When you are going to buy a new laptop or desktop there are hundreds of options available for you but which one is the best for programming, finding that is quite difficult. So, here we will see which one is the perfect option for you. But before that, first I just want to ask you that is, what your main preference is, performance or portability.
Because you are here I would assume two things for that such as:
- As a programmer, you are thinking about what is best for you, a desktop or a laptop.
- Or
- You have any one of them but want to buy a new one because it become old.
A desktop is known to be the best for its performance and durability and we can easily upgrade any particular component such as RAM, storage, CPU, etc. I know that, as a programmer, you don’t need extremely powerful specs to code but apart from this if you use any power-hungry app then you need to go for a desktop.
The only advantage of a laptop is its portability. It won’t limit you to doing your work by sitting in one single place always. Think how good it is that you can easily move around with a laptop at your home or office or somewhere else that can do your work as per your comfort. By the way, if you have no idea how to choose a perfect laptop for yourself then here is a comprehensive guide, read this guide.
If you are restricted to a desktop just because you want powerful specs then it might be a bummer. The time has gone, when you had to compromise on a laptop for its performance, memory, battery, and other features. But as technology keeps growing, all the laptop manufacturers have improved things and now you don’t need to compromise on anything.
Laptop Or Desktop: Which One Is The Best For Programming?
Advantages Of Laptops:
These days, laptops are becoming the first choice for all of us because they are portable so we can do our work on the go. But if you are planning to use your laptop in one single place like your desk then definitely you should go for a desktop it would become a better choice.
1. Portability:
Firstly, the major advantage of a laptop is its portability, which is very helpful for students especially when you are doing group work projects or any assignments. Because you can do your work at your college, a friend’s place, or anywhere you are comfortable, it is better to do your work in your comfort zone rather than sit in one place. Eventually, it’ll help you to become more productive and also complete any of your tasks faster than usual.
Let’s take an example, as a programmer if you are developing something but due to some coding or programming mistake, you find an error then you can show it to your teacher by taking your laptop to your college so that they can help you to troubleshoot that error. So, see it makes your task how much easier for you.
2. Consumes Less Power:
Generally, laptops consume much less power as compared to desktops. Because once you charge a laptop then you can use it for at least 4 to 5 hours or it may be depending on your laptop battery and your usage too. So, you’ll need a power point to charge your laptop again at measured intervals and this is why it uses less power.
Disadvantages Of Laptops:
1. Upgradability:
Upgrading the laptop is not easy like desktops because first, you need to know whether your laptop has an empty slot or not for the upgrade of RAM and storage. Because not all the laptops provide an empty slot for further upgrades. So, if your laptop doesn’t have an empty slot for that then it becomes very problematic. And if it’s attached to the motherboard then you can’t upgrade it.
2. Keyboard:
The quality of the keyboard varies from laptop to laptop such as its size, key travel, key space, backlighting, etc. For instance, if you are planning to buy a 13 or 14-inch laptop then you will not get a numeric keypad but if you’ll go for a 15, 16, or 17-inch laptop then you’ll get one.
3. Battery:
When you buy a brand new laptop it will give you around 5-6 hours of battery life but then as time goes on it starts to decrease its battery capacity and after a few years you’ll get only 1-2 hours of backup. I bought the laptop a year ago and its battery life started to reduce its capacity from 6 hours to 2 hours, which is bad, although I had been using it properly but still.
4. Compatibility:
When you are trying to install a different operating system on your laptop like Linux, Ubuntu, or any other, then it could be a problem in some cases. When I tried to install Ubuntu on my new laptop, it showed the error that the network card was not supported.
5. Limited Ports:
If you’ll go with a 13 or 14-inch laptop then you’ll need to compromise with ports because to maintain that size they provide a limited number of ports. But these days many laptop manufacturers do not add the Ethernet port and card reader in their 15 and 17-inch laptops also which is a big disadvantage.
Advantages Of Desktop Computer:
If you want to use your computer in one single place at your desk then you should go for a desktop computer. But if you have a small room then it might be difficult for you to keep your desk and this is one of the major drawbacks.
1. Easy To Upgrade:
Buying a desktop computer is one of the best decisions for future upgrades because it is very easy to upgrade and at the same time it is cheaper also.
2. Easy To Repair:
If your desktop mouse or keyboard not working properly then you only need to replace it with a new one. But if the laptop’s keyboard or touchpad fails to work then you need to go to the service center and if a keyboard can’t be repaired then you need to buy a new one and the cost is more than double that of a desktop’s normal keyboard. Apart from this, you’ll also need to pay the labor charge for the repair if your laptop is not under warranty.
3. Build Your Desktop PC:
Yes, we can build our custom PC, you have read it right, you can add all the things that you would like to add such as CPU, RAM, storage, GPU, etc. If I’ll talk about my first ever custom PC built then it was an amazing feeling!
Disadvantages Of Desktop Computer:
1. Space:
As I have said before and we all know desktops take up a lot of space which is one of the major problems if you are living in a small room. But if you have a good space in your room then it’s not a problem for you.
2. Power:
The desktop computer uses a lot more power as compared to the laptops because it requires a high-wattage power supply unit (PSU), a monitor, and other peripherals like keyboard, mouse, speakers, etc.
My Recommendation
If you would ask me personally, then I found that the laptop is the best option for students because it is much easier to use and if something goes wrong in your project then simply you can show your laptop to your teachers and classmates. Many of you might be thinking that we can bring our PC also into college but think once that how strange it’ll look.
