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Laptop or desktop for university


KAiN5 (banned )

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The college where I work just installed wireless for the dorms this year. We have put about 60% of the student computers on the network. A lot of those are laptops, and it does give you the great portability factor. At least one of the students has already had their laptop stolen. Their own fault, left unattended for a few minutes at a downtown park. The laptops still cost more for what you get and aren't as upgradeable. They are easier to break, since they can be abused more by hauling them around.

My daughter has had a laptop at school for two years now, and wouldn't have it any other way. Why? All her stuff comes home with her on break. She is writing a lot, so for her that is very important. She still has internet access when at home, and can check school mail from there.

We do not have wireless in the classrooms yet. Students aren't yet disciplined enough to work on class material during class. I would still take a desktop, but I have too much hardware in my desktop that won't work easily or cheaply enough on a laptop.

My two cents.

Marvel

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get a tablet pc. it's a great laptop, plus you won't need to take paper and pen notes. Don't expect to be able to type notes in class. a) can't write diagrams or anything, and B) many profs won't allow it (the noise).

however, with a tablet pc, you can write and then convert it to text if you want. However, the coolest thing about the tablets is that you can write notes on it, and record the lecture at the same time. then, when you go back and play the audio back, it'll scroll through your notes where the audio and written notes line up. THAT would've helped me soooo often. to be able to go back and here what exactly the prof was talking about while knowing exactly what i was writing at the time.

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Laptop.

Although I am a desktop guy (games, 3D AutoCAD, etc.), I will probably get a laptop (my mom just got a REALLY nice Compaq for $800 this weekend) once I am a Junior in college and spending lots of time on campus. However, I have no use for one now.

Hey, whats cooler than taking a craq and posting on this forum at the same time 9.gif

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Laptop. Bought our daughter one when she started college last year. This year she's in a brand new dorm and they have wireless network access, so she's digging it. Nowadays, I don't think you give up anything with a laptop (hey, I'm using one right now...)

I agree that "security" is an issue with laptops (they're small, light, and intrinsically valuable). I also bought her one of those "defcon" alarms for it, although I have no clue whether she uses it or not :-)

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I'd go with a nice laptop, and when you want to play games...invest in a nice monitor, USB keyboard and USB mouse that will just sit around waiting for you to plug in (and of course a nice set of klipsch pro-media speakers) 2.gif

I know they've got docking stations, that let you do that too...perhaps invest in a cheap computer to act as the docking server thing? I dont know how it all works, but if you're interested, I'll talk to my uncle who's really into all that fancy stuff...but from what I know, it's not that much more expensive and it lets you play your games (which is like impossible on a laptop).

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