
When Buying Two Computers Is Cheaper Than Buying One - Charles__L
http://lifehacker.com/5950321/when-buying-two-computers-is-cheaper-than-buying-one
======
TheCapn
I'll admit to making the gaming laptop mistake during my university years. I
convinced myself the $1,300 price tag was justified because of the other high
computing needs I'd be relying on it for. Turns out, I only ever did those
things while I was sitting at my desk at home.

So a year or so after buying it, I now have a dated machine that has horrible
battery life and is dysfunctional to use unless plugged in with a number of
peripherals and I might as well just have bought a desktop with a notebook for
the things I _actually did_ while on the run.

For the average user (who the article is obviously targeting) they'd be hard
pressed to justify the price tag of any "gaming" laptop anymore.

~~~
sspiff
I feel you, my first laptop weighed close to 9 pounds with the power adapter.
After that one, I picked either ultraportables or lightweight 14 & 15" models
with a mid level graphics card. I bought a laptop for 1500 euros last month,
and it isn't nearly in the ballpark of my 2 year old 600 euro desktop.

------
Tichy
Except you'd have to maintain two computers and sync the data all the time.

I prefer notebook+external monitor at home. Although I admit to an extra
gaming desktop PC, but who still uses those?

~~~
astrodust
Keeping in sync is even more of a nightmare if you follow the advice to have a
desktop Windows PC and a portable Mac.

The advice here could be summarized simply: "Buy what you need, when you need
it." In the computer purchasing game, procrastination almost always pays
dividends.

~~~
gte910h
However, there is also what Henry Ford once said that if you need a machine
and do not buy it, then you will ultimately find that you have paid for it but
do not have it

------
cooperadymas
I upgraded my system a few months ago with a setup like this. Most of my heavy
usage happens in my home office, while on the laptop I primarily write, browse
the web, or at the most, SSH into my VPS for some reason or other.

To buy a laptop that matches the desktop system I purchased would have cost
nearly twice as much and it would barely be portable. I find desktop computers
to have a longer life expectancy. They're more viable to upgrading, and don't
take the wear and tear of lugging around a laptop.

For portability I went with a used netbook for under $200. It's more than
sufficient for most usage, even if not as fast as a real laptop. My old laptop
had a 17" screen and weighed a ton. This I can toss into a shoulder bag, or
easily pack into a larger backpack if I'm carrying other things. Its worth is
so low that if it happened to be damaged or lost, it wouldn't be catastrophic.

There are so many options for syncing with today's software that it's hardly
an issue. Even Chrome keeps the history, bookmarks, and apps in sync between
the two.

------
jws
_Replace the iMac with a Hackintosh…_

Installing a premium OS and not paying for it is one way to save money. Do
they have a lifehacker on stealing toilet paper from restrooms too?

~~~
alanpca
I'm assuming after a purchase of the OS. Is purchasing an OS and installing it
on a computer it wasn't meant for akin to stealing toilet paper too?

~~~
jws
You could try to purchase the OS, but I'm sure it would cost billions of
dollars, dwarfing your savings.

You can buy a license for Apple built computers, but that isn't valid on a
hackintosh and is part of the old business model anyway. Now Apple sells
upgrades to existing licenses, which you get when you buy the Apple hardware.

If you could buy a copy of the OS to use as you wish, I'd have no problem with
a hackintosh. Much like I can do whatever I wish with a hard drive or network
card.

I suppose in the end, ethically, a hackintosh is the equivalent of a GPL
violation. You haven't physically deprived anyone of a material possession,
but you have benefitted by using their intellectual work against the license
they have chosen.

(At least you aren't leaving some poor guy in a restroom with no toilet
paper.)

------
gte910h
As a iOS developer, I definitely go this route. However I share the 2560x1440
display between them.

