LAPTOP vs DESKTOP - in medical school - smackdown on ppv

[DieselPetrolGrl]

I am grieving the almost three month anniversary of the theft of my HP laptop
This was my child…
I spent many days upgrading and customizing it to perfection…..actually spent two years doing that!

I received a insurance check for 1/7th of the total burglary costs and am now in the market for a new computer for medical school.

I never carried around my laptop – actually I don’t even carry books usually – I just like having a bag like I do – so I am considering a desktop!
I also feel physically more comfortable when working on a desktop.

Anyone have any serious issues with not having a laptop in medical school?
I am wondering if I will regret my purchase. But i feel such a horrible aversion when I think of all the time I spent working on my HP that I just want a "it will do" version now.

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[nicholonious]

I am grieving the almost three month anniversary of the theft of my HP laptop
This was my child…
I spent many days upgrading and customizing it to perfection…..actually spent two years doing that!

I received a insurance check for 1/7th of the total burglary costs and am now in the market for a new computer for medical school.

I never carried around my laptop – actually I don’t even carry books usually – I just like having a bag like I do – so I am considering a desktop!
I also feel physically more comfortable when working on a desktop.

Anyone have any serious issues with not having a laptop in medical school?
I am wondering if I will regret my purchase. But i feel such a horrible aversion when I think of all the time I spent working on my HP that I just want a "it will do" version now.

Yo, get a laptop. You can survive without one, hell, you could even survive without one as a resident.

Considering you only have 1/7th the money of your previous laptop, bear in mind that there are some good deals for a decent laptop around 5-600 bucks. If I were you I'd go for a 12" light one (dell, compaq, sony...etc.)

 

[Medikit]

I think having both would be nice. But since your not planning on carrying it with you I'd say definitely get a desktop. Laptops just aren't as comfortable.

My school includes the price of a laptop in the tuition so I'm just going to bring my desktop and have both.

 

[dajimmers]

I really want one of those tablet PC laptops for medschool. You can then write notes on it even while walking around, say in a clinical setting...

 

[DoctaJay]

I build computers all the time, and I refuse to recommend a laptop to anyone, just because of the value. If you had $1,500 to spend, I guarantee that you can get a better desktop with that money (including 17" flat screen monitor, etc.) than if you bought a laptop. Also, if something goes wrong with a laptop, its much harder to troubleshoot it than a desktop. If your hard drive goes on ur desktop, you can just open the case up, yank the hdd out, and put a new one in. With a laptop its much harder.

Now, if your going to Drexel for medical school, I might actually recommend a laptop, cause like their whole campus is wireless. But honestly, how often do you use the computer? Most times you might need to use a computer, the medical school's computer lab is open. Meh, get a desktop. More quality for your buck, and (to me at least), its more comfortable to type on a desktop than a laptop.

 

[Arsenic]

I am grieving the almost three month anniversary of the theft of my HP laptop
This was my child…
I spent many days upgrading and customizing it to perfection…..actually spent two years doing that!

I received a insurance check for 1/7th of the total burglary costs and am now in the market for a new computer for medical school.

I never carried around my laptop – actually I don’t even carry books usually – I just like having a bag like I do – so I am considering a desktop!
I also feel physically more comfortable when working on a desktop.

Anyone have any serious issues with not having a laptop in medical school?
I am wondering if I will regret my purchase. But i feel such a horrible aversion when I think of all the time I spent working on my HP that I just want a "it will do" version now.

blah.... and then you tell me I write posts that are too long.

 

[deuist]

I build computers all the time, and I refuse to recommend a laptop to anyone, just because of the value. If you had $1,500 to spend, I guarantee that you can get a better desktop with that money (including 17" flat screen monitor, etc.) than if you bought a laptop. Also, if something goes wrong with a laptop, its much harder to troubleshoot it than a desktop. If your hard drive goes on ur desktop, you can just open the case up, yank the hdd out, and put a new one in. With a laptop its much harder.

I agree. Also, very few companies can actually build a decent laptop. There have been discussions on the SDN before, but I absolutely refuse to buy anything unless it is made by Toshiba (the low end of the market) or IBM (the high end). If you get a Dell, Gateway, HP, Compaq, or Sony, don't come crying to me when you have a motherboard failure, your computer stops connecting to the Internet, or the Pakistani tech support guy can't fix your problem.

 

[usandylim]

Desktops are easy to put together... it takes only a half hour to teach someone to put a whole desktop together from parts, so if you can find the parts cheap and someone to show you how to assemble one you can build your own frankenstein desktop in no time. And if anything goes wrong like someone said earlier you can replace parts with no problems at all.

