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Nesh: I think the reason people aren't responding strictly to your needs is that your needs will be met by any PC or Mac you buy - everything will have USB2.0 ports, for example.
However:
Generally, desktops are cheaper than laptops. You can get a desktop that will do what you want - burn CDs, play DVDs, access the Internet and store music and images - for about £399 (or less without Windows). However, it won't do much else, and it may not have Firewire, which may limit future video options (less so these days, though). As you go up the price ranges, you (predictably) get a lot more oomph for your money with a desktop, and more flexibility.
Flexibility and upgradability are the desktop's advantages. Basically, you can't upgrade laptops - expect two years' life out of them, more if your needs are few and you don't DROP THE DAMN THING.
So - PC desktop, I'd recommend getting, if you are buying from fresh, an Athlon 64 processor on a socket 939 motherboard probably with a PCI Express slot (the upcoming standard for future graphics cards). 120GB-200GB hard drive (this will take a long time to fill up with photos and MP3s. You can probably get away with integrated graphics, but the one thing that *will* affect internet speed (or how fast the info is displayed, and how many windows you can open - if you're not using Firefox, use Firefox, btw) is RAM - you need as a minimum 512MB to use Windows XP or OS 10.3 effectively - this is probably one of the things with your laptop - it's probably only got 256MB of RAM. You may as well get a wireless LAN card plunked in there while you're about it - it will come in handy later. Think about what kind of sound you want, as well - with a big screen and 5.1 speakers, you're looking at something that can replace your hi-fi and DVD player, and ultimately your TV.
Laptop - depends whether you want something you can actually carry around, or just something you can stick on a desk in the corner which will be easier to move than a PC (a heavy laptop weighs about 3.8kg, a desktop usually about 18kg). Light costs, powerful costs, long battery life costs. If you genuinely have no need to use a laptop regularly, get a desktop (or more precisely a tower) and a smartphone or a PDA for scribbling notes... be aware that almost all laptops have less storage space than PCs - they start at 30GB these days and go up to 100GB, but big 2.5 inch hard drives are costy - expect 40GB or 60GB in a laptop.
Honestly, the people above are right. Tell us how much you want to spend, we'll tell you how much more than your expectations the PC (or mac) you can buy for it can deliver. Oh, and what make was your old laptop? |
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