Sign in with
Sign up | Sign in

QOTD: For Which Apps Do You Need a Desktop?

By - Source: Tom's Hardware US | B 157 comments

Besides for Crysis, that is.

Laptop sales have already surpassed those of desktops. For the longest time, laptops were a premium item as they were far more expensive than their stay-at-home equivalents. But now thanks to mainstream-friendly prices, laptops are now the preferred computing form factor, as indicated by the sales split.

Even Microsoft's latest ad campaign shows fictional shoppers trying to find the perfect computer, all of which only look at laptops. An examination of brick and mortar retailers also reveals the preference towards the portable computer.

Here at Tom's Hardware, however, a lot of the products we review and report on are for the desktop computer. While the latest AMD and Intel CPU architecture eventually do find their way into laptops, the latest and greatest in technology almost always makes its debut on the desktop.

Perhaps for the reason of technological lead alone is why we still cling to our desktops. We'd like to find out why you still have a desktop (or why you got rid of it). We know that cutting-edge games is a big reason, but what about for other specific applications that demand a desktop?

For our QOTD, what we'd like to know from you is which applications do you use that still require the use of a desktop?

Discuss
Ask a Category Expert

Create a new thread in the News comments forum about this subject

Example: Notebook, Android, SSD hard drive

This thread is closed for comments
Top Comments
  • 27 Hide
    Anonymous , July 11, 2009 1:36 AM
    I still use a desktop mainly because I don't like buying from brands such as Dell, HP...etc. Building a custom desktop can be a lot of fun, and save a little bit of cash while doing it.
  • 20 Hide
    vabeachboy0 , July 11, 2009 4:05 AM
    what we do every night pinky, try to take over the world :D 
  • 18 Hide
    apache_lives , July 11, 2009 1:33 AM
    Games.
Other Comments
    Display all 157 comments.
  • 18 Hide
    Asinger93 , July 11, 2009 1:23 AM
    Well, in my experience, GTA 4, Dead Space, Fallout 3 and Oblivion don't run well on anything but a desktop
  • 10 Hide
    hopiamani , July 11, 2009 1:29 AM
    Prime 95, Intel Burn Test, LinX, cpu-z, realtemp, 3dmark vantage, PCmark, Sisandra Arithmetic... are there any other programs than that?

    All joking aside I need it primarily for games like Empire Total War, Mass Effect, Crysis, Oblivion, and of course, folding@home (smp+vmware and gpu)
  • 9 Hide
    ph3412b07 , July 11, 2009 1:31 AM
    No apps I use strictly require a desktop. Rather, I use a desktop for the massive speed gains running macro's, computing finite element methods (ANSYS and NX Nastran), using parametric solid modelers (CATIA, Solidworks, UGS NX). Running any of these on a desktop is faster (given the same price level), and much quieter. Also very easy to hook up dual monitors to a desktop.
  • 18 Hide
    apache_lives , July 11, 2009 1:33 AM
    Games.
  • 27 Hide
    Anonymous , July 11, 2009 1:36 AM
    I still use a desktop mainly because I don't like buying from brands such as Dell, HP...etc. Building a custom desktop can be a lot of fun, and save a little bit of cash while doing it.
  • 8 Hide
    Anonymous , July 11, 2009 1:37 AM
    I use Daz3d, Softimage XSI, Adobe CS4 Extended and quite a number of games.

    I have a fairly powerful laptop, a Dell XPS m1530 with a 2.33ghz Core 2, 3gb ram and an Nvidia 8600m GT 512mb.

    Rendering video or 3d still absolutely chugs on the laptop.

    I will always prefer my Core i7 for heavy graphics work because the quad core is a huge speed boost and I like having huge dual monitors.

