Wondering whether you should opt for a tried-and-true desktop tower or make a laptop your next computer purchase? If so, you‘ve landed in the right place my friend!
As an long-time computer enthusiast and self-proclaimed tech geek, I‘ve researched this topic extensively because, well…that‘s my idea of fun!
In this epic guide, we‘ll traverse the history of beloved desktop PCs, dive deep on the factors to weigh when choosing between these two form factors, and geek out over specs of some of my top recommended desktops to shop for in 2023.
Grab a coffee, or maybe a Red Bull like I just did, and let‘s geek out!
A Brief History of Desktop Dominance
Remember those giant beige and grey boxes from the 1990s with the whirring fans that dominated every officedesk? Or maybe your gaming memories trace back to giant off-white towers taking up leg room under desks playing Half Life?
Desktop PCs have been the staple computing workhorse for over 4 decades thanks to their expandability, upgradeability, and sheer power. Today‘s sleek all-in-one desktop designs pack remarkable performance behind stunning displays. And let‘s not forgot the RGB-lit gaming tower!
Desktop shipments peaked in 2011 at over 150 million units annually, but the age of mobility and power efficiency has certainly benefited laptops. Last year saw global desktop shipments around 75 million. Yet they remain ever-relevant for both consumers and businesses.
When evaluating your next computer purchase in 2023 and beyond, the desktop versus laptop decision remains an pivotal one!
7 Key Advantages Desktops Still Hold Over Laptops
Let‘s examine 7 core areas where traditional tower desktops maintain advantages over their slim siblings – laptops:
1. More Computing Power for Your Dollar
Comparing specs and pricing across laptops and desktops shows that, pound for pound, towers provide superior performance per dollar spent.
Outfitting a desktop with high-end multicore CPUs, massive RAM capacity exceeding 128GB, cutting-edge GPUs delivering framerates upwards of 240 fps, and expansive solid state storage remains much cheaper than equipping laptops with the same level of computing prowess!
Cost for High-End System Comparison:
| Component | Desktop Cost | Laptop Cost |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | $600 | $1200 |
| GPU | $1600 | $2000 |
| RAM | $1500 | $2300 |
| Storage | $700 | $1000 |
| Total | $4400 | $7500 |
As you can see, you can equip a desktop with top computing components and still save $3,100 or more! This combination of performance and value is a key advantage sustaining desktop popularity with both Average Joe and Pro Power User.
2. Easily Upgraded and Customized Over Time
A prime benefit of standard tower form factors is their innately modular and upgradeable nature. As hardware improves over the years, you can upgrade key components like the:
- CPU
- Graphics Card
- RAM Capacity
- Storage drives
Swapping these parts out over 3-5 years can totally transform and modernize a desktop. Some fancy tools and YouTube videos might be required for first-timers, but it‘s a satisfying endeavor!
Laptop users face much more complexity when upgrading is even possible at all. Limited mostly to adding more RAM or swapping the storage drive, entire motherboard replacements on laptops often provides marginal performance gains considering the effort and risks with dismantling the integrated machine.
3. No Battery Life Constraints
Even high-end gaming and workstation-class laptops can‘t come close to the unlimited tether-free runtime of a desktop connected to a power source. With the mobility of laptops comes the constraint of battery capacity.
Facing deadlines for video editing, 3D renders or marathon gaming sessions? No need to lower screen brightness or halt resource intensive application processes on a desktop in order to conserve battery reserves.
I don‘t know about you, but fewer things stress me out more than seeing a low battery warning when I‘m in the zone! Give me unlimited runtime over a faint promise of all-day battery any day of the week!
4. Large High-Resolution Display Options
Desktops place zero physical restrictions on your screen size or resolution dreams. Want the pixel density of a 4K 32-inch monitor? How about getting wild with an ultra-ultra-wide 49-inch display for maximum real estate?
Cost per square inch, you can fulfill any monitor size ambitions with a desktop spanning hundreds of quality options. Finding laptops that even breach past 17 inches instantly jumps both pricing and weight into uncomfortable realms.
Immerse yourself in expansive excel spreadsheets, endless tracks in your DAW audio production software, or jaw-dropping AAA game worlds rendered on a premium desktop display.
5. Unrivaled High-FPS Gaming Performance
Make no mistake, gaming laptop technology improves in leaps and bounds every year. But desktops focused purely on delivering maximum frames-per-second for PC gaming remain untouchable.
Combining top-end Intel or AMD CPUs, gobs of fast DDR5 RAM, the highest-end RTX graphics cards, speedy solid state storage and advanced cooling capacity gives desktops immense room to crush gaming workloads. Hundreds of frames per seconds reach attainable heights at 1440p or 4K UHD resolutions once only imaginable!
Considerscenarios like:
- Smoothly driving 4K displays at 120+ FPS
- Maxing game video settings with RTX visuals
- Streaming to audiences while gaming without performance sacrifices
…and you realize desktops provide the only suitable solution for many gaming use cases. Outright performance aside, desktops also enable multi-monitor setups and muster the ports for driving VR gaming – two growth areas gaining momentum.
6. Ready for VR, Streaming and Multi-Monitor Setups
Speaking of bleeding edge gaming environments, desktops easily handle multi-monitor outputs required for:
- Triple monitor racing/flight sim cockpits
- Streamer setups with extra monitors for chat, dashboards, etc.
