13 inch or less as primary?

How many of you use a 13 inch or less as your primary machine? I've been debating for a while now if I should move to a 12 inch. When I first tried 12 inch I swore never to go back, but after learning more about computers I realized it wasn't just the small screen size it was the low resolution, we're talking 1024x768.

 

Not me.

I do use a 13.3" U30Jc as an electronic 'notebook' - but I get real work (photography) done on two 24" or bigger monitors (next systems will have 3 monitors at least... with any luck and $$$ to spare; 30" monitors too @ 2560x1600).

See:
NEC PA301w: The Baddest 30-inch Display Around - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News


If all you're doing is 'consuming' small blocks of text/images, then 12/13" screens are fine - but if you're 'producing' work, then they will put a serious dent in your productivity.

 

i use a 13" macbook pro (1280x800) as my only workstation(or computer period). I am a programmer fyi.

its not the best situation, and i do realize the benefit of greater real estate, but i have adapted and i don't exactly cry myself to sleep every night over it.

the highest res i ever worked on was a 1650xsomthing.

 

Depends on how you use the computers. If you are using it for checking e-mails, listening to music etc. it is fine. If you need to work 12+ hours/day that will be the worst choice.


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My M11x is my only computer. 11.6" screen with a 1366 x 768 resolution. Half of the time I have it hooked up to my 37" 1080p monitor but I am fine using the laptop screen. I don't do cpu intensive stuff besides playing games once in a while so having this as a primary works for me.

 

i use a Asus EEEPC 1201N as primary.... its a 12inch machine. never had issues with it. I use it at work for PLC programming too. Its a 1366x768 resolution. so far i love it. I used to use a Dell XPSM1210 but it got heavy after a while this Asus is light and does everything i need for a 12inch rig...

 

The ideal laptop size is directly related to how much you move around with it.

If you're someone who rarely ever move your laptop around (less than once every 2 weeks), then there really is no reason to ever go with a 13.3" laptop.

If you are someone who travels around for work / school, and is constantly carrying their laptop around in their bag with them, then 13.3" and smaller is the only way to go. I am this kind of user, and I will never buy any laptop larger than 13.3" ever again.

 

I use a HP Elitebook 2730p which is a 12.1" screen [1280x800], but it is a high quality AFFS+ type of screen; so it has good colors, great contrast, excellent viewing angles (the viewing angles are pretty much perfect), a piece of chemically hardened glass in front of the screen and a screen housing that has a small air gap then a metal backing (it would be hard to break this screen as easily as any other laptop's screen). I don't think there is a better quality screen in the 12" range (factoring in everything about the screen)


It is a convertible Tablet PC though, which means it is like any other laptop, except the screen can swivel around and fold flat making the screen the only part of the computer; you can get them with Wacom Pen only (it is just like a cintiq+ a laptop) or with Wacom Pen + Multi-Touch (it adds a multi-touch layer to the top of the screen). I would recommended reading through a bit of Notebook Check's review on the 2740p - Review HP EliteBook 2740p Notebook - Notebookcheck.net Reviews-

 

I had a Dell Inspiron 700m (12.1" 1280x800) for a while as my main PC. It was awesome for web browsing and watching movies until I cracked the screen.

 

I used to have a 12" as my main, but I moved up the screen chain to 15", then 17" and now 24" with a monitor as dual display.

I admit though, 11.6" to 13.3" would be the ideal size for me if I had to carry my laptop constantly.

 

Screen size isn't the strictly limiting factor for me, but the resolution available. I could care less about screen size as long as the text is legible at native resolution without having to force some kind of zoom in/out.

 

Up until a week or so ago I was using my m11x as a primary rig and it worked great. Its all in what you use your computer for. Honestly I switch between my rigs depending on what my needs are for the time. Right now I need lots of battery life so Im using the thinkpad, but if I need more power Ill switch to the XPS. Come 2012 the technology will allow for me to use a 14in or smaller as a primary rig for any task whatsoever. Cant wait.

 

My notebook history:

Dell Inspiron 9100 (15.4")
Asus EEE (8.9")
Acer 3810T (13.3")
Acer 1830T (11.6")

13.3" and under is the best size, and will always be my choice. Very easy to be your only machine especially since you can now get powerful machines starting at 11.6".

 

Well said, same here.

 

Have a 13" Inspiron 13z as main laptop. The ULV C2D's and (admittedly-weak) dedicated graphics were a pretty effective setup getting more power than my previous Pentium-D desktop in many applications and games.

The little fella isn't coping the best with media consumption via internet now though, but considering newer 13" laptops with SB should have similar/better power efficiency and much, much better CPU & integrated GPU power, should be better.

 

Just get an external screen for the times you need more real estate and you'll be fine.

 

Can you use one for a primary? Of course.
Would I want to? No.

There is nothing to stop you from hooking up a monitor and mouse/keyboard combo and use it as a desktop, which I have been known to do from time to time. Let's face it, a 24in monitor sure beats a 13 for work.

 

I've had 2 MBP 13's that I used for a combined maybe 8 months. 13" is cool, my perfect screen size is 14". I find 13" and 14" portable, but big enough to back some punch. And have an optical drive.

But, they're are like hundreds of thousands of people using MB/MBP 13's as their primary machines. Can't be that bad.

 

I have worked with X301 as my primary machines for a while, it is not bad. I find that working with the X200 not bad either, especially when you are travelling around a lot.

 

-> my 13,3" Vaio is my only active laptop (I have an older one which is 4:3 and a bit bigger, maybe 14" or 15"? No clue... but 1024*768)

What really matters is resolution and then whether you can still clearly see everything on the screen.

13,3" at 1280*800 seemed a bit small to me at the start, but it's possibly perfect. A smaller screen and fonts get too small without DPI scaling, larger and everything becomes pixelated (-> 113dpi on my screen)

On that note, I couldn't use a larger laptop comfortably... I even can't keep the whole of my 13,3" screen in view... how would I use an even larger screen...?

 

My X201 hits a sweet spot with its 12.1 inch LCD. I still have a dual monitor desktop on my desk upstairs, but it's been used once in the past week, to play a shooter game. 1280x800 is in perfect sync with my eyes, text and fonts are more visible to me in usable positions than on my 19 inch Hanns-G LCD's at 1440x900 (I still love those monitors, though) and it provides enough room for me to multitask. With most of my work being done in Linux, the seperate workspaces, combined with the workspace cube function mapped to the Thinkpad's dedicated page back and forward buttons above the arrow keys, makes for an absolutely perfect work environment.

Just to put this into perspective - at work I have two massive, 21 inch, 1600x1200 CRTs on my work desk. When I arrive at work, I RDP into my work machine from my X201 and do my work on the 12.1 inch LCD. I sit in front of this computer for a combined total of close to 15 hours on any given day, and it's only abandoned when I intend to do some gaming. For every other purpose, it suits my needs perfectly.