College Computer: Desktop or Laptop?

[Infidel7]

I am looking to get a new computer for my freshman year coming up this fall. Just curious, what are your suggestions? Should I buy a laptop or a desktop?

I would like to use it for some gaming, but no need for a super rig. Just something that will run the newer games very well and future games well for a while.

[Stark]

You should bear in mind laptop limitations. Not only will chasing a 'gaming laptop' cost you an assload of money, but for most you need to lug it around campus, and you'll be restricted by AC availability (thus, most people I know end up using them in the labs anyway). I know a lot of people who bought a laptop for uni and within a few weeks couldn't be arsed moving it around, plugging it in etc.

[Surlethe]

I'm considering the same issue, and I'm leaning toward a laptop for several reasons:

• I don't want a computer in my dorm room;
• I don't want any of the newest games sucking up time I could be using for socializing, studying, or getting laid;
• I don't want the internet keeping me in my dorm: if I'm online, I at least want to have some distractions around me, or people I can take a break and socialize with;
• I want portability (I can hook it up in the library, too, for example; I love the library): I don't want to be confined to my dorm when I'm writing a paper or working on a project.

Essentially, I have problems with managing my time around computers (look at how many posts I have here if you don't believe me), so I'm taking preemptive steps to mitigate the problem before I'm on my own and I don't have my dad threatening to unplug the computer for me.

[Stark]

Surlethe, I'm in AU where uni is different, but don't you get free net access in the labs, libraries, around campus etc even without a laptop?

The dorm issue is interesting (since I've never lived on campus). Do you share dorms? Are they secure? I'm under the impression dorm rooms are quite small, and you're not going to want to spend any more time in there than you have to.

[Surlethe]

Surlethe, I'm in AU where uni is different, but don't you get free net access in the labs, libraries, around campus etc even without a laptop?

Yeah. However (and I cheat a little here, since I've been using these computers for a year), they're slow as hell to log onto the computer, and then they're still slow as hell after that. I want something that runs a little faster than my morbidly obese grandmother.

The dorm issue is interesting (since I've never lived on campus). Do you share dorms? Are they secure? I'm under the impression dorm rooms are quite small, and you're not going to want to spend any more time in there than you have to.

Yes, we share; yes, they're relatively secure (you lock the doors as you leave); and they're very small. However, I understand that there's nowhere else to put computers and stuff, and you're correct: I don't want to spend more time than I have to confined in there. They also lack air conditioning.

[RThurmont]

I would suggest that you get a Tablet PC, if you can afford it. The abiity to take notes with digital ink is priceless in a lecture environment (I take my ThinkPad with me frequently to conferences and meetings for that purpose).

The best tablet on the market is the ThinkPad X41T, but it is also rather pricey. Cheaper options are availible. If you're interested in an ultra-compact, Fujitsu has a rather sexy model availible, but I wouldn't suggest it if you only see yourself using one computer.

Alternately, an intermediate 15" laptop such as a mid-range Toshiba Satellite, Tecra or Lenovo ThinkPad Z series would probably serve you well. Large enough to avoid eye strain, fast enough for your average application, yet still light and thin enough to be lugged about. As an added plus, the ThinkPad Z series features a light to illuminate the keyboard, which might be useful in a darkened dormitory environment.

[Civil War Man]

In my experience, you basically want to take a couple things into consideration.
1: Campus size. Two reasons for this. You may not be able to get access to a computer as easily on a large campus. But you also might not want to have to haul a computer around everywhere. Obviously, the former is harder to deal with than the latter, so you might want to a laptop if you go to a large, sprawling school. As an example, the campus at my school is small, so at any point on campus I'd say I have at longest a quarter-mile walk to the nearest computer lab, though that ties in to my next point.

2: Connectivity. Everything at my school is online. The professors there who don't have webpages for their classes (to get homework assignments and such) are pretty much the exception at my school. As such, it is imperative to make sure the students can get online at almost a moment's notice. I can probably name about 6 computer labs, two internet kiosks, and two laptop rental places on my campus off the top of my head. At least one or two of them open 24/7.

To summarize -
Large campus with only a couple computer labs, probably want a laptop
Small campus with computer access everywhere, a desktop will work fine

[phongn]

Alternately, an intermediate 15" laptop such as a mid-range Toshiba Satellite, Tecra or Lenovo ThinkPad Z series would probably serve you well. Large enough to avoid eye strain, fast enough for your average application, yet still light and thin enough to be lugged about. As an added plus, the ThinkPad Z series features a light to illuminate the keyboard, which might be useful in a darkened dormitory environment.

