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Home → Choosing a Laptop or a Desktop: → White Paper → by C. Ian Gordon, Colorado State University
1.1. by C. Ian Gordon, Colorado State University
Choosing a Laptop or a Desktop:
White Paper
C. Ian Gordon
Colorado State University
In 1991 I received my first personal computer – it was a portable. Portable if you consider 30 pounds with a 4.5 inch monochrome screen and 2 5.25 inch drives portable. There was no putting it on your ‘lap’. It served its purpose but it was larger than most of today’s desktop computers. The discussion and debate over the purchase of a laptop computer, desktop computer, or both has been ongoing since the advent of the portable computer and has recently moved into the realm of post-PC technologies (Belsie, 1995; Berlind, 2002; Leea, Yoob, & Kwak, 2006). While there seems to be no consensus of the pros and cons of the choice between the two, or whether one should have both, the arguments against purchasing laptops instead of desktops are weakening. It still comes down to a personal preference.
By the mid-1990’s the clear position was that desktops were cheaper, more powerful, allowed for more peripheral devices and, in the long-run, you received ‘more bang for the buck’ (Belsie, 1995). Working for two large computer manufacturing companies in the late 1990’s the policy was quite clear – if your job showed a business need for working outside of the office and/or meeting with clients, you received a laptop computer despite the additional expense. However, an employee did not have a desktop computer in addition to a laptop; it was one or the other.
The two compelling arguments that have been made regarding the choice of a laptop or desktop has been based on two things: computing power and price (Beagelle, 2007; Belsie, 1995; Berlind, 2002; Bradley, 2007; Consumer Reports, 2004; Wheeler, 2007; mente, 2007). Here I look at a specific, recent example of the realities of computing power between laptops and desktops followed by a cost comparison.
In May 2007 I was provided with a new desktop computer for work. This computer has a Pentium ® D 2.99 GHz processor with 2 GB of RAM and a 150 GB hard-drive. I have added an IEEE 1394 (Firewire ®) card for encoding and capturing high-end digital video, an external 500 GB hard-drive, and a camera for two-way interactive video sessions. In comparison to my desktop, in April of 2008 a colleague purchased a new laptop computer. His laptop has a 3.2 GHz processor (mine is 2.9 GHz), a 250 GB hard-drive (mine is 150 GB) and 2 GB of RAM (the same). In addition, his laptop has a built-in IEEE 1394 card and video camera. The laptop came with the peripherals I had to add to my desktop, for about the same price. In this case, the argument for having more options for peripherals with a desktop (Wheeler, 2007; Beagelle, 2007) becomes moot. This brings into question whether the argument that desktops provide “more bang for the buck” is still valid.
I completed a price comparison on the Dell website (2008). I chose a recommended laptop pre-configured package and the full price was $1124. I then started with a basic desktop package, added what was needed to bring the desktop up to the laptop standard, and the price was $1088 – a $34 difference. In order to get the desktop up to the power of the laptop I upgraded the hard-drive, and processor, and had to add speakers, modem/wireless card. The significant differences are a 19” monitor for the desktop and 15” display for the laptop. The laptop includes a webcam and the desktop does not (Dell, 2008). The $34 difference in price found in this exercise is similar to what the data in the producer price index. In 1998 the difference in price between a personal (desktop) computer and portable (laptop) computer in today’s dollars was $600.20, by 2007 that gap had narrowed to 80 cents (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2008). I think this puts the “more bang for the buck” argument to rest.
It seems that the primary arguments against purchasing a laptop instead of a desktop, cost and performance, have become negligent.
“Today, however, even the cheapest notebook computers outstrip the performance needs of the most demanding business users. (I'm not including the handful of CPU-intensive applications that most of your users don't run, anyway.) You no longer have to settle for a desktop because the notebook is too expensive” (Berlind, 2002)
Berlind’s statement appears to be valid. In fact, in the 5 years since his article was written, his qualifier that he was “..not including the handful of CPU-intensive applications” (2002) is no longer needed. In conversation with the President of SimplicITy Tech the following statement was made, “It’s simply not true that laptops aren’t being used by ‘gamers’. Most of those I game with are running laptops now” (Butler, 2008). ‘Gamers’ are those who play interactive online computer games which require high-end graphics and high-speed connections and powerful processors – something that, in the past, was strictly in the realm of desktop computers. A retailer that specializes in “extreme gaming laptops” advertises gaming laptops (before rebates) starting at $1195 (CyberPower, 2008) – only $107 more than my sample Dell desktop.
