Some Assembly Required, The College Computer Guide: June 2006, Part 1b: Context

So last article I completely left out one of the most important parts of any advisory guide – the writer’s context.

Probably like most of you reading this today, I grew up in the time period where computers, and later, the internet, transformed into integral parts of everyday life. I was one of those kids that was deeply interested in all aspects of computer and technology, and I’ve kept track of new hardware and software as it’s come along through the years. I’ve built my fair share of computers, and I’ve always been a big proponent of the DIY, or “do-it-yourself” computer segment, favoring computers that you build yourself rather than pre-made computers bought from the store or online.

At the same time, for much of my life I’ve been technologically-deprived by contemporary standards, especially among those here in California. While I’ve always built my own computers, and therefore had access to a greater variety of more cost-effective parts, most all of my rigs were more in the bargain-basement range than anything high end. Like most public schools up until the early 2000’s, my experience with computers up through middle school was all Mac-based, and the schools I attended weren’t the kind that had much of an emphasis on computers or technology. The high school I attended was probably above-average as far as technology emphasis went, although it didn’t become that way until my last couple of years, and even then it lacked the kind of hardcore and cutting-edge computer or digital media classes. Most importantly, my mini-generation (4 years) of high school students was approximately the group that ushered in broadband internet connection as the mainstream, bringing in all of the p2p file-sharing, streaming video, Flash, and the rest of the Web 2.0 applications with it. Throughout this time, I was part of the remaining few (especially of those working or studying on the forefront of technology) that was still stuck back on 56k dial-up connections. Put all of this together, and you come up with someone who is in fact a fair bit behind the technological curve, with a mindset that is still thinking more in 2003 terms than 2007.

I’ve had a computer for as far back as I can remember, and I probably started using it heavily around 1997-1998 (4^th grade). I started using internet probably around middle school, at libraries and school and such, but I didn’t get real online access until about 2002 (9^th grade), when I finally got signed up for dial-up access at my house. I’ve had several-ish desktop computers (or two-ish computers that have been continually upgraded Mr. Potato-head style), which handled all manners of word processing/productivity apps just fine, and at various points in time were able to handle some games, although never the latest and greatest. I finally picked up my own laptop when I started college – like all of my desktops, about two generations behind the newest curve, but able to handle general processing just fine, although it struggles with games and intensive digital media work.

I’ve done lots with computers. I used to play games a lot, although most all were on the low-end in terms of performance needs (no FPS’s, and obviously, no MMO’s), although I rarely do any of that these days. I use Office productivity apps like anyone else, although probably Excel and Powerpoint more extensively than most people. Compared to most people, I’m probably more utilitarian online, using it for email and forums, and probably far less than the average person for more bandwidth-intensive stuff like p2p filesharing or streaming video. These days as a student and half EE, half CS major, my main computer tasks boil down to general internet communication use (email, IM, forums, and blogging, none of them hardware or bandwidth intensive), computer programming (typing text – not hardware intensive at all), and digital image processing (heavily memory and display (monitor) intensive).

If there’s anything to take into context while you’re reading this series, it’s that I come from a heavily utilitarian, Spartan even, mindset. I’ve worked a lot with computers, on the hardware side, on the software side, and on the networking side, but I’ve mostly done it with bare bones equipment, so my philosophy tends toward making what you can out of the fewest possible resources. I’m also… how should I say this… used to slowness, and perhaps I’m more patient and forgiving when it comes to performance expectations from hardware, although with my experience I’m probably far more efficient and less wasteful at eking out performance from the hardware. Thus, most of what I write here should be fairly accurate with what people really need, but as far as “luxury” performance goes, it’s an unfamiliar territory that I often write about but haven’t actually experienced much of. Madness you say? No, this is SPARTA! Figurative, computer Sparta. Where Macs are Persians, those god-damn Persians…

Here’s my plan for the rest of this series:

Windows, Mac, and Linux, oh my!
Laptop size/formfactor, and display
CPU
Memory
Hard drive
GPU (graphics processor)
Miscellany (optical drives, wifi cards)
Which computer manufacturers, and where to buy

Some Assembly Required, The College Computer Guide: June 2006, Part 1: Desktop or Laptop?

If there’s a single thing that becomes your life in college, it’s your computer. For some time now, access to computers and access to the internet has been an essential part of studying, working, and social networking. For most people, the move to college makes the computer an even more integral part of life, or for some, the definition of it. For many students, the move to college brings a huge part of social networking and communication online, and even if one were to avoid that, the bevy of schoolwork and even school administration tasks administered by computer ensures that it is a vital part of life.

With the computer being such an important device, and one that you’ll be using extensively for several years, choosing a right one will probably be one of the most important decisions you’ll make in college.

This article is a guide for choosing a new computer, including a debate, dissection, and explanation of computer components and which to buy.

