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View Full Version : Has anyone switched from a laptop to a desktop for scrapping?


Txcorey
02-27-2013, 01:43 PM
I'm getting ready to buy a new computer and I'm kind of torn. You can get so much more for your money with a desktop, but then you lose your portability. I currently have a laptop and I do travel around the house on it-couch, kitchen table, etc. I also have a desk in our playroom where I do a lot of scrapping too, and If I bought a desktop it would probably live in there. Just wondering if I should buy the better desktop to do most of my scrapping on and then I'd still have this laptop if I want to take it to another part of the house. Any thoughts? Has anyone done this and regretted it?

DogwoodMama
02-27-2013, 01:50 PM
Great question... but I would also love to know for those of you who do scrap on a laptop, how do you stand it? LOL I have software on my laptop but the screen is too small for me to see a 12x12 page at any decent size. So what size screen do most have on laptops? I stopped using mine and now scrap on our more powerful desktop with a huge screen... but it is the family computer so I get less time.

I find generally that with our desktop, scrapping goes more smoothly in general, too. It's more powerful, has a better graphics card, bigger screen. Those are the big advantages with our current computers. I do wish I could comfortably scrap on a laptop, though, that would be fun, so I could get together with a friend. :)

lingovise
02-27-2013, 01:57 PM
i switched from a laptop to a desktop [for scrapping] about a year ago and am much happier. i do miss the portability of the laptop... like sitting on the sofa to scrap instead of in a chair... but for me, the pros FAR outweigh the cons.

YepBrook
02-27-2013, 01:59 PM
I am on a desktop and I LOVE it. I have dual monitors and so much more space to work.

NeverendingJen
02-27-2013, 02:01 PM
I'm on a desktop and love it. I still have my laptop so I can scrap on the go, but all my pages get double checked on the desktop before printing. I thought I'd hate not being able to scrap wherever, but I realized I did 95% of my computer time in one location lol

hollyxann
02-27-2013, 02:12 PM
I switched from laptop to desktop and I love it!! But I do miss the mobility of my laptop. :(

Nettio
02-27-2013, 02:14 PM
I could never give up the portability of a laptop so when I need more space, I hook it up to our big monitor. It's the best of both worlds.

dailydwellin
02-27-2013, 02:22 PM
I usually scrap on my desktop...it's much more comfortable for me. I do have a laptop that I can use when we're traveling or I just really want to sit on the couch and scrap while DH is watching TV, but I prefer the desktop for most of my scrapping.

Stacey42
02-27-2013, 02:22 PM
I have a laptop but as it only leaves my desk once a year when we go to Florida, it is a desktop for all intents & purposes. I have a dual monitor set up because I find the laptop screen too small for scrapping & photo editing. A few years ago when I first got a laptop I tried taking it around the house with me & doing things but ergonomically it never worked for me. My next computer will be whichever gives me the very best graphics card for however much I am willing to spend, laptop or desktop.

Beth Swann
02-27-2013, 02:48 PM
Why give one up? I use both! :thumbup:

KateD
02-27-2013, 03:07 PM
I have both a laptop and desktop that I can use. I found that I never used the desktop, so I moved all my files onto the laptop hard drive and have never looked back! I do miss the larger screen sometimes, but not enough to hook my laptop up to the desktop monitor. I don't have a huge screen, either. I have the 15" MacBook Pro with Retina Display, 750GB solid state drive & 16GB RAM. It's a pretty rocking laptop. My old PC laptop was fine for scrapping, too, although it was a bit slower. I'm not sure if it was slower because there was all sorts of junk installed that needed to be cleaned up, though.

lorigaud
02-27-2013, 03:16 PM
I was forced to make the switch because my school laptop was reimaged, and I lost my PSE10 that was on there. Well, I didn't lose it, but the CD drive in the laptop isn't working, so I can't reinstall it. Bummer. I LOVE the portability of my laptop and had been scrapping on it exclusively for the past year or so. Now I'm using the family desktop PC and while I do love the bigger screen, etc.... I miss the fact that I can't take it to a friend's house for scrapbook night, etc.

Keely~B
02-27-2013, 03:43 PM
I don't ever want to go back to scrapping on a desktop. I know it's probably smarter to go for the desktop and big monitors are sweet but the benefits do not outweigh the cons for me. I'm all about the laptop.

mariewilcox
02-27-2013, 03:52 PM
When I'm at home I only use my desktop. I love it because of the huge screen and the mouse. My desk is also right in the living room and I can watch TV and chat with DD while I scrap, so it's nice in that way.

I do have a laptop that I use on the very rare occasion that I can scrap on the go (that doesn't happen much anymore now that DD is older and I don't stay for her practices - I used to always scrap during her 2-hour practice sessions for basketball or swim when she was younger. Now I just drop her off and go home.)

webseitler
02-27-2013, 04:35 PM
I moved from a laptop to a desktop... I needed the monitor space! I don't know how I ever designed on such a small monitor... but I did! o_O

Anyway, I love it. I love having ONE place to go and I know that it's MY space. :D

Nixenkind
02-27-2013, 04:48 PM
I far prefer portability over the larger screen size! I mostly scrap in the evenings, when my husband watches TV, and I love to be in the living room with him so we can talk when we want to... I would feel alone in the office. And: I'm a total "couch-worker", I simply get more stuff done on my couch, because I'm a lot more relaxed there.
Another problem: the only desktop we own is the family PC, and there's a constant battle going on about who gets to use it next... I totally don't need to participate, so I'm glad about my little laptop. It has all my stuff, and it doesn't really bother me that the screen is small.

