PC vs Laptop - Page 2

ArcticWolf · 10-17-2009, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPARTISH

ive herd that windows vista is better than linux for writing on word and searching the web...is this true?
or will i be able to do the exact same things i can do on vista on linux coz i herd linux is better gameplay speed and affects =o

No, Vista is not better than Linux. But you may feel more comfortable in Windows because you've always used it.

Instead of Office you have OpenOffice.org. It's cross platform, that means it works in linux, windows, freebsd, mac, opensolaris, solaris express, aix, etc...
Give it a try, it's free (and open-source).
Oh, and it's from Sun Microsystems, a big company.

You may find Regnum runs faster on Linux than Windows. I don't know, I never played Regnum on Windows. :P
And for anything not available for linux (autocad and stuff) you can try Wine, a kind of emulator.

You can even have both linux and windows in the same computer. That's called dual-boot. I recommend you to try this before switching to linux only.

Linux (specially Ubuntu, OpenSuSE and Fedora) are easy to learn, but keep in mind they're different from Windows. Funny fact: my father doesn't like computers very much, and I don't like to fix computers all day long... So I installed Debian on an old spare K6-2 and gave it to him (of course I tweaked it a little bit so as to enable remote administration). He got so used to Debian that when he had to use Windows he found it difficult and useless.

SPARTISH · 10-17-2009, 04:41 PM

hi znurre

wow past 500 O_o il try n find out if theres any better than vista

BTW il be getting my assignments of the university website and they use windows vista
-will i be able to download the work do anything with it if i am on a linux computer?

p.s ur sig makes me want to play on a knight but on ma sisters laptop with shit internet it said it would take 60+ hours to download regnumonline
=( downloaded it for 2 hours and 5% so i left it

UmarilsStillHere · 10-17-2009, 04:44 PM

Though it seems not be be the case there I often dont trust that timer on the downloads, When I last D'loaded Regnum it started at 3 hours jumped to 40 hours, eneded up in several hundred hours then rapidly dropped down to around 4 again, all within about 20 mins :}

SPARTISH · 10-17-2009, 05:32 PM

hi umaril

lol this is O2 Mobile internet for the laptop and it really is slow, i have to waite like 5 mins for a page in the forums to load...and a 8 min youtube vid is almost loaded now and its only been 45mins !!!!

not to mention it has netintelligence and everything i type in is usually blocked, it wont let me download computerised books and damn liabry books i need are always gone...

Syd_Vicious · 10-18-2009, 07:15 AM

One thing to take into consideration as well though is that laptops are not that upgradeable. You can check between manufacturers and see they do offer some upgrade capabilities, but not much. With a desktop if you dont like the current speed of your cpu, memory, hard drive you can just switch it out for a new one; don't like the case just switch it. Typically with a laptop you can switch some of those items out, but you will not be able to go to the next version.

For an AMD/Intel comparison your laptop motherboard would not be able to directly switch between different chip thicknesses. Chips are being developed to fit more on a chip, but keep it relatively the same size overall. The latest process is 45nm chips, but there are talks of going to a 32nm, 28 or even 22nm process. What this means is that if your laptop is running a current 45nm chip it wouldnt run a chip with a smaller nm process. Same could be said for a desktop, but that is a quick fix and not as costly as buying a new laptop. For a desktop you just buy the new chip and motherboard, install and your good to go as some new motherboards offer some backwards compatibility with older (legacy) hardware. This might run around $400 AMD and about $1000 Intel. For laptops you must essentially add the upgrade cost and cost of a new laptop. So hypothetically if a bargain laptop is say $600, it would be roughly $1000-1600 to get a laptop with the latest greatest processor laptop wise (not a hardcore gaming laptop).

