Laptop

I am thinking of getting a laptop to replace my desktop machine. My desktop machine is uaually on for 12-15 hours a day and I need to know can a laptop cope with being left on for that long?

The reason I ask is that I have an ageing compaq presario laptop with windows 98 and it's power supply blew in a few months after it was left on for a long period over a few months. Is this a problem with modern laptops?

DESKtop --> something on your desk for loonngg hours work
LAPtop--> something for short quicky thing, reasonably durability of work but not THAT long..


Apart from that i think it can work just fine, but as i said, it is serious difference between desktop and laptop machines regarding duration of use..

I think it'll be fine. Just unplug the laptop battery and power the laptop via the mains if you're going to leave it on for long periods.

Use the battery and have it plugged in only when you're on the move or don't want to sit by the desk.

Get a powerful gaming laptop and don't play games with it. It'll last for ever doing normal computing.

Laptops are no less reliable than desktops.

My laptops are usually left on for weeks at a time, so you'll be fine on that score.

You can exclusively use a laptop, even for gaming. I've done it for years with a Toshiba Satellite 2710, later, when the first mobile 3D chipsets came out, I've had a Gericom X5 Force with nVidia graphics. My sister is still using it.
I'm more settled now than I was back then, that's why I also have a desktop machine again, but still us my notebook, an Apple PowerBook G4, a lot every day.

If I would have to make an "either/or" decision and could not have both, I'd always choose a powerful notebook over an also powerful desktop.

My laptop's usually on from 9am to around 3am, so that's approx 18hrs a day everyday for the last 5+ years. So yes, a laptop can easily handle being on for long periods.

Yeah, mine was on 24/7 for over a year once, recording from a cctv camera.

Doesnt matter, just close the hood when you walk away and it goes to sleep anyway.

how about one of these:

http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/xpsnb_m2010?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&s=dhs

They certainly seem like they're intended for long term use.

I have a dell inspiron 2200 (low budget laptop) and it's on pretty much all day every day, it's been running just fine.

You might consider asking on a dedicated laptop forum, where people with a lot of experience with all kinds of laptops can help you find the best laptop for your needs:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/forumdisplay.php?f=16

For reliability, you might consider buying a Lenovo Thinkpad, probably a T61 or T61p. Thinkpads are widely regarded to be the most reliable and durable laptops, probably second only to Panasonic Toughbooks. Unfortunately I remember reading somewhere that Thinkpads are twice as expensive in the UK than they are in the US, but I don't know if that's still true.

Dells business line of notebooks are also supposed to be very reliable, although I personally don't think highly of their XPS line because the m1330 has the tendency to fall apart over time (I've seen it in store models, while a similar (better) competing laptop still looks brand new, and head a lot of stories about it).

Anything from Dell's XPS line would meet your requirements.

from my prespective:

Pros of a laptop:

- Portibility
- Small
- Quick and easy to use

Cons of a laptop:

- Parts are so tightly packed into the laptop, that you might aswell buy a new one if you want to upgrade something(desktops have all the space/interchangable parts ect.)
- Fragile, easy to break
- small screen
- Battery, if no outlets are avaiable, you'll run out of power


Depends on what you'd use it for, but laptops are nice.