Desktop vs Laptop

[reborn7778]

I don't see any to discuss on Desktop vs Laptop.

Which are you personally to use by Desktop or laptop? Why or why not?

 

[whs]

I use both but prefer the desktop with the 22" screen. I only use the laptop outside the house or when I need a lot of processing power (e.g. for video editing). With the i7 and a 1GB graphics it is my most powerful system.

What I hate on the laptop is the trackpad - never use it. I use a mouse with a trackball which is a lot more convenient. On the desktop I do not use a mouse. I use a keyboard with trackball.

 

[Lordbob75]

Desktop, always. Laptops have their uses, but I will always prefer desktops.

~Lordbob

 

[Sardonicus]

Desktop.
Nothing like being able to easily find, remove and add components.
Opening the side panel on a self-built machine shows a thing of beauty.

 

[joseph10444]

i had a laptop break down without warranty and it was done for me since laptop parts are harder to replace/find. it's also more expensive. you can replace RAM, and HDD easily though, but you can do that on a desktop too. the reason why i will buy another laptop is because of portability and how i intend to use it outside and inside. i guess it depends on how often you use it and what you use it for.

 

[sreedhav]

Dear reborn7778,
An excellent question indeed! I got a desktop assembled TO SUIT MY SPECIFICATIONS (Sorry for the boldtype) and a laptop,a Toshiba make gifted to me with 4GB RAM!
Like whs, i have a 22 inch wide flattron screen for the desktop and a 15.5 inch screen for the lappy! Folks say small is beautiful, but i disagree and i'd rather prefer light(as in weight) is beautiful though small and less weight go hand in hand!An incompatible marriage?

I use the laptop when i attend national and occasional conference outside the country, where the lappy becomes very useful. There,you are forced to use only the keyboard (with a scrolling mouse)

See, its not just carrying the laptop alone, you have to carry the charger with wire, possibly an extra battery and my (very) personal opinion is a laptop is for people on the move.
Regards,
Sreedhav

PS: I am more at home with Desktops and i use them more!

 

[stmcmurray76]

I have been thinking about building a new desktop (as mine is like 6yrs old with 0 upgrades), but when I started thinking about it, I said "Ya know what? This computer is still good enough for me at home, what I need is a laptop (for work mainly), but also how cool would it be to be able to watch all the good football games while tailgating at my favorite seahawks home turf. Anyway, just thought I'd say that I think I'm leaning more towards a laptop as anyone would be an upgrade over what I have now, lol.

 

[IownAmoneyPit]

Desktop.
Nothing like being able to easily find, remove and add components.
Opening the side panel on a self-built machine shows a thing of beauty.

+1 - What he said

 

[TVeblen]

I've had this conversation with many people and the point I always stress is that a computer is a tool, and like anything else, you need to have the right tool for the job.

There are Servers, Desktops, Laptops, Netbooks, Tablets, and Smart Phones - all can perform the very basic functions of a computer, each has it's strengths and weaknesses, and each comes in a variety of "horse-powers".

The question always is: What do you need to use the computer for?
Video editing utilizing multiple screens and external drives?
Portable access to high demand programs?
Checking your Email and posting on Twitter?

Your needs will determine which tool is right for you. And if you work in a high-tech field you might have use for all the tools!

 

[tannim]

If gaming is not a priority, then a laptop is a good thing.

First, a warning, do not ever buy one with intel GMA unless you only want to use it for typing and have absolutely no interest in gaming, it is worthless for anything. This is purely from my experience with it

benefits of laptop - built in battery for if power goes out. low power consumption for lower energy bills, portable, can be hooked up to an external monitor exactly the same as a desktop can, can use usb keyboard and mouse, very quiet, ram and hard drive can be replaced the same as desktop. Sometimes CPU can be too, other times no.

negatives for laptop - can have weak video, especially if Intel GMA/Graphics or Via Unichrome. Cannot upgrade some hardware easily, motherboard especially. bad audio on some laptops can sound tinny. Easy to drop when carrying around.

benefits of Desktop - are as powerful as you want to buy, best video, easily upgraded hardware.

negatives - not easily portable. Cannot work without external monitor and keyboard or mouse. loud. cost a lot in electricity. no battery to give you time to save data when power goes out.

