by Juancho Forlanda

Created on: June 26, 2009

If you ask someone why they are buying a laptop instead of a desktop computer, the answer would be as varied as the number of people you ask. This article will enumerate a couple of the main ones. Note, however, that there really is only one reason why people should buy a laptop instead of a desktop. If you read on, you will find out what this one true answer is.

Most people will say portability is the main reason why they get a laptop. Laptops today can range in weight, from the very light (around 3 pounds) to the very heavy (around 9 pounds). The ultra-portables laptops for example have around a 12 inch screen and can weigh around 3 pounds or less. They also have WI-FI capability so that one can be connected to the Internet anywhere there is a hot spot. This wireless capability is what gives laptops this extra edge in portability and computing convenience.

However, if portability is the real reason, one should probably get a netbook instead. A netbook is a new class of computer that has recently hit the market. It is lacking some capabilities (e.g. DVD drive, high powered multi-core processors) of normal laptops, but they are definitely very portable. If simple word processing and Internet access is all one needs, and you don't mind looking at a 10 inch screen, then this is probably the way to go.

Others will say they want to get the convenience of a laptop with the power of a desktop. Today's high end laptops can rival the power and performance of many desktops available in the market. Combine that with a docking station, a separate keyboard, mouse, and monitor, and one would have a hybrid laptop-desktop solution. Thus one would have the best of both worlds-huge screen, full size keyboard, and a nice comfortable mice when at home, and the portability of a laptop when "on the go." For example, the Lenovo ThinkPad R500 Notebook only weights 6.6 pounds with battery. It also has a 15.4 inch display. It can hold up to 8GB of RAM, has capability for a 200GB hard disk drive, has a DVD drive, uses an Intel Core Duo processor, and one can purchase a docking station to go with it.

With two of the most common reasons to get a laptop discussed, we can now share the main reason why people should get a laptop.

If one knows they will never need additional input/output (I/O) cards-the type that needs to be directly connected to the computer's data bus-then a laptop is the way to go. Desktops only have the capability to take additional I/O cards because they have the physical space to do it. For example, let say you wanted to replace your video card. You can't do that with a laptop. On a desktop, you can purchase one at Best Buy, and stick it in one of your desktop's free slots.

Aside from this, a laptop one can pretty much get additional hardware that is available for a desktop through its firewire and USB ports. Now you know, the main reason to go with a laptop.

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