New Desktop or Laptop Docking Station

In My Humble Opinion
1

My desktop is a Dell bought in 1999 or thereabouts. In 2004-ish, I upgraded the hard drive, CD drive, and added Windows XP.

Now, my RAM is low by today’s standards, and maxing it out probably won’t help too much. My WinXP got corrupted when I tried to download Powerpoint last fall, which slows me down even further.

I have a laptop I bought a couple of years ago (Toshiba - WinXP). It is on a WiFi network with this old desktop. This is particularly helpful when I need the computer at the same time as my wife or if I elect to work in another room besides the home office.

This old desktop slows my work productivity and I was thinking about buying a new one, but money is tight right now.

Then, it occurred to me that I might just buy a laptop docking station (~$170) instead, or at least defer the purchase of a new desktop (~$1,000, probably Vista?) until finances improve. I realize, though, this means only one computer for the household, for now.

I use the computer mostly for work, including word processing, simple spreadsheets, Internet, Outlook, and billing software.

Are there pros and cons to this situation I should know about? I don’t know anything about using a docking station.

Thanks!

2

[QUOTE=Bearflag70]
My desktop is a Dell bought in 1999 or thereabouts. In 2004-ish, I upgraded the hard drive, CD drive, and added Windows XP.

Now, my RAM is low by today’s standards, and maxing it out probably won’t help too much. My WinXP got corrupted when I tried to download Powerpoint last fall, which slows me down even further.

I have a laptop I bought a couple of years ago (Toshiba - WinXP). It is on a WiFi network with this old desktop. This is particularly helpful when I need the computer at the same time as my wife or if I elect to work in another room besides the home office.

This old desktop slows my work productivity and I was thinking about buying a new one, but money is tight right now.

Then, it occurred to me that I might just buy a laptop docking station (~$170) instead, or at least defer the purchase of a new desktop (~$1,000, probably Vista?) until finances improve. I realize, though, this means only one computer for the household, for now.

I use the computer mostly for work, including word processing, simple spreadsheets, Internet, Outlook, and billing software.

Are there pros and cons to this situation I should know about? I don’t know anything about using a docking station.

Thanks!
[/QUOTE]

A docking station is just an extension to make adding a keyboard, screen, speakers & mouse easier - there’s no processing power or performance enhancements in it at all.

Most of these items can already plug into the back of a standard laptop without the docking station.

If money is tight, I’d just clear a spot on your desk, open the laptop, and just start typing. A docking station is just a nice-to-have option, far from a requirement.

3

[QUOTE=Belrix]
Most of these items can already plug into the back of a standard laptop without the docking station.
[/QUOTE]

True enough, but if you do want to use the laptop elsewhere, not just on your desk, it is a real convenience. Just unsnap it and take your laptop with you instead of unplugging several cables.

USB cables can be unplugged while the computer is on, but others, such as the monitor, require you to turn the computer off before plugging or unplugging.

It all depends on how often you would want to move the laptop from the desk. Also, it depends on the laptop’s screen size. If it is big enough, fine, but if you like (and have) a larger monitor, you may prefer to use that with the laptop. Also, many keyboards, IMHO, are much easier to use than the laptop’s, thus, other reasons to use a docking station.

4

Thank you for your input. It is haused me to think more about this.

If I dump the desktop and go with laptop only, then I assume the WiFi (now connected to the desktop via router) goes out the window, right?

If so, then I should keep the desktop on. Otherwise, the laptop will only connect to the internet when it’s at my desk.

5

[QUOTE=Bearflag70]
Thank you for your input. It is haused me to think more about this.

If I dump the desktop and go with laptop only, then I assume the WiFi (now connected to the desktop via router) goes out the window, right?

If so, then I should keep the desktop on. Otherwise, the laptop will only connect to the internet when it’s at my desk.
[/QUOTE]

The laptop connects to the internet through the router, not through your desktop. Even if your desktop is off it should connect to your network like it normally does.

6

Check out online, Tigerdirect.com has fairly inexpensive desktop units for sale. You can buy a refurbished business machine from Ubid.com, and I am sure that if you google shopping for specific brands of desktop you will have a selection of online goodies to check out.

7

[QUOTE=Lakai]
The laptop connects to the internet through the router, not through your desktop. Even if your desktop is off it should connect to your network like it normally does.
[/QUOTE]

Ah, I see. But the printer is connected to the desktop, and the shin bone is connected to the ankle bone. I guess I could plug the printer USB cable into the laptop when needed.

8

Using a USB keyboard and mouse with your laptop makes it much more comfortable to use if you’re at a desk. If you can find a cheap second monitor somewhere to plug into the laptop, you’ll only know you don’t have a desktop when you have to open the lid to turn it on and off. That way, you wouldn’t have mess with your desktop at all, just leave it as-is.

9

You can get a wireless keyboard and mouse plus a large monitor of good quality for around $250 (new).

I travel and hate hate hate crawling under my desk to unplug my laptop. I have used a docking station for years now and couldn’t live without one. I also love being able to undock it to work in the living room or to take it to a coffee shop in the morning to get the day started.

Mine has four USB ports, and I can still get at the two on my laptop as well.

10

I’d say ditto on Tiger Direct. A $350 refurb desktop with 1GB+ RAM should be good enough for most home or business purposes.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/category_slc.asp?Recs=10&Nav=|c:2631|lp:200:hp:499.99|&Sort=4

I have a lovely eMachines box that I ripped the crapware off of and put openoffice.org on (as well as the video editing stuff that my wife uses), and it works fine. If I had an old PC that I still needed the programs from, I’d put them into a VMWare Player or Virtual PC session (which is tricky but fun).

