Are there any concerns I should have about using a notebook as a "desktop"

I've got an "old" dv6000z. The notebook works fine but the monitor got borked due to some negligence with the Windex. The display isn't unreadable but it is damaged.

Right now I've got the notebook plugged up to an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse. I'm aware that I've lost mobility with the machine but in light of the fact that I'm using my main desktop as more of a "media center" PC, I thought it might be nice to salvage what I could from this dv6000 and at least use it to get some office work done. Basically I'm going to have it set up like this all the time, with it attached to the accessories and plugged into an external power source.

Is there anything special I should do or anything I should be aware of to keep the thing in as good a condition as I can?

 

notebook cooler if your gonna run it overtime, just keep it cool.

dont expect it to last as long as desktop though, laptops durability and life isnt as good as a desktop

 

I'm not too worried about that. I'll just be using it for simple office work and browsing the web (I'm actually on it right now) so if it dies on me its no biggie, I can easily get it replaced. But since the screen was borked it was just sitting in my room collecting dust and driving me nuts.

I'll check out the laptop cooler though.

 

Why not? Is it because of heat issues???

 

That's why you purchase the accidental warranty when you buy a laptop. Anyways, you need to buy a laptop cooler, especially if you have it on a wooden desk. You just want to make sure the laptop can disperse the heat.

 

also make sure you keep the air vents clean and free of dust

 

Very True! Go out to BestBuy or any other electronics store and buy a can of compressed air to clean it out. Just make sure you don't use the cans of compressed air when they are upside down, they shoot out freezing chemical. I never bothered to find out what it was, but I'm sure someone here knows. Anyways, if you hit your computer with it you'll break something.

 

Yeah, in hindsight that would have been a good idea >.> The place I bought it from didn't offer any kind of accidental warranty though.

 

Just so you know for the future, as long as you purchase the laptop brand new from a reseller, you can purchase the warranty directly through HP. You don't have to buy the laptop through HP to purchase their warranty for the laptop.

 

Like Envision said, make sure you get a laptop cooler. Before you do, check if the vents on bottom of your laptop Suck in cool air, or let out hot air, this makes a difference of what cooler you are going to get, whether the fans intake out outtake.

Do a search about it, there is a whole thread on this.

 

My dv5000t has been running 24/7 for most of the past year and a half.

 

Not all laptops are built equally. About 2 out of 10 will be faulty from the box and if you send it in to HP for repairs it will definately be faulty. Its a good precaution to keep the temps down as its heat that kills most parts

 

and btw the cold stuff tends to be something like 1,1,1,2-Tetraflouroethane for you organic chemistry nuts. the liquid (in the can under pressure) boils off at -15 degrees F which is why it grabs all the heat and works so well as a propellant.


anyway, yeah. 20$ cooler will save a lot of money in the long run and help your computer run more smoothly.

 

put your laptop to sleep once in a while. keep the temperatures low. it doesnt have to be freezing ice cold, it has to be normally warm. keep it from getting too hot.

laptops wont last as long as desktops because of heat.

 

though one could also argue that keeping it on 24/7 without it turning off or making it sleep, will keep the temps constant for the most part. And then there is barely any thermal expansion/contraction, which would help increase the life of the notebook.

 

It's actually not too warm at the moment, though my judgement is probably horrible because I always compare everything to my old VAIO PCG-K23 and EVERYTHING is cool and quiet compared to that beast. Anyway, if my only concern is to grab a cooling pad then I'll be sure to do so.

I've had it plugged in for a couple days now and so far it's really working out for me since I plugged my PC into my HDTV for the media center stuff.

Thanks everyone.