Desktop or Laptop for Business

400ixl

Tucosalamanca said:

400ixl said:

Tucosalamanca said:

Yes, there are workarounds, external keyboard, separate monitor, external hard drive and so on but it all seems like a lot of effort.

I do use the cloud but like to keep at least another two back ups. Losing the business history would be catastrophic. 

I'd say that it's personal preference and how you want to use it?

Not sure I would describe plugging a laptop into the same peripherals (screen, keyboard, mouse) that you would a desktop a workaround. If you get a multi functional USB-C hub that also does power pass through (and a USB-C powered latop) then you will only have one cable to plug into the new laptop making it simple to remove. All of the devices, including USB storage plug into the hub.

Set up right you can also use the laptop as a second monitor making it even more flexible alongside the existing monitor.

But still left with cables, usb hub and a laptop taking up extra space. It might be the best solution for you but it isn't for me.
I prefer an uncluttered working area, my aio only needs a power cable, just as a stand alone laptop would.

Were not solving the problem for you though, the OP already has a desktop and cables today.

tightauldgit

In terms of performance if a 9 year old desktop can do the job for you then probably any laptop you can buy will do the job for you and I always go laptop as I like the portability. I can take my computer between home and work as I see fit. 

The only thing I would probably say in favour of a desktop is that my experience with desktops has been that they are pretty bombproof. Other than the tech getting old you can expect the thing to last pretty much forever. With laptops I find I have to replace them reasonably regularly. I think the most I have had out of a laptop is maybe 3 or 4 years and some have lasted as little as 18 months. so if thats a concern you might just want to get a desktop

lr1277

I have been told and I believe, if a component goes wrong on a laptop, you may need to replace the whole laptop. With a desktop there is the possibility the component or the board it is on can be replaced.

As you are using this computer for work and you don't have in-house IT suppot, I would recommend some kind of next day support package. It is for you to decide how long you can work without a functioning computer.

You mentioned Curry's, and I don't know what they offer.

Over 20 years ago, my Dell laptop screen stopped working. Dell support came out the next day (to my house) and replaced the screen.

As you can imagine a Dell laptop with a support contract (especially with next day on-site support) is somewhat more expensive than one without the support. The advantage of a support contract with Dell was that they used OEM parts. If memory serves, that laptop continued working for a further 6 years.

I don't know if Dell offer a support package that meets your needs, but it is worth investigating. Also there may be local suppliers/computer shops who can offer support either on a contractual basis or an ad-hoc basis. Again worth investigating.

lr1277

tightauldgit said:

In terms of performance if a 9 year old desktop can do the job for you then probably any laptop you can buy will do the job for you and I always go laptop as I like the portability. I can take my computer between home and work as I see fit. 

The only thing I would probably say in favour of a desktop is that my experience with desktops has been that they are pretty bombproof. Other than the tech getting old you can expect the thing to last pretty much forever. With laptops I find I have to replace them reasonably regularly. I think the most I have had out of a laptop is maybe 3 or 4 years and some have lasted as little as 18 months. so if thats a concern you might just want to get a desktop

Not always true.My destop (Dell I think) had a complete breakdown after 5-6 years. I mentioned this on the IT board and was told that it was a known problem. It started playing up so I moved my important files to Dropbox. Lucky I did, because a few weeks later it wouldn't even boot up.

Whereas the replacement laptop (HP) has been going strong for 8+ years. It is an audiobeats model and my complaints so far is that it has lost some bass sound from the speakers. And some of the keys aren't working so well so require tapping a few times. I could get a replacement keyboard, but I am working in a small space so can't fit both a laptop and a separate keyboard in the amount of space I have.

I have only had the one desktop and the remainder of my computers are laptops. The previous advantage with desktops is they tend to have more connectivity in terms of ports etc. However with wi-fi that is less of an issue.

Re-reading my post, sorry if it comes across as garbled.

I suppose what I am trying to say, both laptops and desktops have their advantages and disadvantages. You need to decide on the important features for you then make a decision. Once you have decided on what is important to you and the business, I am sure if you come back here and ask any questions,  you will get useful reples.

Hope that helps.

Lizbetty

Thanks so much for all the replies, it's all really helpful.

We do have a really old laptop that he uses to play training dvds, I recently replaced the cracked screen myself and it has some keys missing that needs replacing 😄 but he never used that for online work as it became really slow compared to the desktop (which actually is probably slower by now!).

The worry with laptops was the longevity, but I think @lr1277 if there is a next day support package it would be good, I'll have to have a look to see what's available. Certainly the portability is a good thing.

