Laptop size - 17 or 15.4?

[singlemalt]

Anyone have any thoughts on the screen size for a laptop? 15.4 would be more practical for transportation. 17 would be, I assume, better for WOW.

Anyone play on a laptop? What screen size do you like? Thanks!

[thef00l]

There you go then. If you plan on moving it often, then the smalles the better (never thought i'd say that).
If you don't plan on moving it, buy a desktop actually.

[singlemalt]

Already have a desktop. This would be a second one for the house and occasionally to take out of the house.

[Medaho]

Just an FYI - I bought a 17-inch laptop for my significant other. Besides using it as a WoW machine, keep in mind that there are very few accessories for a 17-inch laptop.

Finding a napsack or bag to carry the larger size computer was a real pain in the butt. The vast majority of the accessories are for the 15.4 size computer. The 17-inch accessories also cost more.

The 17-inch model absolutley 'sucks' the battery dry very quickly - either pay for the upgraded battery ( ~ $80+) or sit close to an outlet.

But the larger screen does look a lot nicer !

[singlemalt]

Originally Posted by Medaho

Just an FYI - I bought a 17-inch laptop for my significant other. Besides using it as a WoW machine, keep in mind that there are very few accessories for a 17-inch laptop.

Finding a napsack or bag to carry the larger size computer was a real pain in the butt. The vast majority of the accessories are for the 15.4 size computer. The 17-inch accessories also cost more.

The 17-inch model absolutley 'sucks' the battery dry very quickly - either pay for the upgraded battery ( ~ $80+) or sit close to an outlet.

But the larger screen does look a lot nicer !

Great points. I'm leaning toward the 15.4, but damn these things are expensive!

[Cynic]

I'm running a 15.4, and other than the smaller screen the biggest difference is no number pad (every 17'' I've seen has one). If no numberpad doesn't bother you, then 15.4'' might be the better choice (I wish I'd have gone 17'', despite the issues with cases and accessories..)

Plus, the extra two inches of wide-screen is awesome.

[world2er]

Personally, I use an HP dv9000 series 17" laptop ... I travel for a living, therefore, my laptop is my main box ...

I think the real issue behind your question is rooted with the graphics card that comes in your laptop ...

IMO, stay away from any machine that has the ATI Radeon Mobility chip in it (my last notebook, a Sager, had this chip) ... Constant problems with overheating while running WoW ... My new HP utilizes the Nvidia GeForce Go 7600 series graphics card ... Have had absolutely no issues whatsoever ...

Hope this helps

[singlemalt]

Originally Posted by world2er

Personally, I use an HP dv9000 series 17" laptop ... I travel for a living, therefore, my laptop is my main box ...

I think the real issue behind your question is rooted with the graphics card that comes in your laptop ...

IMO, stay away from any machine that has the ATI Radeon Mobility chip in it (my last notebook, a Sager, had this chip) ... Constant problems with overheating while running WoW ... My new HP utilizes the Nvidia GeForce Go 7600 series graphics card ... Have had absolutely no issues whatsoever ...

Hope this helps

Yeah, the Nvidia cards seem almost standard now. Thanks for the advice!

[forketta]

17" lcd screens tend to have high resolutions. If you plan to buy one, give it a try if you can: high res means need of a good GPU, that consumes batteries and produces heat.

[gimmpy]

17" is great! better typing typically, better picture, often come with better gpu. Negative side- more cumbersome & harder on battery. I love my toshiba satellite 17". It looks great with wow.