Speaking of blessings, I recently found out that I won a $1,000 scholarship from the business school for a new computer. So, Adam and I are planning on getting a fancy new desktop!
A desktop computer that meets all our needs will only be around $650. So, that leaves a nice chunk of change that we're required to spend on some type of technology purchase.
I think we should spend the surplus funds on a netbook for Adam. A lot of his homework and research require a computer and a laptop {although supposedly portable} is pretty heavy to carry around all day. He'll be in school for six more years and a netbook would make that time a little easier.
But, Adam says that he doesn't really need a netbook and would rather spend the extra money on a digital SLR camera. Blogging and traveling around Europe got me pretty interested in photography, and my current digital camera is definitely limiting the quality of my pictures.
Normally, we just wouldn't buy a netbook or a new camera, since neither are really necessities. What do you do in a situation when one person in the relationship has to man up and be selfish?
{I'm going to open up comments on this post because we need some advice!}
If he says he doesn't need the netbook and the desktop will get you buys through the next six years, I'd get the camera. You're in your first year of marriage and you have to make sacrifices financially a lot, I'm sure, so take this opportunity to make a purchase that will enable you to document the next exciting years of your life!
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ReplyDeleteOk, so I thought about this a little more. This is what I would do looking to the future:
ReplyDeleteWith Adam wanting to go to grad school and planning to be in school another 6ish years, I would forgo the desktop and go really high end on a laptop.
All the grad students I saw in math and engineering had really top of the line laptops. The reason is because they will last a really long time, and they can handle running the programs necessary for the course work.
The laptop I originally got for myself when I went to school lasted me 10 yrs.
While a desktop is cheaper, it will be at home...where Adam will rarely be.
If there's anything left over I'd say put it towards whatever new camera you want to get. I'd just warn you that has a lot of extra costs with lenses, tripods, external flashes, etc. They are also very bulky and heavy to carry around. I don't use about half of the features on mine, and they don't take video. They're a pain to use in manual mode, so it's really a big and heavy point and shoot camera. I would say spend about 200 on a really nice small camera that can do almost anything that an SLR can (minus being able to change the lenses). I think you'll like it better in the long run.
I think a really high end light laptop and a really nice small camera would be better suited to what you want and need in the long run.
Or you can go with the original plan of getting a desktop for the apartment and getting the camera.
ReplyDeleteIt's a tough choice...
If you go with a desktop I would say definitely get one with a good graphics card and HDMI. That way you can turn it into a DVR and record TV for free. It's the best!!
I would steer away from a netbook only because they are good for word processing and surfing the web. The screens are so small that it's hard to do things on excel, and they don't have the processing power to run a lot of programs. Plus they rarely have drives.
If you really want to get into photography, I would suggest taking a class first before getting a SLR. Either that or borrow one from someone that has one. See what features you use. If you find yourself not using a lot of what it can do, you may want to get something of a higher grade that is smaller.
If you have some time before you have to purchase something you can borrow mine and see how you like it.
Netbook, definitely. This is coming from the owner of one very heavy laptop that seriously sucks to luck around.
ReplyDeletePS: You might want to seriously consider spending some of that money on the best warranty you can buy, especially if you're planning on buying an HP. Me, Phil, and pretty much everyone else I know with an HP has had to send it back to the manufacturer at least once. They're pretty good computers, but they're just not built to last. Mine died recently, and I'm SOL because I didn't update the warranty.
ReplyDeleteJust something else to think about.
As a law student who carries a laptop back and forth to school/home and to all of my classes everyday... I say definitely he needs a laptop over a netbook!
ReplyDeleteIt may be a little heavier, but my laptop weighs little enough that I can carry it in a tote bag all day (I have a a MacBook Pro), and I'm so so so so glad I have it instead of a netbook. Some of my law school friends have netbooks, and a lot of them hate them because they're not built like laptops. They're good for internet browsing, but they get really slow really fast if you start saving files on them, and they're next to worthless for things like Excel. They're NOT just little computers. They're more like email machines.
Probably he'll need a laptop for grad school if its anything like law school (every single one of us brings a laptop to all of our classes), so you may want to take that into account.
That being said... if I had the opportunity to get a free dSLR, I'd do it in a heartbeat. :)
Well, if neither of you want to be selfish, you could just buy the netbook and give it to me!
ReplyDeleteGET THE CAMERA!
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