A friend recently asked for some computer-buying advice, a question that’s decades old: Which is the better choice, a laptop or a desktop?
But the details of her question illustrate why this is a timeless dilemma, one that’s even more confusing today:
“I haven’t‘t had a desktop since college but with kids needing access to a computer and constantly abusing laptops, we need a family computer. … If you can only afford one or the other (desktop or laptop) are there any good reasons to choose a desktop over what seems like the obvious choice, a laptop that can be taken anywhere and enhanced at home with an external monitor?”
The answer is, as always: It depends.
How the system will be used, price and portability are big factors. But the capabilities of today’s desktops and laptops are more similar than they were even 10 years ago. With that in mind, here are three things to think about when deciding which to buy:
1. Survey your options
The conventional wisdom that desktops are more powerful than laptops is no longer true, even if you’re considering high-end systems designed for gaming, video editing or challenging computation. There’s a whole category of gaming laptops and mobile workstations that are excellent for power-hungry users. But if you’re pushing the envelope in terms of maximum muscle, the desktop will ultimately win.
MORE PERSONAL TECH: Find more of Dwight Silverman’s insights online.
The paradigm has shifted even more for Mac users now that Apple is developing its own processors. (And a Mac is what my friend wants to buy.) Laptops built around its M1 and M2 family of chips are remarkably powerful and use less energy than the Intel chips found in Apple’s older Macs. The company also has put these chips into its Mac mini, iMac and the new Mac Studio desktop, which is Apple’s current powerhouse until the long-awaited, updated Mac Pro is launched.
For most day-to-day, non-gaming use, laptops are just as capable as desktops, which means other factors come into play when choosing.
2. Check your budget
What remains true is that laptops are generally more expensive than desktops, but depending on the category, not by much. Sometimes, with similar specs, the laptop is a better buy.
For example, Dell sells a 15-inch Inspiron laptop for $700 with an 11th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, 12 gigabytes of memory and 512 GB of solid-state storage. The company also offers a $700 Inspiron desktop with similar specs, a comparable 12th-gen processor, but it doesn’t come with a monitor.
If you want a laptop to serve as the “family computer,” as my friend does, you may want to add an external monitor with a larger display, which can add to the price of a laptop. But it wouldn’t cost as much as you’d think.
Good-enough, full high-definition displays can be had for under $200 for a 24-inch model, and around $300 for 27-inch models. So, that $700 Dell laptop or desktop could jump to, say, $1,000 with the larger screen, and with the laptop, it has the flexibility to be mobile and the core of a desktop setup.
And keep in mind you certainly can spend less; these are just examples. But you do get what you pay for: If you cheap out with either platform, you’ll pay in frustrations and limitations later.
With a Mac, the situation is similar, although the numbers are going to be higher, because, well, they’re Apple products. A 24-inch iMac desktop with a base M1 processor, 16 GB of memory and 512 GB of storage starts at about $1,700. A 13-inch MacBook Air laptop with similar specs (newer Airs with M2 chips are now available) is $1,400. You can add a 24-inch display for $200 and up, but its resolution won’t match that of the iMac’s screen. To get close to it, you’ll need to spend $300 to $500. But for most people, the $200-$300 range is just fine, making the total of laptop plus display around $1,700, about the same as the iMac.
3. How will you use it?
In the 30 years that I’ve been reviewing and recommending computers, one piece of advice has remained consistent: Consider not just how you’re using your machines now, but also what you might do in the future. That’s particularly true when deciding between a laptop or desktop.
For example, if you aren’t necessarily into PC gaming now, but there are titles that you might play if you had a capable machine, then you’ll likely want either a decent gaming laptop or a capable desktop. And with a desktop, make sure it can be upgraded with more memory and a better graphics adapter later.
Laptops typically have limited upgrade potential, usually allowing only memory and storage to be increased. There are exceptions, such as the intriguing, modular Framework laptop (www.frame.work). But today’s powerful gaming laptop, with a non-replaceable processor and graphics adapter, may not handle state-of-the-art titles a few years from now.
Then there’s portability. In my friend’s case, her kids apparently “abuse” laptops. If you want to use a computer in different rooms of your home or take it on the road, the choice is obvious.
But if you want to move the computer just within the home, an all-in-one desktop in which the computer is built into the display, is an option. Most makers of Windows-based PCs offer all-in-ones, and of course the iMac is the choice on the Apple side. The current, 24-inch iMac is relatively lightweight and easily carried.
And that, ultimately, is what my friend decided to buy. I will keep tabs on her adventure, reporting back if there are meaningful insights.
mastodon.social/@dsilverman