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Laptop VS Desktop?

E

eShrimes

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 27, 2011
9
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Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A334 Safari/7534.48.3)

So here's the deal:
I'm 18 and probably moving to The Netherlands next summer. I already own a late 2010 21.5" iMac (i3), but I'm looking to upgrade. I'm not sure what to get though, should I stick with a desktop or should I go for my first laptop? I really like the size of the screen on my iMac, but the portability of a laptop would be awesome while on the go! Gimme some advice/personal experience!
 
Only you know how you will use your machine day-to-day. If you generally use your computer at a desk then you will always get more spec for your money with a desktop, but it's not practical to take an iMac to Starbucks now is it?

I travel a lot, so I see the laptop as the essential and the desktop as the luxury item....
 
Easy. Need portability? Get a laptop. Don't need portability? Get a desktop. Problem solved.
 
If you like screen real estate, you could always go for an MBP + external display setup. I'd definitely go with a laptop nowadays, though.

And a warm welcome in advance to the Netherlands. ;) Oh, and if you now reside in a country which maintains a different currency than the Euro, I'd definitely recommend buying it before you move. Had I bought my late 2011 MBP in the US, for example, I would have saved €419 (or $584). Just letting you know. :)
 
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The fact you're looking to upgrade from such a new machine that would suffice for three times your needs probably tells us you should just buy everything and have the latest and best of both worlds for the heck of it.

Telling us your needs more specifically would help; it'd probably become quite obvious by then.
 
I used to be a desktop guy but finally got a 15" MBP was definitely a change and I found that it was a lot more convenient. It was a good desktop replacement for me, could run most games today and meet my day to day needs.
 
There's no need to upgrade such a new machine to a new one. Get a portable if you have the cash to spare or you're dying for something new. Otherwise stick with what you have.
 
eShrimes said:
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A334 Safari/7534.48.3)

So here's the deal:
I'm 18 and probably moving to The Netherlands next summer. I already own a late 2010 21.5" iMac (i3), but I'm looking to upgrade. I'm not sure what to get though, should I stick with a desktop or should I go for my first laptop? I really like the size of the screen on my iMac, but the portability of a laptop would be awesome while on the go! Gimme some advice/personal experience!
Click to expand...

Get an iPad alongside your iMac when you need portability?
 
I have the same imac as you, a 2011 MBP 13" and an ipad

iMac is used when I'm home and I want to use a PC

MBP I use for working in front of the TV

iPad on the train.

If I had to give one up I'd lose the iMac, I use it the least - 99% of stuff could be and is done on the MBP
 
I have both.

I find that I spend more of my time on the desktop (but only because of screen real estate).

Honestly, unless you need obscene amounts of power, it makes more sense to get a Laptop + External monitor.

It's cost effective, you get screen real estate, and you get portability.
 
I use my 13" MPB for portability but when I get home i use the twelve south book arc and connect to my external display and use it like a desktop so its the best of both worlds.
 
Quinoky said:
If you like screen real estate, you could always go for an MBP + external display setup. I'd definitely go with a laptop nowadays, though.

And a warm welcome in advance to the Netherlands. ;) Oh, and if you now reside in a country which maintains a different currency than the Euro, I'd definitely recommend buying it before you move. Had I bought my late 2011 MBP in the US, for example, I would have saved €419 (or $584). Just letting you know. :)
Click to expand...

Thank you :D
 
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Hate to say what everyone has already said...but only you know. This reminds me of the kids coming in on one of the STI forums I belong to and saying which one should I buy? If price is of no object to you, buy the biggest and best.

Need to move it around the house? MBP. Only need it in one location then desktop. Not a difficult question to answer IMO. You haven't stated what use your computer serves in the OP.

If I was you, take a picture of both, put them on a wall, blindfold yourself, and run straight towards the pictures. Whichever one your face smacks closest to is the one you should get.
 
Since you already have an iMac that really isn't that old I would go with the MacBook. Your iMac is not that old and I doubt replacing it with another iMac would present any major differences. Getting a MacBook would be a nice companion to the iMac and offer you more portability. You could take the MacBook with you to work or classes and use the iMac at home or when more screen real estate is needed.

In the past I have had both desktops and laptops and have found myself using the laptop the majority of the time because I wasn't tied to a desk. My computer of choice these days is the laptop. I have not bought a desktop machine in at least a decade.
 
I use a 13" MBP along with an external monitor. It gives me the flexibility and portability of the MBP but also the screen real estate of a iMac. This is what I would recommend if your budget can handle both a MBP and monitor.
 
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