The Z-series is a bit heavy for continuous portable use; I'd suggest the T60 instead.

[Ryushikaze]

For college, get yourself a dependable, midrange laptop. It's not going to being anything spectacular, but it's unlikely to crap out on you and should remain viable the entire time you are there.

Having serviced many a friend's school given laptop, always be wary of what they give you. I've friend, who probably treats her school given laptop with more respect than I treat my own machine, and it's died on her no less than five times in two years, each time requiring major repairs.

I'd worry more about durability than portability, though. It may be a pain to lug a sizable laptop around, but they tend to be sturdy, something that the smaller ones are not quite as good at.

[Ypoknons]

Civil War Man was good points. It depends on your major too. Writing majors can be seen hugging their laptops to class simply because it's so much easier to type on your own machine. In my business school I do a lot of presentations so having my own 6.6ib laptop menas that I have equipment I'm comfortable with - in a pinch, since it's heavy. But engineering students, for example, just seem to go easier with a desktp as in-class their style of notetaking - a lot of equations and short notes - don't really fit with laptops.

Also, a laptop means that you can throw it into the car or plane cabin and take it home for the holidays. No "I can only game at home/dorm." Gaming time for me went down in uni. but there was always that week before say, midterms and exams where nothing really was happening and gaming was a nice break from the reality of work and social life.

[InnocentBystander]

I found having a laptop is ideal for college. The mobility is great, wherever I go, I can, if I desire, have my computer. Yes, it's more money, and it might not be a gaming beast (though if you plunk down around $2500, it will...), but being able to pick up your laptop and bring it to lectures, home, to the library, lounge, etc. is very useful. You don't want to be tied down with a desktop, or at least not until you're out of the dorms.

Your best bet is to find something that will work for you now, and is in the 6-8 pound area, and then when it can't run newer games anymore get a desktop.

[Master of Ossus]

You should also think about how often you're going to take vacations back home during the school year. If you're going to be heading for home frequently, then you should at least get a DTR so that you can transport your computer home and work there, and a notebook would present significant advantages. Also, consider the culture of the school you are going to attend--if you have friends or a tour guide that you can contact and who already go to the school, ask them how many people take computers to class with them, and how many people have desktops instead of notebooks.

[Arrow]

I'd also suggest you look up crime statistics for your college as well. I knew of a couple of laptops that grew legs and left during my time in college, leaving my classmates shit out of luck. A desktop is easier to secure.

And to second Civil War Man, you have to see what your school's connectivity is like. With my college (and now with my employeer) I was able to get to my files at any time, from any machine, including my home machine. And most of my classrooms had computers for each student (but, these were CS classes). If you have this kind of connectivity, you'd probably be better served by the desktop.

On the flip side, if your the kind of person that likes the outdoors, and your college has nice grounds, a laptop is perfect for doing work in a serene spot.

[Prozac the Robert]

This isn't exactly a major factor, but a laptop doesn't take up much space on your desk and can be moved entirely if you want more space. This is handy for when you need to spread scrap paper and notes all over your desk (eg when working on harder maths problems).

[Infidel7]

Thanks for all the advice. I was leaning towards a desktop for the mere reason of economy. However, you guys have convinced me. A laptop would definitely be a better toolto have on campus.

[RedImperator]

Having had both in college, there are advantages and disadvantages. I'll try to lay them out concisely.

