My experience carrying a 17" laptop around ..

I have a Dell Precision M90 (simialar to the E1705 or 1720). Weighs around 9lbs.
When I bought it, I did not think weight would be a problem.
I've carried it around a couple of times, it was heavy but nothing I could not manage.
However, recently I was at a conference, and I had to carry the laptop everywhere all the time in my backpack. Think 4+ hrs on my back. And MAN it got heavy.

So for all you college folks, if you plan on CARRYING it for more than an hour combined each day, I would not recommend getting a 17 incher. One hour combined should be fine. I say this because a couple of days I was mostly carrying the laptop to and fro from the conf to my hotel (walking). Total carrying time was about 1hr20 min, (40 min trip each way), and it was fine.

 

I have a 15.4 (about 7 pounds) and dumping it for an m1330 because of its heft and I only go from the car to my office. On the road it's a pain though.

 

Or you could just join the Marine Corps. Then you'll get used to carrying a 70-80 lb pack for about 26 miles. Once you do that, the notebook will feel like nothing.

 

If you're going to carry a computer around all day you should be in one of two camps:

1) You've got some stones and you can carry around a ginormous desktop replacement with huge specs so you can play some FPS or MMORPG on the fly.

or

2) Get something tiny that does everyday stuff like taking notes, internet and reading email.

If I had to carry my PC around every day for business/school stuff I'd get a Sony TZ or ASUS S6 or something similarly pinner.

 

I've been carrying my 9300 (yes 17") to and from work every weekday for about 2 years now. I take a train to work, which involves 10mins walking from my house, it used to weigh earlier, but I guess I got used to it soon.
Even used to carry from work (evening) to Uni where I had some part-time work .... Man those were the days !!
So no surprises that I ordered a 1720 !, better get a new bag as well, coz my current one shows signs of wear & tear!!
All I'll say is its not that huge, or heavy ... but yes carrying from one conference to another ? I dunno, but carrying from home to work shouldn't be a problem..
Added bonus you get a healthy exercise !!

 

But why do you need a 17"? Some people have legitimate needs. For most people, it's a big waste of weight and battery life.

 

some people like to have the bigger screen. I have 15.4" Inspiron 6000. It is great, but I want a bigger screen. Why? Because I want to watch movies and play games on it. For that reason alone, I got a 17"

You could ask the question, why do some people have 48" LCD TV Screens?

 

Because a 48" LCD TV at 1080p is the same resolution as a 32" 1080p screen.

DVD resolution is 640x480, which means that you can watch a DVD in full quality on the oldest of laptops. You're stretching the picture without using a higher definition source.

A laptop should never be purchased with gaming as the primary use. It's going to get slower and slower as new games come out, but it is never going to get lighter and smaller.

 

For me its note the size of the notebook, its when you add a spare battery, the power supply, maybe a wireless mouse.

Its all the little extra things that weight me down, lunch with a water bottle I like to carry with me when I go to and from work. Winter time here, so my scarf and Beanie, then sometimes the jacket. So yes a nice big backpack is required.

 

I have a 1710 wich I use as a desktop and a 1220 to carry around on buisness trips and anywhere else I go

 

I have a friend who carries 17inch laptop everyday, and she always complains. IMO, 17inch laptop is pointless unless you can get and need some serious gaming power only offered in 17inch laptops. It's real pain to find a backpack that can take it (quoting the said friend), and its often too big for classroom desks as well. I cannot say I enjoy carrying my sub 3kg laptop, even.

But then, I've seen a tough guy who carries his 17inch Quosimo to class every day....

 

I currently have a 15.4 inch screen and I carry it back and forth to the office every day as well as taking it with me when I do service calls and also when travelling, I find that over the course of the day the thing is heavy and that is why I am switching to the M1330 XPS mainly for the weight

 

I have an M90 as well, and it hasn't been a pain at all. I carry it with the charger, a full USB mouse, mousepad, wrist rest, 9x12 Wacom tablet, sketchbook, pens, sometimes my portable hard drive, to and from work, and sometimes down to the coffee shop (twenty minute walk there, twenty back). It's less the weight and more the distribution, so I got a backpack and I hardly feel it no matter how much crap I pile into it, even though sometimes it juts out and makes me look like a turtle.

Then again, I used to do marching band back in high school, with the bass drum. The 4-6 mile parades with a 75lb. drum strapped to my front in the most awkward position imagineable, while making for an absolute hellish time, at least made me somewhat impervious to what is pretty much the only drawback so far of the laptop.

I need the mobile power, so I put up with the weight, but it hasn't bothered me yet thankfully.

 

Here are my reasons for ordering a 1720:-
a) True Desktop Replacement Notebook
b) Gives me more srceen space to do my work
c) Surprisingly 1520 isn't that light-weight either
d) And yes Gaming, watching HDTV 'looks' better on a 17"

 

What do you mean watching HDTV? Are you talking about with a tuner, or downloaded content?

Downloaded content at 1080p will be better because 1080p is 1920×1080, the same as the High Res 1720 screen. If you aren't watching 1080p (720p for example, the most common HD source), you're just stretching the picture.

As I said, there are legitimate needs for a 17" notebook, but if the main one is "I want to play games in class" it's a terrible idea.

 

Who the hell cares if you're stretching the picture? If you're watching TV on it, you aren't going to be a foot from the screen. And so if you're watching TV on your laptop from your bed, the ONLY difference you'll notice between a 15" and 17" is that you can see more screen. You won't notice any more artifacts, if any at all.