11

I’ve bought several fantastic machines that are on par with or better than those Tiger Direct ones from Dell’s off-lease refurb site. They all come with XP these days, not Vista, if you’re not ready to do Vista.

They don’t come with monitors, but neither do those Tiger Direct machines…so if you go either route, be sure to keep your old monitor.

12

[QUOTE=Bearflag70]
Now, my RAM is low by today’s standards, and maxing it out probably won’t help too much. My WinXP got corrupted when I tried to download Powerpoint last fall, which slows me down even further.
[/QUOTE]

For what you want to do, perhaps a complete reinstall might be a better way forward.

Go to Crucial’s website and see what their memory tool advises. Get an external USB HDD; you may need a USB 2 card as well. Both are cheap. Back up everything to the external HDD and wipe and reinstall your PC.

13

[QUOTE=Quartz]
For what you want to do, perhaps a complete reinstall might be a better way forward.

Go to Crucial’s website and see what their memory tool advises. Get an external USB HDD; you may need a USB 2 card as well. Both are cheap. Back up everything to the external HDD and wipe and reinstall your PC.
[/QUOTE]

I think my current RAM is 300, my max RAM is 500. Isn’t everyone up to 1G these days?

14

[QUOTE=Bearflag70]
I think my current RAM is 300, my max RAM is 500. Isn’t everyone up to 1G these days?
[/QUOTE]

CONFIRMED

Maximum Memory Capacity: 512MB
Currently Installed Memory: 320MB
Available Memory Slots: 0
Number of Banks: 2
Dual Channel Support: No
CPU Manufacturer: GenuineIntel
CPU Family: Intel Pentium III processor Model 8, Stepping 3
CPU Speed: 548 MHz

One of the biggest problems is when I have to flip back and forth between Outlook, Word, Excel, Internet, Timeslips, and reasearch software to get projects done. My RAM gets eaten up quickly and the system bogs down.

15

Agree with the new desktop idea - for as little as $100 more than the docking station you can get a whole refurbished desktop that will be twice as fast as your laptop, let alone the old desktop.

16

[QUOTE=Really Not All That Bright]
Agree with the new desktop idea - for as little as $100 more than the docking station you can get a whole refurbished desktop that will be twice as fast as your laptop, let alone the old desktop.
[/QUOTE]

  1. Where do I go to find that? Docking stations are about $160? I can get a good desktop for $260?

  2. How do I know the system will meets my needs / is a good deal?

  3. How do I know the refurbished machine is reliable? Is there a warranty usually?

  4. What does “refurbished” generally mean, anyway?

17

If your keyboard, mouse & printer are all connected via USB, then they’ll connect just fine to a standard laptop with USB port. If your laptop doesn’t have enough USB connections (I have just two on mine), then get a USB hub (often available for less than $15), plug your USB devices into it, then just one plug goes to your laptop. A USB hub is nothing more than a port expander, usually one connector to your computer becomes 4 on the hub. Get a hub that comes with a power adapter - you’ll be happier with it.

As far as internet goes, most laptops have an ethernet port in the back for wired connections or get a PCMCIA laptop card (I have a no-name brand I got for $15 mail-order) that’ll connect wirelessly to your router (if it’s a wireless router, that is).

Right now that’s 3 cables to pull from your laptop if you want to take it to go: USB hub, ethernet & power.

I don’t crawl under my desk to unhook mine, the cables lie on the desktop just fine - secure them with a bit of duct-tape to the back of the desk if you don’t want them slithering away.

The screen is the only PITA, in my opinion. The connector for it is clunky but, to me, the laptop screen is just fine. It’s not a usability issue for me (unlike my ergo keyboard and separate mouse (I hate the track pad)). I just use the laptop’s screen rather than a stand-alone one.

If the laptop as a desktop is a problem, I then I second the recommendation to get a used machine. 512M to 1G memory is fine for anything but a non-vista machine. If you get a used machine, say around 2-3 years old, with Win2K or Win98 on it, it’ll feel like a Ferarri compared to the specs you posted above. You’ll save a lot of money on it if you reuse your old monitor.

18

Something like these?

19

[QUOTE=Bearflag70]

  1. Where do I go to find that? Docking stations are about $160? I can get a good desktop for $260?

  2. How do I know the system will meets my needs / is a good deal?

  3. How do I know the refurbished machine is reliable? Is there a warranty usually?

  4. What does “refurbished” generally mean, anyway?
    [/QUOTE]

  5. TigerDirect, NewEgg, or Google “refurbished PC” and come back to the thread if you need to make sure a vendor is reliable. Most manufacturers offer good deals on their own refurbished machines.

  6. The same way you would if it was new - If it’s going to ship with WinXP, you want it to have 1G of RAM, and a 2500+ Mhz processor minimum. If you’ll be gaming, double those numbers at a minimum. I don’t have any experience with Vista, so someone else can fill in the system specs for that.

  7. It will be, to all intents and purposes, a new computer. It may be something as simple as an open box item that was returned; usually it’ll be one that had a defective part and was returned. Obviously, they’ll replace the defective part. Usually, you’ll get a warranty- if not, I’d steer clear.

  8. See here.

20

[QUOTE=Bearflag70]
Something like these?
[/QUOTE]

Yep.

Or these.