Laptop or Desktop: Three Reasons Why Choose a Desktop PC

Three Years Ago
To buy a laptop or desktop—that is the question that I had to wrestle with three years ago when I made a decision to buy a computer. Whether a laptop is better than a desktop came to be the intention of my exploration on the Internet.

Portability was the primary reason I deliberated on buying a laptop; though appealing to thieves. They were small, which means they come with small screens; cramped keyboards and touchpad. I knew this cool gadget was not for me because, at the time, laptops were expensive and equipped with low-performing CPUs and small capacity hard disk drives. In addition, a newspaper article I had read about a man who felt a burning feeling on his lap while using his laptop on his lap, further discouraged me from buying one. I tried using one and it did overheat.

Desktops were designed for intensive work than laptops. The following were the three reasons why I had to choose a desktop over a laptop.

1. Price. At a price of a low-end laptop, I could get a high performing desktop PC. This fact is still true today.
2. Upgradeability. This was one factor where laptops lagged behind desktops. I could add or replace a compatible graphics card when I want my multimedia programs to run faster, install additional RAM when my PC needs more memory, or add/replace a hard disk drive when my PC’s storage capacity is no longer enough for my files.
3. Customization. By customization, I mean a desktop PC could be tailor-made according to my needs, taste, and budget. I had a variety of choices between CRT and LCD monitors, Intel-based and AMD-based motherboards, simple and professional-looking tower cases, and other peripheral devices such as speakers and web cameras.
   

If I Were to Buy a Computer Today
Laptops today are still expensive but are configured with high-performing CPUs, large memory and disk storage. They are nearly if not just as capable as most desktops. Insatiably, I prefer to own both a laptop and desktop PC. But since laptops are still not easy to upgrade—changing a graphics card, for instance—I would still choose a desktop PC. And later on, when netbooks supersede laptops in functionality, only then would I buy a portable computer.