With graduation a recent memory, hordes of college-bound students and their parents are heading out to buy computers. So today we'll deal with the No. 1 question I get from young people -- and the adults who typically foot the bill:
Desktop or laptop?
For years, I recommended desktop machines unless portability was absolutely necessary. That's because laptops were underpowered, uncomfortable to use and far more expensive than desktop machines with similar features.
Not so today. Modern laptops can do almost everything desktop machines can do. In fact, many are designed as desktop replacements. They're heavy on features, and the largest are best described as "luggable," rather than portable.
They sport gorgeous 15- and 17-inch screens, DVD burners, roomy hard drives, stereo speakers, built-in TV tuners and controls that can play CDs without turning on the computer. Their large screens also allow keyboards that are close to full size, eliminating a major drawback of laptops past.
General-purpose laptops weigh 6 to 10 pounds (including the power supply), which is a bit hefty for dashing through airports. But most college students are young and strong. If they have a mind to do so, they can tote their PCs from dorm to classroom to library without collapsing from exhaustion.
Those willing to live with a smaller screen and keyboard -- and without the convenience of a built-in CD or DVD player -- can find excellent "road warrior" machines that weigh 4 pounds or less. But beware -- they're not much fun to stare at or type on for the long hours that students often put in.
In the days when a competent desktop computer cost $2,000 and comparable laptops sold for $3,000, the portability premium was significant. But the cost of all computing has dropped precipitiously. With decent desktops priced at $500 to $600 and perfectly acceptable laptops on sale for $900 or less, today's laptop might still cost 50 percent to 80 percent more.
But the dollar difference isn't a deal breaker.
True, you can spend two grand or more on a machine that's ultra-portable (pen-based convertibles with swivel keyboards are very slick for note-taking). You can spend even more on a 14-pound monster with heavy-duty components for gaming or digital video production.
