Laptop advice - 15 versus 17

[Red]

Can't decide whether I want to get a 15 or a 17 inch laptop. Widescreen of course. Bigger = better kind of goes against the whole "portable" idea.

Looking for some pros and cons for both that I may have missed.

Here's my thoughts.
I currently have a 15 4X3 Thinkpad and it's great for web browsing etc, but painfull for work. I am used to dual 19's at work. With that in mind the 17 would be a better choice, but it's just so damn big and heavy :-(

The 17 inch HP I am looking at has a full keyboard, a big plus for me, but the 15 inch is so cute and cuddly :-)

I work at a table, but my wife likes to do everything on the fly so size could be an issue.

Anyways, post your pros and cons, help me make a decision.

To be used mostly by my wife for her daily inet/email stuff and by me for some engineering work, visio, excel, x-windows, putty etc. So as you can see I need a lot of windows open at once (damn X and putty), but my wife could easily do with a 12 inch. Actually she is doing just that

Decisions, decisions.

[Bobblehead]

17" is just too big. It also uses up the battery a lot faster. That may be fine if you are primarily plugged in. It is also heavier.

15.4" is a pretty good compromise.

So if you are primarily non-portable, need the screen real estate, and looking for more of a desktop replacement, the 17" may be nice.
Otherwise, I'd go with the 15.4".

(I've also read that on flights a 17" screen is wider than your seat, which may create issues if you are a frequent flier)

I have a T42p 14", and a month ago I picked up a 15.4" T60 for my wife which is very nice.

[Burninator]

17" without a doubt.

Not sure about your personal preferences, but I would take the bigger monitor over the smaller one any day. I can't stand working on a small monitor as I usually run a high resolution. I have a 19" at home and two 19"s at work, and I couldn't' imagine using anything smaller. I actually have the option of running a 24", but I am not sure about that yet.

Personally I would sacrifice the comfort of carrying around a 17" over a 15" any day (I don't think the difference would be much anyways). But that is just what I would do, it's really dependant on your personal preferences and needs.

[Bertuzzied]

Ugh. i have a 17 inch lcd. Don't buy it if you are going to travel around with it. I think my right shoulder is still in japan. It fell off from the weight. hehe. Other than that it's a great laptop. Battery life is about 2 hours but i have the brightness really low on mine. I like Acer!

I saw a LG laptop the other day that was 15.4 with a full keyboard.

[jamesteterenko]

Well, my wife and I have a 15" & a 17". Depending on the usage, either one is preferred.

The 17" is preferred when manipulating pictures, using spreadsheets (it has a number pad), or watching DVDs.

The 15" is preferred when doing simple things like email & web browsing because it is lighter.

So, I guess my advice is to have one of each.

[Canada 02]

you could go with the smaller 15", but have a docking station at home to plug in your peripherals, including a larger monitor

[Textcritic]

If you are doing ANY travelling with it, do NOT get a 17"

I do a fair amount of flying, and my 15" Mac is practically too big for use in economy class.

[kermitology]

I use a 12.1 at home and a 15 at work. I love my 12.1, but the work one is not too bad either.

[Red]

Originally Posted by Canada 02

you could go with the smaller 15", but have a docking station at home to plug in your peripherals, including a larger monitor

And that's been sort of on the back of my mind as well, get a 22" monitor, regular keyboard and be done with it.

Funny thing I saw at MemEx, a 20 inch laptop. The lid was about an inch thick. Where's the logic with that?

[Bobblehead]

Originally Posted by Red

And that's been sort of on the back of my mind as well, get a 22" monitor, regular keyboard and be done with it.

Funny thing I saw at MemEx, a 20 inch laptop. The lid was about an inch thik. Where's the logic with that?

When that was released I laughed about it. That is the ultimate "desktop replacement"

[MoneyGuy]

Originally Posted by Red

...my wife likes to do everything on the fly so size could be an issue.

Bunch of guys talking about size. What gives? Is there an after-hours forum for this kinda talk?

I love my wee little Dell laptop, the smallest Dell has. My wife hates it so maybe women do like it bigger.

[ken0042]

The other factor with a bigger screen- when watching DVDs on a plane it can be a bit of a pain to get the right viewing angle without risking putting the top of the screen right into the seat in front of you. If the person suddenly reclines their seat, crunch!

[Incinerator]

Originally Posted by kermitology

I use a 12.1 at home and a 15 at work. I love my 12.1, but the work one is not too bad either.

same here, my 12.1 widescreen is awesome, I can lug it anywhere with ease.

[Red]

Great points guys. I think I'll get the 15 inch and call it a day. Looked at them again today and the 17 looks really bulky.