Laptop vs Desktop – The Ultimate Question!

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A tale as old as time!

Ah, the age old question, which device should I get?  Well, there’s no real “wrong” answer here, but there are some questions you need to ask yourself before making that decision and you should really take a good look not only at what you want but what you need as well. 

Now, I get it, you walk into your local Best Buy, Staples, Walmart, or other electronics store and they have all these neat looking devices lined up, looking all pretty, flashy and they have that oh so COOL factor about them.  It’s very tempting to just grab something so you can be with all the “cool kids” out there.  But is a laptop really the best choice for you?  There are many reasons to purchase a laptop and just as many reasons not to.  If you take a close look at your need’s vs your impulse, you just might make a different decision!

Choices...

One of the best things you can do in this situation is make a list of what you need the machine to do and what you want the machine to be capable of.  Oh, and make sure you put on that list if you really are going to be dragging the device around, or simply plop it on a desk and it’ll spend pretty much the rest of it’s life there.

I know that question really sounds simple, but most people I know who purchase a laptop simply plop it on place and it could be glued there for how much they ever move it or take it anywhere.

Why should that matter?

One thing to keep in mind is that computers are expensive.  Yes, I know you know that already, but hear me out.  One of your goals in choosing a new machine should be to maximize the amount of computing resources you’re going to get that best match the function (and mobility) of the device that you need.  Simply put, if you truly never need to take the thing anywhere, why pay extra for that capability, especially since those extra funds can go towards better or additional components/resources in the device?

One simple fact is this.  A Laptop will ALWAYS cost more than an equivalently configured Desktop computer.  Always.  Why?  Well, there are a number of reasons. 

What should I make sure I get in a computer?

Even though Laptops and Desktops are very different devices when looked at from an engineering standpoint, they’re both similar in the basic components or resources any computer you get today should have.  If you want to know what to look for in a computer, scroll down to the section called “Your average configuration”

Go Team Desktop!

Let’s list some reasons where a Desktop Computer may be better for you:

  • Cost – A desktop computer will always cost less than an identically configured laptop computer. This is because the components that are engineered and installed in laptops have to be smaller and generate less heat (or be engineered in such a way so that heat can be carried away)
  • Expandability – Desktops can be upgraded, components swapped out, and resources upgraded as utilization demands of it. Laptops on the other hand, what they come with is about all you’ll ever be able to do with it.  Sure, you may be able to increase nominally the memory (RAM) and maybe the storage, but generally speaking, there isn’t anything else you can replace and/or change on the device
  • Specialization – Because Desktops can be configured almost any way you can think of, desktop computers are far more customizable and configurable then a laptop. Need a powerhouse of a machine for graphics or video editing?  No problem.  Looking to become the next big Gaming Guru and have a massive following online?  Game on!  You name a task and a desktop can usually be configured and customized to do it!
  • Performance – Space and airflow give desktop computers the ability to have the most powerful processors, graphics adapters, even fastest ram and components installed in them, giving the desktop the definite edge when it comes to maximizing todays hardware for raw computer power and performance
  • Heat Dissipation/Removal – Since there is far greater room inside the case of your average desktop computer, whole cottage industries have grown with solutions on how to get rid of that excessive heat and make it look cool at the same time you’re doing it. Just do some image searches on line to see how some people have spent tons of hours and money simply to make their machines run as cool as possible and make it look good while doing it!  Laptops?  You get the cooling that it comes with and that’s that.
  • Durability and Longevity – Since you put the desktop in one place and never move it from there, you end up with very little “wear and tear” on the device. Sure, it may collect dust (and possibly a little worse), but taking the device out once a year and blowing it out with some compressed air can keep your fans, fins and other cooling spaces clean and clear, leaving the machine to stay nice and cool while running.

Go Team Laptop!

Let’s also take a look at this from the angle of function.  What are you going to be using this device for.

Well, you’re average individual out there will usually use their device for some or most of the following reasons:

  • Email and Communications
  • Web Browsing/Online Research/Checking Social Media
  • Online Retail (buying stuff, you know, like Amazon, Walmart or others)
  • Office and Productivity Tasks (Word, Excel/Spreadsheets, Publisher, Adobe Apps)
  • Gaming and Entertainment (playing video games, casual gaming, etc)
  • Streaming Media (YouTube, Movies, Shows)

Just about all of these tasks can be accomplished by the majority of the desktops out there, or at the very least can more than adequately be done on a decently configured desktop.

