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Laptops are certainly great if you need mobility. But they also take up less space and use less power. Most people don't need the expansion capabilities of a desktop and most don't need specialized hardware (high end GPUs, etc.).
Desktops still have their place though. Many desktops hardly take up any space. The iMac is a great form factor.
I just bought a new desktop system...I HATE laptop keyboards, I'm real old school and I also don't like the mouse pad or monitors on laptops...so in order for me to get what I want, I'd have to add some sort of docking station to add mouse, monitor, keyboard...so why bother? My big hobby is photography. My last desktop lasted me with upgrades 7 1/2 years, so I see it pretty pointless to get a laptop.
I just bought a new desktop system...I HATE laptop keyboards, I'm real old school and I also don't like the mouse pad or monitors on laptops...so in order for me to get what I want, I'd have to add some sort of docking station to add mouse, monitor, keyboard...so why bother? My big hobby is photography. My last desktop lasted me with upgrades 7 1/2 years, so I see it pretty pointless to get a laptop.
You can just plug the monitor, mouse and keyboard to laptop. You don't need a docking station. However, a laptop cannot be upgraded like a desktop.
I suggested in another thread that hardly anyone needs a desktop computer anymore.
I was soundly disagreed with. In order to not sidetrack that thread I started this one.
Reasons other folks said I was wrong:
People should only buy laptops if they beed mobile computing
I don't buy that. I have been recommending laptops to family and friends for over 6 years now. To a person: every single one that I have talked into getting a laptop when at least half of them were set on a desktop: thanked me later.
Aunt Margie? She looks up recipes on her laptop and then takes the laptop into the kitchen with her so can view it right there. She doesn't have to go sit in the den and waste paper printing a recipe she is only going to use once.
Cousin Mary: Probably the most adamant the she did not need a laptop. Loves the convenience. She slides her laptop under the couch when she isn't using it. Any time she wants to look something up real quick? Slide it out. Open. Google. Close. Back under the couch. No walking into the den. Sit down. Fire up computer.
You can't upgrade laptops
So what. Ask yourself, and honestly answer: what is the #1 thing people upgrade in computers? RAM. That is the one thing that people upgrade more then anything. That's even EASIER to do in a laptop. People aren't upgrading processors and video cards, except maybe gamers. When the average computer was $1,200, maybe. But now a cheap desktop is $400. A cheap laptop $500. People don't upgrade like they used to. Computers get replaced today... not upgraded.
They break more often
Ok, well I suppose. They are portable after all. Any number of things can happen. But less reliable? I don't think so. My laptops seems to last quite some time.
*Disclaimer before I upset someone: These are my opinions only. I am not saying any of this is FACT. I believe most folks will agree with me, but maybe not. Let's find out. Discuss.
I like both, neither is able to efficiently achieve the needs of every role.
Now you can make a laptop a desk computer through accessories (monitor, keyboard, mouse, docking station w/additional components), but if we are talking about that, well we aren't "really" establishing a complete side.
I use my laptop for work only, not for personal means. I do so because it allows me to access what I need on the go, so for that aspect, a laptop is perfect.
My desktop facilitates long hours of working (when I do not need to be mobile) in that it provides me multiple screens, a comfortable place to sit that avoids excessive problems with cramping in the fingers and sitting positions.
As for power, I think desktop still wins out here for maximum power as well as cost. I could go buy a nice laptop with all the power and accessories I want, but it would cost me thousands more to get the same thing for a desktop. That is, I can build it myself a heck of alot cheaper and still be more powerful than the laptop. For those who buy pre-made machines, I honestly don't know, you may have a point, but the last time I bought a "pre-made" was a Tandy 1000 TL.
There is also the issue of overheating. Yes, I know some models make strides in trying to build an efficiently cooled laptop, but even with all of their efforts, they can't compare to the options and achievement I can reach with my desktop. With the desktop, my case can be ideally designed for maximum airflow and attention to hot spots. I can also install water cooling at my discretion (ie anywhere I want to put it on a chip, I can) which will result in my ability to push the performance far past the devices standard configuration.