Desktop

• Price: This is the biggest advantage for a desktop, and it's an important one. At any given performance level, a desktop is cheaper. The cost of laptops has come down a lot in recent years--when I started college in 1999, one simply couldn't be had for under $1000--but I have to recommend staying away from low end laptops. Their specs are anemic and you'll be pounding your head into the wall in a year or two when it can't even run Microsoft Word properly. Not to mention, a laptop needs to be sturdy, and a $600 Dell is going to crack if you look at it funny. A desktop will get you a bigger screen, a faster processor, more RAM, a bigger hard drive, much better speakers, and a better graphics card out of the box. Of course, all components become obsolete, which leads us to the next point...
• Modularity: As a general rule, a laptop cannot be upgraded. You might be able to add more RAM or put in a new hard drive, but a major operation like replacing the video card or the motherboard is pretty much out of the question. This could put you in the position of either having to buy a new laptop in junior or senior year, or spending even more now on an overpowered machine that will still be competitive in four years. Desktops, on the other hand, can simply be upgraded component by component, as your needs and resources warrant.
• Flexibility: Related to the above, a desktop can be altered to become more functional than it was out of the box. Suppose you decide to go cheap and get a functional, bare bones box for word processing and surfing the Internet, but later you wind up regretting it and decide you want a high powered media center. With a laptop, your options are 1) buy a new machine, or 2) get a wish computer, where you take the econobox you have now and you wish it had a 20 inch monitor and a Radeon X800 XT Platinum. With a desktop, you can upgrade, component by component if money's tight.
• Gaming and media: It's very tempting to use a computer as an entertainment center in a dorm. Space is at a premium, everything needs to be packed up and moved twice a year, and every extra expensive do-funny in your dorm is another thing you might have to replace it grows legs and walks away (see below). A computer can replace a DVD player and a stereo, saving space in the dorm and space in the car when you move back home in the summer. A desktop is much better suited for this purpose; in fact, if you buy a laptop, you'll have to buy extra components like speakers if you seriously intend to use it to replace your entertainment center. If you want a big screen, a desktop is the only way to go. Not only do laptop screens top out at about 17 inches, but a machine that size is a beast to haul around campus. For gaming, unless you absolutely must play Counter-Strike in the airport, a desktop is a no-brainer. Upgradability is critical unless wistfully paging through Electronic Gaming Monthly and cursing your stone age rig four years from now sounds like a good time. Not to mention, a gaming laptop will cost a fortune, and while I may be mistaken on this, no laptop will be capable of matching the performance of a cutting edge desktop rig.
• Customizability: Want a cool transparent case with little glowy things inside? Need dual hard drives? Want a specific combination of components that no manufacturer seems to offer? Desktops can be built from the ground up to your specifications. Customizing your laptop beyond the manufacturer's offered options is going to be limited to putting stickers on it.
• Security: If a committee of thieves got together and designed the perfect thing to steal, they'd come up with a laptop. Lightweight, portable, intrinsically valuable by themselves and usually crammed full of delicious, delicious, data, they're a major target for on campus thieves. Besides the chance someone might break into your dorm (or walk in when your idiot roomate leaves it unlocked because he lost his key for the third time this month), laptops can take a walk anytime you carry it with you on campus (I worked in my school's library in undergrad and we'd have at least one laptop theft a semester). Desktops, on the other hand, while not impossible to steal, are harder. Even very small computers or a rig that integrates the box and the moniter (like the iMac) are still bulkier than laptops. Not to mention, you won't have them with you on campus and stealing a desktop means spending precious time yanking out cables, time that could be spent stealing other people's laptops, or running away before the owner or an RA shows up.

Laptop

• Portability: This is the big one, the reason laptops exist in the first place. A laptop can come with you to class, to the library, to the student union, or to the quad (which you'll appreciate in the early fall and late spring when the girls are out). It can also come home with you on breaks, and when it comes time to move twice a year, it's a lot easier to close the lid and put it in a bag than it is to pack up a desktop rig.
  
  What does portability mean? It means you can work anywhere that strikes your fancy, or is more convenient to you. It means you can leave the dorm anytime you want. So if your roomate wants to get freaky with the hottie from English Lit 101 he's had his eye on all semester, you can do the gentlemanly thing and go down to the lounge and work. Or if it's the first nice day in months and your room is feeling claustrophobic, you can set yourself up at a picnic table under a tree and work there.
  
  A laptop is also great if you have to research in the library. Public computers are too often slow and unreliable, and if it's midterms or finals time, you'll have a hard time getting one. So bring the laptop to the library, find your books, grab a carrel, and work there. Internet access shouldn't be a problem--any university library worth a damn will have wireless access and ethernet connections.
  
  For group projects, laptops are invaluable. You can bring all the work you've done to a group meeting no matter where it is.
  
  They can be good for note taking, too, depending on your major. They can also be good, in a boring class, for checking your email and reading Penny Arcade...not that I ever did that.
  
