Laptop vs Desktop, for writing code 10 hours a day

[arnuld]

I have been using desktop computers since the beginning, when laptops where "thing of the riches" and even today when every college students carries a laptop than having a desktop. I understand it got lot of mobility. I am thinking of whether to build a new desktop or buy a laptop. There are few points: 1st, For the same price, you can build a better desktop than a laptop.

2nd, I am a programmer, I spend almost 15 hours a dat in front of my desktop. Writing code 5-6 hours a day, sometimes 10 hours, add to that browsing, reading, searching, PDFs, text files etc all time is spent mostly in Firefox. I watch HD videos on YouTube, related to software and sometimes an FHD movie. And I feel quite comfortable whole day in computer chair. I can do all this work very fast and quite efficiently.

Desktop does take a lot of space and has no portability/mobility. I am thinking of getting a laptop but I want to know if you have used both desktop and laptop and can do all of that I mentioned above with same level of comfort and speed and efficiency.

 

[jaslion]

I have been using desktop computers since the beginning, when laptops where "thing of the riches" and even today when every college students carries a laptop than having a desktop. I understand it got lot of mobility. I am thinking of whether to build a new desktop or buy a laptop. There are few points: 1st, For the same price, you can build a better desktop than a laptop.

2nd, I am a programmer, I spend almost 15 hours a dat in front of my desktop. Writing code 5-6 hours a day, sometimes 10 hours, add to that browsing, reading, searching, PDFs, text files etc all time is spent mostly in Firefox. I watch HD videos on YouTube, related to software and sometimes an FHD movie. And I feel quite comfortable whole day in computer chair. I can do all this work very fast and quite efficiently.

Desktop does take a lot of space and has no portability/mobility. I am thinking of getting a laptop but I want to know if you have used both desktop and laptop and can do all of that I mentioned above with same level of comfort and speed and efficiency.

I have been using a laptop as my main system for over 2 years now. At home I have a monitor and keyboard (I take the mouse with me most of the time) that I hook it up to when I get home. On the go I'm just working on it and at most have the charger and mouse with me.

The main things to look for for comfort in a laptop is a screen with good viewing angles (so you can put it in any position you want), a good keyboard and enough ports so you can easily hook up something to it without needing to carry a bunch of adapters.

 

[zoltan.boese]

Desktops has no mobility, that is a given. Otherwise if you spend much time using a laptop you are forced to work around problem such as limited screen size and display placement possibilities. If you put your laptop where you can comfortably see it, you need to get a mouse and keyboard to use it ergonomically. If you have such a set up, you do not want to spend 10+ minutes to connect and disconnect everything upon leaving your desk, so you end up using a docking station maybe a secondary monitor as well. It is easier to save space by building a NUC and screwing it with a VESA adapter onto your monitor. Core counts and cooling is also restricted on most laptops, partly on NUCs as well.

If you walk into a workspace where people do more than using spread sheets and visit meeting you will find desktop PCs. And cost is not the only reason for it.

Let me ask you some questions. What advantages are you looking for when using a laptop? How could that change your work? Would you work away from your desk with slower wireless internet connection? Would you use it when travelling or sitting on lectures / meetings taking notes? What could justify the need for a mobile device?

 

[arnuld]

Desktops has no mobility, that is a given. Otherwise if you spend much time using a laptop you are forced to work around problem such as limited screen size and display placement possibilities. If you put your laptop where you can comfortably see it, you need to get a mouse and keyboard to use it ergonomically. If you have such a set up, you do not want to spend 10+ minutes to connect and disconnect everything upon leaving your desk, so you end up using a docking station maybe a secondary monitor as well. It is easier to save space by building a NUC and screwing it with a VESA adapter onto your monitor. Core counts and cooling is also restricted on most laptops, partly on NUCs as well.

If you walk into a workspace where people do more than using spread sheets and visit meeting you will find desktop PCs. And cost is not the only reason for it.

Let me ask you some questions. What advantages are you looking for when using a laptop? How could that change your work? Would you work away from your desk with slower wireless internet connection? Would you use it when travelling or sitting on lectures / meetings taking notes? What could justify the need for a mobile device?

Good questions

1) What advantages are you looking for when using a laptop?

First Mobility. 2nd, lesser space, 3rd, less power usage and hence lesser electricity bill.

2) How could that change your work? Would you work away from your desk with slower wireless internet connection?

I did not think about it, I guess I have to shell extra money for buying a portable router and of course, like you said, Wireless connection is way slower than the broadband connection I have.

3) Would you use it when travelling or sitting on lectures / meetings taking notes? What could justify the need for a mobile device?

Another good point. I will rarely it in the lectures/meetings etc. Mostly, at meetups or in a Cafe, I will just carry a book to read and I got loads of them, Else I can carry a Mathematics book and notebook and pen and do problems instead. Thais looks much easier and portable and productive than a laptop

Seems like all point towards building a desktop instead. Many thanks Zoltan