As for upgrading, I think the only people who "throw away" their machines are those who buy pre-made machines. I just recently completely changed out my machine, and that was after 15 years of changing out parts as needed. The cost of my upgrades usually never go beyond 1000 dollars and it only gets that high when I need to upgrade a MB. Most costs are under 500 dollars and only done as needed. So the point is, I spend a heck of a lot less money and my machine is operating at speeds faster than a laptop.
There is also the issue of expansion. What if you just need more HD space? You can get a 4TB HD for a desktop, but I think the largest currently is 2TB for a notebook and you are limited usually by slots (ie usually only 1) so that means you can not do mirroring or striping setups. You might say, well... you can use external HD's, but if you are using USB, it is far slower than SATA 6.0. You could use eSATA, but then you have some problems. 1) you are having to buy a specific laptop that supports such and that means increased costs. 2)You are now plugging in external devices to get that.
Add in the fact that you won't usually be running a RAID setup with external hard drives and you start to see the limitations of a laptop (outside of building a docking station to accommodate this which means your "laptop" really isn't a "laptop" anymore).
There are many reasons why a desktop is more flexible. A laptops MB is streamlined, often limited by the space of the device. You may only have 4 USB ports, while a desktop may support many more on top of that and expandable even more with expansion cards. There are no limits to the capability of the desktop due to that nature. This means I can have several hard drives, DVD drives and burners, multiple NIC's and a variety of ports, panels and gadgets.
Add in the fact that I can easily get into the machine and replace any single component of failure in short time (seconds if I have hot swappable devices) and you can see that a desktop still has extraordinary potential over that of a laptop.
As I said, I have no problems with laptops, they have their uses and what they are useful for, they do far better than a desktop could ever hope to, but that does not make them any "BETTER" than a desktop, the same way that a screw driver is not "BETTER" than socket wrench. Different tools for different purposes, both specifically useful for their intended purposes.
For every person you talking into a laptop who now takes in into the next room, I know one who has a laptop that hasn't left the desk in 5 years and should have just bought a desktop.
I buy my wife laptops, she predominately uses them, but... she also does not need extraordinary power in her "average" uses. Though when she has to spend hours at the computer, she goes to her desktop.
I see some benefits for laptops, but for my needs, they are limited devices.
All I can say is I own a macbook pro and last gen 27" imac. 95% of everything I do is perfectly feasible on the laptop - only with large complex 3d models does the laptop show some signs of strain, yet even then it's perfectly fine. Screen real estate and a more powerful gpu are my main reasons for having a desktop, screen size being the more important. Processor speed, ram and hard drive capacity/speed are broadly comparable IMO.
I play a lot of FPS on my PS3 and have no problems with the game play or the graphics. Not sure why the comment was made.
I wish they'd let PC gamers play on the same servers that console gamers do, then you'd see the difference.
Playing an FPS game on a controller is equivalent to driving on a highway in a boat. Controller gaming is actually very limited. Fighting, sports, and perhaps some adventure games work well with controllers, but if you want to play a proper FPS, RTS, or an MMO, keyboard and mouse are just superior. *Imagines playing Starcraft with a controller*
I play a lot of FPS on my PS3 and have no problems with the game play or the graphics. Not sure why the comment was made.
Most PC games are designed for consoles first and then ported to PC (not always a direct port, but its base code and design is from the console version) which is why you see no real major advantage of PC's over consoles these days (well, aside from the input arguments). Considering that console games are stilling running on hardware that is nearing a decade old, it is no surprise why few can tell the difference in PC vs Console power anymore.
There are some mod adaptations for some games where the PC version was greatly enhanced in graphics and features that I think many laptops would likely struggle with (that is if we are pushing the performance envelope), but most "base" PC games out there are pretty much the same in their power needs as the consoles.
There are some mod adaptations for some games where the PC version was greatly enhanced in graphics and features that I think many laptops would likely struggle with (that is if we are pushing the performance envelope), but most "base" PC games out there are pretty much the same in their power needs as the consoles.
While most PC games will have minimum settings to help them run on lower end PCs, modern PC games, on a high end machine, look nothing like their console versions.
We have two moderate gaming rigs, and one high end rig, along with one each of the current gen consoles, and many of the same games on multiple platforms. For the latest high end games, the difference is more than noticeable on the PCs. None of this is with mods, but with straight out of the box games.
I don't know of any laptop available that can actually match my gaming / work rig, and certainly not for anywhere near the same price.
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