiju Master]

Just a curious question, does all in ones have batteries? I've never really used one (I still prefer laptops anyway)

no, it is well and truly a pc, it has to be corded, funny enough the all in one pc's actually weigh less than a laptop and don't get nearly as hot.

 

[doncht]

I saw one of those two. I think they've done a pretty good job in terms of design with it though. 

 

[GrandmaDeb]

I guess we all bring various weighted options to the question.


http://blog.laptopmag.com/best-worst-laptop-brands-2014/3

 

[Andar]

funny enough the all in one pc's actually weigh less than a laptop and don't get nearly as hot.

That's because they don't have a battery and aren't optimized for low power consumption and long battery life. You can construct devices a lot better if you don't have those restrictions.

 

[_Shadow_]

That's because they don't have a battery and aren't optimized for low power consumption and long battery life. You can construct devices a lot better if you don't have those restrictions.

And also all in one PCs are not designed to be portable, but just take little space.

Portable restriction is really a pain when you have to apply ventilation to the whole system.

That's why dust is accumulated in the laptop ventilation system and needs service.

Meanwhile All in one PCs have plenty of space to include everything. 

 

I guess we all bring various weighted options to the question.

 

Yes grandma and I really enjoy this thread.

Not to mention it is the FIRST time in my life I see a conversation on such a topic instead of a fight.

My respect to all participants!

 

 

[captainproton]

And also all in one PCs are not designed to be portable, but just take little space.

Portable restriction is really a pain when you have to apply ventilation to the whole system.

That's why dust is accumulated in the laptop ventilation system and needs service.

I have a tiny vacuum Irun over mine to help with that.

 

[_Shadow_]

I have a tiny vacuum Irun over mine to help with that.

It helps but sooner or later dust will be accumulated in the inner side of the cooling copper leafs, blocking air flow.

Laptops need service after some years but after the service everything will be fine again.

Having a vacuum drawing dust outside of if before it becomes as solid as a door mat helps A LOT if done right!