Computer buying advice

[clinpsy]

I'm thinking about buying a desktop to have a bigger screen when I work at home. Currently, I have a MacBook Air, and it's served me well, but sometimes I could use a bigger screen to have multiple windows/applications open (especially when I'm working on a paper, looking at analyses in SPSS, and maybe have a journal article open too). Apple desktops are out of the question (too expensive), so my question for all of you is:

Should I get a PC desktop (monitor & computer) or just get a monitor and hook it up to my MacBook Air (is that even possible?)? Do any of you have a setup like this at home? Any and all advice is greatly appreciated!!

[sjoh197]

We have to have multiple monitor screens for work output... and went with just getting a monitor. It's a whole lot cheaper that way. And we really just didn't need the actually desktop drive. 

Your macbook air can connect to different monitors http://alvinalexander.com/apple/macbook-air-external-monitor-display-dvi-vga-connectors

[clinpsy]

Thank you @sjoh197, that link is super helpful!!

[fernandes]

If you don't need better performance, you'll be fine with buying another monitor. It's definitely the cheapest option. It might be nice to get a keyboard as well, do you don't have to type at one place and look at another.

[TakeruK]

1 hour ago, fernandes said:

If you don't need better performance, you'll be fine with buying another monitor. It's definitely the cheapest option. It might be nice to get a keyboard as well, do you don't have to type at one place and look at another.

And, in terms of ergonomics, usually if you have a laptop + external monitor, you're likely putting it on the desk. Depending on desk size etc, it could be uncomfortable to have to reach to your laptop to type while looking at the screen (usually this means the laptop is between you and the monitor, potentially blocking the monitor! And this means the keyboard is at desk height instead of a potentially more comfortable height. So, if you get a keyboard, you can position it whereever you want and you can also put your laptop off to the side once it's connected to the monitor!

[rising_star]

I have an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse which I use at home connected to my laptop. It gives me all the functionality of a desktop but I also have the portability of a laptop when I need it.

[fuzzylogician]

2 minutes ago, rising_star said:

I have an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse which I use at home connected to my laptop. It gives me all the functionality of a desktop but I also have the portability of a laptop when I need it.

Same. All my externals (keyboard, mouse, two external hard drives, speakers) are connected to one USB hub so when I come home all I have to do is plug in the hub and the screen, and I'm good to go. 

[clinpsy]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I think I'm definitely going to go the monitor route. And @fuzzylogician, I like the idea of having one USB hub! I guess at this point I'm just a little confused about how everything connects. Does everything connect via USB (I'm assuming so, since you have one hub)? And would the keyboard connect to my laptop or the monitor?

[fuzzylogician]

Everything connects to the USB hub -- keyboard, mouse, etc. Then the hub connects to one of my two USB ports and leaves one free in case I want to plug anything else in. The monitor connects to the laptop separately, using a VGA adapter. 

[Fallen]

8 hours ago, clinpsy said:

Thanks for the advice everyone! I think I'm definitely going to go the monitor route. And @fuzzylogician, I like the idea of having one USB hub! I guess at this point I'm just a little confused about how everything connects. Does everything connect via USB (I'm assuming so, since you have one hub)? And would the keyboard connect to my laptop or the monitor?

Keyboard connects to your laptop. Apple has a wireless keyboard that you may like. 

 

I'd recommend getting a little stand for your macbook so you can have the macbook screen at a usable height. 

[MathCat]

8 hours ago, clinpsy said:

Thanks for the advice everyone! I think I'm definitely going to go the monitor route. And @fuzzylogician, I like the idea of having one USB hub! I guess at this point I'm just a little confused about how everything connects. Does everything connect via USB (I'm assuming so, since you have one hub)? And would the keyboard connect to my laptop or the monitor?

I do the same thing as fuzzylogician. If you want to search for such hubs, they are usually called docking stations. I have one that has my (wired) printer, ethernet, keyboard, mouse, headphones, and monitor plugged into it. Then there is just one cord that goes into the USB port of my laptop when I'm home.

[clinpsy]

3 hours ago, Fallen said:

Keyboard connects to your laptop. Apple has a wireless keyboard that you may like. 

 

I'd recommend getting a little stand for your macbook so you can have the macbook screen at a usable height. 

I have the Apple wireless keyboard and mouse, but unfortunately the MacBook Air doesn't have a wireless sensor  

I bought the keyboard and mouse when I had my old MacBook Pro. Totally sucks because they're barely used. 

