

Third, desktop PCs are better value than laptops. However, this increases the cost, and means you won't recover all the space used by your current desktop.

You can put a laptop on a riser and use it with a separate monitor and a more ergonomic keyboard. I wrote about this in detail last year in How can I use laptops and tablets without suffering from physical pains? Second, a desktop PC has better ergonomics and is much better for your health than using a laptop. However, it's still better to have more physical screen area. Of course, you can buy laptops with high-resolution screens, and with bigger screens. You will be able to see many more rows and columns in Excel, and more lines of text in Word, or use the space to show two programs at once.įor movie buffs, it means a leap from standard HD (high definition) or 720p video to Full HD or 1080p video. This will show twice as much information. With a desktop PC, you could buy a 21-23in screen with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. Mainstream laptops like the HP ProBook have 15.6in screens with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. First, you will be able to use a bigger screen, which means you will be more productive. I assume your current PC is a desktop, in which case, I'd recommend another desktop.

Budget for your next PC to run until early 2020, when Microsoft will stop supporting Windows 7. If you bought your current PC in 2003 then it has done well to last this long, though you may be surprised how slow it is compared to a modern machine.
