If you are still thinking about the new system you will be getting, I hope this post will help you make the right choice.

PC vs. Laptop vs. Netbook ( note no mention about Mac? I’m not interested in them, they are overrated, so deal with it )

Which should you buy? Well each of them has their pro’s and con’s, some more pro’s than con’s.

NETBOOKS

Let’s start off with Netbooks, horrible things I think personally, but that’s because for me personally, they will not satisfy my needs, however, they may suit you more, as you may do less with the system you require, than I do.

Netbooks are great if all you do with your system is use programs like word, browse the Internet, check emails and play little games like solitaire. All this uses very little processing power, so a Netbook can handle it all. However, the biggest advantage of a Netbook, is it’s size and weight, it’s portability.

Netbooks are not good if you need high processing / graphics power, a large screen ( working with stuff in detail on that small screen is frustrating for me ).

In summary, if you need something that does the basics, and you need something that is small and can easily fit in your bag without adding too much weight, then the Netbook may be the way to go for you, not something for me, but may be for you.

That’s all the time and effort I’m putting into Netbooks, for now at least ( and hopefully forever ).

LAPTOPS

Ah, the awesome Laptop, the luxury, mobility, the style. So why doesn’t everyone go for them? Why do pc’s still exist? Why doesn’t everyone get a laptop? First thing that comes to mind, may be cost, although this is often a factor, there are bigger and better reasons. But lets start with why you should, then go onto, why you shouldn’t by one.

Reason to get a laptop?

First of all, laptops are great for portability, not just moving from home to office for example, but moving room to room in the home or office. Attending a meeting with your own Laptop also helps with a good impression when it has it’s purpose.

Reasons NOT to get a Laptop?

COST: Laptops .vs PC’s, if you had to get the same specs on both, Laptops are more expensive. This isn’t because manufacturers think you should pay more for the luxury of portability, but because laptop components cost more to make, parts are smaller, compact, thinner, etc.

UPGRADING: When you buy a laptop, you are mostly stuck with what you buy for the duration of having that laptop. Hard drive space isn’t a problem, because you get good external / portable hard drives, as well as the fact the hard drive is swappable. CPU’s are upgradeable too, but in most cases, you are limited to Mobile processors, and motherboards may only support limited processors, so don’t just think matching the socket types on the motherboard and cpu will work. Memory ( RAM ) is in most cases upgradeable, either by adding more memory to the laptop, or by swapping the current memory with larger capacity memory. Make sure you find out the setup of memory in your laptop though, most laptops today have 2 memory slots, and hopefully, your new laptop will only have one slot taken up, but in some cases, your total memory maybe split into 2 slots ( 4gb = 2 x 2gb ), laptops are normally limited to the maximum capacity set by the motherboard and / or cpu model. Optical Drives ( CD / DVD, etc ) are possibly upgradeable too, however, make sure there is an upgrade that fits your specific laptop, they are not like PC’s where they fit a basic shape. Other than that, not much else is upgradeable that is situated inside the main casing, however, what you are interested in having the bigger and better of, may be available in the USB form. One more not, on newer processors, such as the Intel i3, i5, i7 models, the Graphics processors are embedded in the CPU, so if you upgrade the CPU, you upgrade the Graphics chip, the exception when your laptop’s motherboard has an additional Graphics chip. You are also stuck with the size of the monitor, in it’s portable capacity, but you can buy a bigger monitor and connect it by the external connection.

SECURITY IN MOBILITY : Mobility a negative? I know i said about it’s the positive, but having a system that can be moved around so easily, also means you may be inclined to take it anywhere while underestimating the danger of losing it. PC’s are larger, heavier, easier to bolt down, etc, compared to laptops too, making them harder to snatch and go.

PC’s / Personal Computers

The only negative thing I can honestly say I believe a PC has, is the fact they aren’t portable. So, short and sweet, here is your reason why not to, with a bit of extra effort, PC’s can be moved, however, power is always an issue for true mobility.

PC’s can do everything a Netbook and Notebook can do, for cheaper, better often. The are easier to upgrade, DIY is easier, cheaper, and possibilities of upgrading / adding parts are endless compared to Laptops. But in regards to what parts will work, make sure processor sockets / ram type, vga card slots match.

Personally, I’ve got myself a reasonably priced Laptop for mobility, and plan to get a good spec’d PC for high spec gaming, I bought my Laptop with an i3 processor, and plan to upgrade the processor to an i7 640M when I can afford it.

One last note, before I end this post, something I am actually pretty passionate about – INTEL .vs AMD? My opinion is stay away from AMD, and avoid anyone’s advice who tries to tell you otherwise, I have a thing where if I speak to a computer sales person, I ask him his opinion, if he says AMD, I immediately apply a deaf ear to anything else he says.

That’s all for this post, keep a note on last date edited, as I may update it time to time, but it won’t be major.