On the other hand if you need to work in the library, outside, or if you are like me and like to do everything on the bed then a laptop is for you... just make sure you get a good extended warranty and buy one where the power jack is female rather than male so it doesn't become loose and prevent the battery from charging.

 

[domukin]

Yes, desktops are MUCH cheaper, that said... get a laptop. I carry around mine and use it everywhere, library, coffee shop, class... you name it. Most med schools nowadays have everything online, class websites, lecture notes, etc.

Also, I highly recommend IBM thinkpads. Mine has survived being dropped, soaked, and being carried/thrown in my back pack for two years now. Simply amazing. Stay away from sony vaios, I have to fix those all the time, they suck. Dells are ok, cheap too. Check out the x1, tiny little thing.

Might I add that you can get Insurance for it in case of damage/fire/flood/theft, etc. Good idea to protect the investment.

Oh, and I thought about getting a tablet too, but its hard to find good info on them.

 

[fun8stuff]

Yes, desktops are MUCH cheaper, that said... get a laptop. I carry around mine and use it everywhere, library, coffee shop, class... you name it. Most med schools nowadays have everything online, class websites, lecture notes, etc.

Also, I highly recommend IBM thinkpads. Mine has survived being dropped, soaked, and being carried/thrown in my back pack for two years now. Simply amazing. Stay away from sony vaios, I have to fix those all the time, they suck. Dells are ok, cheap too. Check out the x1, tiny little thing.

Might I add that you can get Insurance for it in case of damage/fire/flood/theft, etc. Good idea to protect the investment.

Oh, and I thought about getting a tablet too, but its hard to find good info on them.

where do you guys get your insurance for your laptops?

 

[dukeduke]

did you ever think about getting a laptop and docking it to a monitor/keyboard/mouse...whatever desktop accessories you prefer. In this case you can pick it up and go if you need to, but when youre at your desk it feels just like youre at a desktop. Slightly more expensive, though you can come by computer peripherals pretty cheap, or you may even have some already. I would be hesitant to limit myself to a desktop for the next 4 years at least...

 

[njbmd]

Hi there,
I purchased a tablet Laptop and love it. You can get an alarm for your laptop which, emits an ear shattering alert if someone touches your equipment. No one had gone near my computer.

I have a desktop computer with a 21-inch monitor but my tablet laptop is my gem. I can take notes on the tablet and use it like a regular laptop. I have a computer back-pack that holds everything. I even scan bookchapters into my laptop too for reading on the subway. It worked well for medical school and even better for residency.

njbmd

 

[DoctaJay]

You know, those tablet PCs are probably just about the only laptop I would buy. They do seem extremely useful. I would have to have a backtop desktop too.

 

[criminallyinane]

I agree. Also, very few companies can actually build a decent laptop. There have been discussions on the SDN before, but I absolutely refuse to buy anything unless it is made by Toshiba (the low end of the market) or IBM (the high end). If you get a Dell, Gateway, HP, Compaq, or Sony, don't come crying to me when you have a motherboard failure, your computer stops connecting to the Internet, or the Pakistani tech support guy can't fix your problem.

Or just get a Mac and you won't have any problems in the first place

 

[medstyle]

get a laptop. I have a laptop that is just as fast as any desktop i've ever owned, plus I have the ability to carry it around when i want, which is awesome. I recommend getting a laptop and a docking station, so you have the best of both worlds.

These days you can get a pretty awesome laptop for like 1400 or something, with dvd burner and the works. you should get at least 512 ram, but i would forgo the DVD burner if it costs a lot extra, unless you love to pirate DVDs. I dont see the point in it, since you can DVD's for like a dollar these days. Its not worth the trouble.

I think IBM's have the best quality hands down, and you can get certain discounts if you use a mastercard or whatever. However, sony's, fujitsu's and toshiba comps are way cooler. Dell is just plastic trash, and you can get a better computer for a little more from any of these japanese companies.

I have yet to see a dell laptop that didn't reveal why it was "the cheaper alternative".

 

[g3pro]

Get a PowerBook or iBook. You'll never regret it.

 

[shahalam]

There's a pretty sweet looking tablet convertible laptop on averatec.com. I think the model is c3500?

 

[tank you]

if you get a laptop, DO NOT get a sony vaio, trust me.

 

[Rzarecta]

Hey any of you MAC laptop users (ibook, powerbook) how to you like/dislike your computer? I am very interested in getting a lappie, and macs prices are great right now. I am kinda worried about stupid software issues between mac and pcs, but the idea of having a computer which won't crap out on me really quickly (inspiron 8000) is quite appealling.

