Thursday, August 21, 2008
I could use some computer advice, please
As you'll have read in earlier posts, I'm going to have to replace my desktop computer after the fire. I have a laptop, which is doing stand-in duty at present.
I'm in two minds as to what to buy. This isn't a technical issue: in a previous life I was a Systems Engineer with IBM, so I have a pretty good idea about the nuts and binary bolts that make up computer systems. The problem is one of form factor.
I've thought of replacing my desktop computer with a new laptop, at the higher end of such beasts, with a fast processor, decent disk capacity, etc. However, my past experience with laptops has been that they're simply not up to working 24/7, as my desktop computer frequently does. Laptops overheat, or exhibit other problems. I get the impression they're not designed to run more than a few hours without being shut down, and having time to cool off.
What do those of you running laptops under heavy load have to say? Are modern laptops at last at the point where they can truly take the place of a desktop? Or are they still a mobile solution, very good at what they do, but not optimum for day-long and night-long work?
I'll be interested to hear your responses. Thanks in advance for the feedback.
Peter
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17 comments:
My laptops run 24/7 unless they're being transported.
I work from home most of the time and my Dell laptop sits here running all the time. I put it to sleep and in the bag when I have to drive into the office or to a client's site. Before this gig I was doing it with a Macbook and iBook.
The only thing you have to watch out for is proper air circulation. Don't shove it under a couch cushion or anything like that.
Sorry about your problem.
I use iBook and MacBook laptops and they are on all the time. I put them to sleep at night and when I am not actually working with them. Seem to be doing fine.
I've been pretty happy with my laptops as my sole machines for about two years now. Sometimes I miss a really big screen, but it's not a deal-breaker for me.
I'm using a Compaq nw8440 as my work laptop. I usually only shut it down when I'm asleep. I have had some stability issues, but suspect these are software related.
If you already have a laptop, I'd go with the desktop. More processing bang for your buck.
i use my laptop (Toshiba) around 10 hours at a time .. often it is on for longer ... never had a problem - i do however make sure that there is adequate circulation AND i don't always run it from power ... i sometimes just run it from the batteries to keep them cycling ...
With the exception of about a three month window between computers where a very good friend gave me a desktop to use...*grin*
...I've used laptops exclusively, and they're on pretty much 24 hours a day. As long as they had decent air circulation, it wasn't a problem.
If heat is a problem, they have air coolers for laptops. My daughter has a VIO, and she uses a laptop cooler, works great. She's also on her laptop a good 12 hrs a day.
I lug a laptop back and forth for work, and it's pretty much always on. Of course, it is an IBM ThinkPad, which are made to do so. The only consumer laptops I've personally owned died quick deaths (but that was ten years ago).
The only consideration I would give is whether or not you need to move it. If not, a desktop can give you more "oomph" for the same amount of cash. So, if you don't need to take it with you (and it sounds like you already have a laptop), I'd go with a desktop. Of course, that brings in a whole different set of form factors, from the miniature to the full tower...
I work as an IT consultant. Me and me colleagues all use laptops for our work, which includes some heavy programming and testing. When at the office, a fullsize keyboard and monitor is added, to make it easier to work with.
This is the way I've been working for the last 10+ years, and it's never been a problem. I often tend to use it for personal stuff too, since it's so easy to move and have in front of the TV, or bring with me on visits to friends.
Of course, the laptops I've used are quality brands, the top end models, I've seen some cheaper ones fail once in a while.
IBM Thinkpad, HP and Dell are those I've personally used.
My work laptops have been mostly fine, but get replaced every 3 years. 2 laptops ago was flaky, but that was pretty much from the start--I had to reinstall Windows about once a year.
My home Compaq ($480 about 2 years ago) has needed a hard drive replacement. It had a problem where the fan was cycling on and off excessively, but that was cured with canned air.
Thinkpad G41 here, been on mostly 24/7 since I bought it in 2004. I rarely use my desktop, it only gets a real workout when the Grand kids are over, I don't want them abusing my Laptop
No issues with it except the video is now considered low end for online gaming. Planning on upgrading to a new thinkpad later this year, just waiting for the pre Christmas sales.
