Useless Poll of the Day - If you could only have 1 computer - Desktop or Laptop?

Many of us have both types of computers… But if you can only have one computer - Would it be a laptop or desktop?

  • Desktop
  • Laptop

0 voters

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Desktop. I use my desktop every day. The laptop gets used once a month or so at the moment.

I used to just have the laptop, but found I was leaving in my office docked to my big screen most of the time anyway and I wanted more power and storage for VMs and photo cataloguing.

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I use my Chromebook daily and my Win 10 PC at most a couple of hours a week. Not sure I would miss it tbh if it dies. My daughter loves the dual screens though on the PC. Perhaps Santa will bring her another Chromebook after hers died earlier in year.

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Today? Laptop. The laptop is for work, and I can get by with it as I have virtual machine environments to which I may connect for testing and such.

I picked up an iPad Pro a couple of years ago to see if a tablet could replace my home laptop. It did.

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My desktop is my main machine these days. I need something fairly beefy for gaming and work, a desktop works out to be more cost effective and I like being able to upgrade components incrementally rather than having to replace the whole thing. So I’d choose that I guess. That being said, I do appreciate being able to use my laptop when travelling and whatnot.

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I prefer desktops - but I did have only a laptop for a couple of years. I had it permanently sitting on my desk, on a cooling fan - with a fullsize keyboard and mouse.

If I could only have 1, it would be a laptop. Because, I do like taking it with me to places occasionally.

I’m in the minority on this one according to the polls. The only limitation I would have to put up with is travelling with only a smartphone.

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I have both especially desktops setup that I use for watching TWiT and using for a lot other tasks, I prefer a desktop. But if I can only I have one it would be a laptop for having a PC everywhere I would be and situations.

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Desktop running Linux.

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Desktop, not even a question. I like the power and ability to repair and upgrade. You can get powerful laptops, but nost don’t have the space to effectively cool the CPU and GPU without throttling. My desktop computer has a handle and is small enough to travel with a portable monitor if I need to.

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Snapped a photo of Ziv with his portable desktop setup…

image

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:joy:

I wish I were that courageous.

My computer is a little smaller, but not quite backpackable (water bottle for scale - Count Chocula because that’s where he lives). 65% keyboard is fairly portable as is (and uses PBT keycaps on Novelkey/Kailh Cream switches - infinitely better than a Macbook keyboard).

I have a build planned that’s half that size (~9L vs 19L) which will be backpackable. Haven’t got the portable monitor yet, though. I’ll use my smartphone for any situation that requires more portability than that.

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I’d like to have a 3rd option: tablet. For me, my iPad Pro with Smart Keyboard has been a happy medium between desktop and laptop now that iPad OS supports external storage, near-desktop browsing, proper multitasking, font management, etc. The hardware still needs to become even better with heftier power and more RAM, but the large touchscreen with multitasking bolstered by a majority of proper OS functionality eclipses laptops for me, and the portability is worth more to me than being tethered to a desktop were it my sole machine.

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I prefer my desktop, but I need to have a laptop because so much of my work in done on the road. So if I was forced to choose, it would have to be the laptop.

I actually have two laptops - the Beast, an HP zBook with two NVME drives as well as a 2 TB spinning drive. You can never have enough storage space when you edit video, and external drives are a pain.

The other is a 2013 Macbook Air. Tiny, thin and light and I use it when I’m not doing anything other than web browsing and email.

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A phone, a watch, random peripherals and wireless magic…
I’d like to see a rugged 6” to 6.4” mobile phone which is light weight (80-120g) and has a commonly accepted mature platform similar to a ‘wireless’ version of DeX that has transform it to a stable desktop alternative using the cloud for processing and primary apps.
Complimenting this maybe a watch with same phone number eSim, heart & non-evasive glucose monitoring. Secure back up encryption for all data and little hardware or software to own unless it’s a specialist application.
A tablet might be built into a fridge or table, a TV might have a console that comes with it. Just connect the phone where ever you are to an available monitor or portable glasses.
Keyboards, mice, controllers and monitor types could be scattered in different areas of work and play, but rarely carried.

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All laptops, all the time.

I am currently using a MacBook Air on a stand with a 28" monitor, keyboard and trackpad. I can eject the drives and be on my way in seconds. Coffee shops, pubs (with a clarifying beer) or a folding chair in a park give me a break from the home office.

If I need to do serious work, I replace it with a 15" MacBook Pro, and if necessary, EGPU (that also works with the Air, I am told).

Enjoy!

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I like the couch too much to give up my chromebook.

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Desktop, all the way. It has more upgrade options, and it is also easier to repair and/or tinker.

A laptop is also a good choice because of its portability, but things can change once the temps hit 90C/194F, starts throttling, and the battery percentage reaches 15%…and your direct download is at 97%.

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As much as people think that the desktop is going away, it appears to have great need and purpose still. The laptop may be going away with a tablet to take its place, but that does not seem likely since a regular keyboard is so necessary and the virtual keyboard still not good enough. I use a laptop for most of my day to day computing, but I have no less than a dozen different machines that are not getting much use.

Randy

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