 

[g3pro]

Honestly, what software is there that you can't get for a mac? There might be specialty apps which are compiled for WinXP only, so you might get screwed there. But more and more people are making apps for both XP and OS X, you you should be fine for the most part. I think that the benefits of getting a mac far outweigh the few software pieces you can't use on the mac.

 

[cozmopak]

Hi there,
I purchased a tablet Laptop and love it. You can get an alarm for your laptop which, emits an ear shattering alert if someone touches your equipment. No one had gone near my computer.

I have a desktop computer with a 21-inch monitor but my tablet laptop is my gem. I can take notes on the tablet and use it like a regular laptop. I have a computer back-pack that holds everything. I even scan bookchapters into my laptop too for reading on the subway. It worked well for medical school and even better for residency.

njbmd

What kind of tablet Laptop did you get? Is there anyone else out there who chose this option?

 

[deuist]

Or just get a Mac and you won't have any problems in the first place

Very true. Unix in the back, mac in the front. How can you go wrong? Unfortunately, getting software for a mac is not as easy as it is with a PC. Also, switching can be expensive. If I upgrade computers, I can transfer all of my old software. If I buy a mac, I'll also have to purchase mac versions of MS Office and PhotoShop.

 

[DeterminedMD]

What kind of tablet Laptop did you get? Is there anyone else out there who chose this option?

I am definitely looking into tablets too. IBM comes out with one june 6...definitely looks sweet. Weighs 3-4lbs....a lot lighter than all the others. Toshibas seem nice too. Drawback is that the smaller ones dont have an internal optical drive.

 

[DoctaJay]

Here are the specs for my computer:

NEC 17" flat screen
Wireless Keyboard & mouse
Logitech 5.1 speakers
Creative Sound Blast Audigy (sound card)
ATI Radeon 8500 All-in-Wonder 64mb/tv tuner (video card)
DVD burner 4x
cd burner
Antec server case with 400W power supply
1 GIGABYTE of memory
3.03 GHZ intel processor
Asus motherboard
Lexmark printer
and some other stuff

Now I built this, and it cost me around $1100. There is no way you could get a nice laptop with a 3 ghz processor and 1 gig of ram, and dvd burner, along with a nice color printer, and nice speakers, with a big screen for that price. But honestly, if you don't care about the specs on your computer, then a laptop is fine. I use mine mostly for gaming so thats why I have so much inside, but for most of the stuff you'll do in med school, you really don't need specs like that. But I'd rather get the top of the line for everything than settle. Plus its not that expensive. I hope what I was trying to say made sense.

 

[stinkycheese]

Hey any of you MAC laptop users (ibook, powerbook) how to you like/dislike your computer? I am very interested in getting a lappie, and macs prices are great right now. I am kinda worried about stupid software issues between mac and pcs, but the idea of having a computer which won't crap out on me really quickly (inspiron 8000) is quite appealling.

I used to have a dell, they suck. I have a PowerBook now and I love it. I'll never go back to PC. It is stable, I have no software issues, its pretty, and it works. It never crashes. I never have to even shut it off, just close the lid and it goes to sleep. Open the lid and it wakes back up instantly. It is the best computer I have ever had and more stable than my PC desktop. I will never buy anything other than a Mac for the rest of my life. Next up, when my desktop craps out, I'm going to get one of those sexy new iMacs.

 

[tacrum43]

if you get a laptop, DO NOT get a sony vaio, trust me.

Why? What's wrong with them? I just got one. It's been working good so far.

I did get the warranty deal thing for 4 years from Circuit City though, so it should be okay. Right?

 

[fun8stuff]

I used to have a dell, they suck. I have a PowerBook now and I love it. I'll never go back to PC. It is stable, I have no software issues, its pretty, and it works. It never crashes. I never have to even shut it off, just close the lid and it goes to sleep. Open the lid and it wakes back up instantly. It is the best computer I have ever had and more stable than my PC desktop. I will never buy anything other than a Mac for the rest of my life. Next up, when my desktop craps out, I'm going to get one of those sexy new iMacs.

i really don't understand why people on this site crap on dell all the time. I have worked with dells for the last 6 years- both personally and through high school and school and college. Only once have I had something go wrong, and that was basically my own fault and dell still replaced the motherboard, along w/ RAM, NIC, modem, powersource, processor all for FREE (like 2 days after warranty expired). No one I know has ever had any problems with them- except for the customer service people with strong indian accents, which is why i deal with them exclusively through email.

i have used a range of notebooks, including macs, and i would still go with dell for value. I can understand the use of macs for graphcis art/design... but other than I don't see why anyone would want to. If you use linux or are smart about running windows (firefox, don't visit porn sites, don't run email attachments, etc), then you will have nothing to worry about.

