New Computer or a laptop?

[gardenmad]

Help! please can anyone tell me which is the best thing to buy - a new computer or a laptop - my computer is very old - about ten years - it has windows 98 but it is very slow and lots of things are on the blink - I do not know which sort to get, can anyone advise? This is an ordinary computer just used for family things, we write a lot on it, use email and search the web - it cost about 900 pounds in a John Lewis sale (there is no pound sign on it!!) and I am worried that what I buy might not be compatible with my HP Office Jet combined printer, scanner, copier which is still very good. Any suggestions, please?

[Ethel]

Do not worry about your HP office jet - the prices have come down considerably and you will be surprised how cheap they are. You should not let in influence your choice of new pc.

For �900 you could buy a new laptop, pc and all in one printer. :)

However, I believe you are concerned about quality more than quantity. Laptops are a lot more robust and powerful than they used to be. They are also reliable.
The advantages are obvious. The disadvantage is that it can be harder to upgrade them in future if that is something important to you.

As you have been satisfied with your desktop, perhaps that is the route for you to go. I suggest you invest �4 or so in the latest pc magazine, so you can see the sort of spec that is considered 'minimum' today and how much you should be paying. Read the reviews.

I recommend you buy a PC with Windows XP rather than Vista, which is still very new and 'buggy'. Or perhaps wait a few months.

[fo3nix]

If you want to be able to take the thing and put it away at the end of the day, or do your typing or web browsing from your dining room or in front of the tv, then consider getting a laptop.

If you're just going to be keeping it in one place then you may as well get a regular desktop PC.

For the same money, you'll get a higher performance desktop PC, with a larger screen, and it'll be far easier to upgrade certain components at a later date if you want to. Upgrading a laptop's RAM and hard disk are possible, but little else.

[fo3nix]

As with Ethel, I would also suggest you either get a PC with XP on it (and not vista), or get a Mac.

If you live near an Apple Store, then consider going and checking out a Mac. If you only use general programs and nothing too technical and specific (i.e. typing, spreadsheets, photo stuff, internet, email, etc.), then a Mac may very well suit your needs -- my thoughts are with the iMac.

[gardenmad]

Thank you Ethel and Fo3njix - plenty to think about there - and some very sound sense, too. I will have to weigh the cons and pros of both - it would be nice to cart the thing around if I wanted to work elsewhere in the house, on the other hand, with the pencil slim monitors they produce nowadays, I could very well leave the thing on the desk I work at now - as I said, plenty to think about, but not until the grandchildren have gone! I certainly know where to come for any more advice, of a more technical nature, next, I think. Thank you both again.

[gardenmad]

I forgot to say - am making rather a thing about it as I do not want to make an expensive mistake!!

[Ethel]

You are right to be cautious and not rush out and buy off the shelf without doing your research.

It is pointless buying a �1000 pc that is capable of far more than your needs, when a �400 would be more than adequate.

On the other hand, you don't want to waste �400 on a piece of rubbish.

Take your time, do the research - then you will know what you want and had much to pay.

[vehelpfulguy]

Think carefully about screen size. You say you write a lot so screen size is very important.

Laptop screens tend to be much smaller than PC screens.

Laptop screens are usually about 15.4 inches, although some do now come with 17 inches or more.

But PC screens usualy START at 17" and now 19" or even 20" (or higher) are more common.

I use two PCs next to each other at home, one is a laptop with 15.4" screen and the other a PC with 19" screen.

It is so much nicer to use the 19" screen as each window can show so much more information, or you can have 2 or 3 windows on display at the same time.

The price of 19" TFTs have been dropping so it is not too expensive to buy a PC with a 19" screen.

[knobbynonuts]

Hi there gardenmad it sounds like me tha you would be more suitable to a laptop they are getting so cheap now and have so much lagre memories have just bought a very decent one with 1gb and 60gb of hard drive for under �400 to back up my desktop (and of course to play videoes when we are on holiday) and if anything I prefer using my laptop to my desktop.But a little word of warning here microsoft vista is crap at the moment and has so many problems so try to get get xp and as for windows 98 ahhhhhh I remember it well (and I mean that with affection)

[gardenmad]

Thank you all for your suggestions - I am of course still thinking about it - not very often or deeply as we have the grandchildren here this weekend but come Monday I shall read your replies again - I take your point, Knobbynonuts, about vista, I've not heard a good word about it so far. I'm not sure either about transfering all my stuff, can I put it on floppy disks? Thanks again.

[fo3nix]

You could but it's not a good way as floppy disks aren't very reliable. You're probably best getting a cheap flash drive and copying the stuff across that way (assuming it has windows 98 support)

http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/116102

[gardenmad]

Thank you Fo3nix, can I ask you another question? (being very ignorant of computers - when I got mine, years ago, all I knew about were wp's) - if I have another computer in the house, can I connect that to the internet, using my provider? (and how do I do it?) I'm quite ignorant, you see, but I have not had to think about any of this for years!!

[fo3nix]

I assume you're on broadband?

If so, you need some way of splitting your internet to a few computers. You do this with a router, or if you want one that lets you use a laptop wirelessly (i.e., internet with no wires), you want a wireless router.

The next thing to ask you is if you have ADSL broadband or cable broadband. ADSL broadband is the sort you get through your regular phone line, such as from BT, tiscali, etc. cable broadband is from a cable TV supplier like NTL and telewest (now virgin media).

ADSL broadband:
http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/52244/rb/2658 5335996
cable broadband:
http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/48546

I can explain why you need to know the difference, but that may not be of any use or interest to you.

[gardenmad]

Hello, Fo3nix, yes I am on broadband, and ADSL - now my son has entered the field and has offered his computer gratis which has four times the capacity as mine, he says, cost one thousand pounds four years ago and has been upgraded since (I expect he can burn cd's etc, which is all Greek to me but I'll learn) but which is still a great big bulky thing but I suppose if I have that I can then get a laptop which I could use anywhere in the house. I shall still need to get a router and thank you Fo3nix please explain why I need to know the difference between ADSL and cable - I am all for new knowledge, which is why I waste (?) several hours a week on the internet.

[fo3nix]

OK, well networks are normally connected up using ethernet cables (otherwise called RJ45's). it's the standard cable for a network.

for some strange (unknown to me) reason, many ADSL providers ship modems that connect via USB -- a type of connection more for digital cameras and other peripherals. however, to my knowledge, most cable broadband companies (certainly mine at home) sends modems with ethernet connections. ethernet is certainly better than USB for this sort of thing, so it remains a mystery to me (it's also probably just as cheap, so shouldn't be a cost issue).

so, the modem is first in line from your phone line (it converts all the signals), then once converted goes to the router that you need to buy, and then from there to your computers individually. the problem here is that connecting a usb modem to a router (that is always ethernet, since routers are network things) is basically not possible.

so to allow for this you buy a ADSL modem+router in one package for ADSL broadband, but if you're on cable with an ethernet modem you just need a router.

[gardenmad]

Oh, God. Right, well we are opening the garden for breast cancer care - our lovely young next door neighbour has had this, and is running in the London Marathon for it, we are doing what we can back here, so I am rather busy clearing up months of neglect, AFTER this is done, and we have opened, I shall get down to changing my computer and will read again all my answers. Thank you very much for your help (and time!) I hope I have not been too hopeless!