There has been an epic battle between laptop vs. desktop for years. Each side has its champions. So, should you get a laptop or should you get a desktop?
If you are asking the question: should I get a laptop or desktop? This article is for you!. We will go over some of the features of these machines and what to consider when you are on the hunt for a computer.
Are there alternatives…?
Now back to the original debate – laptop vs. desktop. If you are a casual user who does not need anything powerful, it probably makes no difference whether you get a laptop or a desktop. A good and cheap option would be to get a Chromebook. On the other hand, you’d definitely choose a desktop over a laptop if you need something for 3D rendering, music production, and video editing.
Another new category was developed by Microsoft, known as Surface Studio PCs [a PC that allows you to adjust its screen to an optimal level for drawing]. Designers and creators will undoubtedly find these machines very useful.
There is no wrong choice as long as a laptop/desktop fits your needs and preferences.
Portability and Expansion
Portability is one crucial advantage of laptops over desktops. However, they have limitations too. For example, they burn out their batteries fast because of the power-hungry components inside them. Their processors are also not as powerful as desktops. However, you can upgrade your laptop’s RAM if it is not enough. On the other hand, desktops are bulkier and bigger than laptops, requiring more space to set up and maintain. In essence, you cannot carry them around easily as you would a laptop.
Those who want portability without sacrificing much performance should go with laptops. But if your work or hobby requires you to have a high-performance PC, then go with desktops.
With this in mind, some offices may find it beneficial to use traditional desktop computers, while others may opt for laptops or hybrids [which act like both]. However, these days many workers take their laptops wherever they go, so even if the office uses desktops, employees could still opt to bring their own laptops anyway! Thus, both computers become a matter of personal choice instead of what works best for the business.
Pricing
Price is one of the benefits of a desktop computer over its portable counterpart. Desktop computers are usually cheaper, especially for those with limited budgets. However, some people prefer having a portable computer as they will be using it in different places.
Additionally, a budget friendly desktop can offer more features for the price you pay, compared to laptops with similar prices. This is especially true for desktop computers meant for gaming/graphics design/video editing. As a result, they usually cost more than entry-level laptops but contain better hardware.
Speed
In terms of speed, desktops are generally faster than laptops, even on the same high-end versions. This is because they don’t have to power such a high-res display to dedicate more energy to other functions. On the other hand, laptops are constantly shifting their focus between speed and battery life as these two features tend to be mutually exclusive [you can’t get the top-end speed and long-lasting battery at the same time]. Also, you’ll need one or the other depending on the tasks you have at hand.
Instead, most users go for high-end versions, typically speedy but have relatively average battery life. Laptops in general also tend to get hot when used for long periods, so it’s important to let them cool down during breaks; otherwise, you may risk overheating them or even burning your lap!
Laptop vs Desktop: Our Verdict
The debate: which is better, laptop or desktop, will go on for years. However, one should look at their needs before they end up buying a laptop or desktop. The former has limitations but so do desktops. There is no wrong choice as long as it fits your needs and preference.
If you need something powerful, then go with a desktop. For casual users who don’t need anything powerful, get Chromebooks or cheap PCs. And finally, Surface Studio is great for designers who want portability without sacrificing much performance.
More and more of us are working from home over the past few years, with less need for the portability of a laptop. Many companies are offering a more flexible work routine, and you may even have the choice between working in the office, and working from home.
So, do you even need a laptop for your home office? Or, would you actually be much better off opting for a desktop computer instead? We’re going to look through some of the main reasons why you may, or may not, want to switch from laptop to desktop.
For: Desktops offer great value for money
Probably the most important reason why a desktop may be the right option for you is that you can find them at ridiculously good prices. If you’re fed up of dealing with the specs of a slow laptop, then you’d likely be surprised at just what you can get for your money if you switch to a desktop.
Most laptops are going to start at around £600-1000 to get an average model, and can go well into the thousands if you want to upgrade to better components. You can actually find a decent enough desktop, with the same amount of power, for much less than this.
Against: You can’t take a desktop with you anywhere [for the most part]
Laptops were made for comfort and travel. The ability to take such a powerful device with you wherever you go can’t be overlooked, as some people like the ability to check their emails from a coffee shop or library. And with laptops coming down the near the kilogram mark in weight, they’re more portable than ever.
There are some mini desktop computers that you could take with you anywhere, like the Mac Mini. However, when you add in the need to carry a monitor, mouse and keyboard around with you too, then it becomes less and less feasible to do so. So, you can’t beat a laptop when it comes to portability.
For: You can upgrade a computer
Whilst some new Windows laptops will allow you to upgrade the memory of your laptop, that’s about as far as it goes when it comes to improving your device. Usually, the processor is soldered to the motherboard, meaning that it’s not possible for you to upgrade it.
This is the same for the graphics card of your laptop too. Now, there are exceptions to the rule – a few gaming laptops, like certain Alienware models, will allow you to upgrade your CPU and GPU [though they haven’t been particularly successful]. But when it comes to most premium consumer laptops like a Macbook, you can forget upgrading anything – even the memory.
Against: Desktops use more power than laptops
As a general rule, it’s a good idea to assume that your desktop is going to use double the amount of power a much smaller laptop would use. When you add in not just the computer itself, but also the additional monitor and peripherals, then it’s easy to see why it requires more power.
Although it can take a little longer for you to set a desktop computer up, this isn’t much of an issue for most people. So, it’s only really the additional power usage of a desktop computer that we’ll have to consider.
For: Your posture will thank you later
There are ways that you can make a laptop more comfortable to use. But for the most part, this is typically by emulating the posture you’d have if you were using a desktop computer.
