From parents looking to buy their child’s first computer to students in need of a beginner computer that suits their needs to everyone in between, it’s a jungle of jargon out there. Can’t tell a netbook from a notebook? Here’s the desktop-laptop-netbook low-down.
First, there was the desktop. Today’s desktops can be found in a variety of models from large vertical towers to compact devices that can sit behind (or under) the monitor. The main limitation to this option is that it can generally only be used in one place – think home office. Beyond very limited mobility, desktops can generally be purchased for less than laptops. Other so-called advantages and disadvantages are merely preference. Some consider the desktop to be very simple and logical in that parts tend to be standardized so that they can be easily replaced or upgraded – desktops can be used “whether your aim is to show off your good taste; to upgrade, tweak, and tinker; to frag into the wee hours; or to expand your digital media-library” according to Cnet.com’s senior editor, Rich Brown. These desktop personal computers (aka PCs) have more expansion slots, greater customization ability and an ease of assembly – this is especially convenient when you spill your mocha latte on the keyboard – on a desktop model, it’ll only cost you the price of a new keyboard. Don’t try this on your laptop. Desktop PC pricing begins at $400 for a complete package. Cnet, the techie’s premier destination for tech product reviews, rates Gateway’s SX2840-01 as the budget PC to beat, weighing in at $550.
For those who do not find a separate tower, monitor, keyboard and mouse to be “simple”, the laptop is one-stop-shopping. Keyboard and screen are connected with a hinge so that it folds closed and can be taken with you or stored in your desk’s pencil drawer. PC World notes that “portability and good performance make laptop PCs an essential part of the daily lives of millions of people, from college students to business travelers.” The great advantage to laptop ownership is its portability – from couch to subway to office, your laptop can come with you. Generally speaking, laptops are more expensive than desktops and can be less powerful, though the difference to the novice user is negligible. The laptop has fewer cords and uses less power; on the downside, it’s less customizable, generally not standardized and is more expensive to repair – which is something to consider, being that you’re more likely to drop your laptop than your desktop PC at some point. The portability is a blessing and a curse – it’s as easy for you to carry off your laptop as it is for someone else. Laptop theft, and therefore, theft of whatever information you have on your laptop from saved login information to the novel you’re writing (make sure to back up your files!)– is gone along with your laptop. Basic laptops start at $400. Cnet’s best budget laptop, the Toshiba Satellite T135-S1310 will cost you $600.
The final consideration is the netbook. Essentially the same as the laptop, there are some key differences: it’s smaller, for much greater portability and therefore, less computing power. The netbook is, on average, smaller and lighter than the laptop as well as moderately more durable. However, in exchange for the smaller size are less… everything. Generally lacking an optical drive, some do not even have a conventional hard drive and therefore have less storage capacity. Netbooks are generally geared toward the web-surfer and cloud-computer and are touted as ‘companion devices’; in other words, fun to have in addition to a desktop or laptop. Originally targeted toward emerging markets and use in education, PC Magazine’s Tim Bajarin points out that these handy netbooks are being “snapped up by consumers as second laptops for use in the home or by kids.” Netbook pricing starts at $300. A Cnet favorite is the $300 Dell Inspiron Mini 10v Netbook Computer.
2/24/10
