Before you start on your hunting spree for that perfect laptop, you need to ask yourself one vital question — do you really need a laptop, or are you in deep thought just because others around you have them?

Laptops are an ideal solution for those always on the move, and you do not need to sacrifice on functionality, while maintaining portability.

It always helps clearly to identify your needs before deciding on a laptop rather than a desktop. This will help save some of your hard-earned money. Here are some advantages and disadvantages of laptops over desktops that should help in your decision making.

Advantages of a laptop over a desktop PC:

1. Portability

The primary reason why people prefer laptops is their portability. You can comfortably carry one anywhere you want. If you are a frequent traveller, laptops prove very useful. Your laptop lets you carry all your emails, software, presentations, sales material, etc., along. This way you always stay connected, no matter where you are.

2. Size and weight

Laptops are more compact than typical, bulky desktop PCs. A laptop contains the main peripheral devices such as monitor, CPU, speakers, keyboard and pointing device, all these in a very compact form. If you do not have the necessary work space at home or on your office desk, then opting for a laptop is the smart solution.

3. Integrated power supply

No doubt, desktops can be powered up with a UPS, but you will be shedding precious bucks to get a UPS with decent back-up. On the other hand, a laptop effectively comes with a built-in UPS. These days, laptops come with lighter, yet powerful battery packs that provide backup for around 2–6 hours depending on the type of battery and the settings you choose. So, with some wise and prudent moves, you should never face the problem of not being able to work on your laptop due to a power cut.

Disadvantages of a laptop over a desktop PC:

1. Technology

A laptop and a desktop PC with the same configuration cannot be equated in terms of performance. The obvious question would be, why? The reason is the type of components used in laptops. Desktops use power-hungry performance parts that cannot be used in laptops, because laptops are balanced for providing performance, yet maintaining good battery life. Some of the recent technologies developed for desktops are yet to find their place in laptops. Therefore, laptops are always a step behind desktops in terms of performance.

2. Comfort

While there are visible benefits, the comfort factor is an issue with laptops. The foremost issue is the fact that with the keyboard and the monitor joined together, it sometimes becomes a problem for those with eyesight problems. One will have to get used to a touch pad instead of a mouse, although you can cary a separate mouse to plug into the system. Many manufacturers claim quality onboard speakers. However, these onboard speakers are never that great and for good quality it is usual to connect your laptop to an external speaker. Although there are accessories like docking stations, USB mouse and USB speakers available in the market, once you connect them there is little difference between a laptop and a desktop. Perhaps the biggest usability problem with laptops is the keyboard. Many people who do a great deal of writing and editing prefer desktop machines where you can hit a single key instead of a key combination for simple and often-used functions such as "Home", "End", and so forth.

3. Upgrading

If you're planning on adding equipment to your computer at a later stage, a desktop is preferable to a laptop. Upgrading a laptop is next to impossible. It's extremely difficult to add hardware like a graphics card, or extra hard drives. Even when you can upgrade, there are limited options. Laptops usually have two RAM slots that are pre-occupied with chips, typically 2x 512 MB. This means that in order to upgrade, you will have to sacrifice older hardware.

Do consider the above aspects while deciding whether a laptop is what you need, or whether a desktop is your ideal choice.