Advantages and disadvantages of a desktop computer

With a desktop system, I’m also including a tower system. I’m basically differentiating between a full-blown computer system and a laptop. I’m particularly fond of the old tower system, to be honest, so I’m going to be making my case for it here in this guide. So let’s look at the advantages and disadvantages of a desktop computer, starting with the advantages.

Advantages of a desktop computer

A tower system feels like a proper computer

This may seem odd but let me explain. I’ve got a tower computer and a laptop. If I’m going to do something serious I go to the tower computer. It’s got a decent keyboard and mouse set up exactly where I want with a large monitor which is also set up perfectly to suit me. It feels better to work on and the larger monitor makes graphic editing, drawing and designing easier.

It feels like a compromise doing it on a laptop. If you use a laptop on the desk and plug in a larger monitor, the laptop’s screen seems to get in the way. The laptop is something I grab to quickly do something, not for a serious writing or editing job.

Multiple monitors

Talking about serious computing, there is the subject of multiple monitors. With some of the serious graphic and music editing software around the larger the screen, the easier it is to use. Some software is so sophisticated there are multiple tool panels and things to display, that trying to fit everything on one display is difficult.

I use Ableton Live for music production and you can display the mixing desk, the waveform your editing, VST synthesizer and effects plugins. Sometimes I feel even two monitors aren’t enough! Tower systems make it a lot easier to use multiple monitors, as large as you want and position them where you want.

You can plug in another monitor with my Dell laptop but it’s not the same as putting two large ones exactly where and at what angle you want.

Maintainance

A tower computer is much easier to maintain to its full working potential. The keyboard for example. You can just replace your old one if it gets worn out or if you see something better you like. I’ve got one with loads of extra keys for other dedicated functions.

How often have you seen people with grotty laptops with keys missing? It’s a lot harder and more expensive to replace a laptop keyboard. Poor coffee in your desktop keyboard and you can just throw it away. Pour coffee on your laptop and you know the rest. Also if something goes wrong you can probably replace it. You can put in a new graphics card if your old one dies.

You could even put in a new motherboard and microprocessor. Because of the size available inside, you can choose lots of different components. If the motherboard dies in your laptop, you have to replace it with the same one. You can put almost anything you like in a large tower case.

Check out my guide on motherboard sizes and my case comparison guide.

So if your motherboard did die you could probably find a similar specification one for not much money on eBay. Smash your laptop screen and you need to get a new one fitted. Do the same with a monitor on your tower system and you just buy another one.

If you are having problems with a tower or desktop system have a look at my guide to fixing a tower computer system.

The touchpad

I hate laptop touchpads. I hate using them to try to do things, especially graphics stuff like drawing or editing. They just seem to be in the wrong place. In front of the keyboard. So when you are busy in the state of inspiration and busily typing away, you then realise that your wrist must have got too close to the touchpad and you now typing halfway through the previous page.

I know you can turn it off with the Fn and F5 keys and use a mouse, which I do, but it kind of ignores the problem.

Advantages and disadvantages of a desktop computer – Upgrading

You can upgrade a laptop to a limited extent. Adding memory to some and fitting an SSD will help. I have an article here about fitting an SSD and also upgrading the CPU but that’s about as much as you can do. With a tower system, you can upgrade everything.

I bought an expensive Antec top-of-the-range case about fifteen years ago. I was fed up with slicing my hand open on my old pressed steel case with knife-sharp edges. That case has had a silent power supply fitted and it’s now on its third motherboard and microprocessor.

Upgrading a tower system is easy. Just get a good case and power supply and they’ll last you for years.

Backing up data with as many drives as you want

Another thing that you can do with a tower system is fit as many drives in it as you realistically want. I think there’s room for about 8 inside my case. Why would you want to fit that many drives? Well, you probably wouldn’t, however, I did have two DVD writers in a setup once to copy DVDs and CDs.

I also had an SSD drive for the operating system, a large 1 gig hard drive for the data and a couple of other drives that formed the automatic backup system. Try fitting all that in a laptop!

Advantages and disadvantages of a desktop computer for gaming

For gaming, you might be struggling to find a laptop with the power to match a tower gaming machine. A tower system can fit a powerful graphics card not to mention all the extra space for the cooling fans. You could even fit water cooling if you wanted. Something you can’t do with a laptop. So for gaming, a tower system comes out on top.

See my guide here on building a computer for gaming.

Advantages and disadvantages of a desktop computer – Connectivity

You get much more connectivity with a tower system. Mine has 12 USB sockets and connections for an old parallel printer port. Which I use for my old laser printer. It also has connections for two monitors as standard, surround sound and digital sound outputs.

There are also other options on the motherboard that can be added with brackets on the back of the computer case if you need them.

Disadvantages of a desktop system

It can’t all be good – Portability and size

This is where a tower system loses big time, to a laptop computer. Especially if you’ve moved it to another room. I was surprised by just how heavy my tower system was and the 28-inch monitor wasn’t exactly light either. Luckily it’s not something I have to do very often.

Desktop computers are best left in one place. A laptop is great to take away with you if you need a computer try doing that with a desktop or tower system.

Advantages and disadvantages of a desktop computer – The battery

One small advantage that a laptop has over a tower system is the battery. If you are using a laptop and the power goes off you won’t lose your data. If you are using a desk or tower system and the power goes off you lose what you haven’t saved. In practice, though I’ve used computers a lot over the years and never once was I using one when we had a power cut.

The other thing is that if you were bothered about that such occasion you could just use an uninterruptable power supply.

Wireless and Bluetooth

Most tower systems have a network connection to connect to the internet and don’t have wireless or Bluetooth facilities on the motherboard. Some do but mostly they won’t have this function built in as most modern laptops do. This can also be an advantage though as if you don’t want it you’re not paying for the facility. If you want Bluetooth or wireless it’s easy enough and cheap to add.

You can just plug a small dongle into a USB socket and you get plenty of those with a desktop. Another thing to mention is that with a laptop the wireless generally isn’t as good as most of the PCIe cards you can get for a tower system. I had a tower system in an office and although I could receive wireless on a laptop there, it was pretty much on the edge of reception.

I put a PCIe wireless card in my tower system and it receives a very strong signal. It’s probably down to the fact that it has two large antennas on the back.

Advantages and disadvantages of a desktop computer – conclusion

A laptop computer seems to be a compromise in computing. It’s also worth noting that most of the things that are mentioned in the disadvantages section above can actually be gotten around. The only thing you really can’t do is make it more portable!

I acknowledge that a laptop is a fantastic piece of engineering for what you can do with it, portable and it works where you are, wireless and all that but for me, it’s like using a Ford Fiesta when you have a Ferrari parked in the garage.