  I would recommend, for a laptop, that you actually go for a smaller screen to save weight. I had a 17 inch screen in undergrad and it killed me, especially with all the other books I was hauling across campus. By the time I got to grad school, I had a 13" iBook G4 that I would sometimes walk with for 21 blocks (2.1 miles in Philadelphia) without a problem. Of course, if you have a small campus and don't expect to walk very far with it (or if you're in better shape than I was in undergrad), you could get away with something heavier.
• Size: This is self explanatory. Dorm rooms are cramped and desks are small. Flatscreen monitors mean that desktops take up far less room than they used to, but even the smallest desktop rig takes up more space than a laptop.

As you can see, the desktop actually beats the laptop is most categories. But the one where the laptop dominates is huge. I had both in my undergrad career, and the laptop worked out better for me by far. I'm out of school completely now, and I still have no plans to go back to a desktop.

[Admiral Valdemar]

One thing I noticed was that all the girls in my dorm had laptops, while the boys had desktops. I also noted that the guys never had any of their PCs stolen, while a couple of laptops went missing around campus every year. If size is an issue, make sure your laptop is secure, because they're very easy to put on the five finger discount list, unlike my desktop and CRT.

[Braedley]

I personally would suggest a desktop. I can only see two reasons for having a laptop:
1) Taking notes in class: if you type faster than you write, then a laptop is very appealing, but be aware that some profs, few as they are, won't let you do this.
2) Having all your files and apps at your fingers: this is usually a null point because of flash drives and network drives. I carry a 1GB flash drive where ever I go with portable apps and important files, and my school gives me 200 megs on a network drive that I can access anywhere with a internet connection. This is further negated by an ftp server or a vnc.

Laptops in general also get less power for the buck, are much harder to upgrade, and aren't suited to all types of applications.

If you're in engineering or cs, then there are probably loads of labs for occasional computer access in your building. There are at least 5 general purpose labs, a handful of reduced access labs (flagged for use by certain classes or facullties, but still open to general students) and dozens of society and course specific labs, all in a four wing complex at my school. I also have access to laptops at the libraries for study purposes.

[RedImperator]

If you're in engineering or cs, then there are probably loads of labs for occasional computer access in your building. There are at least 5 general purpose labs, a handful of reduced access labs (flagged for use by certain classes or facullties, but still open to general students) and dozens of society and course specific labs, all in a four wing complex at my school. I also have access to laptops at the libraries for study purposes.

This is fine until it's midterm week and there's a waiting list in every lab, or you're in the middle of working on something and the computer goes down because some fuckwad downloaded a Trojan. Ditto for the network: ten minutes before a major paper is due is not when you want to find out the network is down and you're half a mile from your computer.

That setup might well work for you if your school's IT department has its act together. But that seems to be putting your academic life in the hands of entirely too many strangers who don't care nearly so much about your work as you do.

One thing I noticed was that all the girls in my dorm had laptops, while the boys had desktops. I also noted that the guys never had any of their PCs stolen, while a couple of laptops went missing around campus every year. If size is an issue, make sure your laptop is secure, because they're very easy to put on the five finger discount list, unlike my desktop and CRT.

I remember this gadget a lot of people at Villanova had for keeping laptops from growing legs. It was a bracket into which the laptop was locked which could be bolted to the desk or secured via a padlock and cable around a pipe or a bedframe. When traveling with it, most laptops have a socket for a lock, which attaches to a cable you can loop around something fixed, like a table leg.

When I was out and about on campus, the laptop never left my sight. If I was in the coffee shop and wanted a refill, I'd pack the whole thing up and take it with me up to the counter.

Of course, rule A-#1 is to keep your dorm room locked when you're not in it. Most college dorm rooms doors are heavy and sturdy and the doorframe is steel, with a lock that nobody this side of a professional locksmith is getting through. Of course, if your roomate is an imbecile (or a thief), that might come to nothing, so keep the laptop secured when you're not in the room.

[Vain]

(or walk in when your idiot roomate leaves it unlocked because he lost his key for the third time this month)

This clown was my roommate freshman year at JHU. Motherfucker got drunk and lost his keys so often that he literally had copies made and hid them in various places around campus so that he could let himself in if I wasn't around. If I had anything worth stealing I'd have cut his throat and dumped his body in the harbor.

