15.4 or 14.1

Iam planning to buy a laptop for surfing and programming.........Can you please suggest me which size will be proper........I will carry it outside but not daily may be once in a week.

Will there be any discomfort in read with 14.1...........

 

If you do programming like I do, screen estate is really valuable. 14.1 is a work-on-the-plane or lying-in-the-sofa kind of laptop. 15.4 or bigger is more of a desktop replacement.

That said, I do have a colleague that do a lot of programming on a 14.1 inch. He really likes lying in the sofa with it though. Plus, at work, he has an external display.

 

It all depends on the resolution and how sensitive your eyes are. I suggest you go to a computer store and have a look at different size screens with different resolutions.

On a 14.1" 4:3 format screen I find that my preferred resolution is 1400x1050 (SXGA+). On a 14.1" widescreen, I prefer 1440x900 (WXGA+). This to me is a good blend of fitting as much on to the screen, while still not being to uncomfortable to view. Some however find these resolutions too high.

Since you do programming I would expect that you would want as much to be shown on the screen as possible. This is a question only you can answer - so once again you should go somewhere, where you can try out different 14 inch screens and resolutions.

 

I had a 15" UXGA, then a 15.4" WSVGA, and now a 14.1" WXGA. The first one has a great screen while the 15.4 and 14.1 isn't such a big difference for me. On the other hand, the 14.1" is much more portable than the 15.4".

 

@ topic starter

u dont need to start multiple threads on the same issue buddy.

 

I say the 14.1 is the better option as the 15.4 isnt much of a difference in screen size but the weight difference is big.

 

The 14.1 inch is the better option, because it weighs less. And like the guy above me said, there really isn't a huge difference between the two.

 

for me, the only reason i got the 15" was because i like a bigger screen...but a 14" is nicer if you have to take it around...though i lounge with my 15" all the time. i suggest you go to a store and hold both, and see how they feel.

 

Personally, if I were taking it around with me every day I'd go for 14.1", but with only once a week travel, I'd go for 15.4" and enjoy the extra screen space, which I think would be useful for programming. Another option would be 14.1" + external monitor and keyboard... but I'd probably just go for 15.4".

Either way, I'd look at business laptops -- Dell Latitude, Lenovo Thinkpad, and the HP Compaq business line.

 

Discomfort in reading depends upon the font size, lighting conditions, glare, fatigue and also the quality of your eye sight! Some are very comfortable with 11 inch screen where as some can't accept anything less than 30 inch screen.

A 17 Inch Notebook is what you should be looking for. Light enough to carry outside once in a week but big (screen) enough to be productive and enjoy multimedia for rest of the week.

PS: It has been proved beyond doubt that bigger screen increases productivity and enjoyment of multimedia content. (Look at the Black Friday rush for Big Screen TVs)

 

Thanks you guys

 

14.1 on 1400x900.. for ever.. I have a D630 with 14.1" on SXGA+ I use my laptop 16 hour for day

Mercuzio

P.s, my best screen was 14" 4:3 with 1400x1050 in my old d600!