Laptops or Desktops...

[g5cubed]

Going into uni very soon... I was wondering, is having a laptop useful. Do many students in uni have laptops, and how would it be useful. Other than buying a laptop, I would just use my desktop computer in the dorm room. Any bad experiences with laptops (i.e. primarily THEFT). Also, would any one recommend bringing a TV to uni, would it screw your study habits...

thx in Advance

[Bordello]

I prefer a laptop. Besides the obvious mobility advantage during situations when you don't want to work in your dorm, such as during groupwork or something. Plus, a desktop takes up space. Dorm rooms are small, and the desks they provide you with are pretty small too. With a laptop, you can put it away to make room on your desk when you don't need it. Since the price difference between a desktop and a laptop is so minimal right now, it makes more sense to get a laptop.

[Sylvestre]

personally, I'd go the desktop route.
Get a lcd and put the case on the floor and you have no problems with space. It still is a bit cheaper to buy a desktop and it's way more futureproof. Seeing as university is 4 yrs, it's unlikely you'll get a new system before you finish so at least with a desktop you can upgrade more late on.
lastly, as you said, theft is a major problem!

re: tv's, I found it usually didn't help. the res room didn't have cable so it was only antenna stuff. That being said, ppl had video cards that could play tv and also rigged the cable through the roof etc. long story short, they got tv but still didn't watch it *that* much. my $0.02.

[Mach]

Theft IS a big problem but also think about what kind of courses you're taking. If they require the use of your own computer then u mite consider the laptop

[jeeva86]

yea, i'm going into 2nd year ECE at U of T and was thinking of getting a laptop, but not sure if i really need it..i mean, they're so cheap right now and don't want to miss out on good back to school deals..

[pandaharo]

laptop, make sure you keep an eye on it. I found it very useful to have a laptop computer because when you are studying in the library for example, its nice to have your own laptop to look up resources. You can also bring it to your friends to have a lan party and stuff. :)

[JimG]

Having a laptop can be useful. I had problems studying in my room, so I do it in the library. I like to study for a bit, then play a little UT2k4 :cheesygri

Jim

[rfdrfd]

personally, I'd go the desktop route.
Get a lcd and put the case on the floor and you have no problems with space. It still is a bit cheaper to buy a desktop and it's way more futureproof. Seeing as university is 4 yrs, it's unlikely you'll get a new system before you finish so at least with a desktop you can upgrade more late on.
lastly, as you said, theft is a major problem!

re: tv's, I found it usually didn't help. the res room didn't have cable so it was only antenna stuff. That being said, ppl had video cards that could play tv and also rigged the cable through the roof etc. long story short, they got tv but still didn't watch it *that* much. my $0.02.

Agreed !!! Save your $$$ for something else. Use the desktop that you already have. Desktops and Laptops will become obsolete as new processors come out every year, so don't spend so much money on a new machine until you are settled and earning money (after graduation).

Same with theft problem, desktop is much better in that sense.

[g5cubed]

Would a Mac laptop be useful in university. i'm most likely getting a free Powerbook from my brother, who's upgrading. But the powerbook has everything, Wifi, fast processor, big hard drive... Mac's also have the Office series (word, excel, powerpoint...), so I'm guessing it will be useful. Any hints on how to keep it safe (i.e. avoiding theft), like are dorm break-ins normal?

[rfdrfd]

Would a Mac laptop be useful in university. i'm most likely getting a free Powerbook from my brother, who's upgrading. But the powerbook has everything, Wifi, fast processor, big hard drive... Mac's also have the Office series (word, excel, powerpoint...), so I'm guessing it will be useful. Any hints on how to keep it safe (i.e. avoiding theft), like are dorm break-ins normal?

Of course it would be !! Anything FREE is useful for a student.... Powerbook too? Sweeeeet.

I'd say lock it up when you leave the room. Can't think of anything else, cords, locks, etc, ppl can rip it off.

[Tharyn]

Well I can say that you'd be better off with a desktop, I'm sure your campus will have more than enough PCs to accomadate your needs when you're not in your dorm.

That being said, I recently switched to a laptop solely because of co-op, since I move between school and work every 4 months and theoretically can end up anywhere for work, I prefer the laptop for mobility, basically I just pack my clothes and my laptop and I'm off to work anywhere.

It's uselless in class, I become way too distracted if I bring it with me, and it's useless for notes since I'm Engineering, so it's mostly mathematical formulas etc... although it was very useful for my Sociology elective, I'll give it that much.

Basically, I bought it out of need, but no, not all uni students have them now, and if it's a practical purchase, but stick to a desktop for now and see how it fairs. Lugging a desktop tower / montior 300+ kms is a little pain in the ass, let me tell you!