Here’s some links to some decently configured desktop computers:

Day to Day Desktop Computers:
Acer Aspire TC-1785-UA92 Desktop – https://amzn.to/3C9RIBn
Pro Tower 290 G9 Business Desktop – https://amzn.to/4htJvbr
Lenovo V50t Business Tower Desktop – https://amzn.to/40rrTHf

Power/Gaming Desktops:
Alienware Aurora R16 Gaming Desktop – https://amzn.to/4eg5Kin
CyberPowerPC Gamer Xtreme VR Gaming PC – https://amzn.to/4f9y07k
ASUS ROG G16CH (2024) Gaming Desktop PC – https://amzn.to/3CmSg6U
HP OMEN 45L Intel i9 RTX 4090 Ultimate Gaming Desktop – https://amzn.to/3UukqmH
Panorama Gaming PC – https://amzn.to/4fybmWh
Skytech Gaming Azure Gaming PC Desktop – https://amzn.to/3Yu6aeZ

Laptops are great computers and when used in their proper context or environment, are hands down better than a desktop!  Places like schools and colleges, traveling business individuals, News and other media, lawyers, and more!  There are countless places where the mobility is not only a benefit but a requirement in many instances!  And just like the humble Desktop, it’s important that you get the right resources in the laptop when you purchase it, heck, even MORE important that you do as you’re usually very limited in what you can do with the device after you purchase it!

You see, laptops have evolved over the years from simply being the smaller brother to the Desktop to almost engineering marvels of miniaturization and compact computing.  All the components in your average desktop have been re-engineered and shrunk down to fit into a space, in many cases, less than half an inch wide, and many times even smaller than that.  Today’s “ultra light” laptops and notebooks have managed to squeeze almost the entire machine to fit on a single chip!

You see, it’s this engineering, this miniaturization that has both a benefit and a down side.  On one hand, these chips are very powerful, extremely fast, and above all are incredibly energy efficient!  So much so that devices built with these measure their battery time not in hours but in days!

But the biggest down side to this is the thing that makes them so fast and energy efficient also prevents you from being able to upgrade the machine.  You see, the RAM, Graphics Adapter and more are all integrated into that single chip or SoC (called a “System on a Chip”), meaning you can’t exactly take one component out and replace it with a bigger, faster, or newer one.  These chips pretty much make the device “What you see is what you get”.

This is the reason why it’s even more critical to get what you need today and what you THINK you’re going to need in the next 3 to 5 years (or for however long you think you’re going to be using the device).

Here are some reasons why you should get a Laptop Computer

  • Portability – There’s no doubt that when it comes to being able to move your device, take it with you, and have it anywhere you might need it, a laptop is hands down going to win that argument!
  • Space Savings – Laptops by their very nature, being engineered to fit in as small of a space possible are going to take up considerably less room than your average desktop computer.
  • Power Efficiency – Because laptops are meant to be portable and you don’t want to be lugging around 20 lb’s of batteries, laptops have been designed with power and heat in mind! The more power efficient the device is, the less heat it generates (and that needs to be dissipated).  Today’s ultra-light devices can go all day and some times more before ever having to see a power outlet!
  • Convenience and Accessibility – With integrated components like webcams, speakers, touch pads, and more, these devices can not only go just about anywhere (well, swimming with them is highly discouraged), but have most if not almost all of the functionality of a desktop at your finger tips! The ability to simply take the device out of it’s carrying bag, place it somewhere, open it up, turn it on and go, is the reason that mobile professionals find laptops an invaluable tool, especially while on the road!
  • Versatility – While laptops may be limited in the number of physical ports on them (Ethernet, USB, Display, etc.) they more than make up for that with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, allowing you to not only wirelessly connect to networks and the Internet, but any number of Bluetooth compatible devices out there (Keyboards, Mice, Head Phones, etc).

Here’s some links to some decently configured laptop computers:

Good Day to Day Laptop Computers:
HP 15.6″ Laptop, Intel Core i5-1135G7 – https://amzn.to/3YNnq02
HP Newest 15.6″ Full HD Touchscreen Laptop – https://amzn.to/4fsIZZx
Dell Inspiron 15 3520 15.6″ FHD Laptop Computer – https://amzn.to/4frV5C8
Lenovo V15 Essential Laptop – https://amzn.to/3YNxbLR

Ultra Light Laptops: Microsoft Surface Laptop (2024) – https://amzn.to/3NPFtMT
ASUS Vivobook S 15 Laptop – https://amzn.to/3AomxBT
Acer Swift 14 AI Copilot+ PC – https://amzn.to/4e8j4oU
HP Elitebook 660 G11 16″ FHD+ Business Copilot AI Laptop – https://amzn.to/4ebbY2T

Power/Gaming Laptops:
ASUS ROG Strix Scar 18 (2024) Gaming Laptop – https://amzn.to/3UAcU9U
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 9 16″ Gaming Laptop –  https://amzn.to/3YKEFzb
HP OMEN 17.3″ QHD Intel i9 RTX 4090 Premium Gaming Laptop – https://amzn.to/4hzkr30
MSI Raider GE78 HX 17.3″ QHD+ 240Hz Gaming Laptop – https://amzn.to/3Aon6vv

Your average configuration

For these reasons and more, a properly configured computer will not only meet these needs now, but can also keep you a bit future proofed to last you 3 to 5 years of more.  

Here’s what you really should make sure any device you purchase today has for it’s specifications.  These are basic resources and recommendations that go for desktops and laptops both!  

CPU

The brains of the computer.  If the computer was the car, the CPU would be the engine.  The CPU is one of the most important components of any machine, and as such, you should take proper care in selecting it.  First, don’t simply purchase a machine that’s the cheapest as you’re guaranteed to be either disappointed or find that the device is underwhelming today (let alone in 3 years or longer).  You can choose between Intel and AMD Processors today, there’s no right or wrong answer here, but you do want to make sure you don’t pick the lowest end of either chip.

For Intel, just about any Core i5 and up processor is a decent choice (the higher the number, the more powerful the chip).  You may be tempted to “buy the best”, but unless you really need a tremendous amount of computing power (and if you do, you’re probably not reading this), and Intel Core i9 is probably overkill for what your looking for.

For AMD Chips, a Ryzen 5 3500 or Ryzen 5 3600 should be a good starting point (and are comparably in power to the Intel Core i5 serries), and top out on the high end with the Ryzen ThreadRipper Pro 39xxX processor serries (again, unless you need this much computing power, the high end, like the i9, is most likely overkill).

RAM

Ah RAM, the second most important (usually) component of a machine that many times is a corner that gets cut to save a few bucks, and yet, it’s one that can dramatically effect how well a machine performs most tasks.  You see, the CPU may be the brains of the machine, but it’s the RAM that stores all the information that’s going into and out of the CPU and the rest of the system.  Too little RAM in a machine will make it appear laggy, slow, take longer to switch between programs, increase times to start up the computer and launch applications and so on.

A good rule of thumb is to have as much ram as you can comfortably afford to put in the machine.

A good recommendation is that AT A MINIMUM make sure the computer has at LEAST 16 GB of RAM installed in it, more if you can swing it.  32 GB would be better (especially with how modern web browsers eat up RAM like kids in a candy store) and is a great way to help future proof yourself.  I can 100% say I’ve never heard anyone say that they were “disappointed that they installed that extra RAM in their computer”!

Storage - Hard Drive vs Solid State or SSD

I’m kind of “killing two birds with one stone” here.  When I mention storage, people tend to think the “hard drive” in your computer… and you would be correct, but storage has significantly evolved over the past 10 years or so and the days of a physical hard drive (you know, with spinning disks in them) have mostly been replaced by completely electronic devices with no moving parts called SSD’s or Solid State Drives.  These drives are vastly faster than any spinning disk, are less prone to catastrophic failure, generate almost no heat, use far less power, and take up significantly less space than a physical disk.  Because the cost to manufacture these has come down so significantly over time, just about every single machine will come with an SSD as their primary storage device.

That being said, you want to make sure you don’t make another crucial mistake.  I’ve seen a lot of computers that come configured with woefully small drives, 256GB, even 128 GB for the more inexpensive devices, but keep in minds, most of your modern operating systems have also grown in their storage requirements, not counting applications and other things you’re going to want to store on the machine.

My recommendation?  Make sure the machine has at least 512 GB of Solid State (SSD) storage in it.  As with RAM, I’ve never heard anyone complain about how much storage they got in their device, unless it’s to say the never got enough!

Let me know what you think, are you team Laptop or Desktop?  Leave me a comment and let me know!

Also, if you have any other questions or comments, don’t hesitate to send me a message or leave a comment!