How to Choose Between a Laptop and a Desktop Computer

Time for a new computer? Are you wondering which is the more eco-friendly choice? Or is budget your concern?

Regardless of the factors you need to consider, I will walk you through the steps to choose between a laptop and a desktop computer.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A list of wants and needs

1. What do you use the computer to do?
   
   You must answer this question first so that you understand what kind of system you're looking for. Whether you want it for word processing, gaming, music production, etc, picking the right platform is important.

2. Which is the greener option?
   
   Simply put, the greener option is the laptop. This is because the energy requirements are lower as you tend not to keep it plugged in all of the time as you would with a desktop computer.
   
   So if the greener option is your only concern, then go with the laptop, hands down.

3. Do you need to travel with your computer?
   
   Again, the answer to this question is pretty simple. If you need to travel with your computer, you probably already have a laptop. If you don't have one already, someone has probably told you that you need one for travel.

4. What is your budget?
   
   For some people, this is the deal-breaker. While it is true that desktop computers are less expensive, you are also dealing with more equipment (if you get a PC versus a Mac) and you lose out on mobility.

Tips & Warnings

• Figure out what is most important to you and narrow down your choices based on that.
• Don't worry about memory. All computers have the capacity for either upgraded memory or addition of an external drive.
• If you decide to buy a Mac, you will be able to test out all features in your nearest Apple Store.
• Buy an extended care policy because you never know what could happen.
• If you buy a laptop, consider LoJack for it in case it is ever stolen.
• Make sure you know how much you are going to spend on your computer.
• Do research on all manufacturers and read customer reviews to get a feel for the computer.

Resources

• Apple
• Personal Finance Success

[17of26]

on 4/28/2009 I forgot to add that power consumption depends on the components in the individual machine and what it's being used for. It's very likely that some laptops will require more power consumption than some desktops.

[17of26]

on 4/28/2009 I would disagree that laptops are the "greener" option. Laptops contain batteries that need to be replaced (and disposed of!) every 1-2 years.