When buying a workstation or home multimedia center, a potential buyer often faces a choice: what to take a desktop computer or a laptop? In this tutorial, let’s compare Laptop Vs Desktop Pros And Cons and determine which one is best for which task.
Laptop Vs Desktop Pros And Cons
Laptops have their own pros and cons whiles desktop also. So here we will discuss all these and will select the best suitable option for ourselves.
Laptop Pros And Cons
The main advantage of a laptop is mobility and autonomy. If the device is equipped with a good battery, when fully charged, the battery life is 3-5 hours. However, the battery is also the “Achilles’ heel” of this type of device. If it fails, the laptop loses its main advantage and can only be operated in the immediate vicinity of the outlet. This is not always convenient, as outlets in public places may be unavailable or busy.
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The laptop is easy to transport due to its compact size and light weight. On the other hand, due to the small size of the case, the laptop is less susceptible to upgrades: new, more powerful components may simply not fit inside. There may also be problems with connecting additional modules to PCI ports. To expand the functionality, you have to use devices connected via USB ports.
A laptop is a self-sufficient device, in which everything you need for work and entertainment is already built-in: a keyboard, a touchpad that replaces a mouse, a display, a webcam, a microphone, an acoustic system, and wireless modules. If necessary, as with any computer, you can connect additional peripheral devices.
Due to the design features of the case, a laptop is more susceptible to overheating than a stationary computer. It is impossible to install powerful large coolers here, so you often have to use additional “crutches” for example, a special cooling pad.
It is easier to overheat a laptop – if you put it in the “wrong” place, blocking the ventilation holes.
The laptop is more difficult to disassemble for dust cleaning. The process requires more care, since there are many thin loops and wires inside that can be damaged, even with little effort.
All of this is partially offset by the fact that the laptop takes up very little space in the room. A medium-sized coffee table is sufficient for comfortable use. If necessary, you can move to the kitchen or to another room, where no one will interfere with your quiet work.
Desktop Pros And Cons
To understand which is better: a laptop or a PC, you should consider the advantages and disadvantages of the system unit. A desktop computer of similar power will cost less than a laptop. However, the owner expects additional expenses for the purchase of all peripheral devices at least a monitor, keyboard, mouse, and optionally speakers or headphones.
Also, if your area is experiencing power outages, a voltage stabilizer or uninterruptible power supply may be required. All this assumes that such a computer takes up more space – a separate table is required, and a chair for comfortable work.
The system unit has more options for upgrading. A user who understands computer hardware can assemble a system of any configuration in the same case – from a typewriter with Internet access to a powerful gaming device that runs the most demanding games at maximum quality settings. This makes it possible to buy components in small batches if the family budget is limited by other expenses or you have not yet decided what exactly you will collect.
Since it is easier to disassemble the system unit, most users can independently carry out an upgrade or repair – you just need to determine which part of the tower is out of order and replace it with a new one.
The tower form factor allows you to install a large number of powerful coolers (several for blowing and the same for blowing) to once and for all reinsure PC components from overheating. This airflow causes the computer to become a real dust collector, absorbing all the dust in the room. You need to clean the system unit much more often than a laptop – at least once a month.
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Another drawback is that there are much more wires to the system unit. If for a laptop it is almost always only a cord from the power supply, then for a system unit these are power cables from a monitor, keyboard, mouse, a network cable connected to a modem, from an acoustic system or headphones, often from a microphone or webcam. If you do not specifically hide them, such a heap looks unpresentable.
If you have a special computer desk with a shelf for the keyboard and mouse, it is more convenient to use the system unit. The hands-on the keyboard are in the correct position and do not get so tired. If you use an ergonomic keyboard, the stress is reduced even more. The laptop keyboard, if placed on an ordinary table, is too high and not so convenient to use. If the touchpad is not disconnected, you can accidentally touch it with your hand, which is very annoying when typing: you can accidentally delete some part of it or move the cursor to another place.
Laptop Vs Desktop: Which is Best for home
If you have not yet decided what is best for you – a PC or a laptop, you should consider the intended use of the device. For home use, which does not imply large computing power, a laptop is more suitable – for watching movies, listening to music and surfing the Internet, this is quite enough. However, if you do not plan to transport the device, using it in the same place, it is better to stay on the computer after all.
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Laptop Vs Desktop: What is best for work
As mentioned above, it is more convenient to use the keyboard of a stationary computer installed on the shelf of a computer desk for typing. A number of tasks require not only a powerful system unit, but also a monitor with a diagonal of at least 22 inches. This includes video and sound processing, design in 3D Max or Autocad systems, image processing using Photoshop and other graphics editors. A laptop, even a powerful one, is not very suitable for such tasks.
For those who work a lot with documents and at the same time actively move around the city (for example, sales representatives or freight forwarders), a laptop is more suitable. A portable printer will also be useful to print the necessary document at any time, and a USB modem for Internet access.
Laptop Vs Desktop: which is better for gaming
Although the debate is still on whether a laptop or computer is better for video games, most gamers tend to think that only a desktop computer can fully appreciate the gaming process. In this case, the design features of laptops make their own adjustments.
The main disadvantage of the laptop is its relatively small screen. Even the top models of gaming laptops are equipped with a 17-inch display. But already 19 inches is a rarity.
Such devices on sale can be counted on one hand. This is not enough for comfortable gaming: even if you normally see game objects on the screen, then problems with reading signatures may already arise. And if in solo games this is not relevant, then in most multiplayer games, regardless of genre, you have to constantly read explanations.
Another factor to consider is the type of screen matrix. Modern laptops, even gaming ones, are mainly equipped with an IPS matrix, the response time of which is from 4 milliseconds. It’s a lot. For comfortable gaming, the optimal response time is 1 millisecond. This feature has only one type of matrix – TN + Film. Laptops are not supplied with them.
The cost of a device is an important factor that can tip the scales in one direction or another. Gaming laptops, besides being quite productive, also have heaped up design cases with “predatory” curves and colored inserts. This thing is not only functional, but also status, and therefore the price will always be overstated.
For the same amount, you can assemble a powerful system unit that can handle all modern AAA class games, and you can buy the necessary peripheral devices for delivery.
For comfortable gaming, you need a monitor with a diagonal of at least 24 inches and a resolution of at least 1920 x 1080 pixels (Full HD). As already mentioned, a monitor with a TN + Film matrix is more suitable. You will also need a “reinforced” mouse and keyboard. Gaming is often a rather nerve-racking process, and regular stock input devices can break from being punched.
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As for streaming, that is, conducting a live broadcast of the gameplay, then in this case you need either two monitors, or a stationary computer working in conjunction with a laptop (provided that you approach the issue professionally, and not “just try it once”). In this case, the game is launched on a stationary computer, and a laptop is used to monitor chat and broadcast statistics.
However, this is already uncritical: it is fashionable to make the size of the game window smaller and display the chat somewhere in the corner of the screen. It is inconvenient to do this on a laptop there, and so the screen is not too large.
Conclusion
Summing up, we can conclude from our today topic Laptop Vs Desktop Pros And Cons which device is more suitable for what purposes. You can use a laptop to watch movies, surf the Internet and work with documents. For resource-intensive tasks and video games, a desktop computer is more suitable.