If all you want to do is download things and play some games that do not require many resources a laptop is fine. Gaming laptops have been mentioned and for some are a good deal, as stated earlier you must maintain a little more environmental awareness about cpu load and heat. I used to play with an Alienware Laptop that had a desktop 3.8 ghz processor in it. I used to use the cooling fan to toast my bagels in the morning. Though it did have a bevy of problems and it always had to remain elevated to maintain good air flow. Some of the problems were graphics chips would over heat, it had a dual hard drive configuration and the controller for them would crash sporadically and it was like carrying a large cement brick. Not to mention it was twice the power draw as a normal laptop (5 amps for my current normal laptop and 10 amps for the alienware)

What I would recommend you staying away from though are those netbooks if you really want to play games. They typically come with a minimalist graphics chip in them and are not very suitable for 3d intensive applications/games. You essentially get what you pay for. Where lap tops do beat PCs is that the laptop screen and laptop system are covered under the same warranty. I have had it where an LCD monitor for a desktop was damaged in transportation and not covered like the desktop system itself was. So I was out a monitor.

Laptops in general for me and some the applications/games (DVD Authoring/Heavy CPU/Graphics card 3d applications) I use only last about 2 to 3 years before I need to start looking at a new one because I like to be able to play the newer games on my Laptop. My desktop I have on rolling updates every 2 years sees a new CPU, every year a new Graphics Card, Memory updates/additions as needed, Hard Drive additions/changes (I currently run 4 hard drives for different things) about 18 months.

You also mentioned you are concerned with battery life. If you are able to wait a little while some laptops are coming out with LED screens that substantially increase the battery life compared to a standard LCD.

So in short it is up to you and what you intend to do with your computer not just today, but tomorrow as well.

Note: You can install Microsoft Office in Linux, but if your UNI is completely Microsoft oriented (ie. SharePoint Servers) it might not have all the functionality and interoperability between applications that a native Windows session would have. I would recommend talking with someone from the UNIs IT division to get their recommendation.

SPARTISH · 10-18-2009, 01:29 PM

hi syd_viciouse

thanks for ur help man, i think im ready for the jump from Vista to Linux.
i wont kknow much things on linux but im willing to learn about things as i go along...it looks alot better than boring vista.

gna go with a desktop i think because as u said it was easier to upgrade if needed, and no worries about the battery running out =)

hi ArticWolf, sorry i missed ur comment i was writing mine and you managed to post it before me and i missed it

.

i saw a vid of the linux ubuntu thing and it looked simple so i think m gna get that one. but as all new programs it will take some time to get used to.

Gytha_Ogg · 12-28-2009, 06:58 PM

So...what did you end up getting? How's it working out for you?

Just curious. (i.e. nosey

)

View Poll Results: PC or Laptop
PC ALL THE WAY!!!	24	64.86%
LAPTOP FOR THE WORLD!!!	13	35.14%
Voters: 37. You may not vote on this poll

10-17-2009, 04:41 PM	#12
SPARTISH Initiate Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: The United kingdom Posts: 191	hi znurre wow past 500 O_o il try n find out if theres any better than vista BTW il be getting my assignments of the university website and they use windows vista -will i be able to download the work do anything with it if i am on a linux computer? p.s ur sig makes me want to play on a knight but on ma sisters laptop with shit internet it said it would take 60+ hours to download regnumonline =( downloaded it for 2 hours and 5% so i left it __________________ It's all about the money, because money makes the world go round, and round the bend, who knows when all this crazy sh*t will end.

10-17-2009, 04:44 PM	#13
UmarilsStillHere Marquis Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: England Posts: 2,419	Though it seems not be be the case there I often dont trust that timer on the downloads, When I last D'loaded Regnum it started at 3 hours jumped to 40 hours, eneded up in several hundred hours then rapidly dropped down to around 4 again, all within about 20 mins :} __________________ Faith 50 Barb Faithless 50 Lock Umaril 45 Conju Kailas 45 Marks Pel 45 Knight I N Q U I S I T I O N

10-17-2009, 05:32 PM	#14
SPARTISH Initiate Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: The United kingdom Posts: 191	hi umaril lol this is O2 Mobile internet for the laptop and it really is slow, i have to waite like 5 mins for a page in the forums to load...and a 8 min youtube vid is almost loaded now and its only been 45mins !!!! not to mention it has netintelligence and everything i type in is usually blocked, it wont let me download computerised books and damn liabry books i need are always gone... __________________ It's all about the money, because money makes the world go round, and round the bend, who knows when all this crazy sh*t will end.

