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Why choose a laptop rather than a desktop...
Choosing between a laptop PC and desktop PC is often already decided for you, if you need to transport your computing ability from place to place then there is only one real choice that offers what you need and that's clearly a laptop.
Other reasons to have a laptop though, maybe less apparent.
Even if you don't need to transport your computer around, a laptop PC often makes a sensible choice over a desktop. Available space in our homes seems to get less and less all the time, and taking up a chunk of that space with a big desk onto which you can fit your big monitor and your big desktop PC is not something most people relish.
So the answer of course is a laptop PC, which deals with all your computing needs, but when your not using it simply folds and stores away into a space not much bigger than a book. What desktop can offer that!
| ...taking up a chunk of that space with a big desk onto which you can fit your big monitor and your big desktop PC is not something most people relish. |
You may think such a shrinking from huge space taking desktop PC to small portable laptop PC would obviously affect the performance of the machine... but you'd be wrong. Modern laptops offer performance that is no slower then their desktop counterparts, they can match them for processor speed, memory capacity, hard disk capacity, and just about any other capacity you choose to mention.
There are some areas where a laptop PC, because of its size, cannot match some high end desktop's, such as hard disk speed and screen size, but these areas are few and really make no difference to either average or even power users when using the system in real world conditions.
Put simply, when it comes to choosing between a laptop or desktop, the only decision you need to make is how portable you want, or need it to be, and how much space you are happy for it to take up in your home or office, because technically there is not much to choose between the two.
But what about price...
Laptops aren't cheap right? Wrong, true enough, laptop PC's are indeed generally more expensive then their desktop equivalent, but maybe not by as much as you'd think, and cheap laptops that can easily meet basic laptop needs are getting easier to find everyday with great laptop pc deals on offer if you do a little hunting.
You can get great offers on laptop's, and prices are generally about 10% - 20% higher then a desktop with the same specification. Considering the amazing ingenuity and feats involved in squeezing all that desktop processing power into such a small space as a laptop, this is not too much of a premium, and pretty cheap when you take into account the micro PC technology required.
Considering the benefits a laptop offers, such as equal ability with a desktop to deal with all modern software, portability and space saving, without loss of performance, the little extra you need to pay to get a laptop rather than a desktop is usually money very well spent.
What to look out for...
| ...providing your not a 'power' user, the performance of any modern laptop will be sufficient for your needs... |
Buying a laptop and getting the best offer to suit your budget and needs doesn't have to be a headache.
Our 7 items to look for (links at the top of this page) give you detailed information on what to look out for in a laptop and what you need to consider when checking out what's on offer.
Briefly, if you need portability then clearly the size of your laptop should be your main concern, because generally, providing your not a 'power' user, the performance of any modern laptop will be sufficient to deal with your needs and size is where you should concentrate your search efforts.
If portability isn't a concern because your laptop PC will generally remain at home, then you can worry less about size and more about going for the right level of performance that deals with your specific requirements.
Have a read of our guide to the various elements that make up a laptop PC, starting with Screen Size, and you'll be well on your way to a better understanding of what you should be looking for when you start looking for great laptop deals with your perfect specification.
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