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by Answer Rabbit on April 7th, 2006

Answer Rabbit

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What are the advantages of desktops over laptops?

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Answers. 7 helpful answers below.

  • by Astaroth on April 7th, 2006

    Astaroth

    For one thing....PRICE. For the same money your desktop is gonna be much more powerful in terms of CPU, disk size and memory. Laptops are also more expensive in terms of professional service.

    Second, definively UPGRADEABILITY. Even putting more memory on a laptop is not only more expensive but more complicated, and sometimes impossible. Upgrading a desktop....the easiest think, most people could change almost every part on a desktop.

    Third and last, VIDEO. If you need to play video games or use graphic design applications, you need a desktop. Moreover, if you need a super video card, putting one on a desktop is simple...in a laptop, most of the time almost impossible.

    Finally, if you do NOT need portability, buying a laptop is a waste of money. If you need portability, well no choice huh? Go with the laptop.

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  • by davoomac on April 7th, 2006

    davoomac

    This article is geared more towards college students making a buying decision between desktops or laptops, but it works for the average consumer too. Some good points are made below:

    As with many aspects of the college process, there is no "right" answer to the desktop vs. notebook debate. Each comes with significant advantages and disadvantages, and which is better will depend on the needs and preferences of the student.
    Notebook Computer for College - Advantages

    - Easy to transport to and from school.Back to School Sweepstakes
    - Takes up little dorm space or desk space.
    - Can be carried to class or library for note-taking, study, etc.
    - If wireless network is available, adding a wireless card provides easy access to college network and Internet in many locations on campus. Newer notebook computers may have built-in wireless networking ability.
    - Can be brought home during weekend or holiday visits.
    - Can be shipped to manufacturer or taken to dealer for service.

    Notebook Computer for College - Disadvantages

    - Much more easily stolen, particularly if carried around campus.
    - More easily dropped or broken.
    - Somewhat more prone to failure than stationary desktop computers of comparable quality.
    - Significantly more expensive for comparable speed and capacity.
    - Limited expansion and add-on capabilities.

    Desktop Computer for College - Advantages

    - Best value: typically, more speed, memory, and storage for a lower price.
    - Relatively difficult to steal.
    - Lower probability of failure for comparable quality machine vs. notebook.
    - Relatively easy to expand or modify as needs change.
    - Less costly expansion products such as large hard drives, additional memory, and special purpose cards.
    - Flat screen LCD monitors are now reasonably priced, reducing desk space requirements and making storage/shipping easier.

    Desktop Computer for College - Disadvantages

    - Space-consuming and awkward to move to and from school.
    - Takes up valuable real estate in cramped dorm rooms
    - Can't be carried to library or classes.
    - Difficult to ship if repair/replacement is needed.

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  • by pr6design on May 14th, 2006

    pr6design

    Laptop Vs. Desktop

    When you are determining between a laptop and desktop you have to ask yourself a few basic questions. Go ahead and write this info down It always helps when you are making a significant purchase to see everything on paper.

    Ask yourself these questions ::

    Why do you really want the Laptop?
    Why do you want the Desktop?
    What do you Doubt about the Laptop?
    What do you Doubt about the Desktop?

    Pretty simple so far. You have to really be honest. If you want a laptop because they "look cool" then write "because they are cool. Now for a few technical questions. Write these down as well.

    How often do you use your computer Daily? Weekly?
    Do you turn your computer off or is it on all day and night?
    Do you do processor intensive tasks when you use a computer? (Word and Excell are not considered processor intensive)
    Do you save large files?
    Are you concerned with having More Desk Space?
    Do you Travel?
    Do you use a computer once you get home from work?
    Do you use your computer whith 3 or more programs running at a time?
    Do you switch between windows often?
    Can you stay in the same program all day?


    OK now look over the list and the answers may start to become more clear as you look at what you wrote. Its perfectly fine to want the newest latest equipment out there, I do! If you use alot of programs at the same time you may need to consider A desktop. If you Travel you may consider a laptop. If you are like me I need both. I like to keep mobile if needed. But I do have a decent sized powerfull laptop that runs video editing and graphic design software. I have an external monitor hooked into it so that my screen real-estate is not taken away.

    If you do any type of word processing on a daily basis such as typing simple letters. Reading and responding to emails. Setting contacts and phone numbers in a contact manager. Controlling appointments and meetings with a calendar program... then a laptop would be perfect for you and I doubt that you would ever notice it being too slugish.

    If you do intensive processor work such as Video editing, CAD programs, Intensive Application and or web programming, work with large amounts of data at one time, work with high end large databases over a network or within your own computer, Graphic design, specialzed programming such as testing and scientific software. Any of those programs you may want to consider the desktop. The second group of programs creates files or end products that are normally more High demand or possible High risk files. These files will usually be backed up 2 or more times by the user or network manager.

    Not that the simple data processing and data management files are not as important but they can be recreated much easier than a 3d model of a concept car could be.

    So you find a happy medium. I use both personally, laptop at home and desktop at work.

    As silly as it may sound it Laptops are portable, and Desktops are Powerful.

    When it comes down to it buy what you really want, and try to get a good deal for your price range. There are many nice powerful products on the market. Find the one that fits you after all you'll be using it every day. There is nothing worse than trying to work with a computer that does not function properly for your needs. Buy the best machine that you can afford! :)

    Cheers!

    http://www.pr6.com

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  • by Bigmike5922 on May 9th, 2006

    Bigmike5922

    A desktop will have more power, memory, ram, speed, everything for the same price or even cheaper than a laptop.

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  • by Karl Plesz on April 8th, 2006

    Karl Plesz

    I would only contest the argument that you shouldn't buy a laptop if you want great video, such as for gaming. While that may have been true 5 years ago, high end (aka pricey) laptops can be equipped with very decent video capability. I'm referring to the grade of laptop that is been labelled "desktop replacement laptops". But you'll still get much better choice and price point with a desktop.

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  • by Relsqui on April 7th, 2006

    Relsqui

    Size is an easy one--there's just more room for extra drives on the front. The extra space inside also separates the components, making it much easier to keep the system cool. Because laptops are so small, keeping them from overheating is a real difficulty, and that along with battery life concerns tends to limit the available processor speed. A wider variety of hardware available for desktop systems, and new technology is likely to be available there first. For that matter, laptops have fewer exchangeable parts. Of course, not having to worry about battery life is a benefit too. If you care about sound, it's much more convenient to set up a good set of speakers than to carry some around with you (unless you've got a very nice set of headphones).

    The main disadvantage, of course, is portability--although if you don't mind the weight there are cases with straps or handles (mostly intended for LAN gamers). It can also be nice to have a battery when the power goes out; while an uninterruptible power supply (or UPS) won't give you the hours of a good laptop battery, it can give you enough time to save data and shut down a desktop system in a power failure.

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  • by karlasim123 on November 30th, 2010

    karlasim123

    1) A desktop computer tends to be cheaper than a laptop computer of similar specification
    2) A desktop computer is more easy to upgrade. There's more space for new PCI cards and IDE disks to fit into.
    3) Faulty accesories and components on a desktop are easy to replace, sometimes without even opening the case!

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