[Braedley]

If you're in engineering or cs, then there are probably loads of labs for occasional computer access in your building. There are at least 5 general purpose labs, a handful of reduced access labs (flagged for use by certain classes or facullties, but still open to general students) and dozens of society and course specific labs, all in a four wing complex at my school. I also have access to laptops at the libraries for study purposes.

This is fine until it's midterm week and there's a waiting list in every lab, or you're in the middle of working on something and the computer goes down because some fuckwad downloaded a Trojan. Ditto for the network: ten minutes before a major paper is due is not when you want to find out the network is down and you're half a mile from your computer.

Yes, but ten minutes before the paper is due is not when you want to be printing it from the network. Although I did vnc quite often, and sometimes to do school work, it was never anything that couldn't be done on the local computer and without internet.

That setup might well work for you if your school's IT department has its act together. But that seems to be putting your academic life in the hands of entirely too many strangers who don't care nearly so much about your work as you do.

If the internet was down, it was usually only the outside pipe. I might loose my IM, but I could still see the other computers on the network. Downtime in general was not an issue. In any case, most of what I needed moving was on my flash drive, and any apps needed to open those files were also in said drive.

[RedImperator]

If you're in engineering or cs, then there are probably loads of labs for occasional computer access in your building. There are at least 5 general purpose labs, a handful of reduced access labs (flagged for use by certain classes or facullties, but still open to general students) and dozens of society and course specific labs, all in a four wing complex at my school. I also have access to laptops at the libraries for study purposes.

This is fine until it's midterm week and there's a waiting list in every lab, or you're in the middle of working on something and the computer goes down because some fuckwad downloaded a Trojan. Ditto for the network: ten minutes before a major paper is due is not when you want to find out the network is down and you're half a mile from your computer.

Yes, but ten minutes before the paper is due is not when you want to be printing it from the network. Although I did vnc quite often, and sometimes to do school work, it was never anything that couldn't be done on the local computer and without internet.

Of course it's not. Shit happens sometimes anyway.

That setup might well work for you if your school's IT department has its act together. But that seems to be putting your academic life in the hands of entirely too many strangers who don't care nearly so much about your work as you do.

If the internet was down, it was usually only the outside pipe. I might loose my IM, but I could still see the other computers on the network. Downtime in general was not an issue. In any case, most of what I needed moving was on my flash drive, and any apps needed to open those files were also in said drive.

Well, as I said, if your IT department is on the ball, then you have less incentive to go for a laptop. We had routine outages where we couldn't get on the network at all. Not to mention you never knew how many computers would be working in the lab or the library at any given time, and finding a seat during midterms and finals week was a crapshoot.

[RThurmont]

The Z-series is a bit heavy for continuous portable use; I'd suggest the T60 instead.

The Z60M is admittedly a fat clunker. The Z60T on the other hand can be configured to weigh as little as 4.5 lbs, if you eschew the titanium lid and go with the classic "Business Black" look instead. The X41T, which I have, weighs 3.5 lbs (or a bit more with the 8 cell battery, which I have), and is so light that you can hold it over you like a book when in slate mode.

And yes, I do have to confess, that increasingly, I'm becoming a Lenovo fanboy. I just purchased a ThinkPad-style keyboard for the desktops in my office, as well as a ThinkPlus Pro Trackpoint mouse. I'm also itching to buy a ThinkCentre M series... I love the design of their hardware, which just strikes me as making more sense than that of any other PCs I've used (and certainly much more sense than the new Intel Macintosh laptops, with their grotesque swelling batteries, weighty construction, pathetically underpowered cooling systems and fragile finishes-although admittedly, the OS beats the shit out of Windows, and some diehard ThinkPad fans have been able to get it, with some hacking, to run on Lenovo hardware-the best of both worlds, surely).

[RedImperator]

OSX on a Thinkpad? Intriguing.

[RThurmont]

I'd do it were my IT skills better and were I not afraid of Apple sueing me. If I went to activate a DRMed software product in OS X on a ThinkPad, I'd be afraid that it either (a) wouldn't work, or (b) the software company would report me to Apple. I'm sure installing on non-Apple hardware is a violation of the OS X EULA. And yes, I know, I could always install the DRMed software in Windows, but that somewhat defeats the purpose. At least the thought is pleasant, if nothing else: the best operating system, on the best hardware.

Also, you could probably hack the PowerPC version of OS X to run on an IBM Intellistation Power workstation, which is in many respects similiar to a PowerMac G5.