Laptops or Desktops...

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

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.

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.

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

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..

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.

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

Jim

Originally Posted by 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.

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.

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?

Originally Posted by 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?

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.

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

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

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

Originally Posted by 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

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).

Originally Posted by 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

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.

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.