Cheap Laptops
Laptops have finally become fast enough to really be able to completely replace desktops. Today, there is almost no difference in laptop and desktop speeds, except maybe in their hard drive speeds, where desktops still have slight advantage.
However, you will need to cash out almost two times more money for a laptop, than for an equal speed desktop. Manufacturers spend much more money producing parts for laptops, than for desktops, as they need to put the same computing power into the part that is much smaller, hence the higher production costs and final price.
The second major setback for laptops is battery life, which in most cases lasts around 2 hours, and after a couple years of usage, this time usually drops to less than an hour. You can always buy a new battery, but this, of course, requires more money, which only makes laptop price even higher. Hopefully in the upcoming years new technology will be able to resolve this and give us batteries that will last as much as 10 hours, which will make laptops even more desirable than today.
If you are serious about gaming, or require a large monitor for any reason, I would still recommend a desktop, because of the lower price and better monitors. After all, it ain't easy to find a laptop with an 19" monitor, and a few that are available have astronomical prices. Plus, carrying around a laptop of that size isn't very convenient, so you won't get a full benefit of having a laptop.
I usually do not make recommendations on actual parts, or computers, unless the deal is just unbelievable. So this deal you have to check out. Why? Because this laptop costs $949, and it should cost at least 2,000, trust me!
Check out the components: AMD Athlon 4000+, ATI MOBILITY RADEON X600 128 MB, 1GB memory, 100GB Hard Drive, Dual Layer DVD burner, Integrated Modem, Integrated LAN. Integrated Wireless LAN, 15.4" wide screen. OK, so where is the catch. Well, this is refurbished laptop. But like I said, opt for refurbished only if you have great warranty or if the price difference is substantial. On this deal, you will easily save $1,000. Second thing, last year I bought the computer from Gateway, it was eMachines back then, and it was exactly the same deal. Mine is somewhat slower though, because it is a year old, AMD Athlon 3000, ATI MOBILITY RADEON 9600, 512MB memory, 80GB Hard Drive, 15.4" wide screen, etc. but it was almost top of the line back then. And it still works perfectly, after 15 months.
For comparison, check out this computer, from the same seller. It costs $2000 and it is just slightly better, although it is new.
Also, most of today's laptop have very poor speakers. I have seen top of the line laptops with built in Altec Lansing speakers, but I was not impressed with the sound at all. The sound it self is decent, but bass is almost non existent. It's almost as if you were listening music on your radio clock. However, believe it or not, some of the latest laptops come with 4 speakers and a small subwoofer built in. This is just amazing, and this configuration can give you a very nice sound when you are on the road, for example in your hotel room. How cool is that!
The best possible option would be to buy a decent desktop, and a cheap laptop if you require to be mobile, like I do. I have a fast desktop, and a nice laptop, which I actually use more than a desktop. You really do not need a laptop over $1,000, unless you want to play games, or do some extensive work with, for example, AutoCAD or Photoshop.
|
Laptops