Desktop or Laptop?

[bigheadkyle2]

My current laptop is about to bite the dust so I'm looking into getting a new computer. My question is should I go with a desktop or a laptop. I know the main advantages of laptops is really just the portability issue and that's about it right? Also I know that it's hard to get an accurate representation on a laptop screen due to the angle you are viewing it and such. From the little research I have done you can get a desktop with the same specs(give or take a little) as a laptop for considerably less. I'm going to be running Photoshop CS5 and Lightroom 3 on it for photo editing and I do a little designing with Photoshop too which slows my current computer down a lot. So the question is desktop(lower price and just better all around) or laptop(portability)? Also any info on what I should look for as far as a processor and the such goes would be good. I have heard that an i7 processor is the best way to go.

 

[frisii]

I use a netbook, internet dongle, desktop monitor and a mouse tablet.

 

[bigheadkyle2]

I'm thinking about the Dell XPS 8300. Anyone know anything about this machine?

Some of the specs I have selected on it-
Dell ST2420L 24"W Full HD Monitor
Dell ST2220L 21.5" Wide Screen Monitor(for Photoshop brush and tool panels and the like)
12GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz- 4 DIMMs
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellst...bab99cff&ecomm=ecomm.dell.com&c=us&l=en&cs=192Tb - 7200RPM, SATA 3.0GB/s, 64MB cache
Single AMD Radeon HD 6870
Intel Core i7 - 2600 processor(8MB Cache, 3.4GHz)

 

[nickzou]

Seems like a beast. How much?

 

[bigheadkyle2]

It's just a little over $2100.

 

[chaosrealm93]

i heard dells are trash, unreliable, batteries catch on fire, overheat etc..

 

[red__zed]

i heard dells are trash, unreliable, batteries catch on fire, overheat etc..

Some of the cheap models are...well...cheap. The higher end stuff is pretty solid. I'm going on 6 years of constant travel with my d series and it is still in great shape.


Sent from my iPhone

 

[bigheadkyle2]

My brother has had a Dell laptop for almost 5 years that still works fine and has a Dell desktop that he has had for almost 2 years that works perfectly so I'm not sure about that. A computer is like a car. If you take care of it you can get more than enough use out of it but if you don't take care of it, whether it be a Kia or a Ferrari, it's not going to last.

 

[analog.universe]

Whichever direction you go, use half your budget for a nice monitor... doesn't matter how powerful your machine is if you can't see what you're editing. Also, yes i7's are very nice and will serve you fine. In my experience Dell has been plenty reliable, and offers upgraded warranties that might be worth it if you're worried about that sort of thing. Get lots of RAM. It's really cheap, so look for 8GB+, makes all the difference. Even if you have to buy a machine stock with 4 and then upgrade.

 

[Virtuosos]

Gaming computers, custom gaming computers, gaming pc, custom gaming pc


Or if you know anything about desktops, you can buy individual pieces off .... i can't remember the website, but its great pieces for cheap.....and build it yourself.

Anyways, i've shopped with DSO for years...the customer service is fantastic and the products themselves are good (especially for gaming). I don't trust dell as there have been too many issues with them for me, but thats not to say they don't make good products for fairly cheap. I personally game at times and love the benefits of having a gaming computer so -shrug-.

 

[red__zed]

Gaming computers, custom gaming computers, gaming pc, custom gaming pc


Or if you know anything about desktops, you can buy individual pieces off .... i can't remember the website, but its great pieces for cheap.....and build it yourself.

Newegg?


Sent from my iPhone

 

[analog.universe]

Newegg is great for building your own systems, I used to do that for all of my computers. So easy to get a refurbished Dell these days though, about the same price as if I built it myself.

 

[Offhand]

Seems pretty pricey for the config you list. Laptops are portable and that's pretty much about it. A big plus for anybody that needs full powered mobile. Desktops are better in every other way. They're cheaper, more expandable and faster and better machines. Easier to type, easier to read, last longer, cheaper to fix. But you need to get a decent monitor and the ones you listed look like cheap TN monitors. Dell's Ultrasharp series are pretty well regarded IPS monitors. I'm sure you can swap the ones you have out.

 

[bigheadkyle2]

Well what do you suggest if that is too pricey? And I'm not really sure about what to look for in the monitor. The 24" one is what it comes with and says full HD so if that's not good enough what should I look for?

 

[Fox_Racing_Guy]

I'm thinking about the Dell XPS 8300. Anyone know anything about this machine?

Some of the specs I have selected on it-
Dell ST2420L 24"W Full HD Monitor
Dell ST2220L 21.5" Wide Screen Monitor(for Photoshop brush and tool panels and the like)
12GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz- 4 DIMMs
2Tb - 7200RPM, SATA 3.0GB/s, 64MB cache
Single AMD Radeon HD 6870
Intel Core i7 - 2600 processor(8MB Cache, 3.4GHz)

Dell makes nice monitors so I can't diss anything about those.
Who makes 3G sticks of RAM? did you mean 4 sticks of 4G of RAM for a total of 16G?
Hard drive looks good, I like the Western Digital brand myself.
AMD Radeon HD 6870. I'm going to assume you are a PC gamer as well? This is way overkill for running CS5 and is made especially for PC gaming and will offer zero advantages for PS. You can get by with much less.
Intel Core i7 2600. Another overkill product unless you are doing video editing/rendering as well. The i5 2500K would be just as fast for PS plus it's extremely easy to overclock it to around 5GHz. The non "K" models can not be overclocked.
You could build the tower yourself for around $1,000 easily and have money left over for a SSD as well. Building computers at home is much simpler now then it was 10 years ago.