Would You Like to Buy A Laptop or A Desktop Computer?

Portable and stylish laptops pushed away desktop computers from the limelight a long time ago. Today, when someone wants to buy a computer, laptops are the most preferred choice. However, you should not turn to laptops automatically without weighing the pros and cons.

The choice between a laptop and desktop depends on a few basic factors. First, you need to jot down all the points regarding your requirements. Next, consider the pros and cons of both types of the machines and do not forget the limit of your budget. Finally, base your decision on these factors through logical reasoning. Both laptops and desktop computers are expensive gadgets and a long term investment for you. Therefore, make a prudent decision so that the purpose you are buying a computer for can be properly fulfilled.

Laptops – Would you Like to Buy One?

The most significant characteristic of laptops which makes them an inevitable choice for majority of the buyers is their portability. You can carry all your documents and files with you wherever you go. Laptops, therefore, offer more convenience and flexibility as you can work anywhere. Moreover, students can also make use of this desirable characteristic of laptops to study and work on assignments no matter wherever they are.

It is not just your work which is favored by the portability of a laptop. You might also want to take your media files and games along with you when you are travelling. In case of desktop computers, you are restricted to a single table where you set up the system. However, laptops give you a great deal of freedom, making it convenient for you to use the device anywhere.

All credit for the portability of these machines goes to their compact bodies and light weight. Most laptops today are as light as 3 pounds. You will also find even more remarkable laptops with lighter weights. Toshiba Portego Z835-P330 is the lightest notebook in the world so far with a weight of only 2.4 pounds. It is followed by Asus Zenbook UX-31-RSL8 and Apple MacBook Air, both of which are a mere 2.9 pounds in weight. Therefore, carrying these light machines back and forth between home and workplace as well as between home and school is never a burden for anyone.

Moreover, with laptops, you will not face any issues regarding where to put them in your house. Desktop computers, on the other hand, require proper space for the entire unit. If you are living in a small apartment or a single room, finding sufficient space for a desktop computer will be troublesome. Furthermore, space is not the only issue. You cannot just put a desktop computer anywhere you want; it has to be in close proximity to a power outlet. Plus, your internet cable also has to be brought to the computer.

There are no such issues in the case of laptops. You spare yourself from the tangle of cables and wires which are found around a desktop PC. A Wi-Fi card enables you get an internet connection for your laptop without hooking it up with any cables.

Today, latest laptops also bring you the perk of backlit keyboards. For instance, Sony Vaio series of laptops are equipped with handy backlit keyboards. This further increases productivity as you can work conveniently in dark environments. Working at night, curled up under the sheets in your bed is the best use of the portability and productivity of laptops.

Desktop Computers – are they Better than Laptops?

Since the popularity of laptops has reached its peak today, most people believe that desktop computers have become outdated. However, this may be far from the truth. Desktop computers have been evolving just as much as the advanced laptops.

What might come to you as a surprise is the fact that desktop computers outweigh laptops in technology. Almost all computer technology innovations are first introduced in the former. For instance, desktop computers were equipped with multi-core processors a long time before this technology was introduced in laptops. This is because manufacturers took some time to find out how to reduce the size of these micro-processors so that they can easily fit into small and thin laptops. Therefore, desktop computers are more advanced as compared to the latest laptops.

Cost is another significant factor which favors desktop PCs more. A laptop with the same performing power as a desktop counterpart comes with a much higher price. The reason behind this discrepancy is that smaller components which fit into portable computers require a greater budget to be produced. This means, if you compare a laptop and a desktop with the same price range, the latter will be a more powerful machine. In other words, you can get a better performing computer at a lower cost.

Desktop computers also get an edge over laptops due to the fact that you can upgrade the former more easily. You can replace the components of your desktop with more advanced parts. For instance, you can chuck out an outdated mouse and bring a new wireless Bluetooth mouse to replace it. Such changes, however, cannot be introduced in laptops.

Moreover, desktops also offer expansion slots for memory card, hard drive, PCI cards and optical drives. However, an average laptop can only offer you an extra memory card slot at the most. Just a few of these gadgets come with expansion slots. Therefore, once you buy a laptop, you will have to live with the same features regardless of what new innovations are introduced in the years to come.

The continuous evolution of desktop computers has given rise to the latest All-in-One PCs. These compact machines solve the space issue. Therefore, even if you are living in a small apartment or sharing a room with someone else, you will be able to find room for your compact desktop computer. HP Pavilion 23-1000 Z, Apple iMac and Del XPS One are some of the most phenomenal All-in-One desktops in 2013.

With a desktop, you will be able to avoid some of the most annoying features of laptops. For instance, you need to charge the latter every couple of hours. Manufacturers have tried to introduce a solution to this problem in some of the latest laptops. Lenovo’s Thinkpad X230, for instance, comes with additional battery which can give you as much as twelve uninterrupted hours with your laptop. Similarly, there are other laptops today with 5 to 7 hours of battery life. However, when this time is over, you still have to plug the machine to a power outlet. This seriously interferes with the portability of this gadget.

Similarly, a laptop’s trackpad almost always creates a nuisance when you are typing on the keyboard. There is no such problem in case of desktops. You can type fast without worrying about touching the mouse accidentally.

Lastly, one extremely serious issue with laptops is portability. Yes, that’s right! Portability is the single most important feature which makes laptops so popular. However, this ease of carrying these small and light gadgets also increases the chance of theft. Anyone can easily run off with your lightweight gadget, causing a serious financial loss to you along with the loss of important data.

The Final Decision

After discovering all the benefits as well as drawbacks of both the machines, you can finally make your decision about whether you would like to buy a laptop or a desktop computer.

In case you still feel confused, here is a comprehensive and concise discussion to guide you towards the best decision.

Buy a laptop if:

• You travel often.

• You are a student or a professional who needs a computer both at home as well as school/workplace.

• You have a large budget.

• You do not care much about introducing future upgrades to your gadget.

Buy a desktop computer if:

• You are a home-based user.

• Your budget is small.

• You want more advanced features.

• You would like to upgrade the hardware components in the future.

Hopefully, this brief guidance will help you figure out what you actually want. Make your decision after thinking over all of the points discussed here.