When it's time to think about buying a new computer, the very first question you must ask yourself (and the other people who will use the new computer) is the one in this chapter's title: Should I buy a desktop computer or a laptop?
This chapter should help you make that important decision; it explains how to evaluate the special features of each type and describe their benefits and drawbacks. Later in this book, you can find a lot more detail about using each of those features, but right now it's most important to decide whether the lightweight and compact design of a laptop is important enough to sacrifice the lower cost, flexible construction, and generally larger keyboard and screen in a desktop system.
Note | In this book, the term desktop computer includes computers with both desktop (horizontal) and tower (vertical) cases, even if you normally place the case on the floor rather than a desktop or tabletop. |
CROSS-REF | You can find more information about different kinds of cases in Chapter 3. |
Before beginning a discussion on the pros and cons of each type, it might be useful to define certain terms.
A desktop computer usually has most of its components in a modular case, with a separate keyboard, video display, mouse, and speakers connected to the case through cables or wireless links. The case for a desktop computer might be either horizontal (with the widest surface sitting on the desk or table) or vertical (with a short face on the table or on the floor). Cases with their feet on the short surface are often called tower cases. A few specialty manufacturers offer compact designs that don't meet the industry standards (such as a computer with the processor and related parts built into the video monitor package), but most desktop computers resemble the ones shown in Figure 1.1.
Figure 1.1: A desktop computer is bigger and more flexible than a laptop.
A laptop computer is a self-contained, lightweight, portable unit that can operate on battery power. The most common laptop design is sometimes described as a clamshell because it opens up like a big bivalve, with the keyboard in the bottom half and the screen in the top. Figure 1.2 shows a typical laptop computer.
Figure 1.2: Most laptop computers use a clamshell design.
Note | The newest portable computers, known as tablets, have touch-sensitive screens that are often attached to the keyboard section with rotating hinges. This allows a user to write on the screen with a special stylus without opening the clamshell. Microsoft has designed support for tablets into the most recent versions of the Windows operating system. |