I did look at AIOs but was a little worried about our cats flattening them 😄 The screens seem a bit less sturdy that the old screen we have at the moment. But I will have another look, it seems a trip to the shops may be in order!

Many thanks again for all your advice, it's really appreciated 😊

DullGreyGuy

Lizbetty said:

Thanks so much for all the replies, it's all really helpful.

We do have a really old laptop that he uses to play training dvds, I recently replaced the cracked screen myself and it has some keys missing that needs replacing 😄 but he never used that for online work as it became really slow compared to the desktop (which actually is probably slower by now!).

The worry with laptops was the longevity, but I think @lr1277 if there is a next day support package it would be good, I'll have to have a look to see what's available. Certainly the portability is a good thing.

I did look at AIOs but was a little worried about our cats flattening them 😄 The screens seem a bit less sturdy that the old screen we have at the moment. But I will have another look, it seems a trip to the shops may be in order!

Many thanks again for all your advice, it's really appreciated 😊

On a like for like basis laptops are more expensive because everything has to be miniaturized to fit into the casing and not overheat. 

There is no reason why a desktop and laptop of equivalent quality would have materially different lifespans (note above you'll have paid more for said laptop) however when something does go wrong its likely to be more costly in a laptop. Part of the minaturisation is achieved by having things permanently connected rather than having bulky sockets which means more has to be replaced.

Last year I replaced my 2011 iMac with a new MacBook Pro and the wife still uses her 2014 MacBook Pro. For day to day tasks there is barely any difference between the two machines but if you are doing video editing (not playback) then there is a world of difference between the two. 

Not sure why you need a Windoze machine to be able to do forms? Clearly most laptops are so its not a problem but surprised another OS wouldnt be able to. 

tightauldgit

DullGreyGuy said:

Lizbetty said:

Thanks so much for all the replies, it's all really helpful.

We do have a really old laptop that he uses to play training dvds, I recently replaced the cracked screen myself and it has some keys missing that needs replacing 😄 but he never used that for online work as it became really slow compared to the desktop (which actually is probably slower by now!).

The worry with laptops was the longevity, but I think @lr1277 if there is a next day support package it would be good, I'll have to have a look to see what's available. Certainly the portability is a good thing.

I did look at AIOs but was a little worried about our cats flattening them 😄 The screens seem a bit less sturdy that the old screen we have at the moment. But I will have another look, it seems a trip to the shops may be in order!

Many thanks again for all your advice, it's really appreciated 😊

On a like for like basis laptops are more expensive because everything has to be miniaturized to fit into the casing and not overheat. 

There is no reason why a desktop and laptop of equivalent quality would have materially different lifespans (note above you'll have paid more for said laptop) however when something does go wrong its likely to be more costly in a laptop. Part of the minaturisation is achieved by having things permanently connected rather than having bulky sockets which means more has to be replaced.

Last year I replaced my 2011 iMac with a new MacBook Pro and the wife still uses her 2014 MacBook Pro. For day to day tasks there is barely any difference between the two machines but if you are doing video editing (not playback) then there is a world of difference between the two. 

Not sure why you need a Windoze machine to be able to do forms? Clearly most laptops are so its not a problem but surprised another OS wouldnt be able to. 

There actually is. Normal expected life of a desktop is quoted at 5-8 years; laptop is 3-5. 

One obvious reason is that laptops get carried around, dropped, bashed about etc. There's also more failure modes as you have things like the constant opening/closing of the lid, and just sometimes little fragile parts of construction because they've got to fit things in the form factor. Then the power blocks are also more likely to give out than a proper PC PSU (though yes they can easily be replaced). Not to mention that laptops are generally going to run hotter which will age the components faster. Quite often with laptops as well things are designed to be light rather than robust.

Now I imagine if you left the thing docked and used a proper keyboard, mouse and screen then your laptop probably would last about as long as a desktop but that's kind of defeating the purpose of having a laptop. Once you start carrying it around it becomes more likely to be damaged.

Plus of course if something does go wrong in a laptop it's often not economically fixable. 

The no-name desktop setup i bought in 2006 still runs today and nothing has gone wrong with it in the time I've had it (it's just fairly useless at running anything modern but I could still use it as an office PC if I wanted to, it'll run whatever old version of Office it's got) by comparison in the same time period I reckon I must have had at least 7 or 8 laptops. 