My team at Big Blue uses Thinkpad T6x series notebooks. The only failures I've seen as the go-to guy for problem children of the binary type is when someone tries something wholly incomprehensible, such as trying to insert a removable device upside down and forces the question, or drops it from a height of 6 or more feet onto the screen.
Myself, I use a M-8212 KUE desktop with a 3.0ghz 2 way CPU and a gig of memory, and I have no problems whatsoever. Refurb models of this can be had for around 250$ USD.
I must say, I do like the Lenovo Y710's, but the Thinkpads are pretty spiffy and are considered 'desktop replacement' units. We do have refurbs for sale as well, but I'd go ahead and buy new through Lenovo direct.
Regards,
Rabbit.
Ditto what the rest have said. As long as there's proper circulation, a laptop will do the trick nicely, but you'll get more bang for buck from a desktop. LabRat's only complaints about the laptop we set her up with when her desktop died was that it made her lap too warm if she used it from the sofa/easy chair/etc, and that a full-sized keyboard was easier for her to use. Also, Chris Byrne had a good piece on the state of build vs. buy at the start of the year that still holds mostly true.
Oh, and I sent you an email last night. If you still want to try for phone, I'll shoot another one along with our number, but we're going to be in and out and hard to catch for the next day or two 'cause of the normal weekend workload.
I killed the cooling fan in my Acer Aspire, but then I was running Folding@Home on both cores at 100% and it wasn't sitting on a flat surface like it should have been. Other than that, my laptop has been in 5+ hour/day use and hasn't complained one bit.
Laptops are great, but for a primary home use I still think desktop is the way to go. Our laptop has had two motherboard replacements because the power-connecter has become loose. Fortunately all covered under the warranty. For a desktop I prefer full size case for lots of room for drives/DVD/my hands, etc. Everything about the desktop can be swapped out with minimal effort. Not to mention two 20" monitors beats the heck out of 1 17"...YMMV
Over the last few years true "laptop grade" CPUs that conserve power and don't put out a lot of heat have become the norm. The Intel Core Duo series are very good; I'm writing this on a low-end Dell 1525 with the "Pentium Dual-Core", which is the cheapest dual-core chip available. It's NOT running hot despite very heavy use; I'm very pleased with it. Build quality and stability are both excellent; it cost me $500 on sale at Best Buy and it's only a hair more on the Dell site.
Another key to a good working lappy: get the Intel-based video card known as the X3100 or "965" (same thing). It's not as high powered as the ATI or NVidia chipsets so it's no good for gaming, but it puts out very little heat compared to the "gaming class" video chips, it's very stable and if you ever go to Linux the drivers are excellent.
The one part of the Dell that was pathetic was the Broadcom WiFi chip. In Linux it stank the place up something fierce; even in Windows it's a bit of a turd. If you have a system based on a modern Intel laptop chip, you can pull that out and put the heaven-sent Intel 4965AGN mini-PCI-express WiFi card in. This is an easy bolt-in installation. You'll need to download a driver for it in Windows but they're available. I paid $45 for that card, and it pulls in amazing signals. There's nothing near as cool an upgrade available for AMD CPU-based systems; Atheros is going to come out with the 9000-series card to compete but until then the Intel 4965AGN stands as the best internal laptop WiFi card out there. Just open a hatch on the bottom, swap cards, re-connect the antenna leads, bingo...
Jim March
For what it's worth, I'm using a Toshiba dual core laptop with Vista Premium and it's hell of a lot faster than my desktop. I got the laptop for about $450 and the desktop (tower only, no monitor etc) for $300, so it seems that the laptop just gives me (unusually) good performance for the money. The desktop has miminum memory requried for Vista Basic and the laptom minimum for Premium.... I do make sure the air intake on the bottom is always clear. My daughter's Everex (forget the processor, but it's NOT dual core) is slow and was only $50 cheaper....
BTW, sorry to hear about your fire. You were lucky though.....
It just occurred to me that I do have something to say.
One of our customers, last time they replaced office computers, got HP "desktop replacement" type laptops. Honking big things, with full width keyboard. They're used all day, every day, and they hold up just fine.
Do make sure to get one with a full 3 year warranty.
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