    My laptop is great for light work, but serious stuff i turn to the desktop
  • 16 Hide
    brendano257 , July 11, 2009 1:56 AM
    Well....errrrr....games obviously, to get a laptop capable of doing what a 1000$ pc does you would need...hmmmm ~3k laptop? And I have no reason for portability at the moment. Except for mobile browsing a bit on my iPod XD
  • 6 Hide
    GreatKratos , July 11, 2009 1:58 AM
    Desktops have countless advantages over notebooks and netbooks but the majority of people only use their computers for checking emails and the like.

    This is why the netbook buzz is so strong. They are cheap and they provide the functions most people require.
  • -4 Hide
    tayb , July 11, 2009 2:06 AM
    Nothing. Haven't owned a desktop in years. Don't compile anything too large at home.
  • 16 Hide
    Core2uu , July 11, 2009 2:13 AM
    Mobile computing is for chumps.

    But seriously, I like to have all of my stuff in one place and I like to have a computer that I can do ALL of my stuff on. So therefore, a high-end desktop is the only choice for me.

    However for other users it depends on their needs. It all depends on who you are and what your computing needs are.
  • 3 Hide
    duckmanx88 , July 11, 2009 2:18 AM
    for a powerful laptop you'll be spending a lot more than on a desktop. use my laptop for class but my desktop is my gaming. i like having steam, itunes, aim, virus scan, and a million folders + browser windows open at the same time and only my desktop can handle it.
  • -4 Hide
    adamovera , July 11, 2009 2:19 AM
    Core2uuMobile computing is for chumps.But seriously, I like to have all of my stuff in one place and I like to have a computer that I can do ALL of my stuff on. So therefore, a high-end desktop is the only choice for me.However for other users it depends on their needs. It all depends on who you are and what your computing needs are.


    So what do you need your desktop for? I probably cannot do heavy virtualization without one, other than that I dunno?
  • 8 Hide
    cadder , July 11, 2009 2:21 AM
    I have a desktop at home because I want a larger screen and I want it to be set up permanently.

    At work I need a desktop because we run pretty demanding cad apps.

    I have 2 laptops but I only use them when I need portability.
  • 4 Hide
    Anonymous , July 11, 2009 2:26 AM
    VM is my biggest motivator as I have consolidated from a rack full of lab DL380s to a single quiet PC. The cost savings and power consumption are reason alone. Other than that restrictions on processor cores, memory and RAID are definers steering my purchasing. My laptop is a toy by comparison, good for web and office applications. $3k in PC dollars has no comparison in the notebook world, at least today...
  • 4 Hide
    Core2uu , July 11, 2009 2:28 AM
    adamoveraSo what do you need your desktop for? I probably cannot do heavy virtualization without one, other than that I dunno?


    Gaming. Because you honestly cannot expect me to run Crysis on my dad's $900 Toshiba junker.
  • 12 Hide
    LATTEH , July 11, 2009 2:31 AM
    the reason why i have a desktop is because i dont feel like getting riped because i can't build it and pick parts
  • 4 Hide
    computabug , July 11, 2009 2:32 AM
    I don't have a laptop and I'll probably never have a laptop. If I'm going to go portable, I'm getting something tiny and durable with an ssd, maybe a smartphone. If I want to do something demanding proc power, I'll use a desktop. I'll get a laptop when we can start choosing our own psu's and cases and monitors and cpu's and memory and mobo and graphics within a few seconds and it can all be packed in a slim ultra durable case with at least 12 hours of full screen gaming power on the battery. Until then, buzz off, laptops. I love my desktop and my (future) smartphone :D 

    Desktop > Laptop all the way to my grave...
  • -3 Hide
    doomtomb , July 11, 2009 2:38 AM
    Anything more intensive than Office and Solitaire on a computer. When will fools wake up and stop complaining about their slow Dell laptop and just build their own desktop.
  • 8 Hide
    Kungfuc402 , July 11, 2009 2:41 AM
    I require a desktop or even server to run my MatLab code. It takes far too long to run on a laptop (currently using a Core Duo 2 @ 2ghz in a Dell Studio). Laptops are not even close to desktops wrt processing power.
Display more comments