Simple laptop question

L

LDFerguson

Registered User
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Hi all,

I feel very nervous about posting in a non-financial forum, as I'm really into unknown territory here.

Thinking about buying a new laptop and using it as my primary computer, as I believe a good laptop can do anything a desktop can do, and my requirements are fairly basic anyway - no gaming, videos etc., mostly the web, Excel, Word and a few other programs.

Trouble is I don't like laptop keyboard / touchpad mouse etc. So can I buy an external monitor, keyboard and mouse, leave them on my desk and plug them in to the laptop when I'm working in the office? Would it be standard that most laptops feature the necessary sockets (ports?) to plug in an external monitor, keyboard and mouse?

Thanks, Liam
 
LDFerguson said:
Hi all,

I feel very nervous about posting in a non-financial forum, as I'm really into unknown territory here.

Thinking about buying a new laptop and using it as my primary computer, as I believe a good laptop can do anything a desktop can do, and my requirements are fairly basic anyway - no gaming, videos etc., mostly the web, Excel, Word and a few other programs.

Trouble is I don't like laptop keyboard / touchpad mouse etc. So can I buy an external monitor, keyboard and mouse, leave them on my desk and plug them in to the laptop when I'm working in the office? Would it be standard that most laptops feature the necessary sockets (ports?) to plug in an external monitor, keyboard and mouse?

Thanks, Liam
Click to expand...

I think any good laptop should have the necessary ports for all this, I used to use an external wireless keyboard and mouse set with my laptop (though not a monitor, however it did have a port for one so I could have).

Many keyboards/mice connect via USB these days so any decent new laptop will at least have USB ports and I think it is pretty standard to have a port for an external monitor as well.

You can also get docking stations for some laptops that you can sit the laptop on and the docking station has ports for all these too (plus normally an ethernet port for your network). I don't think the docking station adds much functionality that wouldn't be available on the laptop anway but it can be more convenient to just sit the laptop on it rather than attach/detach a number of cables every time you move the laptop.

P.S. As an alternative to an external monitor there are stands available for laptops that allow you to raise the height so the screen is at a more comfortable height.
 
It's certainly possible. the connections for external mouse and monitor are standard. An external keyboard may need a docking station.
 
Laptops tend to ditch the PS/2 (and sometimes even serial and parallel) connectors these days but they will always support an external USB or wireless keyboard and and mouse. Most if not all laptops will also include a VGA connector for an external monitor. It is very common for people to buy a "desktop replacement" laptop (for portability or compactness) and then hook them up to external keyboard, video, mouse when using them in a fixed location.

Post crossed with the others above.
 
Virtually all laptops will support plugging in 'full-size' accessories.

However, I always advise people not to buy a laptop unless they :

(a) Really need the portability or
(b) Are very pushed for space

My reasons for this, are that laptops cost more for a similar spec. machine (and in fact usually are more constrained). They are more difficult to upgrade and add-ons (e.g. memory) always cost more. They break more easily and are more expensive to fix. Last, but not least, they are a huge temptation for theft.
 
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