Before beginning to choose a computer, there are two very important questions you need to answer, which will have the biggest role in shaping your eventual computer. The first is, “Do I want a Desktop or Laptop”, and the second is “Do I want a Windows-based PC, Mac OS-based Apple, or Linux-based PC?”

Desktop or Laptop?
There are two main types of computers, classified by their formfactor. One is the desktop, which is the large metal box that sits on desks or floors that most everyone is familiar with. The second is the laptop or notebook, which is a much smaller, portable computer about the size of a large textbook, that integrates all the display screen, computer, and input controls such as the keyboard into one package.

Desktops have always been superior to laptops in every single aspect besides portability. With a desktop you have much more choice and control over the parts you want, much better equipment at much cheaper prices, and far easier upgradeability and more modularity (on a desktop you can change any component at will). On the other hand, you can’t bring a desktop anywhere else but your desk.

The simple answer is that, for a college student, a laptop’s portability not only exceeds all the benefits a desktop offers, but is necessary for college. And while this wasn’t the case in 2005, or even early on in 2006, laptop technology in 2007 has reached a point that the median laptop can equal the median desktop in most regards, except at a higher cost. Certainly, even a modest laptop will be ‘good enough’ for the vast majority of applications for the vast majority of students, except in the field of cutting-edge computer gaming.

For taking down notes in classes, computer-related classes, and working on group projects, a laptop is essential, and no desktop computer could replace it. Various group projects I’ve worked on over the past year, for example, all involved everyone in the group getting together with laptops to jointly work on papers or reports or research – without a portable computer to bring, a group member really wouldn’t have been able to contribute or do any work at all.

An interesting alternative that I thought of before beginning college was a dual laptop and desktop solution. Specifically, getting whatever souped-up desktop you want to use as a ‘main’ computer at home and getting the cheapest laptop possible as a pure ‘notebook’ computer to use away from home. This solution offers the best of both worlds, with all the power and features you want at home, and the portability to have a computer on to go as well, where you wouldn’t care about having a powerful computer to play games, do graphics works, etc. Given the very modest prices for desktops, and the price of the cheapest laptop, such a setup would run for about as much as a high-end laptop (which still wouldn’t be as powerful as the desktop, nor as portable as a cheap laptop). After a year of experience in college (with just a single laptop) I’ve rethought this idea, for several reasons:

It’s difficult to coordinate files between two computers. Having two computers, both of which you use to do work, would lead towards a situation where you have multiple versions of the same file stored on different computers, with the tedious task of synchronizing all of them and making sure you have the latest one. It’s more of a nuisance, and there is software out there that will automate tasks like this, but for the most part (see below) this isn’t really worth the hassle.
Laptop prices have dropped a lot in the past year, making the dual laptop-desktop combo less financially appealing. Two years ago, a laptop that could truly “do-it-all” would run around $1500, while for $800-900 you could get yourself a fairly decent desktop and for $500-600 you would find a low-end laptop. In today’s market, the same fairly decent desktop may run $700-800, and the cheapest laptop may be $400-500, but for $1000 you can find a laptop that can handle most anything (high-end gaming aside), and many $800-900 laptops are up to the task as well.
Laptops today are far more capable than they were 1 or 2 years ago. Until recently, getting a laptop meant compromises in limited hard drive space, limited choice in graphics processors and CPUs, and small screens – or if you wanted the biggest baddest processor and huge 17” screen, this meant a pitifully low battery life and large size that removed any sense of portability. Today, laptops can come with hard drives that range into 200GB (comparable to a desktop hard drive, and definitely sufficient for most needs), as well as full-fledged graphics cards and CPUs. In addition, external attachments like more storage space through external hard drives and better and bigger screens through secondary monitors have become much more viable as costs have plunged. On top of all that, designed-for-portability low-wattage processors (as well as other components) mean that many of the powerful laptops still have respectable battery life and portable size.

With all this in mind, for the average user (meaning anyone who doesn’t demand live and die on their games’ fps rates – if you don’t know what that means then thankfully this isn’t you!) a laptop makes the most sense. The desktop provides few benefits that a laptop wouldn’t be able to provide at a higher cost, the biggest among them hard drive space in excess of 300GB (although the current 200GB or even 100GB available should be very sufficient, and adding on external hard drives is always an option) and lack of the highest-end graphics processors (important solely for gaming, and even then, not a necessity). A laptop with similar specifications will cost more, but the extra cost in exchange for portability to use a computer in class or collaborative group work is more or less a necessary sacrifice in today’s world. The one exception is for pure gamers – those who would demand the highest performance possible (meaning well over $2000 for a desktop), who would be much better off getting a cheap laptop in addition to their desktop just so they will have something to use for outside-of-home schoolwork. This issue being settled, and the only recommendation for a desktop going to hardcore gaming benchmarkers (which is considerably non-education related), the rest of this series and the final recommendations will focus solely on a single laptop platform, although a desktop guide remains a possibility (and may happen, just for fun) if there is enough popular demand.