[clinpsy]

3 hours ago, MathCat said:

I do the same thing as fuzzylogician. If you want to search for such hubs, they are usually called docking stations. I have one that has my (wired) printer, ethernet, keyboard, mouse, headphones, and monitor plugged into it. Then there is just one cord that goes into the USB port of my laptop when I'm home.

Thanks! I'll add a docking station to my budget.

On another note, speaking of wired printer, do you have any recommendations for a good one? They're so hard to find these days (everything is wireless)! I have a wireless printer and it keeps giving me connection issues, so I want to go back to the trusty wired machines.

[MathCat]

39 minutes ago, clinpsy said:

Thanks! I'll add a docking station to my budget.

On another note, speaking of wired printer, do you have any recommendations for a good one? They're so hard to find these days (everything is wireless)! I have a wireless printer and it keeps giving me connection issues, so I want to go back to the trusty wired machines.

I do almost all of my printing on campus, so I just wanted a cheap printer with a scanner for occasional home use. I got the HP Deskjet 1510 from Amazon. It's not a great printer - not very crisp/clear (but it is always legible). But I wanted an HP for cheap ink refills, and the scanner works well. For printing things that don't need to look great, it's fine. So, it depends on your needs and budget I guess.

 

[TakeruK]

45 minutes ago, clinpsy said:

I have the Apple wireless keyboard and mouse, but unfortunately the MacBook Air doesn't have a wireless sensor  

I bought the keyboard and mouse when I had my old MacBook Pro. Totally sucks because they're barely used. 

By wireless sensor, do you mean Bluetooth or an Ethernet port? I am pretty sure most Airs come with Bluetooth (unless you have a really old one) but I know that Airs do not have an Ethernet port (not necessary for this setup though). Wireless keyboards and mice generally connect via Bluetooth, which Airs should support. If not, you can also buy a Bluetooth adaptor (e.g. http://www.amazon.com/Medialink-Bluetooth-Adapter-Energy-Technology/dp/B004LNXO28)

46 minutes ago, clinpsy said:

Thanks! I'll add a docking station to my budget.

On another note, speaking of wired printer, do you have any recommendations for a good one? They're so hard to find these days (everything is wireless)! I have a wireless printer and it keeps giving me connection issues, so I want to go back to the trusty wired machines.

I have a wireless printer that works great, and most wireless printers also have a cable for you to connect to in case you don't want to use wireless. The printer I have was purchased in 2010 so it's quite old but it has worked well. It's the Epson Stylus NX510 (http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/jsp/Product.do?sku=C11CA48201), which is an "All-in-one" printer, i.e. it does photocopies, scans, fax, and print. All wirelessly, which is nice, and it has a cable for wired operation. It looks like it's discontinued now but there is a replacement model, the NX625.

The big downside is that it uses ink crazy fast. It's super annoying because as a colour printer, it has 4 ink cartridges (CYMK). But when one cartridge runs out and you replace it, it does a calibration sequence that uses ink from all 4 cartridges. A lot of ink! It got to the point where replacing one cartridge and doing the calibration uses so much ink that another colour will run out, meaning I have to repeat all of it again. And ink is not cheap, if you buy the Epson branded cartridges, it's like $70 for a full set of 4, but you can get individual cartridges refilled at Costco for $7-$8 each.

I got so tired of paying tons of money for ink that I just stopped replacing the cartridges. I do all my printing at school/work now since we have unlimited printing. My printer just sits at home as a scanner now (although I also have free access to a scanner at work). I do scanning of sensitive things at home (e.g. making a digital copy of my passport or something) and regular scanning at work (so much faster).

[Fallen]

7 hours ago, clinpsy said:

I have the Apple wireless keyboard and mouse, but unfortunately the MacBook Air doesn't have a wireless sensor  

I bought the keyboard and mouse when I had my old MacBook Pro. Totally sucks because they're barely used. 

 

I think every iteration of the macbook air has had bluetooth, which is what the apple keyboard and mouse use to connect. 

[clinpsy]

9 hours ago, TakeruK said:

By wireless sensor, do you mean Bluetooth or an Ethernet port? I am pretty sure most Airs come with Bluetooth (unless you have a really old one)

 

2 hours ago, Fallen said:

I think every iteration of the macbook air has had bluetooth, which is what the apple keyboard and mouse use to connect. 

