How To Buy a Desktop PC

People are always “on the go” these days, and the convenience of a laptop computer fits with our busy schedules. Thus it makes sense that depending on several analyst reports, more people worldwide choose to purchase laptops instead of desktops. With today’s popularity of netbooks, tablet PCs, and digital media players that also substitute as Internet browsers and miniature computers, why should one buy a desktop PC over a laptop PC?

1. Cost and Power

Even though one many find incredible the amount of power in a laptop that can be purchased at a reasonable price, desktop computers are still cheaper than their portable brethren. Generally speaking, for the same amount of money you can purchase a desktop with a faster processor, more memory, more hard drive space, and generally faster components. Desktops may support newer technology first such as multi-core processors, offering added speed when you multitask. Plus desktops, due to their case sizes, may offer more ports such as additional USB and media readers.

2. Dedicated Graphics Card

Many laptops, except the higher-end models, come with an integrated graphics card and/or one that uses shared memory, taking up some of the laptop’s RAM for use in graphics processing. Most vendor desktops, however, include separate graphics cards with dedicated video memory. This results in faster graphics and video speed, vital for modern games, computer-aided design (CAD), and video editing. Plus, these graphics cards may handle higher resolutions, allowing you to display more information onscreen simultaneously with a larger monitor. Desktops also support additional graphics cards for multi-monitor support, though one can purchase USB VGA adapters for laptops that support a limited display resolution.

3. Ease of Upgrading

Depending on a laptop’s design it may be relatively easy to upgrade memory and RAM, usually only requiring a screwdriver and a little bit of time (and careful hands). Plus, via USB you may be able to upgrade or add some other features such as a dedicated sound card for surround sound. Upgrading other components, however, may prove difficult or impossible without specialized equipment and a great deal of know-how.

However, with desktop computers you may find upgrading components much easier. You can swap graphics and sound cards as well as the motherboard and CPU if you have the money, time, and knowledge. Depending on the case size, desktops may support extra internal hard drives for additional storage. If you require more power to handle additional components, replace the power supply or have a computer technician do so. Cooling systems can be installed if the CPU or graphics card gets too warm, or if you want to push the limit and overclock your system (run it faster than what the computer manufacturer recommends). Plus, you can even strip out all of the components and place them in an entirely new case.

4. Use as Servers

Desktop computers are better-suited to run as servers such as those streaming multimedia throughout a home network. Since many desktops contain room for expansion, you can add a greater amount of hard drive space with internal drives than you can with laptops, at possibly a cheaper cost. Plus you can switch out IDE or SATA hard drives and controllers for SCSI, offering greater speed when using multiple drives, essential when many people access files on your server simultaneously.

Even though laptop computers offer portability, essential for those who need to work outside of the home or office, many reasons still exist to use desktop computers. Games, video editing, and computer-aided design are among the many tasks that require the added speed and graphics capabilities that desktop computers offer. Desktops allow for easier and a wider range of upgrade options, providing access to newer technologies than those that have been shrunk down to fit in a laptop. Plus, desktops are better as servers, such as media servers, due to their added speed and expandability. While laptops let one write letters and access the Internet while away, when you’re not out on the road a desktop machine may still be the best option for your entertainment, multimedia, and business needs.

Copyright 2009 Andrew Malek.