The new computer hunt

I’ve been using my current computer for about two years. The one I had before this was my first big post-college purchase (some people buy cars, I bought a laptop), and my goal had been to replace it after Mac’s second deployment. Murphy’s Law of Deployments struck, and my hard drive crashed a few months in to Deployment #2. I went to Best Buy that day and found my current laptop (it was cheap and functional), so I wouldn’t miss any Skype calls.

This computer hasn’t been the best, but it’s done the job. I use my laptop a lot more these days for class, and the fact that the display driver malfunctions every single day is starting to wear on me. I talked things over with my in-house technology guru, and he said that the computer is getting to the point where replacing it will be the easiest thing to do.

Laptop

Most laptops these days have touch screens, and the memory capabilities are awesome. I’ve had a laptop since my freshman year of college, and I love the ease of picking it up and working wherever you want. The cost has really gone down, and time (and tablets) has added a lot of cool stuff to what laptops can do.

Tablet

Mac bought a Surface Pro before his second trip to Afghanistan, and he loves it. I’m not entirely sold on the idea of having a smart phone and a tablet (but I’m definitely not going to have a smart phone, tablet, and computer. Too much technology). I would need a tablet that runs the Microsoft Office suite and a keyboard which add to the cost.

Desktop

Desktop computers have come a long way since the first one my parents bought around 1993. I love that the separate tower is now part of the monitor, so you have a smaller machine. But these aren’t portable, and I would need to set up (and keep clean) a desk area.

I’m open for suggestions. What computer do you use?