What is the difference between a lap-top and a 'tower' style computer?

Question

Personally I can't see any appreciable difference. If that is the case, are the tower's days numbered?

Ok, lets just clarify;
I KNOW that one is BIG and the other is SMALL! lol!

Difference in terms of performance. If you can do everything with a laptop that you can with a tower, is it not just a matter of time before the tower is toppled?

Answer 1

You are right. The towers days are numbered though not quite over. There are still items in the tower that are cheaper to produce at this time. As lap tops take over the mainstream computing those bulky items will disappear because there just will not be a demand anymore. I wish I could tell you how many days are left on the tower because I need that info for my next computer too.

Answer 2

Good question. Basically, the laptop is smaller, so it costs more to make a laptop be able to perform at the same level of a desktop (tower) computer. Fortunately, nowadays that difference is not as large as it was before. Today, you can buy laptops that are just as good as a desktop for $500-$1000 extra. If you are looking for just basic computer needs, like word processor, internet, email, etc. then pretty much any laptop will do. You will have to pay more for a laptop that has advanced gaming abilities (this is done with a video card). The better the video card, the more the laptop costs, because laptop memory cards need to be shrunk to the smallest size possible; and that takes money.

Last thing about the difference between laptop and desktop. A desktop is a lot easier to reconfigure. You can add and change hardware on a desktop very easily. A laptop usually has to stay just as you bought it, with the exception of changing the amount of memory it has and the hard drive space. Things such as video memory, processor speed, screen size, mother board are very hard or impossible to change on a laptop.

I am typing on an HP zd8000 laptop, which is considered a desktop replacement, and I love it. It has advanced video graphics and is portable. I recommend a laptop in these days, if you can afford the extra cash.

I believe there will always be a place for desktops. For one, they are fun to build and reconfigure. Try it.

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

Someone gave you a very good comparison between the two. What's more, I really don't know anything about computers!

However, I just wanted to give you an example. I bought a laptop 3 years ago because I used to travel, so I needed to be able to carry it easily. The thing, my laptop doesn't have that much memory, so I fihured I would buy an external hard-drive. However, my laptop is making a lot of noise lately, because of the fan, which is getting old. A new fan is not expensive, but you have to pay for it to be put inside. It's about £300 to £400 (about $700). Well, I'm not going to buy a fan, obviously!

Because I won't be travelling much anymore, I'll just buy a PC. For the same price, you get a much better PC. More memory, faster, etc. Also, you can have a good screen and good sound system. And it still won't be too expensive.

So, basically, if you don't really need a laptop, just buy a PC! You'll get a better deal! And it's also usually more comfortable to type on a PC.

PS: I was also told that laptops tend to be more fragile (above all the battery) because, being a laptop, people tend to move it around (well, that's what it's for!), but also because they ARE a bit more fragile!

Answer 4

A laptop usually isn't as strong a regular computer with a tower. The strongest Dell laptop there is has 1 Gig. of SDRAM, whereas the strongest tower has 2 Gigs. Towers also have more hard drive space. Something that the tower doesn't have: Portability. If you get a tower computer, you have to pay extra for the monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc. And you can't take all that stuff with you. A laptop comes with built-in speakers, keyboard, mouse(although crappy, but you can use any mouse that connects to a USB port), and speakers. Portability for the cost of power!

Answer 5

Laptops are great, but they have some big disadvantages. For one, all that processing creates heat, and with the small size of a laptop, it isn't able to cool itself as well as a tower style computer. And also, a tower style computer can be upgraded much more easily. If a drive goes out on it, it's alot cheaper to repair.

I've gotten some not so nice burns from sitting with my laptop in my lap. I've since purchased a cooling pad, and it seems to help, but when I'm at home, I prefer to use my desktop computer.

Answer 6

Good question. I like the Tower, and wouldn't use it without Symantec Norton Utilities for protection. The lap-tops can catch on fire. The first time I heard tower. I was lost. Even though I had 8 programming classes. The laptop is the portable PC that you can carry with you. The Tower is the big CPU (central processing unit). The big PC that you have at home that you don't carry around because it's too big. They call it a Tower. You know the thing where you put you disk in in, and turn it on and off. Then you've got your monitor (TV screen), keyboard, speakers, mouse and modem (if you're online). DSL is high speed. Not dial up on the telephone. It plugs into a phone jack, but doesn't tie up your phone. The only way to go. SBC (AT&T) has a fixed price if you go year to year contract, they never raise it. That's what I do. Not comcast. I won't even pay for cable. They are a monopoly and I don't like them. By the way, in MI, you get SBC at a cheaper price online, than over the phone. $16 compared to $20. And you can bundle you're stuff. We just don't have SBC TV here. So I'm waiting. I'm a PC addict anyway. I can live without Cable. Got to pay for my race car, can't afford cable. Something has to go. It will never be my PC, or my car. I always figured, if I was without a job, you can always make money if you have a good PC.

Answer 7

Regardless of sizes, a desktop or tower, can handle much more that a laptop. Towers are made for speed, graphics and memory. Laptops just cannot handle most video graphics cards and will usually require more power if a better one is added. Yes, the portability of the laptop is wonderful but if you want a computer that can handle tougher situations, such as games and music, stick with a tower.

Answer 8

Laptops are generally a little more pricey because the smaller technology cost more to make and is in a higher demand. The difference in speed will depend on the specs of the computer itself. Most options that are availible for the tower can also come on a laptop. Laptops are worth the extra money when you look at protability, but watch your battery life!

Answer 9

1. Price - Laptop components must be much smaller so as to fit into a tiny little box. Smaller components = more money.

2. Speed - You will also lose out on getting the best equipment as some cannot fit in a laptop, i.e. larger hard drives and more powerful video/sound cards.

3. Durability - Laptops get thrown around, dropped, swung... They are far more apt to break than a tower based computer.

4. Convenience - Laptops win: you can bring them anywhere, work without a plug, smaller, lighter, don't require anything else

Answer 10

A laptop is small and when you close it it can fit anywhere a small briefcase can fit. A desk top is just that. A desktop computer : Moniter, mouse,keyboard and tower. Which you can't carry around. And if you've actually seen both kinds, you CAN tell the difference. Personally I will always have a desktop and NEVER a laptop.

Answer 11

The main difference is that with a laptop you can't upgrade memory, motherboard, processor chip, etc while with a tower you can upgrade every so often.
-People interested in graphics and gaming mainly purchase tower computers since it's easy to just pop open the tower case and remove a motherboard, processor, or add more memory in terms of doing upgrades.
-If you are only doing business spreadsheets or downloading music get a laptop, but if you want to do serious gaming or graphics get a tower so you can upgrade yearly.