Will your employees do their work better with a laptop or desktop computer? That depends on several factors, and we will break them down here.
In 2018, 94.4 million desktops and 162.3 million laptops were shipped worldwide.
Although more laptops are shipped than desktops, it’s clear that some people prefer one over the other.
If you own a business, for example, you need to decide if a laptop or desktop is right for your employees.
In this article, we’ll go through a list of criteria you need to consider before making a decision.
Keep cost in mind
Before deciding if you should provide your employees with laptops or desktops, you have to keep cost in mind. In the past, desktops had a reputation for being significantly more affordable than laptops.
Nowadays, with all of the technological advancements, laptops are only a couple hundred dollars more expensive than desktops. For many businesses, cost plays a big deciding factor.
However, small businesses often have more limited budgets. It comes down to how many computers you need and what you can afford to buy. If your business is small and you need five computers, spending an extra $1000 to get laptops might not be a lot.
Spending this amount is reasonable when you don’t have a permanent office location and most of the work is done remotely.
On the other hand, if all of your employees work on-site and you need at least 20 computers, $4,000 extra might be a lot to spare.
If this is the case, desktops are the more cost-efficient choice. Aventis systems desktop computers, for example, offer great computers at the fraction of the price.
Another thing to consider if you’re deciding between a desktop or a laptop is the cost of the accessories. Laptops come equipped with everything you need such as a keyboard, mouse pad, and a webcam.
Although most accessories are included in the price of the desktop, you will have to spend some extra money if you want to upgrade the keyboard or get a webcam.
What functions do you need?
Let’s face it, desktops provide great functionality for the office setting. You can get large monitors, separate keyboard, and breeze through your work. With desktops, you have the ability to add more hard drive space if you need it.
There has always been a misconception that laptops are mobile but not functional. That might have been true in the past, but laptops have come a long way when it comes to functionality.
In fact, laptops are almost head to head with desktops when it comes to speed and features. Even if you run out of space, you can easily add an external hard drive on both.
As far as speed, as long as you get a quality computer for your needs, both types are comparable in speed.
Do you need mobility?
Many business owners need to decide how mobile they need their employees to be before choosing a computer. For some, all of the work can be performed at the office, so there’s no need for laptops.
While some businesses can operate on a 9 to 5 schedule, others require employees to stay connected outside office hours. For this, mobility is key to success, so they require a laptop to get all of their work done.
If you must travel for work, having a laptop allows you to work on the plane or while on the road. Not to mention, you can find access to Wi-Fi wherever you go.
With a desktop, you have zero opportunity of getting any work done until you arrive at the office.
The amount of mobility you need will depend on where you plan to work most of the time.
Can you do upgrades?
After a few years, all computers tend to slow down no matter how fast they were in the beginning. One of the reasons your computer slows down with time is because the old hardware has to handle the demands of new software.
If you have a laptop, you will not be able to make any upgrades. The inability to upgrade the hardware of a laptop might hurt your productivity in the long run. Because the processor and RAM are attached to the motherboard of the laptop, it’s impossible to upgrade them.
With a desktop, on the other hand, all you have to do is install a new RAM. It’s a lot easier to make upgrades to a desktop whether you want to do it yourself or have a computer expert do it.
Consider the repairs
When considering whether your employees need a laptop or desktop, you need to think about the long term repairs.
If repairs and maintenance play an important factor, you must know desktops are a lot easier to repair than laptops.
Since laptops are smaller, their mechanisms are a lot more complex to fix. Don’t be surprised if you have to send the laptop back to the manufacturer for repairs.
Sending your laptop to the manufacturer is a long process that can take weeks.
Desktops, on the other hand, are a lot easier to repair than laptops. A lot of times, an expert can just open it up and figure out what’s wrong with it without having to send it to the manufacturer.
Think about the ergonomics
As you try to decide whether your employees will need desktops of laptops, keep in mind the ergonomics.
To follow the rules of ergonomics, you must place be able to look at the monitor at eye level when your back is completely straight. To prevent your muscles from straining, you need to keep your elbows at a 90-degree angle at all times.
Although it might seem easier to have an ergonomic set up with a desktop, it’s also possible to do it with a laptop.
Laptop or desktop: which is better?
If you want to decide between a laptop or desktop, the answer depends on the needs of your business. Although laptops are more mobile, desktops are easier to upgrade.
As far as functionality, both laptops and desktops are comparable.
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