SensibleSarah

I'm a freelancer, working from home, working online and doing lots of typing all day, every day. I really miss my desktop setup in my previous job role at the office - at least 2 monitors, sturdy keyboard etc. But I don't have a permanent full-desk setup at home currently so a decent laptop has to do. 
Functionally, it's definitely more than capable of doing everything I need it to - mainly office applications, video calls with clients, the odd bit of low level graphic design and video editing, running the odd tool etc. However, it's not as nice to use as a larger PC setup. Another plus point is of course that I can work from anywhere on my laptop - not that I ever choose to do so anywhere other than home. 

Percy1983

Generally for a the same money a desktop will be better than a laptop performance wise, but on that front form your use a budget laptop now will give better performance.

Personally I run a high end desktop due to my work but do like a having a working space, so I go to it and work, switch it off and leave it and stop work. A laptop would be more flexible but would being able to work while watching TV downstairs actually be better? yes and no.

DullGreyGuy

tightauldgit said:

DullGreyGuy said:

Lizbetty said:

Thanks so much for all the replies, it's all really helpful.

We do have a really old laptop that he uses to play training dvds, I recently replaced the cracked screen myself and it has some keys missing that needs replacing 😄 but he never used that for online work as it became really slow compared to the desktop (which actually is probably slower by now!).

The worry with laptops was the longevity, but I think @lr1277 if there is a next day support package it would be good, I'll have to have a look to see what's available. Certainly the portability is a good thing.

I did look at AIOs but was a little worried about our cats flattening them 😄 The screens seem a bit less sturdy that the old screen we have at the moment. But I will have another look, it seems a trip to the shops may be in order!

Many thanks again for all your advice, it's really appreciated 😊

On a like for like basis laptops are more expensive because everything has to be miniaturized to fit into the casing and not overheat. 

There is no reason why a desktop and laptop of equivalent quality would have materially different lifespans (note above you'll have paid more for said laptop) however when something does go wrong its likely to be more costly in a laptop. Part of the minaturisation is achieved by having things permanently connected rather than having bulky sockets which means more has to be replaced.

Last year I replaced my 2011 iMac with a new MacBook Pro and the wife still uses her 2014 MacBook Pro. For day to day tasks there is barely any difference between the two machines but if you are doing video editing (not playback) then there is a world of difference between the two. 

Not sure why you need a Windoze machine to be able to do forms? Clearly most laptops are so its not a problem but surprised another OS wouldnt be able to. 

There actually is. Normal expected life of a desktop is quoted at 5-8 years; laptop is 3-5. 

One obvious reason is that laptops get carried around, dropped, bashed about etc. There's also more failure modes as you have things like the constant opening/closing of the lid, and just sometimes little fragile parts of construction because they've got to fit things in the form factor. Then the power blocks are also more likely to give out than a proper PC PSU (though yes they can easily be replaced). Not to mention that laptops are generally going to run hotter which will age the components faster. Quite often with laptops as well things are designed to be light rather than robust.

Now I imagine if you left the thing docked and used a proper keyboard, mouse and screen then your laptop probably would last about as long as a desktop but that's kind of defeating the purpose of having a laptop. Once you start carrying it around it becomes more likely to be damaged.

Plus of course if something does go wrong in a laptop it's often not economically fixable. 

The no-name desktop setup i bought in 2006 still runs today and nothing has gone wrong with it in the time I've had it (it's just fairly useless at running anything modern but I could still use it as an office PC if I wanted to, it'll run whatever old version of Office it's got) by comparison in the same time period I reckon I must have had at least 7 or 8 laptops. 

Most of those are a function of how they are used rather than simply because they are a laptop. In principle I'd agree that having a laptop and using it as a desktop 100% of the time is a waste of the extra cost of a laptop but have known plenty who's laptop is used in that way (my mother) or at most goes from the coffee table to under the sofa and back so the opportunity to drops/knocks etc are low. Did know one chap that used to walk round with his desktop too so can go both ways. 

We agree on the cost of fixing anything other than the PSU

My named desktop (which itself was a all in one setup so using laptop components anyway) lasted 11 years and until it died the only issue was the speed of accessing external data given the quickest connector was Firewire 800 (3gb/s) -v- the thunderbolt drive (40gb/s). For photo editing etc it was still near enough instant to apply filters/layers in Photoshop etc

Have not been through any laptops in the same timescales... the first one we bought together is still going (though its battery is shot so mains only these days for anything more than 30 minutes use). Again for photo editing etc its still speedy. Video editing is where the newer/faster tech really shows its capabilities but dont do that much of it.