You guys are totally right! My mouse and keyboard will work via Bluetooth. Hooray! Now that I think about it, it was my Apple remote that didn't work... THAT needed the sensor!

9 hours ago, TakeruK said:

By wireless sensor, do you mean Bluetooth or an Ethernet port? I am pretty sure most Airs come with Bluetooth (unless you have a really old one) but I know that Airs do not have an Ethernet port (not necessary for this setup though). Wireless keyboards and mice generally connect via Bluetooth, which Airs should support. If not, you can also buy a Bluetooth adaptor (e.g. http://www.amazon.com/Medialink-Bluetooth-Adapter-Energy-Technology/dp/B004LNXO28)

I have a wireless printer that works great, and most wireless printers also have a cable for you to connect to in case you don't want to use wireless. The printer I have was purchased in 2010 so it's quite old but it has worked well. It's the Epson Stylus NX510 (http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/jsp/Product.do?sku=C11CA48201), which is an "All-in-one" printer, i.e. it does photocopies, scans, fax, and print. All wirelessly, which is nice, and it has a cable for wired operation. It looks like it's discontinued now but there is a replacement model, the NX625.

The big downside is that it uses ink crazy fast. It's super annoying because as a colour printer, it has 4 ink cartridges (CYMK). But when one cartridge runs out and you replace it, it does a calibration sequence that uses ink from all 4 cartridges. A lot of ink! It got to the point where replacing one cartridge and doing the calibration uses so much ink that another colour will run out, meaning I have to repeat all of it again. And ink is not cheap, if you buy the Epson branded cartridges, it's like $70 for a full set of 4, but you can get individual cartridges refilled at Costco for $7-$8 each.

I got so tired of paying tons of money for ink that I just stopped replacing the cartridges. I do all my printing at school/work now since we have unlimited printing. My printer just sits at home as a scanner now (although I also have free access to a scanner at work). I do scanning of sensitive things at home (e.g. making a digital copy of my passport or something) and regular scanning at work (so much faster).

Ugh, yeah, ink can eat up so much money, thanks for pointing that out. I'll probably just print everything at school - they mentioned that we can print as much as we want, but have to bring our own paper, which is completely doable.

[sjoh197]

44 minutes ago, clinpsy said:

 

You guys are totally right! My mouse and keyboard will work via Bluetooth. Hooray! Now that I think about it, it was my Apple remote that didn't work... THAT needed the sensor!

Ugh, yeah, ink can eat up so much money, thanks for pointing that out. I'll probably just print everything at school - they mentioned that we can print as much as we want, but have to bring our own paper, which is completely doable.

We utilized the unlimited printing as much as possible. But still had a backup printer in case something happened, or if we needed something not school related or on a Sunday or something. Still a good thing to have around if you have the space. 

[rising_star]

To avoid the ink issue, get a laser printer. I've had two different Brother laser printers and love both of them. One toner cartridge (~$45) can print 3K pages easily.

[TakeruK]

1 hour ago, rising_star said:

To avoid the ink issue, get a laser printer. I've had two different Brother laser printers and love both of them. One toner cartridge (~$45) can print 3K pages easily.

Yeah, back in 2010 I didn't realise how much more an inkjet would cost me in the long run. I think at that time, I was looking at $150 for an inkjet and $300 for a laser printer. But, I easily spent the difference in ink over just a few years! And now I see that laser printers, even colour ones, are around $200 on amazon. Go for laser if you can!!

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

HP's Instant Ink program has saved my butt... it's $3 a month to print 50 pages (that can roll over) a month, and after that it's $1 per set of 15 pages (or you can buy a bigger plan), and they mail you unlimited ink. It's the best.

[clinpsy]

16 hours ago, rising_star said:

To avoid the ink issue, get a laser printer. I've had two different Brother laser printers and love both of them. One toner cartridge (~$45) can print 3K pages easily.

Excellent tip, thank you! 

 

12 hours ago, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

HP's Instant Ink program has saved my butt... it's $3 a month to print 50 pages (that can roll over) a month, and after that it's $1 per set of 15 pages (or you can buy a bigger plan), and they mail you unlimited ink. It's the best.

Hmm.. interesting. I've never heard of this program. I'll have to look into it - not sure if they'd offer it in Canada (a lot of cool stuff that's offered in the states is not often offered up here, or if it is, it's triple the price).