There is a difference in watching TV on a 17" screen and watching DVD quality on a 52" HDTV which WILL show some artifacts. The difference is that since the 17" is so much smaller, after you get a few feet away it will look crisp and clear

 

I agree, I watch tv serials on my 17" and at a few feet away, the picture looks gorgeous

 

Yes using an HDTV tuner (DVB-T) here in OZ
its acutally 1080i (the progs that I do watch)

But IMO, for watching hi-res content , you need a screen as big as possible
and as far as notebooks go 17" is both "affordable" and "carri-able" for me
(There are a few 19" out there ...... sigh )

 

I would never consider buying 17" notebooks. It's not really the weight, it's just the bulk. Too big to fit into a standard backpack. Too big to fit on many auditorium desks. If I want to watch movies or play games, I do so on my desktop or even an actual TV, both of which, especially the TV, offer FAR better picture quality than any 17" notebook out there. Occasional movies on during a trip...meh... I'm fine with using a 14 or 15", it's just to pass the time. Plus those fit into a backpack and are easily portable everyday. In my experience, trying to do a compromise solution like a desktop replacement size notebook just leaves me disappointed. The compromise usually does neither job adequately. I have neither the advantage of portability that a notebook is supposed to offer over a desktop, nor the advantage in power and picture quality that a desktop is supposed to offer over a notebook. Just a clunker that fails at both.
If I have the money, I'd rather have both the powerful, modable, desktop with a great monitor, and a small lightweight notebook that I can just pick up and go and use anywhere. If you're really strapped for cash and can only have one computer though, I see how you'd choose to make do with some expensive notebook in the middle that's just mediocre at all those tasks.

 

In college I lugged around a Dell Inspiron 8000 15" laptop that weighed 8 lbs. The size was perfect, however the weight wasnt.

Considering my schedule, I typically spent 8-14 hours on campus and a desktop replacement loaded out laptop was my only option in my case, so this was perfect for that. Power plugs were never a problem, nor small desks.

Now all those hours on campus and no breaks between classes for 3-4 consecutive hours meant I had to carry the laptop, spare battery, and all my course books and notes. The weight adds up quick. My class books I had to carry in a backpack, they would crush my laptop if it were packed in there (actually left indentions in the screen). So I picked up a side bag for the laptop and other class binder.

Along with our huge campus, means I walked about 2-3 miles a day to all my classrooms all over campus. The walk was no problem, I circuit trained everyday for 30-45 minutes at a high intensity. However Houston temps reach 90+ degrees sometimes and made thoese walks a little irritating.

When I got home and dropped my bags on the scale:
laptop bag: 13 lbs
backpack: 34lbs (3 course books and notes)
total: 47 lbs carried with me all day about 4 days a week.

Now Im traumatized by big laptops :confused2: You can understand why I ordered a 1330 now.

 

Out of curiosity, why do you carry course books? I haven't done that since I was a freshman in high school, except for special circumstances where you need the book in class. I just take notes and read the book at home.

 

i dunno, i'm kinda going w/ the guy on page one who talked about the marine corps. I'm gonna be a freshman in college, but I did 3 years of roofing work my freshman-junior years. We always used Timberline shingles, and i dreaded the Timberline 40's cause those are 80lb bundles, and when you get to a house where the depot can't deposit them ontop of the roof, that's 24 bundles to carry up =*(. I dunno bout you, but I've gotten used to the weight over the course of time... although i have to start switching my arm dominance cause my high school backpack and the roofing job gave me one really big shoulder hahaha.

hey, there ya go. for everyone who owns a laptop and is too lazy to go to the gym... *cough, shifty look, cough* they should do arm raises and military bench w/ their 17" lappies. I'll call it....... well i can't think of anything fancy shmancy for it..... wonder if i could get rich making an exercise book about it...

 

I studied in the architecture and engineering program. We referenced sample diagrams, charts, tables, manuals, building codes, plans, etc several times a day in class. If you cant look up the conversion charts neccessary to awnser the quizzes, you might as well drop the classes. Every major requires something different, mine required me to carry my books to class.

 

I couldn't possibly do that, having to carry a "briefcasefullocrap" at the same time. My notebook's GOT to fit into the little sleeve built in to my briefcase. So, I gots me a system: E9400-1705 on my credenza at the office; D630 to carry to hearings and such; and, the new Vostro 1500 for when I have to work at home (can also game on it when not working). I tried carrying even my old HP 15.4" to the office before, and it's just too much.

I think a student should be carrying a 12" ultra portable to class every day. If you're careful, an HP TX1000 (they're fragile); if not, a Toshiba U205 or a more pricey Dell D430 or thinkpad x series, etc. I mean, you're not playing WoW in class, are you?

 

If you go to law school, you'll carry around several 4-8" thick case books. PERIOD. I would imagine other disciplines have similar requirements. It'll be a long time before educational textbooks become obsolete.

 

Oh. I was going to do electrical engineering, before switching over to microbio/biotech but even then, we'd just have the conversions copied over onto a sheet of paper, and any charts or graphs we referenced in class the professor usually just made multiple copies and handed them out. Looking around campus, almost nobody carried their books except for 1st semester freshmen in the first couple months and dorks. But I guess it depends on the schools and majors you chose?

 

Why yes, yes I am.