Buy a Tablet vs a laptop?

Question

I am considering these two:

HP Pavilion dv5t

-Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor P8600 (2.4 GHz)

-4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)

-250GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive

-512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT

-15.4" diagonal WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display

HP Pavilion tx2500z

-AMD Turion(TM) X2 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile Processor ZM-82 (2.2 GHz)

-4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)

-160GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive

-ATI Radeon(TM) HD 3200 Graphics

-12.1" diagonal WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen (1280 x 800) w/Integrated Touch-screen

My main concerns are that, the tablet has a 12.1" screen. Is that too small? and....The graphics card for the non tablet is very good, and the processor is good also. Is the tablet capability a worthwhile trade off? (the prices are basically the same)

Answer 1

The main deciding factor will be "what do you need" in your device.

Do you really want or need the Pen & Ink features of a TabletPC?  I think TPC's are great and have owned a couple for about 5 years, but others don't "need" the features.

With a TPC you usually want a smaller screen because it's meant to be used in more mobile settings.  A 12" screen is common and most owners don't want anything bigger.

If you don't need the extra mobile features or need larger video area then go with a larger laptop.