Feature: Notebook or Desktop?
What you're about to read may shock you. But please soldier onward, as I hope you will benefit from this week's article, even if you don't think it applies to you.
First, the back story, as they say in Hollywood. My last two computer purchases have been notebooks, which I've used as my main computer. I've been strongly convinced that's the way to go--to have all my files on one computer that I can take and use anywhere.
But here's where your eyebrows may lift. This spring, I plan to replace my nearly two-year-old notebook with ... a desktop.
I realize my plan isn't practical for everyone. In particular, such a plan wouldn't work for those who roam between buildings on a campus or in a high-rise and need their computer with them. Still, hear me out. You might find that, at least some of the time, you could leave your notebook at the office.
PCs Offer Better Value
One of the most compelling reasons for rethinking a notebook purchase has to do with dollars and cents. Even though notebooks have dropped in price, you still get far more for your money with a desktop.
For example, I recently compared a desktop-replacement notebook in PC World's Top 15 Notebook roundup against a similarly priced, similarly rated desktop PC in the Top 15 Desktops survey.
No contest--the Dell Dimension 8300 desktop (street price when ranked, $3128), offered far more features and expandability than the Toshiba Tecra M1 notebook (street price when ranked, $3049). Both machines ranked high on their respective PC World Top 15 charts, and each earned 4.5 stars. So it's as much of an apples-to-apples comparison as I could make, given the different natures of the two machines.
Check out some of their differences.
Processor: The Dimension we tested uses a 3.2-GHz Pentium 4 chip and pulled down a PC WorldBench 4 score of 127. The Toshiba Tecra, meanwhile, features a 1.6-MHz Pentium M processor and managed a score of 113, or about 10 percent slower. The 3.2-GHz Pentium 4 is built for speedy desktop machines, while the Pentium M is designed to reduce heat and battery consumption in notebooks. Generally speaking, a desktop CPU is going to be faster than the mobile PC-oriented Pentium M.
Memory: With 1024MB of memory, the Dimension had twice the memory of the Tecra (with 512MB).
Hard drive: The Dimension had a whopping 250GB hard drive, while the Tecra shipped with a 40GB drive.
Display: Our Dimension came with an external 18-inch Dell LCD monitor powered by a 128MB ATI Radeon 9800 graphics card. The Tecra notebook had a 14.1 inch LCD with 32MB Trident XP4 graphics.
Expansion: The Dimension offers one available internal and two available externally accessible bays, plus two available expansion slots. By comparison, the Tecra includes two PC Card slots, plus one multipurpose bay (for a second battery, hard drive, and such), and an expansion bus port (for a docking station). Also, the Dimension includes eight USB 2.0 ports and one FireWire port, while the Tecra has only three USB 2.0 ports and one FireWire port.
My verdict: The Tecra unit we tested had a few things the Dimension lacked, such as built-in 802.11b wireless networking. But clearly, with the Dimension, you're getting far more computer for your money.
I didn't limit my comparisons to these two machines, by the way. I compared several other notebooks and desktops, each in the same price range, to see which one offered the most power, performance, and features. In every case, the desktop won hands down.
Try making some comparisons yourself. To check out PC World's Top 15 Notebooks or Top 15 Desktops, go to our Top-Rated Products page.
Notebooks Can Be a Pain
Toting a notebook, even a subnotebook that weighs about 4 pounds, is a pain on every level.
Anyone who's flown since September 11, 2001, knows all too well the hassle of getting a notebook through airport security. On the plane, notebook typists must contend with cramped seats. The passenger in front of you inevitably reclines as far back as humanly possible, cramping you even further. And your notebook batteries are likely to peter out halfway through the trip.
Even if you're not working in flight, you've got to stow the notebook under the seat in front--which isn't always possible. Or you have to put it in the overhead compartment--a big inconvenience if you need it later during the flight and you're in a middle or window seat. You could pack your notebook in your checked suitcase, of course. But you could also take up bungee jumping.
And did I mention the physical strain you must endure lugging a notebook? Even if your computer bag is wheeled, chances are you'll have to pick it up several times (to put in your car trunk, the plane's overhead compartment, and so on). Plus, there's the chance of dropping your notebook and damaging it; or losing it; or having it stolen.
Do you really need to hear more? Of course not. But you do need to stay in touch and be productive on the road. That's where a notebook alternative comes into play.
A PDA May Be The Way to Go
By no means is a PDA or a Web-enabled wireless phone a notebook replacement. Such devices will impose limitations that you wouldn't have with a notebook. For example, PDA and phone screens are much smaller than a notebook's display, as are their keyboards.
Still, a properly equipped PDA can be a reasonable notebook alternative. Depending on the device, you can create and edit Microsoft Office documents; send and receive e-mail with attachments; and do a limited amount of Web browsing. You can even run PowerPoint presentations. Their batteries last much longer than a notebook's, and the devices are small enough to slip into your coat pocket.
On a recent trip from the west to the east coast, I decided to leave my notebook behind and take my Palm M515 instead. I checked e-mail with an infrared dial-up modem, the Pegasus III, and a marvelous Palm OS program, SnapperMail ($30 to $50), which lets you send and receive attachments. (The Pegasus III is available for $100 from Enrtech.com.) I checked weather and news headlines using Blazer, a Palm OS Web browser. I used DataViz Documents To Go 6.0 to make a few changes to a native Word file, which I tapped out on an external Palm keyboard. I backed up the Word file onto a Secure Digital card. And I packed an external SD card reader so that if my Palm died, I could plug the card reader into a Windows PC, then access the Word file from the SD card.
Admittedly, Web browsing--particularly at graphics-heavy sites such as Amazon.com--was painfully slow on the Palm. But overall, everything worked fine in my experiment. And the best part? I didn't have to lug my notebook.
That's just one option, of course. There are plenty of others, such as the PalmOne Treo 600 cell phone/Palm PDA with wireless e-mail and Web surfing. For more info, check out my newsletter on notebook alternatives.
The Bottom Line
Obviously, what I'm advocating won't work for everyone. But those with relatively light computing needs on the road--checking e-mail, a modest amount of document editing, and so on--should at least consider a desktop/PDA combination the next time around.
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