4 deliberate reason why I use my old PC to stream instead of a smart TV or tablet

• I usually have it with me
• The touchscreen comes in clutch
• The size of the screen is fantastic
• I can still do work even when I’m streaming

When it comes to watching shows, everyone tries to keep up. Some people do a better job than others — they always seem to be up on series you’ve never even heard of. “You’re not watching The Maldives Diaries? I can’t believe you haven’t started it yet!” (I just made that show up, so come find me, Hollywood, when you’re ready to shoot on location).

People already have a hard enough time carving out moments to sit down in front of the TV and fire up a streaming device — or open a streaming app on one of the platforms they pay for but don’t use nearly enough to justify the subscription. Maybe that’s a bit of a generalization, but I do this, and I know plenty of others who feel the same. So yes, it’s worth writing about. When you do finally sit down to enjoy a show, it feels like a treat. Binging an entire series over a weekend feels like a luxury. Powering through something fascinating is a good time.

But for those who are on-the-go or rarely actually home, it can be hard to find time to watch things. It can feel kind of sad to stream things on your phone because there’s no way that screen feels big enough to watch real movies and such on. I thought about adding an iPad strictly for streaming purposes. Then I realized I already had the solution: my old PC laptop.

I usually have it with me

This is a personal choice, but it’s easy for me

I use both a MacBook and Windows laptop throughout the day, one for work and one for personal use.

I have a Lenovo ThinkPad that I use for work purposes and a MacBook Pro that I use for a lot of my work. But I like to keep my MacBook Pro home with me when I travel. It’s a more expensive laptop and I use it mostly for my freelance writing purposes. The computer I had before was an HP 15.6″ Full HD touchscreen laptop, and I’ve had it for about seven years. I use it on occasion for different things like photo archiving, file storage, and some work purposes.

It still works fine, but the battery life doesn’t last as long as my other laptops. I do bring it with me when I’m traveling for work or for fun as my travel laptop. Obviously, if I’m traveling for work, I bring the ThinkPad as well. But I rarely bring my MacBook Pro on the road with me. Having the HP to use for fun personal tasks is just easier than the MacBook Pro, and that’s because of its design.

The touchscreen comes in clutch

MacBooks don’t have that option

Eventually, I’m going to buy myself a true 2-in-1 laptop and be able to use it as both a laptop and a tablet. We have an iPad in my house, but I don’t really use it for work purposes. I could some day add a keyboard to it and use it for that, but while the HP is still working, I can delay that commitment. Like an iPad and unlike a MacBook, the HP has a touchscreen display.

Being able to navigate with a touchscreen makes life a lot easier when I’m lying down on a bed or couch in a hotel room and want to stream something. Loading up Prime Video and simply tapping the screen (rather than breaking out a mouse or even using the touchpad) is ideal for streaming. While it doesn’t have as good of a picture as something like a MacBook Pro or iPad, it works just fine for those moments when I’m out and about.

The size of the screen is fantastic

It’s such a boost compared to others

I bought the 15.6-inch laptop because its screen was so big. The iPad we have has a 10″ screen, and the MacBook Pro I have has a 13″ screen. The PC’s screen size really does make a difference. I can prop it up on my chest to stream if I’m lying in bed with no issue.

But where it really comes into play is when I set it up farther away from me. I can still see the screen clearly and get a good view of everything happening on it. The best part is being able to read subtitles in a larger font. I’m a big subtitle user — even when I’m watching shows or movies in my native language. With a larger screen, the subtitle size is naturally bigger. Since most streaming services don’t offer the ability to adjust subtitle size, this ends up being a huge perk. It just makes everything easier to see.

I can still do work even when I’m streaming

I like having the flexibility

Not that I can’t do work and stream at the same time on the other devices, but I think it’s easier to do on a bigger screen. iPad offers Split View, which lets you put two apps side-by-side and use them at the same time. But, I can also do that on my HP and have it look better on a larger screen. This is the best way to keep up with TV, even when I’m working. I’m constantly worried about being behind on shows and being able to do this while I’m working has helped me stay connected.

When I’m at home, I could work in front of a TV — but having it on a separate screen pulls my attention away and makes me more distracted. I’m not sure what it is about having everything on the same screen, but it feels easier to multitask. I can still get things done on my computer while watching something on Netflix without it becoming an issue.

I haven’t felt the need to go out and buy a separate streaming device for travel, and I haven’t had to download content to my phone in a long time. I can just install the streaming apps on my laptop and download shows or movies before a flight, so I don’t have to rely on Wi-Fi to watch. This setup may not be for everyone, but because I already had an extra laptop lying around, I figured I might as well put it to good use — especially when I’m lying around wanting to catch a movie or show.