afternoon…

which do the stw think would be better for a new home computer. it will need to be for me for editing photos and watching video (when we finally get high speed broard band) mrs vader for what ever she wants and mini vader for his school work and playing the cbeebies type games. ideally id like a touch screen all in one but that’d have to live upstairs out of the way. is there a laptop on the market that would do as well at all those or should i just mtfu and get a pc?

cheers

I’ll admit to knowing very little about laptops, but i am aware that there are loads of new W8 machines sporting touchscreens nowerdays. Why you’d need a touch screen i don’t know, but your requirements no doubt differ from mine. Personally, i can’t imagine any situation whereby one would be required.

I’d always vote for the PC; more performance potential (important for editing), more future proofing, lower cost, etc etc. Mobility is the only reason to consider a Laptop, in my opinion.

All the best!

I think if it’s to be used by kids then a PC in a public place is a good idea. You can keep and eye on what they are looking at on the internet etc.

Just use headphones if noise would be a problem.

They also tend to be a bit more robust than laptops.

Depends… have you got somewhere to put the PC? You might prefer the fact that a PC set up in a sensible place will give you a bit more control over what mini vader is up to, rather than a laptop which will at some point disappear into his room…

If you’ve not got somewhere sensible I’d go for a laptop, being able to sit on the sofa or at the kitchen table is a lot more sociable than disappearing off to the PC.

While Duffer’s right about the advantages of a PC (cheaper, better performance) a decent laptop will be more than powerful enough to do basic editing. How much did you want to spend?

A desktop PC will usually get you a better spec for a lot less than a quality laptop but then its stuck in one place and usually takes up a far bit of room.

If you want portability, space isn’t an issue and your budget is large you could always but a powerful quality laptop plus a separate 22″ or 24″ screen, keyboard and mouse.

There is no reason a good laptop won’t be able to meet your needs but if you are going to be sat in front of it for a lengthy period of time you need a comfortable setup.

the problem we face is one of space… the only place with enough is the spare bedroom which i would rather it wasnt. as for price possibly upto a grand ish

Laptops are good and cheap these days. A budget one will do everything you want. You will also be able to plug it into the TV to watch films and look at pictures.

Don’t need to spend a grand at all. £300-£400 will get something OK.

A grand? You’d build a quality PC for half that.

For that money, you could go mad with a 27+ inch screen (or even multi 23 inchers), quad core Intel i7, etc. A bit overkill for your requirements, i’d suggest. Not saying that’s a bad thing!

If its going to pretty much stay in one place a full blown PC every time for me with a decent screen.

Much easier for photo editing and can get a better bang per buck spec wise.

If you think there are times you may want to work elsewhere then laptop.

Cheers

Danny B

you mean they still make desktops?

Got a desktop, old laptop and iPad. Desktop never gets used as you have to go to one room to use it.

Just bought a new touch screen laptop, desktop going, old lap top going. Laptop can be used on your knee, kitchen table, bedroom etc, much more flexible.

Does everything we need ie using office, browsing etc. Touchscreen is useful, use it alot and works with the fact you have a decent keyboard. Cost £400

looks like i may have over budgeted! i think i may have sorted out the space issue so long as mrs vader agrees to the design…
i’d still prefer an all in one like the samsung ones, i’m not exactly up on the whole computer thing tho as its been years since i got my netbook and have no real idea whats out there. plus i’m not at all interested in building my own.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7287/analyzing-the-price-of-mobility-desktops-vs-laptops

Perfect timing, this was written the other day 🙂

way too geeky for me i’m afraid… im at the see spot run end of computing jargon 🙂

Why tie yourself down to one spot? Get a laptop and if you want to have a ‘computer desk’ then get a screen and separate keyboard and mouse. At lease then you’ll have the flexibility to go mobile if you wish.

iMac, even comes with a remote control.

Sharing with family members go with laptop especially if your kid is going to use it. Just set the time and location of use.