Assassinator Wrote:E5200 is more than twice as good as a 1.6GHz Atom

At what?  Twice as good at running your web browser?  Twice as good at loading Windows?

Assassinator Wrote:and the 2GB ram compared to 1GB is twice as good

Both the netbook and desktop have 2GB of RAM (netbook's 1GB plus added 1GB stick).

Assassinator Wrote:160 > 120 for HDD, and desktop HDDs are faster

Not by much.  Not sure if the one I found was the Green power drive or not - if it is, difference may hardly be noticeable.

Assassinator Wrote:The webcam and wireless aren't crucial.

Webcam is cheap ($8).  Many people these days have wireless networks.  And it's a plus for a notebook anyway.

Assassinator Wrote:And the good thing about upgrading a desktop is that you can carry stuff over, stuff like DVD drive, HDDs, PSU and chasis are often carried over, saving you a bit of money.

You can do the same with laptops, except for the case/PSU.  The only difference is that one's connected internally, and one's external.  If you're not moving it around much, there's barely any difference.

Assassinator Wrote:And the CPU difference here is sort of different from your Core2 vs i7 comparison. A decent core2 (lets say E8400) can do pretty much everything you want. It can run you 2 or more 1080 vids at the same time, and play the most hardcore games out there, just as good as an i7 (games are mostly GPU), and can encode videos decently fast. So going up to i7 doesn't offer all that much benefits... But the Atom doesn't do everything you want, (you have trouble playing even one 720p vid, you can't play hardcore games, and you encode slow as hell). So going up does give you benefits.

Who plays two 1080p videos at once?
I did mention that laptops weren't designed for games, now, didn't I, and perhaps not terribly good at multimedia applications.  But does the average user really use that that much?  Also, I proposed this thread looking a little into the future.  Perhaps current gen netbooks can't play 1080p that well, but it's really only a matter of time until they do.

feinicks Wrote:If you are looking at a computer that is to be used by a general home user. then you have to consider the fact that they will be playing Hi-Def and other hi quality format. If they want to watch movies, they will go in for big screens. At least a 19" screen. That said, the netbook you mentioned, doesn't have a large screen neither a processor that is comfortable with hi def. Also, 1080 will soon to be bettered by more hi-def standards.

The desktop I mentioned doesn't have a screen at all.  If you put money into a screen, you could do the same for the netbook.
And no, 1080p won't be going out the door any time soon.

feinicks Wrote:One thing that wee haven't discussed is that the desktops them self are becoming smaller and more portable (to an extent), while becoming more and more powerful. I really don't see that laptop completely replacing desktops, for an average user, who doesn't have to work on the go.

From my view, they're generally becoming larger and larger...  And the general small desktops run Intel Atom CPUs so really aren't much more powerful than netbooks.

|-Anubis-| Wrote:What about repairing/replacing existing components?

I agree that not everyone needs an i7 desktop. However in a desktop the components can be removed and replaced relatively easily.

You need to replace the motherboard? No problem with a desktop, just disconnect, swap and then reconnect.

Expenses...  Replacing a mobo may mean you have to swap the CPU, and possibly the RAM (DDR » DDR2 » DDR3).  PCIe and SATA will probably remain for a while right now, so those interfaces probably won't become redundant, but really, if you're changing mobo/CPU/RAM, you're pretty much getting a new system.

|-Anubis-| Wrote:Power cord has been cut? No problem! Simply buy a new $15 dollar cable.
Charger cord has been cut? That's at least $80.

Power cords don't easily get cut...  At least I've still got ~12 year old cables working fine...

|-Anubis-| Wrote:DVD drive busted? Replacements are easily found at your local electronics store
Laptop dvd drive busted? Send the whole computer to the manufacturer and hope they can replace it or by an external DVD drive.

You can replace those yourself too...

|-Anubis-| Wrote:Main screen damaged? Simply purchase a replacement and hook it up.
Laptop screen busted? Same as above but lose portability. Otherwise throw it out.

That is an issue, but again, costs...  besides, if it's at home with the lid closed all the time, chances of laptop screen going bust is very low.