Laptop or desktop?
There is no general answer, but there is a reliable way to reach yours: work out what portability is worth to you, then check what it costs.
What portability costs
A laptop pays for being carried in three currencies: capability at a given price, cooling headroom, and how easily it can be repaired or expanded. None of that makes laptops a bad choice — it makes them a choice with a price attached, and the price is worth paying if you genuinely carry the machine.
The mistake is paying it without using it. A laptop that lives permanently on a desk, plugged in, next to a separate keyboard and screen, has bought portability and thrown the receipt away.
What a desktop gives up
A desktop gives up going with you, and that is the whole of it. If the work happens in one place, there is little else on the other side of the ledger: it will generally be quieter, cooler, cheaper for the same capability, easier to repair and possible to upgrade.
The honest middle
Many people are best served by a modest laptop for moving around and a desktop for the work that matters, rather than one expensive machine trying to be both. That is frequently cheaper than a single high-specification laptop, and each machine is better at its job.
- Carry it daily: laptop, and spend on weight and battery
- Carry it occasionally: laptop, and spend on capability instead
- It stays on a desk: desktop, and spend the difference on the screen
- Both, seriously: two machines is often cheaper than one that compromises
Common questions
Can a laptop replace a desktop entirely?
Which lasts longer?
Related reading
Laptop computers
Desktop computers
Computer buying guide
Still not sure?
Describe how and where you work and we will tell you which we would put in front of you.