What Size Screen do You Prefer and Why?

I have a 15 inch computer now, but I'm considering a 13 inch Portege and another with a 17 inch screen. I'm still trying to figure out which way I want to go in size. I like the portability of a small screen, but think a bigger screen might be more usable. I purchased a 17 inch laptop that weighed close to ten pounds and wasn't comfortable on the lap, but I'm worried 13 will be too small.

Can anyone weigh in on what they have and the pluses and minuses?

 

For me, for portable I think the 15 inch screen is an ok compromise. I don't think I could live with it any smaller, and any bigger starts to hinder its portability. For home, large external 1080p display required.

 

13 is too small for daily use, 15 is good in the middle but starts to get bulky, 17 is very good for daily use but absolutely a pain to lug around. You could also go for 14 and 16 inch notebook screens as they offer a good compromise, however they are harder to order as they aren't exactly standard.

And I would always pay the extra 50-100 for the higher resolution panel. Makes a huge different.

 

14 inch is my sweet spot. Most are around 5 lbs., can play most games on medium to high settings, and get respectable battery life.

Everyone has different needs and expectations though.

 

I like 14", 15" is a little t0 big for traveling. My 13" is ok, but I with it was 1440x900 or 1600x900.

 

For my usage pattern, this is what I have:

Dell 15" lattitude attached to a U2311 23" LCD at work(spend most of the time in front of the computer). Occasional carry it if I I know I need it with me. Otherwise, carry a 10" netbook and RDP back to it.

A 14" would fit just as well(with a slightly smaller screen but lighter and more likely to be carried around).

 

14" or 15" is the sweet spot for me.

 

14in is plenty portable. I personally have a 17" I don't need portable. I'm not going to be messing around on the train with it lol just need to get it from one room to another. And a nice big screen makes for good movie watching setup and games.

 

What do you intend to use it for? And how much do you intend to use it?

I have an EEE PC 900 (9") and I love it because I can throw it in my bag and barely notice it. Perfect for a quick email/google/FB, but it is uncomfortable to use for long periods (that said, you do get used to it - just that it's not a wise choice if you're coding 10 hours a day).
I'm actually considering selling both that and my desktop PC, and simply buying a 12" for light/moderate use, but still good portability.

Also, I'm not exactly convinced much larger than 13" is 'plenty portable', depending on how much you need to carry it around. If you're going from home->office, then back again later, okay sure. But if you're e.g. a student on campus, rushing from class to class, to cafes, library etc, and having to lug it with you most of your waking hours, it's going to get heavy very quickly.

 

Id like two. no one size seems to cover it all. One 17 inch and one 12 inch

 

I have a 17" notebook, a 15.4", and 13.3".

I use the 17" at home as my main computer. I like the larger screen size -- it is quite comfortable to sit in front of and use; I don't feel confined at all. I also like having a full-size keyboard with number pad.

The 15.4", which I no longer actively use, was also comfortable to use for extended periods . . . not exactly confining but it does not give the desktop feel of the 17".

The 13.3" I use on-the-go only. Its limited screen resolution is a real pain trying to do two things at once; on top of that I feel confined too.

For me there is no ideal compromise; if I had to pick, I would go with a 15.4"/15.6".

 

I have comfortably used my 8.9" eeepc for 2 years. I always felt like 17 inch was just too big for portability. Now after seeing my friends 14" I am of the opinion that 14" is the sweet spot between comfort and portability.
I could still see someone using 15.6" though easily.

 

14" is the best for me.

 

Seconded! A 17" machine is good for most things, but I also like having a nice 12" machine around for when I don't need power, and actually want a machine for lap use or battery life.

My considerations for future machines are an Alienware M17x, and either the M11x's successor or the next iteration of the ThinkPad X20x(s).

 

14" seems to be the sweetspot for me.

15" is hard to carry around, 13" is hard to work with for extended periods of time.


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You can't be serious right...?

17" all the way for me. My 15.4" Toshiba is decent in terms of usability (if it had a higher resolution is would be decent ), but I prefer the open and fullness of a DTR sized notebook. This is why I love the size of my G73.

Also, I don't see why people complain about having to lug around larger sized laptops. I carry my Toshiba (which, incidentally, is close to the weight of the G73, I seriously don't know why, lol) and it's adapter around every day all day, as well as my mouse and various textbooks and other stuff around and I don't find it heavy or tiring.

 

My Sony 16.4 inch with 1920x1080 is perfect for a desktop replacement - used to travel with it but have now switched to a netbook instead for when I'm on the go.
Like the higher resolutions - Use Excel as part of my job and the extra "real estate" on the screen is a benefit.