To the OP: Dell has some of the best deals out there w/ which they backup with outstanding warranties (which is why most colleges and businesses get Dells). Since I switched to a laptop a little more than a month ago, I have only touched my desktop to burn DVDs and for transfering files. If I were you, I would get a laptop hands down.

 

[tank you]

Why? What's wrong with them? I just got one. It's been working good so far.

I did get the warranty deal thing for 4 years from Circuit City though, so it should be okay. Right?

ok, well, they are good for the first year or so, then havoc ensues. my vaio just stopped turning on, my friends vaio sound stopped working, my other friends vaio screen doesn't work....

at least you got the warranty, so you can send it in when it does malfunction.

 

[tennisnr]

Instead of getting a tablet PC look at this thing! Works on any type of paper and much lighter to carry around during rounds than a notebook pc!

http://www.pegatech.com/Articles/Article.asp?ArticleID=81&CategoryID=98

And it is much cheaper than any notebook.

What do you all think?

 

[EastCoaster78]

What kind of tablet Laptop did you get? Is there anyone else out there who chose this option?

I just gut a Gateway tablet, and its pretty sweet. I have heard awful stories about their tech support, but hopefully I don't need to use it.
If your school uses alot of powerpoint for lectures it could be pretty handy.
A good source for info about tablet PC's is www.tabletpcbuzz.com

 

[pratik7]

Instead of getting a tablet PC look at this thing! Works on any type of paper and much lighter to carry around during rounds than a notebook pc!

http://www.pegatech.com/Articles/Article.asp?ArticleID=81&CategoryID=98

And it is much cheaper than any notebook.

What do you all think?

Dude...there is a reason why that is cheaper than a tablet. All it does is digitize your handwritting. You cant write directly on ppt or you cant use the internet llike a tablet will allow.

 

[tennisnr]

Dude...there is a reason why that is cheaper than a tablet. All it does is digitize your handwritting. You cant write directly on ppt or you cant use the internet llike a tablet will allow.

Ofcourse you can't use internet. I don't know about writing on ppt but you can write on word documents.

The main point of using a tablet is so that you can take notes and digitize them into text, which is what this product also does. That's why I put it on here for ppl that don't want to buy tablet pc's.

 

[DieselPetrolGrl]

Here are the specs for my computer:

NEC 17" flat screen
Wireless Keyboard & mouse
Logitech 5.1 speakers
Creative Sound Blast Audigy (sound card)
ATI Radeon 8500 All-in-Wonder 64mb/tv tuner (video card)
DVD burner 4x
cd burner
Antec server case with 400W power supply
1 GIGABYTE of memory
3.03 GHZ intel processor
Asus motherboard
Lexmark printer
and some other stuff

Now I built this, and it cost me around $1100. There is no way you could get a nice laptop with a 3 ghz processor and 1 gig of ram, and dvd burner, along with a nice color printer, and nice speakers, with a big screen for that price. But honestly, if you don't care about the specs on your computer, then a laptop is fine. I use mine mostly for gaming so thats why I have so much inside, but for most of the stuff you'll do in med school, you really don't need specs like that. But I'd rather get the top of the line for everything than settle. Plus its not that expensive. I hope what I was trying to say made sense.

agreed!





dajimmers

I love the tablet idea because…well it’s cool!

But I agree doctajay

..i admit I couldn’t even fit everything back into my laptop – such a tight fit

deuist

I already had all those failures..i believe I spent more on parts in the end than the laptop was worth!

usandylim

laptop in bed burned my arm..like a good ole burned welt
don’t do that!


Arsenic810

Don’t tell anyone next year that my bag is empty. I have a reputaion going and I wont have you ruining it! ::shakes fist::

fun8stuff

Home owners insurance..it was in my parents house


njbmd

that’s just scarey…the laptop piercing alarm of siren death!
Have you had anyone shoot themselves with it goes off by accident?

P: I love huge monitors..nothing like reading everything without having to get up off the floor!


jtank

vaio is trash . I had a purple one..it was pretty but not functional.

........

Final thought: Desktop
at least a while (until its santa-season ) – a powerful laptop can run into thousands and the tablet PC specs look weak at best…I love the idea and the fact the tablet PC acer one looks so jazzy but also no fun.

Plus isn’t playing video games a assignment in medical school? what with the improving our hand eye coordination and such..