Laptops UK
 
 

Advantages of a Laptop

Portability

The main and most obvious advantage of a laptop over its desktop counterpart is portability. A laptop can be taken anywhere and used at anytime, although some models do have short battery life so a mains adaptor is also required.

Purchase a wireless card and your laptop will have access to the worldwide web while on the go, giving you a larger variety of places to carry out research, check your email, and be more productive.

Whether you're a salesperson who travels frequently, a student who needs to be able to compute at both home and college, or just an average person who wants the option of computing while watching TV, then a laptop provides the ideal mobile solution.

Size

Laptops offer a real edge over desktop PCs due to their size and compactness. They generally take up less space, and can look neater than a desktop PC, in fact the smaller the laptop becomes the more attractive users generally find them.

A typical laptop (with integrated screen, keyboard and disk drive) weighs between 4.5 and 9 pounds (the "ultralight" models weighs around 3 pounds), compared to desktop computers, which have an average weight of 70 pounds! Laptops are not only smaller in weight and dimensions but also have a smaller footprint than desktop PCs.

Screen Quality

Most laptop models come equipped with beautiful TFT displays. They provide a richer and more vibrant display than their prehistoric CRT counterparts.

Another great aspect of laptop displays is the widescreen ratios that come with a wide range of models. They provide the perfect experience for watching DVDs and other video content while on the go or at home.

Noise

For some it may not be an issue. For others, the sound of silence may be very important. Large computers often have big cooling fans that generate a lot of noise, which can be irritating to some.

Laptops however contain processors that are designed to run cooler without need for a large fan, and are therefore generally more quiet machines. But in the case of many of the desktop replacement laptops, multimedia, and gaming machines considerable fans are needed to keep the machines cool. Buyers should check with manufacturers before committing to a machine that may be excessively noisy. However, most laptops are almost silent.

Ease of Expansion

When it comes to adding extra components and devices to your desktop PC most people will struggle to find their way through all wires and technology underneath the casing.

On the other hand, expanding a laptop typically consists of connecting some sort of external device to one of its numerous ports or slots, the primary methods being the PC Card slot and the USB port. So after purchasing a laptop you will find adding any new devices usually requires little more than plugging them in.

Opening up the casing of a laptop to add extra components could invalidate your warranty.

Connectivity

Laptops have connectivity to the Internet through standard technologies including dial-up modems, DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) or Cable modems, Ethernet and wireless networking. This allows users to constantly have access to email services, online news, music and video download services while out and about.

Although desktop PCs feature the same connectivity options as laptops, it's the mobility factor that allows laptops to take full advantage of wireless technologies.

Overall laptops provide powerful performance to meet your local and Internet access needs from virtually any place at any time.

The cost of this will be roughly one-third more than your desktop equivalent, and for additional comfort you may have to fork out even more for extra "home base" components.

However, if you want to take advantage of the portability and increased productivity offered by laptops, then the extra expense is well worth it.