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new laptop, big screen or small and light?

GQgeek

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My work is buying me a new laptop and i get to choose what i want (99% certain i'm going with alienware). This is exactly the type of thing I can never make-up my mind about. I don't really use a desktop at home anymore (i'm never there) so I'd like the bigger screen for gaming (and so i can see more code at once, of course), however, I really am a lazy bastard and I hate carrying stuff around, so in a way i think smaller and lighter is better. I'll basically be carrying it to and from home/school/work every day. I'm still not any closer to making a decision though. Do 8lb laptops get heavy fast? My last one fit easily in an LV Robusto and it kinda makes sense to keep that form-factor but the big screens are so sexy, especially the wide ones. And I haven't played any fps in a while. would be fun to play on a big laptop with an integrated geforce go 7900 gtx.

What's your preference?
 

odoreater

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My preference is smaller and lighter - every time. I have an IBM X31 that I believe weighs about 3.5 lbs. Wouldn't trade it for any wide screen laptop.
 

EL72

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I have the 17 inch screen HP and it weighs 9lbs+. The screen is great and it has a full-size keyboard with a numerical keypad. However, it's not for travelling. It's a desktop replacement and it sits on my desk at home and sometimes comes upstairs to the kitchen or bedroom. I even bought an extra AC power supply + cord for the odd time I bring it to my office because that thing is so bulky and heavy. Anyway, if you will be lugging it around, go with small and light and forget the big screen. The extra screen space is not worth
 

Tokyo Slim

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We all know where this thread will eventually go, so I might as well say it.

Get a f*cking Apple. DO IT. AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


(the scream at the end was my fingers spontaneously combusting from the blasphemy they just typed)
 

Rome

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I do beleive there is a middle ground...
 

Joffrey

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Yeah a 15.4" wide screen is the middle ground laptops should weight 5-7lbs at that size. Shouldnt be too bad to carry those around.

My toshiba is 17" with a full scale keyboard. I think its around 8lbs give or take half a pound. Pretty heavy, I need a desk (so i can use the external mouse and connect it for TV), but I dont mind lugging it around. I woulndt mind travelling with it as I dont travel too often. But 17" is pretty big.
 

bryce330

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Definitely go small and light - if you find that the screen and/or keyboard are too small for regular home use, you can always get a port replicator and plug in a full-size monitor and keyboard. If you go big and bulky, you are pretty much stuck with what you've got, and you will definitely regret trying to lug around an 8 pound laptop everywhere you go. Take a look at the Sony VAIO SZ and TX series laptops - the TX series only weigh about 2.5 pounds but the keyboard is cramped, the SZ is about 4 pounds and has a bigger screen and keyboard.
 

whodini

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Another Apple guy here. My roommate of 3 years used a 12" powerbook for a few years and it was perfect for all-around travel use. When he got back home, he'd plug it into a 17" LCD and split screen it. I know you said you're not home often but if I needed something portable I think that would end up being my preference. If you're a gamer (which is probably why you're going alienware), I guess just suck up the extra weight but don't think it won't get old.

As for me, I'll stick to my nicely-sized 20" imac.
 

DNW

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Go small and light. I owned a Toshiba 8-9 pounder a while back and used it for business travel (company was poor, couldn't afford the highend stuff). I absolutely hated lugging that thing around. It usually got really heavy after 15-20 minutes of it and the rest of the accessories hanging on my shoulder. Now, I have a IBM Thinkpad T42 with 14" screen and I love it. I have a desktop at home, so the big screen was never a concern. But even if I didn't own a desktop, I'd still go for the exact same laptop. Carrying a monster around is a pain **********...and the back too.
 

GQgeek

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Originally Posted by DarkNWorn
Go small and light. I owned a Toshiba 8-9 pounder a while back and used it for business travel (company was poor, couldn't afford the highend stuff). I absolutely hated lugging that thing around. It usually got really heavy after 15-20 minutes of it and the rest of the accessories hanging on my shoulder. Now, I have a IBM Thinkpad T42 with 14" screen and I love it. I have a desktop at home, so the big screen was never a concern. But even if I didn't own a desktop, I'd still go for the exact same laptop. Carrying a monster around is a pain **********...and the back too.

Over your shoulder?That must be murder on your suits and jackets.
eek.gif


You guys have definitely swayed me to the thin and light camp. I was looking at alienware and they have a 15.4" model with a resolution of 1920x1200. High rez is really my biggest concern. I need the width for visual studio otherwise it's a serious pain to work in. The only problem with that option is it tops-out in the graphics department with a geforce go 7600 and i'm hoping to find something with at least a 7600 GT in it so i'm gonna keep looking. They've got smaller screens but they have integrated graphics and that's an absolute no-no for me.
 

imageWIS

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Originally Posted by Tokyo Slim
We all know where this thread will eventually go, so I might as well say it.

Get a f*cking Apple. DO IT. AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


(the scream at the end was my fingers spontaneously combusting from the blasphemy they just typed)


James, it's time for:

seppuku.JPG


Jon.
 

DNW

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Originally Posted by GQgeek
Over your shoulder?That must be murder on your suits and jackets.
eek.gif

I almost always never travelled in suit and tie. Just stick them in a garment bag and put them on before you get on site. I usually checked into a hotel room first, then changed. My standard for a travelling laptop is 14" and under 5 lbs. I don't have a need for a 15", and the ultraportable ones are just not comfortable enough for long sessions. IMO, IBM makes just the perfect laptop for travelling people with their Thinkpad T-series. They've got everything you need and nothing you don't. Normally, the other stuff in the puter bag are: AC Adaptor, MS wireless mouse, legal pad, some media, pens, calculator, highlighter, some documents and sometimes a change of clothing (it sucks when you're suppose to meet a client and your luggage is a few thousand miles away). So, you'll be surprise how heavy this stuff gets, especially when you're running around with extra luggage in tow.
 

Mentos

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You can get a twenty-inch screen from Dell for about $370. You will forget the cost within five minutes of turning it on.
 

dusty

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Does Alienware still use Clevo or whatever as their OEM? I got an Alienware DT replacement laptop about five years ago and hated it.
 

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