Txcorey
02-27-2013, 05:28 PM
Thanks for the feedback ladies. I decided to go ahead and spend more to get a nicer laptop. I don't have anywhere in the living room to put a desktop and I like to be in the living room when the rest of the family is in there. I think I'd be isolated in the playroom when they are home. We shall see. It's definitely a trade off between portability and bigger screen/ memory, etc.

Sherri Tierney
02-27-2013, 06:35 PM
I can see how the portability of laptops entice people. :) I'm a desktop girl ALL the way! We have 4 desktops in our house. Three of them are in the office. The 4th is just a spare that isn't really set up right now. We have 1 laptop. The desktops are almost always in use by someone but the laptop rarely gets any action. DH bought it for me to scrap/design on but I never could get used to it.

I love desktops for so many reasons. I love having a dedicated space. I love my 24" monitor. I love the power of my system. I love my desk chair even. LOL I don't like sitting on the couch or at the kitchen table with a laptop. It drives me crazy. I feel restricted.

DogwoodMama
02-27-2013, 10:03 PM
What is the best size screen for a laptop to scrapbook? I am not sure what size my current screen is, but it's too small, I know that. I just have a dell inspiron.

SweetMelissa
02-27-2013, 10:08 PM
No I just went the other way. For $750 I got a laptop with more then what my desktop has and I get the benefits of a laptop. :) For me it was a better way to go. I like that I can now scrap in between my classes (I have a 4 hour break on Mondays and a 3 and a half hour break on Wednesdays). Plus now all of my class notes are on my laptop and I don't have to transfer them from my laptop to my desktop to have them when I'm working on an assignment.

nun69
02-27-2013, 10:18 PM
I have an amazing desktop and I switched well over a year ago, but honestly I would LOVE to have my laptop back.....even though I like the big montior, more space, etc.....I figure I have glasses to see the monitor and I have a 1 TB EHD that I can plug right in to my laptop if needed.....so I don't necessarily regret it, but I do really really want to go back to having a laptop

britaneejean
02-27-2013, 10:21 PM
Thanks for the feedback ladies. I decided to go ahead and spend more to get a nicer laptop. I don't have anywhere in the living room to put a desktop and I like to be in the living room when the rest of the family is in there. I think I'd be isolated in the playroom when they are home. We shall see. It's definitely a trade off between portability and bigger screen/ memory, etc.

this is exactly why we have a laptop. we decided to spend more on the laptop then invest in a desktop because i don't sit in one space. i move wherever my family is. our living room doesn't have the space either. i also help teach classes & go to quite a bit "digi night outs" so a laptop is pretty much a must for me.

SeattleSheri
02-27-2013, 10:45 PM
You can always hook up your laptop to an external monitor and keyboard, so IMO, you get the best of both worlds with a laptop. Good luck with your decision!

purple_colourz
02-27-2013, 11:15 PM
I scrap using a desktop and I'm happy with it. I love the big screen, makes scrapping so much easier for me. I do use our laptop once in a while and I find the screen too small for me to scrap comfortably. I do like that I have a laptop as a backup when my computer is not working.

joelsgirl
02-28-2013, 08:41 AM
I just keep thinking, "What would I do in the bathroom without a laptop?"...

Haha, just kidding. I actually think it'd be nice to have a desktop in ONE PLACE and not suffer the obsession of dragging my computer everywhere I went. I *try* not to be on my computer till the kids are in bed anyway, so if we weren't so darn mobile and moving {again} at the end of the year, I'd totally invest in a desktop as a way of developing self-discipline.

But I hope you enjoy your new laptop!

Darcy Baldwin
02-28-2013, 08:57 AM
I'm a desktop girl, too - I can't scrap with the cacophony of noise and sound that goes on in the living room, and I need the bigger screen, my tablet (I hate the mouse or button or pad on the laptop), and quiet. I use my laptop to surf and watch movies on, but that's about it.

maryinaz
02-28-2013, 11:11 AM
I work from home and have a home office with a desktop computer. I use that for scrapping. But honestly, I'm in that room SO much that I hate going back in there to scrap. I have done scrapping on a laptop and it's awkward for me, but I do like getting out of my office.

If I had a desktop in the family room, I would scrap much more, but we have no place to put it and I really don't want that kind of clutter in there. I keep thinking maybe I could get used to scrapping on a laptop (and we do have a couple that I've taken over to friends' houses for scrapping) if I did it more.

But yeah, it's a dilemma. :glare:

Glad to hear you made your decision!

staciahall
02-28-2013, 08:48 PM
I just had this same dilemma myself when my laptop got too slow. I got a screamin' fast desktop with all kinds of storage, solid state drives, etc. I also moved it to the family room with a desk so I can see the tv. Huge monitor, SO MUCH FASTER, I'm glad I made the switch.

I'm glad you made your decision.

mrshobbes
03-01-2013, 12:23 AM
Well, my desktop was 9 years old when we retired it, and I was working on a 15-inch CRT monitor (remember those??), haha. I inherited the hubs's middle-aged laptop in 2011, which already had a 15-inch screen. Then I got my current MBP, which also has a 15-inch screen. So I can't compare screen sizes because I've never had anything bigger. Once upon a time I dreamt of having a 27-inch iMac, but now I'm perfectly happy with the portability of my laptop.

I suppose if I really needed extra screen size I could opt to make Photoshop full-screen, but I've never had the need to. I only zoom into my layouts to write my journaling, but for the most part I scrap zoomed out.

lilusmom
03-01-2013, 03:20 AM
I scrap on a desktop too. I just can't get the hang of the little laptops and that little tappy pad thing that is suppose to be a mouse is just too much for me!