Except it really doesn’t, at all. Nobody buys desktop computers these days. You only need one to game or do high-end content creation. You can buy a quadcore ultrabook to do everything else perfectly fine, and you can pick it up and take it to the coffee shop or prop it up on your bed to watch Netflix.
@MazeFrame: Sure, a 4TB external USB3 drive makes a lot of sense for backups. A separate desktop not so much.
But with ultrabooks one has to worry about heat and therefor throttling issues. Not that I am saying that OP should go this route, especially with his daughters major. But their are benefits to having an ultrabook for class note taking and then returning to the dorm and running stuff on a desktop. Or of she is a gamer, she could have a dedicated desktop for that.
I also read on reddit, where someone had his dorm robbed and the robber took his laptop but not his desktop. I would imagine this would be, as you pointed out, because there are a lot less users of desktops now a days.
Anyway as Srgt. said its not about Desktop vs Laptop. I just thought that’s what you and Maze were talking about.
I’ll vouch for the XPS 13. My 9343 has been a solid light-task workhorse for me over the last 3ish years. They’ve beefed up the performance quite a bit with the 9370, so I’m happy to give it my continued support.
If you aren’t looking for an all-encompassing warranty, that is. On topic though, it’s not a problem of desktop vs laptop. It’s a problem of two systems vs one. OP made some indications that the recipient may not be extremely tech savvy. We need to keep the technical barrier down. The need to move files to another computer to render or whatever is not going to make her happy.
If you’re going to leave your laptop in your dorm, a simple kensington lock will fix that.
If you aren’t doing high-end content creation, some degree of throttling at 100% usage doesn’t matter, because rendering 1080p video or short 4k videos doesn’t take all that long. It’s only when you have a constantly full content pipeline that it matters.
Desktop vs laptop matters too, because laptops have much more utility in a dorm/class type scenario. Very few people actually need a desktop these days, and most of us are PC hardware enthusiasts and gamers.
I would totally get a kensington lock, yeah. Good point.
My brother edits with premiere on his xps 13 with an i5 in it. He’s doing 1080@60, so I think people are over-estimating the performance requirements.
Damn straight. I’ve been using a laptop for most of what I can use a desktop for, I just like the utility of multiple monitors and a good keyboard. I’m agreeing with you on the laptop thing, I just wanted to shut down the “two machines” debate because it’s not going to fit her use case.
OP should also teach her how to use it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve “stolen” my employees laptops because they’ve left the lock combo at 1234 or 0000 or some shit like that.
Indeed. My apologies for getting the thread going somewhere else.
No, it’s totally fine to make a suggestion. It would work if this person was more technical, but I’ve got a feeling this person is going to have trouble finding C:\Program Files. Based on OP referring to Linux as “cruel” for her.
Heh, I’m writing this right now on a macbook pro 15" touchbar, plugged into a logitech G502 mouse, 4TB USB3 backup drive, USB3 gigabit ethernet adapter, das keyboard with cherry blues, a 5k thunderbolt3 monitor, and a 4k 27" Dell monitor. There are only 2 cables going into the laptop, a TB3 and a USB3->displayport. You can have your cake and eat it too.
True, but my workflow (everything I edit lands in gitlab), I like the 8 cores for when I need to build kernels for needy forum members. /s
Combination locks are a no-go anyway. Way to easy to “pick”.
I don’t think we should worry about that. If the thief is really motivated, $5 bolt cutters will get him a nice laptop.
Yeah, like in many things, you just don’t want to be the low-hanging fruit. Hundreds of laptops lying around in a dorm, why go after the guy with a lock at all?
Exactly. The thing about securing your home/belongings is not about making theft impossible, but making it more difficult than the guy next door, or the guy two blocks over.
My “Beware of Dog” sign sits on the side yard fence, even though I’m allergic to dogs. (I know, it sucks)
I have “Crown Security” stickers on all my windows for the same reason, yep!
Pretty funny. I agree with you guys. I think a desktop / laptop would be a good idea but there is NO WAY she would think that a good idea. As far as linux goes, she is smart and uses a chromebook now, but linux would be simply too much. She manages the portability quite well with the chromebook now, but I think those are great for high school. I am surprised about all the Mac comments. A second monitor is a good idea too.
I asked her about the possibility of a Mac and she was undecided. That surprised me. I can’t stand Apple, but I have already broken down and bought my other daughter a Mac book. Looks like it could happen again. Thanks to everyone for all the super feedback. What a great forum! I will followup when I get some feedback from the captain of this ship.
Do keep us updated. The second monitor is also a really great idea btw. Can’t get much done on a small screen… Well at least I can’t. I need space.
Razer Laptops come with a copy of FL studio 12, this may be a consideration for a musician
Few things for you.
1: Call the School’s IT department and ask if they can service laptops. Some schools have programs where their IT department is actually licensed to service certain brand name laptops. I know my school would service both mac and dell laptops. If your daughter is in a pinch and you aren’t around to fix her laptop, this could be a huge life saver.
2: Always remember that Apple laptops can run both OSX and Windows. But Windows computers can’t run OSX. High end audio programs such as protools works on both windows and OSX, but it and a lot of other audio programs do seem to work better on Apple computers. Hence when I have never seen a recording studio using windows computers.
3: Battery life, Battery life, Battery life. Being a music student is not going to require a beefy laptop. But it will require a decent battery. What ever you get, battery life should be a top priority. Macbook pro, Dell XPS 13, and the LG gram all do very well in this category.
4: Force her to have a desktop. It could be little intel nuc glued to the back of a 23 inch monitor. Laptops are just too easy to loose, drop, or damage in some way. You never EVER know when you might need a backup machine. Even if she does nothing but uses it as a makeshift TV in her room, it is still worth it. If she whines, tell her that you are paying for it and to shut the hell up. Its better to watch her complain than to watch her cry when she fails a class because her laptop blew up and she couldn’t get assignments in on time. 
Can always go to a computer lab if necessary. Do colleges still have those?
Honestly? You can do Mac, Linux, or Windows and either of the three will be completely fine. Personally I would get an older MBP, 2013 or 2014 low spec but with a good proc, and set that up with apple care so that if it dies for whatever reason they will replace it johnny on the spot like. But thats just what I would do.
Now, I was a music student in college. I ran linux, and I had a good idea of what I was doing. Problem is, some colleges have a RADIUS network setup, some are dual certificates, some are MAC address register networks… If you did linux, sure your daughter would have the tools she would normally use (Musescore, LMMS, some others), but what else would go wrong with that? Would she have to bullshit everything together or would everything work out of the box? Does the school even KNOW that linux exists?
Then for a windows machine do an X1 Carbon from Lenovo or a surface book.