 

I prefer 17" too. They have the best screens.
I have found that with a backpack, weight portability is not an issue at all, unlesss you have it on your back for more than 30 mins *at a time*.
I travel by bus, and have the laptop on my back 20-25 mins at a stretch each way and I dont notice the weight at all.

However, if I have it on more than an hour at a time, then its gets uncomfortable.

 

I think 14" is a good size, but I wish mine had a higher resolution than WXGA.

 

14" screen is my sweet spot. 13.3" would be my second choice.

I've had 15.5" and 15.6" laptops, but they weren't comfortable to carry around campus. I've also had a 12.1" laptop, but it was too tiny to do everyday work on it.

 

Preferred size is directly linked to how much you travel around, and how you travel. As someone who travels around 50% of the time for work, and someone who is hopelessly addicted to PC gaming, I've thought about this quite a bit.

- If you don't really move around much, then you would do just fine with a 15" or 17" laptop. Big screen, big keyboard, lots of connectivity options, and the option to get a lot of CPU/GPU power in that package.

- If you move around, but only use your laptop on desks, then you could get away with a 15" laptop.

- If you move around and use your laptop in all sorts of places (on your lap, in airports and airplanes, etc), then a 13.3" laptop is superb. On paper, the weight and size difference between a 4-pound 13.3" laptop and a 6-pound 15" laptop don't seem like much. But carry a laptop bag as much as I have, or use a laptop in coach class on airplanes as much as I have, and you will never go back.

 

For portability 14" or under. My U81a is an awesome simple machine for email and general office work etc. Net work in a pinch isn't too bad but I prefer more screen real estate.

For my DTR 17" 1920x1200 works great. I just love the real estate for just about everything. I am not a gamer so that isn't really an issue with either machine.

 

I would like to have Full HD 15.6"-16" screen because of comfortable screen real estate for development work and browsing.

 

Im currently using a 15.4 inch that i bought on an impulse when my last 17 inch was stolen, but i ordered another one ( its coming tommorow yay).

Im on the go a lot btw but theres always a plug, so I lug 17 inchers around no problem.

I do not feel this 15.4 incher is remarkably more portable. It is a little. It gets better battery life. BUT the battery life is still pretty terrible.

If you really are on the go, you need something very small with an 8 hour battery life only a 12 incher can make it. even a 14 incher is too big.

I have had now most of the sizes from 12 -17 inch and i feel like you should decide what the tool is for and go for that. not compromise.

When I had a 14 inch gaming notebook it really turned out to be too large with terrible battery life. It did nothing well.

Im going to get a netbook when i sell this 15.4 inch. Really it has nothing going for it honestly neither performance nor battery life nor portability. It has a low retail price as a new laptop is what it has going for it.


So anyhow, one CHEAP gaming laptop, one CHEAP netbook or portable that covers it all. The netbook can cohabitate the 17 inchers bag or get out on its own.


as far as two perfect machines purchased at full retail/

the alienware r2 seems perfect. a perfect 12 inch though is the hp elitebook. I have found that the i3 cpu with intel hd will game enough as i would want to on a 12 inch screen, it will play civ 5 and half life based games.

A netbook would work but probably fall apart. everytihng about a netbook is fine with me though except the atom cpu.

 

I already have a 15.4 for school. I wanted a multimedia gaming friendly laptop that I could us as a portable desktop replacement.

17" won me over.

 

11.6"-12.1" is the sweet spot for me. I always have a backpack with at least one folder and at least one book, and if I pack my 14" in the backpack as well it becomes really cumbersome to carry around.

13" is too similar to 14" to carry around (footprint wise), but I could see myself owning a 13" or an m11x if I really needed the extra performance boost due to the better GPU options.

 

With HP 17" elitebooks, you can essentially get unlimited baattery life depending on hiw manay batteries you have. These laptops can take a second battery (at the bottom I think), its called a battery slice. Thus, the laptop will be running on two batteries with the battery slice being drained first.

This means, you can replace the battery slice as the laptop is running, essentially getting near unlimited battery life.

 

I like a bigger screen,the one i have is a 17.3,for one it's easier on the eye's and i can inlarge the text and still looks good.Plus movies and games look great at that size.
Only down side i guess would be the size pretty big,but mine is a desktop replacement so it doesnt get transported alot just around the house and a occasional lan party.But i like the ol saying bigger is better.

 

Given that I have a desktop at home, my laptop is mostly used for portability means so 13"-14" is small enough to be portable yet strong enough for mid-heavy tasks.

 

Also, the size preference would depend on the person .... if you are a girl like Forever_Melody, a 17" is not very portable.

 

for me , it would be 14 inch 1600X900 for portable + 17 inch 1920X1200 for desktop replacement.. too bad i'm bankrupt...