When looking to buy a new computer many consumers feel swamped by the amount of choice available. To make the best choice it’s important for consumers to think about where and how they will use their new computer.
The most common types of computers are desktops, laptops, netbooks and tablets. All of these types of machines have their own pros and cons which will be discussed below.
Desktop computers are quite large and comprised of several parts: a tower unit (this is the actual computer), a monitor, a keyboard and a mouse. Desktops are generally more powerful and better suited to processor intensive tasks such as video editing, gaming and high resolution photo editing.
The main disadvantage of desktop computers is their lack of portability. As they are larger and comprised of several parts, dismantling and moving a desktop computer can be a chore. Also, desktop computers need to be plugged into an electricity outlet, limiting your choice of location.
A laptop is a portable, feature-rich computer generally capable of all the functions a desktop computer can carry out. Laptops are built as a single unit which houses the main computer, the keyboard, a track-pad (a laptop alternative to a mouse), the battery and the monitor, all-in-one.
The inherent design of laptops means that they are quite portable devices. However, some laptops can be quite bulky and heavy, limiting the ease with which they can be carried around. While laptops can generally perform all of the functions which a desktop can, they are often slower at completing processor intensive tasks.
Netbooks are similar to laptops, but are smaller, lighter and more portable. Other than size, the main differences between laptops and netbooks are the amount of features they have and how powerful they are. By definition, netbooks do not have an optical drive (CD, DVD or Blu-Ray). They also generally have less RAM, a smaller hard-drive and less powerful processors. This can mean that some netbooks struggle to perform functions which a laptop or desktop can easily cope with e.g. playing high definition video or editing high-resolution photos.
Netbooks can however perform many basic functions very well: they can easily cope with browsing the internet, creating spread sheets, word processing, viewing photos and watching non-HD video. Due to their size, netbooks are very easy to carry around, they also tend to be considerably cheaper than laptops.
Modern tablet computers are typified by having a touchscreen display and no keyboard. They are ultra-portable and tend to be thinner and lighter than netbooks. However, they generally have a different set of functions to a netbook. While typically having less processing power than the average netbook many tablets can handle HD video, making them very suitable for portable entertainment uses.
On the down side, many tablets have rigid operating systems. This means that there are many major software applications which can’t be installed on them. However, it is common to be able to find stripped down versions of high-profile programs that have been specifically made for popular tablet operating systems. As they have no keyboard, tablets are also more difficult to type on.
The great thing about all of the options is that they will allow you to get online easily. If you want to make them most out of your new device make sure to pick up a good cheap broadband deal.
As a general guide: if you need a lot of power for video editing or gaming go for a desktop, if you want a lot of functions and portability go for a laptop, if you want cheap and portable basic functions go for a netbook and if you want ultra-portable entertainment and web-browsing go for a tablet.
Fiona Roy writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.
