P_C or Laptop
I need a new desktop for my home. Was wondering about getting a laptop and using a big screen on my desk. Are laptops as durable as desktops?
Forum Discussion
Been in the IT field since 1997. I don't understand those saying laptops are as durable as desktops, and less expensive? On what planet? :h
I have gotten several good used off-lease business desktops for home use for around $100 off CraigsList. They run very well, especially if it's an ex-business model. Business-class machines tend to be built more sturdily. Oh I might have to throw more RAM in, but that's so easy I walked my mom through it over the phone, and costs around $50.
Laptops are more expensive -- in both initial and ongoing costs -- for at least six reasons:
1.) They're made with smaller, thinner, lighter parts, which are more fragile.
2.) They're almost always man-handled and not stationary, thus necessitating more frequent repairs.
3.) Their parts are less universal; A Dell desktop video card can be placed into an HP desktop, but because laptop parts are less universal, they cost more. Ever price replacing a laptop power socket? $60-100 easy. I once tripped over a laptop power cord, and spent about that much for the part and about an hour or two replacing it. By contrast a power supply on a desktop can be swapped for around $20, and it can be a quick DIY project. I walked my wife through it over the phone :B Just remove the cables and put the new ones where you pulled the old ones. Hard to beat a job so simple.
4.) You get more bang for your buck out of a desktop since the components are developed there first and only later developed for a laptop; So desktops get CPUs first, hard drives first, etc. Thus a laptop side-by-side with a desktop of the same age is going to be slightly slower, have less capacity, etc.
5.) Laptop repair requires more specialized knowledge. Any parts monkey can swap an LCD desktop monitor, but you have to find a specialist for a broken laptop screen.
6.) And expansion tends to require more expensive components.
The useful life of my desktops has been around 10 years. The useful life of my laptops has been 2-3. I've got one limping along on my desk that has at least 15 physical problems that was built about the same year as the desktop on the floor which only has a USB port issue. As long as I keep the laptop in the same place it should be OK, which of course negates the advantage of a laptop. I had to buy many small components (USB sound card, USB network card) to work around the hardware failures of the laptop. It's useful, but not for much longer.
The only real advantage of a laptop is the portability. The price of laptops certainly has come down a lot, so the cost advantage of a desktop isn't what it used to be. Still, I'd guess the total cost of ownership of a laptop to be to roughly 2-3 times that of a desktop? Ballpark guesstimate.
I've had many a laptop and desktop fail in almost 20 years being in the business, but I'd much rather replace parts in a desktop, for the sake of both my wallet and my time/energy/sanity.
I have gotten several good used off-lease business desktops for home use for around $100 off CraigsList. They run very well, especially if it's an ex-business model. Business-class machines tend to be built more sturdily. Oh I might have to throw more RAM in, but that's so easy I walked my mom through it over the phone, and costs around $50.
Laptops are more expensive -- in both initial and ongoing costs -- for at least six reasons:
1.) They're made with smaller, thinner, lighter parts, which are more fragile.
2.) They're almost always man-handled and not stationary, thus necessitating more frequent repairs.
3.) Their parts are less universal; A Dell desktop video card can be placed into an HP desktop, but because laptop parts are less universal, they cost more. Ever price replacing a laptop power socket? $60-100 easy. I once tripped over a laptop power cord, and spent about that much for the part and about an hour or two replacing it. By contrast a power supply on a desktop can be swapped for around $20, and it can be a quick DIY project. I walked my wife through it over the phone :B Just remove the cables and put the new ones where you pulled the old ones. Hard to beat a job so simple.
4.) You get more bang for your buck out of a desktop since the components are developed there first and only later developed for a laptop; So desktops get CPUs first, hard drives first, etc. Thus a laptop side-by-side with a desktop of the same age is going to be slightly slower, have less capacity, etc.
5.) Laptop repair requires more specialized knowledge. Any parts monkey can swap an LCD desktop monitor, but you have to find a specialist for a broken laptop screen.
6.) And expansion tends to require more expensive components.
The useful life of my desktops has been around 10 years. The useful life of my laptops has been 2-3. I've got one limping along on my desk that has at least 15 physical problems that was built about the same year as the desktop on the floor which only has a USB port issue. As long as I keep the laptop in the same place it should be OK, which of course negates the advantage of a laptop. I had to buy many small components (USB sound card, USB network card) to work around the hardware failures of the laptop. It's useful, but not for much longer.
The only real advantage of a laptop is the portability. The price of laptops certainly has come down a lot, so the cost advantage of a desktop isn't what it used to be. Still, I'd guess the total cost of ownership of a laptop to be to roughly 2-3 times that of a desktop? Ballpark guesstimate.
I've had many a laptop and desktop fail in almost 20 years being in the business, but I'd much rather replace parts in a desktop, for the sake of both my wallet and my time/energy/sanity.