--Mark

[jeeva86]

regarding theft..you can get the new ibms that come with ibm fingerprint reader..so thieves will stay away from it, as it is pointless, i believe to take it..depends on the security features..i'm pretty sure you can't get your way around it..since fingerprints are unique..but you won't be able to protect yourself from that now, since thieves don't know abt this tech. as of yet, i think..hahaha..ya..so thas for your sec. concerns

[whey]

Would social science/humanities/geography/history student require laptops throughout the year? will it be necessary for these courses?

[supernerd]

regarding theft..you can get the new ibms that come with ibm fingerprint reader..so thieves will stay away from it, as it is pointless, i believe to take it..depends on the security features..i'm pretty sure you can't get your way around it..since fingerprints are unique..but you won't be able to protect yourself from that now, since thieves don't know abt this tech. as of yet, i think..hahaha..ya..so thas for your sec. concerns

No amount of software security is gonna prevent a physical theft. The best way to keep your computer safe is to keep it with you. Although kensington locks (both for laptops and desktops) are pretty good deterents, its not that hard to (a) break/pick the lock or (b) cut the cable.

However, if your computer does get stolen, then, yes, at that point, security features (i.e. passwords and encryption) are your friend to prevent further loses (i.e. personal data).

[Spyder187]

regarding theft..you can get the new ibms that come with ibm fingerprint reader..so thieves will stay away from it, as it is pointless, i believe to take it..depends on the security features..i'm pretty sure you can't get your way around it..since fingerprints are unique..but you won't be able to protect yourself from that now, since thieves don't know abt this tech. as of yet, i think..hahaha..ya..so thas for your sec. concerns

Ever heard of the man in Malaysia? Kind of frightening story is that the man had the Mercedes S-Class with the fingerprint reader needed to start the car up. Some guys carjacked him and he told them that it's useless even if they took the car because it wouldn't start up without his fingerprint. So the theives cut his finger off and took off. So yeah don't know what the moral of the story is but sometimes it's better to keep your mouth shut and also security can be taken too far sometimes. And yeah thieves suck. :evil:

Also, to get this straight, Malaysia is pretty damn developed. People have to go check it out sometime. And no I'm not from there. Official langugae is Bahasa Malayu (?), Malay in short I guess. Not anything like Zoolander's depiction, iirc the depiction in it.

One more thing, I'm sure that laptops will always have their good points in university but it isn't vital at all I think. I'm going there initially with just my desktop.

[shear_force]

Realistically you do not need a laptop, a desktop will suit your needs fine and it is more cost effective.

But if you are in co-op I would suggest a laptop as it a lot easier to move around with you. Takes up less space in the car and obvioulsy easier to transport from city to city and house to hosue every 4 months.

I'm in engineering and I've brought my laptop a few times with me to class. It served no purpose at all as it is not really feasible to take notes on a laptop in these kinds of courses.

~val

[hamhead]

my suggestion:

DONT GET A LAPTOP!!!

I once had one and took it everywhere w/ me. Everytime i sat down to study either at library or at home, I'd turn it on and then when i try to study, I'd be distracted every 5-10mins eitherr to surf the web, play gamez, download bittoreent stuff, watch anime, and... TO GO ON RFD :D !!!!!!!!!!

so... DONT GET A LAPTOP, but if u are really in need of a comp everywhere, dun worry, cuz, theres tons of comps everywhere on campus!

[Ryan1524]

Laptop. i use a Powerbook for school, and it handled everything i threw at it. i can carry it to class, bring it to group meetings and study sessions with friends, etc. my school like to administer assignments and lecture notes in electronic form, so it's always nice to have something to access it anywhere, anytime. it has become a very crucial study tool. and it's a lot easier to take home with you, handy if you like going home.

[DaveGoodmen]

I think if you are in need of getting a new computer (like me), than do get a laptop. Cuz you are only using your laptop to surf the web and type stuff, so it doesn't need any upgrading for the future.
I just got a laptop and going into commerce, so i don't know what to expect regarding the laptop when i get there. But for sure i will watch some video, on the go. :)

[Necrosis]

It really depends on your program. For some it may be handy to have, for others it's completely useless. Regardless, it's never necessary to have one (unless youre in an elearn type classroom). There are computers on campus to use and you may not even need a computer at the library. The main advantages are saving space on your desk in residence and the ease of carrying your computer home over the breaks/summer.

[Bitz]

I got a laptop in first-year thinking it was going to be my main computer until I graduated. After 3 years (of my 5 year program), I got so fed up with it that I completely replaced it with a desktop and now, I only really use my laptop when I'm studying at school during examtime.

My suggestion is to get a smokin' desktop for all your daily computing needs, and complement it with a very simple laptop that you can bring out when you need to study and work on group projects. Nowadays, the only things my laptop needs to handle is surfing, chatting, wordprocessing and the occasional programming assignment ... everything else is done on my main deskptop.