Desktop vs Laptop

[Randy]

Which do you like better? Why?

 

[Kasynlie]

Laptop. Personal, Portable and Practical.

 

[beowulf]

desk top cos laptops are dangerous things if you dont use them right......and most people who have them dont use them right



*takes off DSE risk assessment hat*

 

[Crusader]

Desktop. Mouse, keyboard, big screen.

 

[IcarusForde]

Laptop.



Has all the advantages of a desktop, and you can take it with you.

 

[Howard]

There are arguments for both laptops and desktop computers.



Laptops are by definition portable and are good for students and business people. The disadvantage of a laptop is they do have a tendency to suffer from overheating problems as well as the fact they can't easily be upgraded, nor is it particularly easy to service them should something go wrong. Another disadvantage is the amount of pre-installed software they tend to come with, which often is both resource hungry and totally not needed. Lastly, they tend not to come with a proper Windows disk, but rather a recovery partition or recovery disk, which means, should the user need to reinstall from scratch, all the bloated pre-installed junk gets put back onto the computer.



Desktop computers on the other hand usually have none of the above disadvantages, especially if they are custom built, rather than being OEM machines. Obviously they are not portable and this is the only drawback that they have.



I cannot over emphasise the advantage of having a custom built computer over an OEM machine such as Dell, HP etc. With a custom built computer you can choose exactly the specification you want and all the parts will be readily available, unlike off the shelf computers that tend to have some proprietary parts, which means you may be stuck on getting replacement parts from the manufacturer, rather than just being able to pop into your local pc shop.

 

[Nebulous]

Desktop for me.. i dont need the portability. I have no reason to have a computer with me when I am not at home.



Besides that I think its more comfortable to have a separate keyboard and the computer screen a little bit further way (instead of attached to the keyboard itself).

 

[beowulf]

Laptop.



Has all the advantages of a desktop, and you can take it with you.

and all the disadvantages that give its user RSI and WRULD

 

[nolvorite]

I don't know I use both a desktop and laptop

 

[JustMe]

desk top cos laptops are dangerous things if you dont use them right......and most people who have them dont use them right



*takes off DSE risk assessment hat*

How, may I ask, do you use them wrong? As long as I have a computer, it doesn't matter to me which it is.

 

[Kasynlie]

I don't know I use both a desktop and laptop

So you don't have a preferred machine?

 

[beowulf]

How, may I ask, do you use them wrong? As long as I have a computer, it doesn't matter to me which it is.

when you use a pc it will normally be set up with the keyboard in front of the screen, screen will be roughly eye level, keyboard will be slightly inclined to give correct wrist postion



laptops, if they are placed on a flat surface will have the keyboard flat increasing the angle of the wrist to keyboard......this puts stress on the carpel tunnel in the wrist and also the fingers



given the fact that laptops are rarely set up in the same way that desk tops are due to the fact they are 'portable' increases the risk in thier use.............how often do you see or hear of people using laptops on their knees or in bed or on the coffee table, leaning forward, or some equally un-natural position



continued usage will lead to RSI (repetaive strain injury aka carpel tunnel syndrome) in wrist and fingers



unnatural body postion will lead to WRULD (work related upper limb disorder).....basically strains to upper body areas shuch as neck/shoulder/upper back/elbow



once you get any kind of this problems they can be very difficult to get rid of.........normally requires medication/phtsiotherapy and sometimes surgery......early signs of them are numbness/tingling in fingers and stiffness/pain in wrist..........if you have any of them you should see a doctor asap



you also have the problem that lappy users tend to use the stupid touch pad rather than a mouse which also puts the finger in a singular postion for repeated occasions which is contributary to RSI



i have qualifications in Health and Safety and have done plenty of DSE (display screen equipment) risk assessments.........it also takes into account things like postioning of the pc/lighting (natural and artificial)/seating



you also have the problem that a lappy when flat on a surface will not 'breathe' properly, inclining it will allow more air to circulate to stop it over heating



if you do use a lappy a lot get one of those little ramp thingys (or make one) to raise it to a more anotomically favorable incline and lets air below it, and put it on a table and use a proper chair



hope that explains it a little

 

[JustMe]

Thank you. Good stuff to know.

 

[beowulf]

put it to use



this might explain even better than me trying to string a few words together at 2am!

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/workplacehealth/Pages/Laptophealth.aspx



first thing i found by putting 'how to use a laptop correctly' into google

 

[Wingedkuri]

Probably desktops. Doesn't hurt my back as much!

 

[IcarusForde]

and all the disadvantages that give its user RSI and WRULD

Entirely valid, indeed. However, I use a seperate mouse (not too keen on touchpads), I use it at my desk 99% of the time, it's a slanted desk for laptops so it's on the right angle, screen is at eye level and all that ergonomic stuff.

Plus, I know exactly how bad carpal tunnel can be, my old computer teacher had it, so I'm stupidly careful about stuff like that. Stretching, moving, getting up, etc - all things I do with regularity.



The same can be said about desktops as well - it's just people are more likely to move a laptop from a correct position into an incorrect one. However, if a desktop is set up in an incorrect position... It's likely to stay there. :

 

[Novax]

Desktop, they are much more powerful and faster than laptops.

 

[dog]

Desktop for gaming.

Laptop for internet browsing and watching movies on the go.