Laptop or Desktop
The first decision you need to make is whether to purchase a laptop or a desktop model. The rule of thumb is that if you are not going to be mobile with the PC then a desktop will usually be the best choice. Mobile can mean mobile around the house or office. During the winter home users generally want to work in the rooms they have heated such as lounge or kitchen, so having a laptop can be appealing if it means you can move to the warm lounge instead of having to stay in the cold study.
Laptops typically have a useful lifetime of 4 years for business or 5 years for personal use and a maximum life expectancy of 6 years. Desktops on the other hand typically have a useful lifetime of 5 years for business use or 6 years for personal use and a maximum life expectancy of 7 years. Laptops are typically slower due to sacrifices in energy consumption and space. Laptops typically have fewer hardware upgrade options available during their lifetime. Laptop hardware faults are typically more expensive to repair and more often uneconomical to repair. Laptops are more likely to have heat related hardware faults due to the small space the parts are squeezed into. Laptops are more of a target for theft.
An external keyboard, mouse and monitor can be connected to a laptop when at home or in the office to achieve the ergonomics/comfort of a desktop PC. Also using a docking station can make the transition between home/office and travelling even easier.
Laptops typically have a useful lifetime of 4 years for business or 5 years for personal use and a maximum life expectancy of 6 years. Desktops on the other hand typically have a useful lifetime of 5 years for business use or 6 years for personal use and a maximum life expectancy of 7 years. Laptops are typically slower due to sacrifices in energy consumption and space. Laptops typically have fewer hardware upgrade options available during their lifetime. Laptop hardware faults are typically more expensive to repair and more often uneconomical to repair. Laptops are more likely to have heat related hardware faults due to the small space the parts are squeezed into. Laptops are more of a target for theft.
An external keyboard, mouse and monitor can be connected to a laptop when at home or in the office to achieve the ergonomics/comfort of a desktop PC. Also using a docking station can make the transition between home/office and travelling even easier.