Many of those writing on this topic concluded that if there was any need for mobility that a laptop should be purchased instead of a desktop (Beagelle, 2007; Berlind, 2002; Bradley, 2007; Wheeler, 2007). My experience, as early as the late 1990’s, was that purchasing laptops instead of desktops despite price made good business sense – and now, price is no longer an issue.
In the course of researching this topic I have strengthed my resolve and argument for my position. We’ve come a long way since my first portable computer – my phone now has more power than the developers of my first personal computer ever dreamed. My recommendation – if there is the slightest possibility that you might need do your computing in more than one place – buy a laptop.
But don’t just take my word for it, here is what others have said:
“CONSIDER THIS: Very few users do all of their work at their desks. If computers make users more productive at their desks, why can't computers make them more productive when they're working away from their desks?” (Berlind, 2002)
“Other considerations are about the same, to be honest. CPU and RAM are about equal on laptops and desktops now, unless you're considering an ultra-high-end PC.” (Beagelle, 2007)
“…anyone whose job involves an element of mobility should seriously consider a laptop.” (Bradley, 2007)
“Will you use all of desktop abilities? Will you load processor full enough? Check it now, press CTRL+ALT+DEL and find out how many percents of CPU do you use now. If it is less than 30% and you do not like games you can sure enough switch your desktop to laptop. If not - stay with laptop and you will get the best performance.” (mente, 2007)
References
Beagelle, P. (2007, June 6). Yahoo!Tech Blog: Laptop vs. Desktop: Which is Right for You? Retrieved May 9, 2008, from Yahoo!Tech: http://tech.yahoo.com/blog/null/29230
Belsie, L. (1995, August 24). Hard Choices: IBM vs. Mac, desktop vs. Laptop. Christian Science Monitor , p. 10.
Berlind, D. (2002, January 28). Why you should buy notebooks, not desktops. Retrieved May 9, 2008, from ZDNet: http://review.zdnet.com/4520-6033_16-4206876.html
Bradley, H. (2007, April 16). Dynamic Business Magazine - Articles - Technology. Retrieved May 9, 2008, from Dynamic Business Magazine: http://www.dynamicbusiness.com/articles/articles-technology/desktop-vs.-laptop-6.html
Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2008). Bureau of Labor Statistics Data: Producer Price Index. Retrieved May 30, 2008, from U.S. Department of Labor: http://data.bls.gov/PDQ/outside.jsp?survey=pc
Butler, A. (2008, May 10). President - SimplicITy Tech. (I. Gordon, Interviewer)
Consumer Reports. (2004, March). Computers: Desktop vs. laptop. Consumer Reports , pp. 40-41.
CyberPower. (2008). Xplorer X5-7900 Notebook: Cyberpower. Retrieved June 1, 2008, from CyberPower: http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Xplorer_X5-7900_Notebook/
Dell. (2008). PremierDell.com. Retrieved June 2, 2008, from Dell: http://premier.dell.com/portal/standardconfig.aspx?~ck=mn
Leea, J.-S., Yoob, S.-H., & Kwak, S.-J. (2006). Consumers’ preferences for the attributes of post-PC: results of a contingent ranking study. Applied Economics , 2327–2334.
mente. (2007, February 19). Laptop and Desktop Comparison - PC Tips World. Retrieved May 29, 2008, from PC Tips World: http://www.pctipsworld.com/2007/02/19/laptop-and-desktop-comparison/
Wheeler, K. (2007, August 8). Today's Small Business News: Consulting for Small Business. Retrieved May 9, 2008, from Responsive Network Services: http://www.responsive.us/article.asp?a=141