COMPUTER - Top 10 Reasons why Desktop is Better than a Laptop

Article by Priyadharshini

We are in the 21st century which is also regarded as the Digital Era. We live in a world where our lives are completely intertwined with the development of technology.  Today’s scenario is such that a day without a computer is like a year without rain! Computers that were used only for computing purposes have now become the prime unit of the working world. Starting from the size a large room, the computers have evolved into smaller desktop PCs, laptops, notebooks and now, the tablets. The processor speed, size, memory capacity, everything has been developed with each of the generation of computers.

People go gaga when it comes to high end machines and gadgets which are slick and user friendly. But to what extent are they ready to compromise on their performance? Even though the computers are becoming more compact and stylish, the desktop PCs that are considered as bulky and huge are preferred more by most people than those ultra slim laptops. You may wonder why! Here is the list of reasons why a desktop PC is always better than a laptop.

10. Safe and Secure

The desktop PCs are bulky when compared to a laptop. Is this factor actually a blessing in disguise? Of course it is. Anybody can sneak your laptop inside a bag or hide it among the books and take it away smoothly without your knowledge. It is quite easy to steal them. Then, what about a Desktop computer? Obviously they cannot be stolen that effortlessly because they are bulky! So, desktop PCs are far more secure, and you need not worry about protecting the amount of money you invested from being deliberately stolen away!

9. Cost

Next is the cost factor. Who does not love gadgets that are latest in technology and best in quality available at a cheaper price?  Everybody wants to save money. But the thinner and cozier the gadget gets, the higher the price you pay! Laptop has a keyboard, monitor screen, processor, all the memory and hard disks and everything embedded into a single compact unit. This makes use of special and high end technology which eventually reflects in its price. If you already have a monitor or keyboard, you may buy a desktop computer with other peripherals and save a lot of money. This is not possible if you buy a laptop. You have to buy the complete set on the whole. Thus you can buy a Desktop PC in a relatively lesser cost than a laptop.

8. Rugged

There’s a many a slip twixt the cup and the lip! the laptop may slip through fingers or bag and fall down, but what about a desktop? A laptop is more prone to breaking into pieces when dropped down. In general they are fragile and needs more cautiousness while handling them. If broken, the entire laptop has to be sent for repair. If any one of the components of the laptop is faulty, say, the keyboard is faulty, then you have to send the whole laptop for service. Sometimes due to a single component’s failure, you may even have to replace the entire product! Whereas in a desktop PC, only the faulty one, say, a keyboard or the mouse needs to be replaced. This reduces the repair expenses to a great extent.

7. Ethernet and Peripherals

We do not use a computer just for storing data. We all listen to music, play games, watch videos, use a web cam for video conferencing, do many more and what not! Do you think you can add a USB connected mouse, keyboard, a webcam, headset and a pen drive all at once to your laptop? Obviously not! But you can add tons of external peripherals to your desktop PC. Laptops in general have a couple of USB 2.0 ports and sometimes a high end laptop would have a USB 3.0. But a desktop comes with a minimum of four USB ports or even more. Some desktop PC’s come with multiple Ethernet ports which enhance the speed of your internet connectivity!

6. Power Supply

Every electronic product requires its fuel – ” the power supply”.Laptops run on batteries. If the battery runs out of charge, the laptop dies down as well. Moreover,the laptop batteries can be charged and discharged only up to a certain specified limited number of cycles depending on the manufacturer, after which the battery needs to be replaced with a new one. While a desktop PC makes use of a constant power supply as the power source instead of a battery. It is always connected to it. You may also use a UPS. So you don’t have to worry about your PC running out of power.

5. Large and Multiple display

A desktop computer comes with a wide range of display screen sizes available at the market. A laptop too provides a maximum size of 17.3 inches, but it is in no way greater when compared to a 20 -24 inch desktop monitor display. Moreover, a laptop with 17.3 inch display will obviously look quite bulky that it would no longer look like a laptop. It would be like you are carrying your desktop PC in your hand all the way! Apart from this, a Desktop PC can add multiple display monitors depending on the number of graphic cards that your computer can support while your laptops don’t. You may also try the same on your laptop using a USB powered display, but it would never be as great as multiple displays on a desktop computer.

4. Gaming and Graphics

Most of the gadget crazy people love to play games and work with graphics related content and software on their systems. To have better effects, you need to attach something called the graphic cards on to your computer’s motherboard. The greater the number of graphic cards, the better is the quality of visual effects. Laptops cannot support more than one or two graphic cards; some may not even have a provision for adding them! In such cases playing a game on laptops will only remain a long lost dream. Whereas a desktop computer can be modified depending on your needs and add any number of graphic cards and enjoy the games and graphics with the best quality effects.

3. Performance

In general, any electronic device gets heated up due to the processes that take place inside their internal components. These need to be cooled either with the help of an air cooling or liquid cooling system to keep them from burning out. The laptop’s motherboard on which all of the components are mounted is enclosed in a smaller framework with lesser number of fans for cooling. This leads to over heating when a large number tasks or heavy load is applied to the processor. This limitation is overcome by the desktop computer’s larger framework and cooling system with more number of fans for air cooling. Some desktop PCs even make use of liquid cooling systems to keep their temperature down. This makes them more durable than a laptop.

2. Processor

Laptop processors are comparatively smaller than the Desktop computer processors, as we already know, it is because of the compact nature of the laptop. Apart from this, the laptop processors have to confront the limitation on “power supply”. As these run on batteries their processors are designed to use less energy and safeguard the battery’s life which ultimately slows down the processor’s speed. Whereas, in case of a desktop, there is no limitation on space for the motherboard as well as on the power supply. The desktop PCs can also be over-clocked to run at higher speeds!

1. Easy to upgrade

Increasing the size of your RAM or adding new  PCI cards and IDE disks requires a larger motherboard and more number of slots for expansion. In a desktop PC, it is very easy as the size of the motherboard doesn’t matter much. In a laptop, the motherboard is fitted in to fixed framework or chassis. Thus it limits the size of the motherboard as the laptops need to be smaller and thinner which leads to the limiting of space to fit in new memory drives in them.