atw: Re: Buying a new laptop
- From: joe_zolin@xxxxxxxxxxx
- To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 19 May 2004 16:18:27 +1000
Hmmm the old laptop versus portable debate....
Several thoughts from me...
With a laptop, tax-wise it is classified as a mobile device and as such can
be bought with pre-tax dollars. Purely because it is a mobile device.
From a buying perspective, this is a huge advantage.
Having been involved in the LAN gaming scene, I know of a number of gamers
who do have these small footprint slimline PCs crammed to the topdeck with
whzzbangery to bring them up to gaming specs. Definately easy to
transport, and have a speed advantage over laptops primarily due to disk
access (not many laptops have hard-drives that go above 7200 rpm).
BUT... transportability is really only an advantage if you have an LCD
screen....
Yes you could pull the power supply out of a desktop and have it running
externally, but you would need some serious recabling done, as a power
supply for a desktop hase discrete outputs for
The Motherboard
Devices such as hard drives and CD-ROM drives (gad I am behind the times
already, should also include DVD and DVD RW...)
Shutdown detectors to turn the power supply off or send it to sleep.
The complexity of cabling between the external supply and the actual
desktop PC could be huge... lessee, 12v+ rail, 12v- rail 5v+rail 5v-rail...
the list goes on,
From my perspective, my laptop can go anywhere (including gaming arenas cos
it's high spec).
I can haul it to a client without having to set anything up (still got 2
hours minimum battery life), no stuffing about with extension cords n power
boards..
If I really want to get security conscious it has little dinky bits
designed to fit a cable that can be used to secure it to something solid
(like my leg).
I make regular backups to USB storage.
I am ugly and proficient in the art of "baseball bat" for extra surprise
for home invaders.
I have comprehensive insurance for car and contents.
I don't leave it lying around!
If I had my druthers, for all my work I'd use it, and for the load of work
I do on it, I am yet to find any situation where a desktop provides an
advantage to me.
Joe Zolin
Technical Communicator/Tech Comms MYOB
E-mail: JOE.ZOLIN@xxxxxxxxxxx
Phone (work): (03) 9222 9992 Ext. 7429
"Michael Granat"
<mgranat@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> To:
<austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent by: cc:
austechwriter-bounce@fre Subject: atw: Re:
Buying a new laptop
elists.org
19/05/2004 03:56 PM
Please respond to
austechwriter
Yes, I considered that Naomi (Kramer)
But the power supply (plus fan) in most of today's desktop
PCs is around the size of an Amiga 500 power block from
1987 and considerably lighter.
As for the CPU, you could use one from a laptop and add a
decent heat sink at the back plus some more ventilation.
I just remember how people used to carry their slimline
Amigas inside a ruck sack or under their arms to swap
meets and user group meetings, taking seconds to set up.
So portable, robust and capable.
I even saw an Amiga 1200 (Motorola 68020 CPU)
running Windows 95, Mac OS, a UNIX GUI and
the Amiga GUI in separate but concurrent
sessions while the owner flipped between them.
Plus everything (except Amiga) ran faster than
on their native machines.
Games platform my eye!
But perhaps not enough of a status symbol for
today's "laptops and lattes" market? =20
Cheers,
Michael
Michael E. Granat
Technical Communicator
Without Prejudice. E&OE. Private & Confidential.
-----Original Message-----
From: Naomi Kramer [mailto:nkr@xxxxxxxxx]
Sent: 19 May 2004 15:42
To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: atw: Re: Buying a new laptop
I suspect the power supply needs got too high, what with all the cards =3D=
and
gadgets! Consider the need for a decent-sized power supply, and =3D
generally a
fan for the power supply and another one for the CPU... and it's much =3D=
more
difficult to design a slim, compact case. Not impossible, obviously - =3D=
but
probably more pricey and difficult than the demand warrants. It would =3D=
be an
extra step between standard cases and laptops.
- Naomi
-----Original Message-----
Now why nobody (that I know of) builds a PC these days
as portable as an Amiga 500, 600 or 1200 (or an Atari ST)
of the late 1980s and 1990s, with a slim CPU case that has
an integrated keyboard is beyond me.
<snip>
######################################################################
Attention:=20
The information in this electronic mail is privileged and
confidential, intended only for use of the individual or entity named.
If you are not the intended recipient, any dissemination, copying or
use of the information is strictly prohibited. If you have received
this transmission in error, please delete it immediately from your
system and inform us via mailto ops@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
This e-mail has been scanned and cleared by MailMarshal=20
######################################################################
**************************************************
To post a message to austechwriter, send the message to
austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To subscribe to austechwriter, send a message to
austechwriter-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with "subscribe" in the Subject field.
To unsubscribe, send a message to austechwriter-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with
"unsubscribe" in the Subject field.
To search the austechwriter archives, go to
www.freelists.org/archives/austechwriter
To contact the list administrator, send a message to
austechwriter-admins@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
**************************************************
**************************************************
To post a message to austechwriter, send the message to
austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To subscribe to austechwriter, send a message to
austechwriter-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with "subscribe" in the Subject field.
To unsubscribe, send a message to austechwriter-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with
"unsubscribe" in the Subject field.
To search the austechwriter archives, go to
www.freelists.org/archives/austechwriter
To contact the list administrator, send a message to
austechwriter-admins@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
**************************************************
Other related posts:
