Are you planning to buy a laptop or a desktop computer but are skeptical about making the right decision? Although your preferences, budget, and work-related tasks play an essential role in deciding the appropriate device for you, here’s a list of things that you must consider important before making any investment.
Both desktops and laptops are two different types of computers that deliver relatively similar features and functions. However, they come with different benefits and drawbacks, similar to any other digital device.
Let’s learn more about the laptops and desktops in this article to explore their similarities and differences and make the right buying decision.
What Is a Desktop Computer?
A desktop is a physical computer unit that includes a monitor, a CPU (central processing unit), a mouse, and a keyboard. It is not a portable device, and you can work on it by placing all the components on a desk and connecting them to the CPU. A desktop computer needs all external devices to function properly.
The major advantage of having a desktop computer is that you can select specifications to assemble a custom device and can upgrade it later.
What Is a Laptop?
A laptop is a compact and portable form of computer that you can carry to your workplace, a library, or a cafe. Also known as a notebook, it operates through a battery or an AC power adapter that allows the transmission of electricity to keep the battery running. Laptops integrate all the hardware components that make them functional.
A significant benefit is that laptops are portable. However, they also require charging a battery. You might run into some issues eventually, but fixing them should not be too difficult. Ultimately, the portability feature is what makes laptops great.
Let’s have a look at some of the differences between laptop and desktop devices in more detail.
What Differentiates Desktops From Laptops?
Power
A desktop computer can run only when all the cables are connected to the power outlet, whereas a laptop can run off the main power when the battery is charged sufficiently. The ability to work wirelessly through battery charge is what makes the laptops portable. Latest laptops integrate advanced batteries that last for up to several hours.
Storage
Desktop computers would be an ideal option to store large volumes of data. It is quite easy to upgrade the storage or replace the hard drive with an SSD (solid-state drive) for faster performance. On the other hand, storage in laptops can also be expanded but not as easy as desktop computers, and any upgrade attempts can be expensive too.
Mobility
Desktop computers, as the name specifies, are designed to work from a single location as it consists of different parts that make them bulky. As mentioned earlier, the laptop has all the components such as a mousepad, keyboard, and processor built-in, which makes it highly portable and compact to work with.
Speed
Not much difference can be seen in terms of speed or performance as long as both the devices integrate similar specifications. However, upgrading desktop specifications is quite a simple task, and you can easily play around with it while you get limited upgrade options when it comes to computer hardware.
Gaming
Since you would need higher system resources to be able to play high-end games on the computer without any performance lags, desktops make an ideal option. As far as gaming laptops are concerned, you can get one with robust RAM, storage, and processing unit, but you have to spend a lot in comparison to buying a gaming desktop.
Screen Size
Laptops are designed to offer portability to their users; therefore, a larger screen will make it heavier, and hence there’s no point spending heavily on buying a bigger screen. With desktops, you can freely select as large a screen as you want as it will give you an extensive user experience. Also, you can upgrade the external monitor anytime later.
Maintenance
Desktops are robust devices you can experiment with; therefore, tasks related to troubleshooting technical errors are easier to handle. You can remove and replace the hardware components at home without any technical advice. Laptops are delicate, so you would never want to take any sort of risk since it might not be easier to fix them easily.
What Are the Similarities Between Laptops & Desktops?
Despite too many disparities, the laptops and desktops also share several similarities such as:
- Most laptops and desktop computers come pre-installed with an operating system such as Windows 10 or macOS Big Sur if it’s an Apple computer.
- Both allow connecting peripheral devices such as a keyboard and a mouse externally through ports or wirelessly via BlueTooth connection.
- No matter what brand and budget you go for, the key specifications while purchasing a laptop or a desktop include a CPU, storage capacity, storage type (HDD or SSD), memory (RAM), processor, and a graphics card.
- The laptops and desktop devices support the same specifications, and you can select the spec set that best matches your work or entertainment-related needs.