- Towering curved displays for immersive first-person shooters
- VR-ready horsepower and extra ports
High-end laptops technically allow external monitor and VR headset connections but often run extremely hot after some time. They also can‘t match the versatility and customization desktops provide for these environments.
7. More Affordable Overall Cost
Comparing laptops and desktops with similar performance specs shows desktops retaining a substantial price advantage. Opting for a desktop over a laptop typically saves anywhere from $200 up to $500 or more depending on the hardware tier selected.
These savings can effectively be allocated toward awesome desktop accessories like high fidelity speakers, gaming mice, specialized keyboards fordifferent uses, external storage expansion drives and extra monitors!
Hundreds in savings here and there really add up over 3-5 years of dependable usage.
Top Desktops to Shop for in 2023
Alright, let‘s switch gears and geek out over some drool-worthy desktop options across budget levels!
Apple iMac – Best All-In-One Desktop
We can always count on Apple to blend performance hardware into impossibly thin designs, this time cramming an 24-inch 4.5K retina display, Apple‘s insanely powerful M1 processing hardware, and exceptional built-in audio into a sleek, colorful form factor.
The iMac remains the gold standard for all-in-one computing solutions.
Key Apple iMac Specs:
- 24-inch 4.5K Retina display
- M1 8-core CPU
- 8-core GPU
- Up to 16GB unified memory
- Up to 2TB SSD storage
- 1080p FaceTime webcam
- Integrated high-fidelity speakers & microphone
- WiFi 6 | Bluetooth 5.0
- Range of vibrant color options
- macOS Catalina
Dell XPS Desktop – Creative Professional Powerhouse
Serious content creators require cutting edge, reliable components, massive storage, memory expansion capabilities andports galore. The Dell XPS Desktop Special Edition brings enthusiast-class desktophardware pairing with tool-less access for upgrades.
Key Dell XPS Desktop Specs:
- 13th Gen Intel Core i9 CPU
- NVIDIA RTX 3090 GPU 24GB DDR6X
- 128GB DDR5 RAM @ 5200MHz
- 8TB M.2 SSD + 2TB HDD Storage
- 1000W PSU | LCS Ready
- SD Card Reader | USB-C | USB 3.2 | USB 2.0
- Tool-less Quick Access Side Panel
Pricing aligns with specs starting at around $1,800 and exceeding $4,000+ for high-end builds.
For creative professionals, especially those editing 8K video, rendering 3D models/animations or designing intricate game worlds, few PCs deliver hardware excellence matching the XPS Desktop.
Corsair Vengeance i7300 – Extreme High-End Gaming
This absolute beast from Corsair lives for one thing: delivering the pinnacle of high FPS gaming performance. Built within the Vengeance i7300 chassis lies an overclockable i9-13900K CPU and mighty Nvidia Geforce RTX 4090 graphics driving insane framerates.
Key Corsair Vengeance 7300 Specs:
- 13th Gen Intel Core i9-13900K 24-Core CPU
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 OC 24GB GPU
- 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 6200MHz RAM
- 2TB M.2 NVMe PCIe Gen 4 SSD
- Custom 360mm AIO Liquid Cooler
- 850W 80 Plus Gold PSU
AAA games have never run or looked better, driving 1440p and 4K displays well beyond 120 frames per second in many popular titles. Competitive esports gamers can fully utilize 360Hz monitor refresh rates across top titles like Fortnite, Valorant etc.
With a configuration like this expect to invest roughly $4,000+. Yet for gaming enthusiasts this represents the absolute pinnacle and promises 5+ years of gaming excellence!
HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop – Budget 1080p Gaming
The HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop aún packs respectable 1080p gaming performance into an affordable pre-built tower, perfect for casual and novice gamers alike.
Key HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop Specs:
- Intel Core i5-11400F 6-core CPU
- NVIDIA GTX 1660 Super GPU
- 16GB DDR4 3200MHz RAM
- 512GB M.2 NVME SSD
- WiFi 5 & Bluetooth 4.2 Connectivity
- Windows 11 Home Edition
- Compact Tower Design
Pushing pixels at 1920 x 1080 resolution won‘t challenge premium 4K beasts, but reliable 60+ FPS across popular titles offers a quality experience for the cost. At around $850, budget-focused shoppers gain access to PC gaming and a future upgrade path when additional funds become available!
Desktops Remain Extremely Relevant in 2023 & Beyond
Year after year desktop PCs evolve in parallel to user needs – delivering specialized solutions for gaming enthusiasts just as well as daily workhorse office machines used in enterprise. Tower designs splitting components across a computer case continue unlocking custom computing solutions, even as integrated AIO (all-in-one) desktops gain popularity for home users valuing space and simplicity.
That trend shows no signs of slowing down. In 2023 and the following years, desktops shipments are actually forecast to recover from their 2011 peak decline. Upgrades amongst the existing large installed base promises sustained viability. And continued relevance amongst gaming power users ensures cutting-edge desktop technology remains imperative.
Have a particular desktop configuration or use case I didn‘t cover? Or thinking about trying to build your own custom desktop from parts for the first time? Comment below! Now if you‘ll excuse me, I need to get back to overclocking my RAM timings and chasing another 100MHz out of this new CPU that arrived yesterday!
