TWL: Laptop or desktop pc
Keith wrote:
What's your power situation like? Laptops run off of mains power and
batteries. Somebody just turned off the generator without turning on
the inverter? Whoops, there went whatever you were working on.
REPLY
A simple UPS will solve that.
In my opinion a desk top unit has one advantage over a laptop.
You can supplement the cooling with extra fans much more easily
than with a laptop.
Secondly, while it is true that you can now plug almost any
peripheral into a laptop the tangle of external wires and connectors
is a nightmare and prone to connector problems such a contact
pin corrosion.
If I have the room I would prefer a desk top unit built in under the
desk. All the peripherals can be safely tucked into the case, a
small UPS will handle the power transfer issue.
One of the most vulnerable points in a laptop seems to be the
external power plug cord.
I experienced several failures on my own laptop. The cable
invariably broke internally from flexing too often.
Arild
I am looking for opinions or experiences you have had with computers on
board for electronic navigation. We have a Grand Banks 36 and I have
located a space where a small desktop PC would fit down in the forward cabin
and out of the way. I would use a flat panel lcd monitor with wireless mouse
and keyboard. I am considering this because of the ability to upgrade the
computer down the road, much more computing power for the money, and it
seems like desktop PCs are a more stable system. Is this true, or is a
laptop better suited to the conditions on a boat?
Dell has a very nice and compact small footprint desktop they build for
business use that they claim is very a stable operating platform with
universal, easily upgradable components.
Also, which windows operating syatem is considered the most foolproof.?
Thanks ,
Steve Wyatt
GB36 Magic Carpet
Anacortes, WA
I am considering this because of the ability to upgrade the
computer down the road
The days of upgrading a computer by adding boards is fading into the
past. Most things you're going to want to add will be peripherals and
will connect with serial, USB, PC-Card, or even firewire connectors.
Extra drives can be handled with SCSI connectors. About the only thing
you can't conveniently get in a laptop is multiple CPUs.
it seems like desktop PCs are a more stable system.
Not true, IMHO. In fact, the temptation to open it up and muck with it
is probably the biggest reason for a desktop to get screwed up to begin
with!
Is this true, or is a laptop better suited to the conditions on a
boat?
What's your power situation like? Laptops run off of mains power and
batteries. Somebody just turned off the generator without turning on the
inverter? Whoops, there went whatever you were working on.
Dell ...claims is very a stable operating platform with
universal, easily upgradable components.
Well, yes, that is what everybody claims. <g>
Also, which windows operating syatem is considered the most foolproof?
For a user, I would strongly recommend Windows XP (you pick the flavor,
but I'm not a big fan of the default settings in the Home edition). You
can reset the XP interface to the "Classic" look if you find it too
distracting.
Keith Pleas
Custom FC 44
Seattle, WA
a
small UPS will handle the power transfer issue.
My UPS does not run off the inverter. Is there on that will ?
George
M/V Ocean Lady
A simple UPS will solve that.
But at what cost? Take a look at the APC web site. A typical EnergyStar
PC and monitor - consuming 115 watts - is going to go for perhaps 20
minutes on a small UPS. And then take 11 hours to recharge.
Using my 10.8V, 5.4AH Thinkpad battery as an example, the laptop will
consume about 19 watts, run for 3 hours, and recharge in about the same
amount of time.
With a UPS (which, of course, has batteries in it that must be
"maintained" and replaced periodically, like every 2 years) you're
converting DC to AC, and then AC back to DC in the PC's power supply. A
relatively inefficient lashup, to say the least.
In my opinion a desk top unit has one advantage over a laptop.
You can supplement the cooling with extra fans much more easily
than with a laptop.
Perhaps, but I've never experienced a laptop requiring a 2nd cooling
fan. But if you're really concerned about physical conditions, get a
ruggedized laptop built for the military. I bought one on EBay a couple
of months ago (for a store kiosk application) for about $300 that can be
run over by a car, doused with water, and even splashed with acid.
Secondly, while it is true that you can now plug almost any
peripheral into a laptop the tangle of external wires and connectors
is a nightmare and prone to connector problems such a contact
pin corrosion.
Uh, compared to what, the typical rat's nest of wires in back of the
typical PC? And when you put the boat "to bed" for a few months, do you
pack all of that stuff off the boat so you can keep the relative
humidity down? Do you keep that desktop PC always on? Remember, it's
the surges of starting and stopping that are going to shorten the lives
of components, and the constant heating and cooling that are going to
cause condensation inside electronics. This actually used to be a huge
problem with desktop machines, but now that fewer things are just pushed
into sockets, it's probably less of an issue.
One of the most vulnerable points in a laptop seems to be the
external power plug cord. I experienced several failures on my own
laptop. The cable invariably broke internally from flexing too often.
Depending on the laptop (and whether it's a traditional power brick), it
sounds like your talking about a $2.99 part. Get a spare. And all that
flexing indicates to me that you actually moved the machine around,
something that's hardly possible with a desktop!
Keith