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Evan · 19-02-2007, 20:03

Nice to know that the new "Core" chips use less power than a Pentium M. News to me but certainly very welcome. My most graphics / performance intensive stuff is Rhino 3D which still runs o.k. on an old AMD based laptop (something like 380 Mhz!) and photo editing programs.

Having had to replace a laptop power supply and 3 or more laptop keyboards in Mexico, I'll take a desktop with our old laptop as backup anytime when doing longer cruises. If you're sticking to 1st world countries with reliable courier service, a laptop is fine, but if you're in some small port, you can get a nice desktop keyboard / hard drive / LCD monitor/CD drive etc. much more readily.

Only part that won't be standard desktop will be the 12V power supply and the motherboard - and in a pinch you could put in either as a medium term replacement.

Course it's easy to say all this because our chart table/writing desk is about 6' wide x about 24 or 30" deep

. So finding real estate ain't the problem.

Swigman · 20-02-2007, 02:22

Hi Bob, yes i have a bit of experience with ITX bought a mainboard about 3 yers back 17cm square with pretty much all built in... works great and was the heart of my multimedia pc (plugged into tv, stereo etc).
What i would suggest if going down this path is to match it with laptop style hard drives etc(2.5 inch) pretty cheap now. Also an LCD. this type of system will happily run from 12v if well regulated and use less pwr than your average laptop.. Also much more fixable as the parts are readily available as they are just small size desktop bits.

Swigman · 20-02-2007, 02:29

Just adding my bit here to....i used to teach computer maint and building at uni. If the mainboards get wet from anything remove all power sources including batteries and wash with the highest concentrate of isopropyl alcohol you can buy. Usually can get it from chemists. dont use the 'rubs' containing 'iso' as there are also conductive additives in many of them.

Also dont joke with the chemist when getting the iso about if he has a 'cold one' they dont like that!

The 'iso' will completly evaporate away leaving no residue and can be 'gently scrubbed' with a natural fibre brush to get of sticky liquids etc.

Ronaldsons · 26-12-2014, 08:30

you want a tablet. they have solid state hard drives. Microsoft surface or apple ipad.

valhalla360 · 26-12-2014, 11:39

With laptops down in the $250-300 range, unless you need high end processing power, just not much point in a desktop.

Laptops are meant to be moved around and jarred. Desktops are intended to be stationary. Just about any peripheral device you can add to a desktop can be added to a laptop.

Heck at work, they have switched out to docking stations with laptops, so if you prefer a differerent keyboard, monitors or other devices, you don't need it to be a desktop.

I suspect the idea that a desktop will last longer is an old wives tail. I've never heard it before. Maybe that was the case 20yrs ago when laptops were first moving into the mainstream but I doubt it now.