Which would you prefer and why? What advantages does a desktop have over a laptop, and what advantages does a laptop have over a desktop? What are the advantages/disadvantages of each? Which one would be better in the long run? Is there a certain brand (HP, Dell, Gateway, Mac, etc.) that is better is making laptops/desktops? Lengthy, Detailed answers with very good arguable reasons will recieve best answer.
2006-12-26 15:28:29 · 7 answers · asked by Michael G 2 in Computers & Internet ➔ Other - Computers
i prefer a desktop. they are upgradeable, and given the right component set infinetely more useful than your standard laptop.
i think the biggest win by far though for desktops is the ability (given the right chassis) to add a ton of disk drives. it's a great deal easier to buy and install additional drives in a desktop.
to me this means i can keep all my information for years at a time on one system simply by adding new diskspace to the mix, laptops don't really offer that same flexibility.
on the other hand most laptops support multiple monitor configurations out of the box while you have to either add components or buy a very expensive mutli monitor video card for a desktop. even so, buying and installing a pci video card on most desktops is a relatively trivial operation, and given that most people don't realize that their operating system supports multiple monitor desktops this isn't a significant issue to most people.
if portability is important to you then of course the laptop is the way to go. Unless of course the only thing you are worried about is the portability of data rather than the whole system, in that case a usb disk to plug into a desktop would serve just as well as a laptop.
As for which manufacturer I would choose for a machine now, it really depends on what i needed the machine for. if it was going to be my personal workstation and I had the money I would look into an alienware box, on a tight budget I would price out the system on dell, gateway, and emachines and go with what i considered to be the best deal. If money were not a factor I would probably just build something from components ordered seperately on the net.
2006-12-26 15:56:29 · answer #1 · answered by jude D 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It all depends on the environment and the end user. Desktops will always be more powerful than laptops simply because a larger power suppy can be used to drive more components.
Notebooks on the other hand offer mobility.
You can't necessarily compare a MAC to a PC since both have different primary markets.
The Primary market for a MAC is video editing
The Promary market for a PC is common end user applications
In some respects you can cross over from a PC to a MAC and in other respects you cannot.
The advantages for a Desktop are the ability to virtually upgrade or replace any part whereas witha Notebook you can really only upgrade the RAM. Servicing Notebooks are also more difficult.
The disadvantage of a Desktop is that it's stationary whereas a Notebook is not.
In regards to the various vendors:
Gateway has a big education market but small on the consumer side. Dell has a large consumer market and fairly sizable education and business market. HP is fairly larger than Dell on the education, business, and consumer markets. Lenovo bought the IBM Desktop line and has retained the education and business market. They're not a favortie among the consumer market because of their prices.
We've been an IBM/Lenovo University for quite sometime and I have the ability to know what's coming to market and when. I have access to full reference sheets and repair information all online. Truthfully I've never gone wrong with IBM or Lenovo. My support base is 600 computers and 3500 end users.
2006-12-26 15:43:11 · answer #2 · answered by Shawn H 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I have both, My PC I use mostly for storage. It's an HP and I like it a lot. I never have a problem with it. My laptop is a Gateway and I love the portability. I am self employed and use it everywhere I go. One of my clients has a Dell PC and Dell laptop, they both seem to freeze up a lot. The Dell printer that he bought with the PC was a pain also. You can only order ink online. It cant be bought in any stores. Well none that I know of.
My buy will always be an HP.
2006-12-26 15:41:21 · answer #3 · answered by Chicago Girl 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Laptop is very usefull if you travel a lot, but PC is a lot cheaper (up to 2 times). Compaq and HP are both very good brands, and also if you buy one, I sugest you buy HP Media Center PC. Compaq, I believe, makes quite better laptops then HP (havn't seen any yet...I don't know why). A laptop is much lighter and smaller (duh). A PC is better if you are planning on ahving it for a long time because of how much easier it is to change parts, ex. your screen doesn't work, for PC, go get a new one $200 flat screen, for laptop, more expensive because it is thiner, has to be a very specific model, and if your laptop is older, in may not really be repairable anymore.
2006-12-26 15:34:34 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have both. I use both but I like my laptop better. I take it everywhere and hold all of my info thats on my desktop in my laptop. When I am printing, the desktop of course works better. Also you dont have to worry about charging it but you cant take it with you to the library. You can also use your laptop as your desk top at anytime.
2006-12-26 15:33:36 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have found the best and cheapest answer is to get a External hard drive (USB 2.0) with a large amount of space and make it bootable (install Xp). so you can use your programs on any computer. if you really want to play games any where I would sell the dell (which is expensive and proprietary) and get a Laptop with at least a 3.0 Mhz dual core processor
2016-05-23 09:35:17 · answer #6 · answered by Nicole 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Desktop, upgrade with ease. Laptop, portable. No best answer for me.
2006-12-26 15:31:08 · answer #7 · answered by J W 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