I plan to get another laptop when this old craptop of mine goes(craptop, really weak laptop, especially when using intel graphics). I do have a desktop, but I rarely use it. When I do, it's usually for a game as the laptop will do most things other than gaming or 3D modeling, heck even full screen flash video brings it to it's knees.(it has crappy video as mentioned).

 

[Tomel]

Laptop vs Desktop

Although I prefer my desktop, obviously there are situations where the laptop is the best or only alternative, e.g., when traveling.

Why do I prefer my desktop? Well, the 24" widescreen is one reason. But there's another reason. With the super fast processors available these days, I find the biggest speed bottleneck to be the hard drive. I have a custom desktop with an i7 processor and a 10,000 rpm velociraptor hard drive. Very, very fast. Laptops and the desktops available "off the shelf" seem to put the slowest (and cheapest) hard drives in their systems. Also, with my custom-built system, I can pick the graphics card with the speed and features I want. With the laptop or "off the shelf" system, I cannot.

Bottom line. The monitor and the speed.

 

[darkdisturbed]

I use both. But I mainly use my laptop. For course work, tv viewing and video files and photoshop and lightroom processing. I have never attempted to try run games on this laptop - that's what my desktop is for (but I don't play games anymore, get bored of them quickly.)

They both have their uses and drawbacks but I like both.

And besides since I do baily back ups on an external hard drive, if I know either laptop or pc needs to go in for a service - I can use the other to work on my documents that I need to work on. So always good to have a back up around.

 

[kbronski]

I have a laptop, but I wish I had a desktop. If something goes wrong with desktop hardware, you can find it, and replace it relatively cheap. With a laptop, this isn't always the case. However, I love the portability of my laptop.

 

[DeaconFrost]

You won't find a discussion because it doesn't warrant a discussion...much like me asking for a thread to discuss what I should have for dinner tonight.

My point being, everyone knows the pros and cons of both devices. You, as the owner and user must decide which fits your needs best. You are the only person that knows those needs and knows what you need a computer to do for you. None of us do, so none of us are qualified to answer.

Going back to my dinner example, no one else knows what I have on hand at home, what I am hungry for, what I'm allergic to, what I dislike, etc...so me and only me can make the decision as to what meal I'll prepare.

 

[rotaz]

While I love the power of a desktop I prefer the conveniance of a laptop. It allows me to go from playing games at a desk to playing games on the couch to watching movies in bed. And so much easier to take to a LAN party.

The only downside these days are their screen res. Why the hell is it so hard to get anything above 1366*768 or 1600*900

 

[Lordbob75]

While I love the power of a desktop I prefer the conveniance of a laptop. It allows me to go from playing games at a desk to playing games on the couch to watching movies in bed. And so much easier to take to a LAN party.

The only downside these days are their screen res. Why the hell is it so hard to get anything above 1366*768 or 1600*900

My laptop is 1600x1050

~Lordbob

 

[whs]

The only downside these days are their screen res. Why the hell is it so hard to get anything above 1366*768 or 1600*900

That should not be a problem. My Vaio has 1920x1080.

 

[joseph10444]

The only downside these days are their screen res. Why the hell is it so hard to get anything above 1366*768 or 1600*900

That should not be a problem. My Vaio has 1920x1080.

iBet it's heavy.

 

[whs]

The only downside these days are their screen res. Why the hell is it so hard to get anything above 1366*768 or 1600*900

That should not be a problem. My Vaio has 1920x1080.

iBet it's heavy.

Yeah, that is true.

 

[Jacee]

Desktop is my main computer ... laptop is for outa' town stuff