Laptop as a primary home computer?

[Senator]

I travel a lot, so I wanted a portable computer. When I am at my desk, I have a monitor, wireless keyboard and mouse. When I am travelling, I have a wireless keyboard and mouse.

It's easier than transferring files every time I travel, like I used to do.

 

[Ronstar]

Wow - thanks for all of the great replies. As it turns out, there is a way to port the Macbook screen to the iMac. I ordered some cables to make that work. If this works, I won't need to buy another monitor. I only need to use the laptop with a bigger monitor when I'm processing photos. Probably 2 or 3 hours 2 or 3 times a week.

I'll probably need to get a hub. I'm short one port on the laptop, but could swap cables between the scanner and card reader to share a port.

I installed new OS Catalina on the iMac a few days ago. Scanner would not work with the new os. Fujitsu website says my scanner is obsolete and they have no drivers for my scanner. I tried some other drivers to no avail, so I moved the old scanner software from the desktop to the laptop where I still have Mojave - the previous OS version. Scanner now works fine from the laptop.

So if the monitor porting works, my only remaining hurdle will be backups. I'll just buy a big external drive and do time machine backups from both the laptop and desktop. Probably manually at first until I figure out how to automate separate backups to a single drive.

 

[braumeister]

Scanner would not work with the new os. Fujitsu website says my scanner is obsolete and they have no drivers for my scanner.

Sorry, I forgot about that. Fujitsu warned about this a couple of years ago and I replaced my Scansnap with a newer version (IX500). Works just like the old one but much faster.

 

[Ronstar]

Sorry, I forgot about that. Fujitsu warned about this a couple of years ago and I replaced my Scansnap with a newer version (IX500). Works just like the old one but much faster.

No problemo! I saw a thread online last night where the S1500M was threatened for extinction back when Mojave was to be introduced. One poster talked to Fujitsu, and it was suggested to try the IX500 software on the S1500M. But the S1500M survived the Mojave release. I thought I’d give the IX500 software a try with Catalina. I knew it would have little chance of working. Oh well, at least I have it working on the Mojave os laptop. I’ll probably have to upgrade the scanner before I upgrade the laptop os.

 

[OldShooter]

... my only remaining hurdle will be backups. I'll just buy a big external drive and do time machine backups from both the laptop and desktop. Probably manually at first until I figure out how to automate separate backups to a single drive.

I don't know anything about the Mac infrastructure but I'd strongly suggest a backup drive that lives on your network rather than one that connects via USB. Much more flexibility, easily accessible from all computers, and very useful for sharing files.

I am now using a couple of Synology NAS boxes but that's probably more than you need. Prior to that I had very good experiences with WD "MyBook LIve" drives. I now see that that they also have something called "MyCloud" drives that are probably worth checking out as well. (https://www.amazon.com/Cloud-Personal-Network-Attached-Storage/dp/B00EVVGAC6/ref=dp_ob_title_ce)

 

[drb391]

use a desktop at home, summer months. use a laptop for travel AND all winter at winter home. use wifi when available and have mobile BB for when it isn't and when going to sensitive sites (banking, etc). when using laptop long term, I take battery out and leave plugged in. am told leaving it plugged in w/battery shortens batt life

 

[Bamaman]

You've got to sit up to use a desk top computer.

I do most of my computer watching in bed or on the couch--prone position.

Laptops suit my lifestyle so much better.

 

[joeea]

1. Do you folks use a laptop as your primary computer?

Yes. I've done so for a long time.

2. If so, do you leave it on 24/7?

I guess technically, it's on virtually all the time. But it's in hibernation mode when I'm not using it (I close the cover).

3. What is your experience as to life expectancy of a laptop with regular use?

Laptop batteries wear out over time. That's not an issue with desktops.

Otherwise, there's no difference.

4. Will my iMac last longer if running ip camera software 24/7 is the only thing it does? (Does less interaction extend its life?)

Not sure what "last longer" means in this context.

Desktops last a long, long time. It doesn't matter what it's doing.

If you aren't actually using it actively, aren't installing new software or updates, and don't compare it to a faster machine, it should be fine for a long, long time.

 

[target2019]

I use a desktop computer, tablet and phone at home. There are times I want to "work" in my home office, and desktop with large monitor is what works for me presently. A laptop would work also, but I only have an ancient HP 17" sitting on my desk for occasional use.

 

[jim584672]

Desktop for me. The processors in Desktops are more powerful and I can upgrade components. Next upgrade would be motherboard, RAM, and processor and add new components. Lets me keep the case, power supply, and video card. I like a full keyboard and 32" monitor, I know you can attach these to a laptop but it just isn't the same.

 

[mountainsoft]

1. Do you folks use a laptop as your primary computer?

2. If so, do you leave it on 24/7?

I have a large and a small laptop, but rarely use them unless I'm traveling or working on the cars.

I much prefer a desktop computer with a real keyboard and a monitor spaced appropriately to be ergonomic.

I like that the "working guts" of my computer are in a box under the desk, out of sight. That leaves space on my actual desk to spread out papers and whatnot.

I have space for large quiet fans in my desktop tower case so my computer is essentially silent.

I have three hard drive's and a blu-ray drive in my case, hard to do that with a laptop. Of course, you could use slower external drives or maybe an NAS to overcome that to some degree.

I have a TV tuner card in my case. I suppose you could use an external TV tuner, but again, I like it all in one box out of sight. Minimizes how many cables and boxes I have running around.

I have about ten different USB devices connected to my computer. Yeah, I suppose you could use a USB hub to do the same thing, but again, I like everything in one box.

It's also easy to add additional cards if I need to add more ports or something the original computer didn't come with. Hard to do that with a laptop.

I do leave my desktop computer on 24/7 as it's recording TV shows, controlling lights and fans around the house, backing up to an external drive nightly, etc.

 

[WhenIsItTime]

Haven’t had a desktop in 15 years. Have a 2013 Mac Book Pro. Thing still runs fast with good battery life. Use it for photos, Office tools, surfing web, kids online school activities, video player, etc.