Computer market is getting bigger and bigger everyday, as there
are plenty of choices to make when considering buying a new
computer.
Palmtops, desktop PCs, laptops and a wide variety of different
pieces of state-of-the-art technology may confuse prospective
buyers, as the massive amount of available offers may be
overwhelming.
As an attempt to make some things clear, this article will
highlight many different features of the two most widely used
kinds of computers: desktop PCs and laptops.
Everybody knows what a desktop computer is. However, not
everyone knows a laptop, and frequently people mistakenly think
that laptops and notebooks are the same thing. Well, the truth
is that although notebooks are a kind of laptop, not every
laptop is a notebook.
This distinction is made for two reasons: weight and
peripherals. While notebooks are lighter, usually about four or
five pounds, they not always include disk drives such as floppy
drives and CD-ROMs. Bulkier (six or seven pounds) laptops
include these drives.
But let’s go back to laptops vs. desktop computers; which one is
the right one? Well, this should be decided by you, but if you
need portability you should choose a laptop. With normal size of
8.5” x 11” (although some new models are bigger, to include
16” screens), these beauties are ready to be packed and carried
with you all day, giving you the possibility to work while you
travel, take notes while taking classes, or just make
annotations while in the library. They offer you the convenience
of saving space.
However, if you will be using your computer only for 3D gaming
or setting up a powerful workstation that will be on most of the
time, then the best choice is probably a desktop PC. They are
cheaper to buy too.
The reason of laptops being more expensive than desktop
computers is not, as many people think, that desktop ones are
better or more reliable (in fact the majority of computer
failures have been reported to happen on desktops), but resides
on the laptop’s need to be manufactured with components that
must be small to fit into a small case, and at the same time be
resistant to high heat levels and reduce power consumption to a
minimum.
Finally, I’d like to say I own both a laptop and a desktop
computer, and although this last one was cheaper to buy and its
nominal speed is bigger, it failed some times for apparently no
reason, while my faithful laptop has never had any problem and
is just as fast as my desktop PC with a lower CPU speed.
About the author:
Tamara Williams writes for Laptops where you can find tips, advice and information on where
to get below cost laptops online.