# Quick question re: laptop sizes

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-re-laptop-sizes/509342>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 8, 2009, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-re-laptop-sizes/509342 "2009-09-08T22:18:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\
**Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-re-laptop-sizes/509342/1 "2009-09-08T22:18:39Z")

</div>

I’m looking for a bag for my new laptop. The screen part is 17" diagonally, but the body of the laptop proper (with all the border around the screen, etc.) is 20" diagonally.

So should I get a bag that says it fits 17" or 20" laptops?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![sevenwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@sevenwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sevenwood)\
**Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-re-laptop-sizes/509342/2 "2009-09-08T22:32:44Z")

</div>

Why not take your new laptop to a store that sells laptop bags (you might want to show your lapttop to a clerk on the way in and explain why you’re bringing it) and see what bags fit it?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\
**Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-re-laptop-sizes/509342/3 "2009-09-08T22:33:55Z")

</div>

17" laptops.

In shopping for notebook bags I’ve found it’s useful, if possible, to take the notebook with me as some bags fit better than others. Remember with 17" units they are heavier and have more glass area than smaller units so extra padding is always preferred.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\
**Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-re-laptop-sizes/509342/4 "2009-09-08T23:42:50Z")

</div>

The dimensions on bags etc are usually referring to the diagonal size of the screen. But that doesn’t necessarily mean your particular laptop will fit. For one, there’s a real difference between wide screen and “normal ratio” screens (with wide screens probably being more/pretty common nowadays).

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-re-laptop-sizes/509342/5 "2009-09-09T01:06:48Z")

</div>

> [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](#):
>
> The dimensions on bags etc are usually referring to the diagonal size of the screen. But that doesn’t necessarily mean your particular laptop will fit. For one, there’s a real difference between wide screen and “normal ratio” screens (with wide screens probably being more/pretty common nowadays).

Not an issue. There never were any old “normal ratio” 17" notebooks. 17" notebooks (as a size class) came out just after the switchover to wide aspect ratio. Pretty much any 17" notebook ever made is going to have a wide screen aspect. The biggest “normal ratio” notebook I can recall was a 16" unit and it was considered really unusual. Any case sold at retail these days is going to be configured for a wide screen geometry.,