10-18-2009, 07:15 AM	#15
Syd_Vicious Initiate Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: The Desert, The Mountains, The Sky Posts: 152	One thing to take into consideration as well though is that laptops are not that upgradeable. You can check between manufacturers and see they do offer some upgrade capabilities, but not much. With a desktop if you dont like the current speed of your cpu, memory, hard drive you can just switch it out for a new one; don't like the case just switch it. Typically with a laptop you can switch some of those items out, but you will not be able to go to the next version. For an AMD/Intel comparison your laptop motherboard would not be able to directly switch between different chip thicknesses. Chips are being developed to fit more on a chip, but keep it relatively the same size overall. The latest process is 45nm chips, but there are talks of going to a 32nm, 28 or even 22nm process. What this means is that if your laptop is running a current 45nm chip it wouldnt run a chip with a smaller nm process. Same could be said for a desktop, but that is a quick fix and not as costly as buying a new laptop. For a desktop you just buy the new chip and motherboard, install and your good to go as some new motherboards offer some backwards compatibility with older (legacy) hardware. This might run around $400 AMD and about $1000 Intel. For laptops you must essentially add the upgrade cost and cost of a new laptop. So hypothetically if a bargain laptop is say $600, it would be roughly $1000-1600 to get a laptop with the latest greatest processor laptop wise (not a hardcore gaming laptop). If all you want to do is download things and play some games that do not require many resources a laptop is fine. Gaming laptops have been mentioned and for some are a good deal, as stated earlier you must maintain a little more environmental awareness about cpu load and heat. I used to play with an Alienware Laptop that had a desktop 3.8 ghz processor in it. I used to use the cooling fan to toast my bagels in the morning. Though it did have a bevy of problems and it always had to remain elevated to maintain good air flow. Some of the problems were graphics chips would over heat, it had a dual hard drive configuration and the controller for them would crash sporadically and it was like carrying a large cement brick. Not to mention it was twice the power draw as a normal laptop (5 amps for my current normal laptop and 10 amps for the alienware) What I would recommend you staying away from though are those netbooks if you really want to play games. They typically come with a minimalist graphics chip in them and are not very suitable for 3d intensive applications/games. You essentially get what you pay for. Where lap tops do beat PCs is that the laptop screen and laptop system are covered under the same warranty. I have had it where an LCD monitor for a desktop was damaged in transportation and not covered like the desktop system itself was. So I was out a monitor. Laptops in general for me and some the applications/games (DVD Authoring/Heavy CPU/Graphics card 3d applications) I use only last about 2 to 3 years before I need to start looking at a new one because I like to be able to play the newer games on my Laptop. My desktop I have on rolling updates every 2 years sees a new CPU, every year a new Graphics Card, Memory updates/additions as needed, Hard Drive additions/changes (I currently run 4 hard drives for different things) about 18 months. You also mentioned you are concerned with battery life. If you are able to wait a little while some laptops are coming out with LED screens that substantially increase the battery life compared to a standard LCD. So in short it is up to you and what you intend to do with your computer not just today, but tomorrow as well. Note: You can install Microsoft Office in Linux, but if your UNI is completely Microsoft oriented (ie. SharePoint Servers) it might not have all the functionality and interoperability between applications that a native Windows session would have. I would recommend talking with someone from the UNIs IT division to get their recommendation. __________________ Doing something maybe nothing, maybe nothing with something.

10-18-2009, 01:29 PM	#16
SPARTISH Initiate Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: The United kingdom Posts: 191	hi syd_viciouse thanks for ur help man, i think im ready for the jump from Vista to Linux. i wont kknow much things on linux but im willing to learn about things as i go along...it looks alot better than boring vista. gna go with a desktop i think because as u said it was easier to upgrade if needed, and no worries about the battery running out =) hi ArticWolf, sorry i missed ur comment i was writing mine and you managed to post it before me and i missed it . i saw a vid of the linux ubuntu thing and it looked simple so i think m gna get that one. but as all new programs it will take some time to get used to. __________________ It's all about the money, because money makes the world go round, and round the bend, who knows when all this crazy sh*t will end.

12-28-2009, 06:58 PM	#17
Gytha_Ogg Master Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Valiantly battling at... oops, at Agg save :/ Posts: 253	So...what did you end up getting? How's it working out for you? Just curious. (i.e. nosey )