Getting a laptop stand and using your device with a keyboard and mouse is a great idea if you spend a lot of time typing, and it’s much better for your wrists. With a desktop though, you’re going to be using a larger display, which is much better for your eyes than a smaller 13 inch screen.
Conclusion
Deciding between a desktop and laptop is difficult, and it really comes down to what you need. To get the most for your money, a desktop computer provides excellent value for money and it’s likely to be more comfortable for those that work online.
A desktop like an iMac is the complete opposite to this, with no portability whatsoever. However, what you do get is a much better display to use, as well as the ability to upgrade it further along down the line.
If there are times where you know you’d like the ability to work away from your desk, then a good compromise is to go for a laptop. Then, pick up an additional monitor, keyboard and mouse to use with it, and you can use your laptop essentially as you would a desktop computer anyway – with the ability to unplug it and travel when you need to.
By Aaron Smith
The way we interact with computers is evolving constantly, and if you’re a small business owner, there’s a tendency to just go with the flow while deciding whether your employees should use a laptop or desktop computer at work.
While laptops remain a popular computing solution for many, especially companies with team members who are in the field a lot, the reality is that desktop computers offer numerous advantages over laptops, for professional applications. Whether your business trades in words, numbers, images, or some combination of the three, the power, durability, and flexibility that desktops provide make them the best choices to deliver the specs your day to day operations demand.
Not convinced? Consider these six reasons why desktops are the superior alternative to laptops for your business computer needs.
1. Power
Simply put, desktops are more powerful than laptops. This is due mainly to the computer’s size, heat output, and power consumption. Additionally, desktops simply have better specs and run faster and smoother than laptops. Industry research shows that desktop computers are equipped with more impressive processors and a better overall speed. Even with similar model numbers, laptops are not as powerful as desktops.
While laptops offer the convenience of portability, only desktops provide the adequate computing power required for more substantial tasks, like running complex healthcare applications, managing enterprise data storage solutions, or running powerful design programs.
2. Size
Just as desktop computers are more powerful, they also come with full-size parts that work better than their miniaturized components designed for laptops. Your laptop may be outfitted with a top-of-the-line mobile processor, but it will not compare favorably to its desktop counterpart. In this particular case, bigger does actually mean better. Even a small incremental increase in size lends itself to better functionality, therefore guaranteeing that your desktop will outperform a laptop. The full-size parts ensure a faster and slicker experience that puts desktop computers several steps ahead of a laptop and maybe ahead of your competition.
In recent years, NUCs, or “Next Unit of Computing,” have started to change the way consumers and businesses think about the traditional desktop computer. A NUC, designed by Intel, is a small form factor computer case that provides programmers the opportunity to create customized computing systems for various applications. The small footprint of these systems, combined with their powerful processing abilities and customization options, make these an increasingly appealing alternative to not only laptops but traditional desktops as well.
Whether you choose a traditional desktop or a NUC, its size not only matters from a functionality standpoint but on a user experience level, too. Desktop computers offer higher quality screens and more powerful audio capabilities; with a laptop, your staff is limited by the smaller size of the screen and often subpar speakers. With a larger, higher-quality screen and more powerful sound system, a desktop enhances your experience by providing clearer, crisper picture and higher quality, more defined sound. These advantages make desktops ideal for consuming media, yes, but they also make desktops necessary for professional applications like web design or video editing.
3. Durability
Since desktops are larger and easier to cool, thermal damage is much less of a threat to their components than it is for laptops. Superior temperature control means computer parts last longer. Also, solid-state drives [SSDs] fight the effects of time much longer than conventional spinning platter hard drives. Fewer moving parts mean significantly lower chance of mechanical failure. For these reasons and more, desktop computers win over laptops by presenting components that can better withstand the test of time. Your hardware investments will east up less of your bottom line.
4. Portability Factor
Even though the case for mobile computing is compelling, a laptop’s portability is actually detrimental to its performance. Not considering the fact that laptops are more susceptible to theft, just the added physical wear alone is enough to bring down the value of a computer. Aside from broken screens, when laptops are carried and bumped around a lot, they are more susceptible to damage and failure.
5. Upgrades & Repairs
Laptops generally need to be replaced more frequently than desktops, especially if you’re looking to upgrade. And the cost of replacement units comes straight out of your company’s bottom line. Because it is much easier to upgrade desktops, the full-size machines provide a better option once again. You have the option of upgrading unique parts in a desktop, while you would have to buy a whole new laptop for the same performance, as most laptops limit their upgrade options to just memory and storage.
If you run a business that requires multiple computers for your employees, the ability to upgrade desktops makes them a far more cost-effective IT solution compared to laptops. This frees up resources that can be invested in additional office tech to make your workplace more productive.
Just like with upgrades, desktops make it possible to conduct a few repairs and increase the lifespan of your machine much more tangibly. You can replace virtually any part of the desktop and still keep the entire unit. This option is severely limited, if not impossible, in the laptop counterparts.
6. More Cost-Effective
Overall, desktops provide a better option for the reasons cited above, but another crucial advantage is the fact that they tend to be significantly less expensive out-of-the-box. While retailers often sell laptops at a premium [often due to their portability, which, as we’ve noted, has pros and cons], desktops that offer more power, durability, and flexibility are available at a relatively lower price-point. Consider this in conjunction with the increased longevity and the opportunity to upgrade and repair a desktop far more easily than a laptop, and it’s easy to see why a desktop is a more cost-effective choice when it comes to professional computing.
Small and slim desktop options, including NUCs, are available that do not take up too much space in your work area. A large variety of options is available to upgrade your company’s workstations and attain maximum productivity for each of your employees individually and for your company as a whole.
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