So what does that make the venerable desktop?
If you answered "A doorstop," you're wrong, oh cynical one. Why? Despite its declining popularity, the desktop computer has many advantages over its clamshell counterpart. Here are ten good reasons to buy (or build) one.
Go ahead--compare a desktop and laptop with similar prices. Invariably the desktop will have a faster CPU, better graphics hardware, a larger display, and more storage.
Case in point: Compare Apple's $1500 and the company's $1500 . The iMac has a 21.5-inch display, a 2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor, and a 1TB (7200-rpm) hard drive. The MacBook Pro has a 13.3-inch screen, a lesser 2.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 CPU, and a 500GB (5400-rpm) hard drive.
If you don't need a computer designed for the road, why not grab all the power you can?
You'll find more variety among desktop designs, from to slim all-in-ones such as the iMac or the to spooky ET-inspired gaming rigs like the . With laptops, your choices are limited to slight variations on the conventional clamshell: compact (netbooks), ultrathin (the MacBook Air and competitors), and the traditional notebook with an optical drive.
A desktop is a lot easier to repair or . If something goes wrong, you can quickly use Google (okay, Bing also) to search for the solution, and then pop open the desktop case and investigate. Busted Blu-ray drive? Swap it out. Need a bigger hard drive? Add a second disk to an open bay. Coffee-damaged keyboard? Buy a new one. A , in contrast, often means shipping your computer to a service center.
A desktop display allows you to go big. Really big. Want an with a 27-inch LED-backlit screen? A 46-inch ? Buy a desktop. Of course, you can use a monster monitor with a laptop, but most people don't need two screens. And in case you're wondering, typically max out at 18 inches or so.
Too obvious? Perhaps, but still worth a mention. According to , the typical laptop user will experience a "noticeable reduction" in battery run time after 18 to 24 months of use. (In my experience, it's more like 12 months or less.) Replacement batteries are expensive too, ranging from $136 (six-cell) to $156 (nine-cell) for some laptops. The desktop PC owner is free of battery worries--well, unless he or she owns a laptop as well.
Choosing a desktop means having extra cash for all the games you want to play. Say you've budgeted $2000 for the ultimate gaming rig. Dell's $1700 desktop bundle comes with a 3.4GHz Intel Core i7-2600K processor, a 23-inch HD widescreen monitor, an AMD Radeon HD 6870 video card, and a 2TB hard drive.
Compare that with the $2000 gaming laptop, which comes with a 2.2GHz Intel Core i7 processor, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 560M graphics card, and a 500GB hard drive. That's right: Not only is the Aurora desktop a more powerful beast, but it also costs $300 less. Bottom line: The desktop owner can spend three Benjamins on games without busting the budget.
As the above examples show, desktops offer more storage for less dough. The $450 desktop--without a monitor--comes with a 1TB (7200-rpm) drive. But the pricier laptop, at a cost of $775, has a smaller and slower 750GB (5400-rpm) drive. Of course, you could buy a cavernous external drive for your laptop for (a good plan for backups, by the way), but there's no denying that the desktop is the storage king.
Table tumbles, drop kicks, and hard knocks? Possible, yes, but less likely with a desktop. And you can always add RAM, toss in a Blu-ray drive, upgrade the CPU, insert a new graphics card, and so on to slow your desktop's inevitable march toward obsolescence.
Buying a powerful yet affordable desktop means having more money for other tech gear. Need a no-frills PC for the road? A cool $200 will buy a low-end netbook such as the , any of a few basic , or one of several inexpensive --the , for example.
It's easier than you think to . Choose a chassis with plenty of room for expansion, and then mix and match components that best suit your needs. Option B: Construct a compact, . Sure, you could too, but the menu of options is far more limited.
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