1

We know you spend countless hours with your work system, so let’s get down to it: Do you favor a Desktop or a Laptop?

What’s your pick for work? Is there something about a powerhouse desktop that just can’t be beat, or is the flexibility of a laptop a game-changer for you? To be clear, we’re talking about the system you would like to use in your day-to-day, not the ones you support.

Do you prefer a desktop or laptop for your work machine?
  • Desktop for work
  • Laptop for work
  • Tablet for work
  • Other, let us know below
0 voters

What about at home? Do you stick with the same choice or mix it up once the workday ends?

Do you prefer a desktop or laptop for your home machine?
  • Desktop for home
  • Laptop for home
  • Tablet for home
  • Other, let us know below
0 voters

I know that many of us juggle different systems at home and work, and your answers might shift depending on what you’re working on. But don’t worry; this mainly focuses on your favorite go-to device.

Tell us which setup you prefer and why. Got a reason that only fellow IT pros would understand?

22 Spice ups
2

Laptop for work since we do travel, albeit rarely.
Laptop for home since I like to go to a coffee shop to sip and surf.

12 Spice ups
3

For work: Laptop with dock and full size monitor, keyboard and mouse. Needed for travel and meetings.

I play strategy games like CK3 and Civ6 and some FPS titles occasionally, so a desktop is de rigueur at home.

15 Spice ups
4

These days, laptops can perform quite well and I certainly don’t need a powerhouse for my job.

13 Spice ups
5

It figures. I’m doing it backwards.

At work, I like the multiple screens, full keyboard, mouse, multiple drives (Optical, HDD & SSD) of a desktop. I don’t need much mobility.

At home, I want to be on the computer where I want to be on the computer and end up on my laptop most of the time.

20 Spice ups
6

Same! My office desktop has 4x monitors attached, an ergonomic keyboard, and a trackball.

I have a desktop at home, but I rarely use it. I mostly use a 17" precision mobile workstation at home, sitting in my recliner. Most of the time, I’m using it to RDP into the work desktop. I rarely spend time in front of a computer at home other than to support the office…I mostly prefer to NOT use a computer at home.

16 Spice ups
7

I have definitely shifted in favor of laptops lately. For the longest time I was desktop-only, but lately the specs of affordable laptops have far surpassed any of the desktops I have ever owned. I suppose if I were a hardcore gamer or doing serious design work, I would want the ability to load up with RAM and crushing GPUs which would mean a desktop.

EDIT: I should have mentioned that for both work and home I have docking stations and large monitor, standard keyboard, and actual mouse. If I was limited to the laptop’s onboard I/O it would be a different answer.

12 Spice ups
8

Desktop for both home and work. I’m the fix-it guy and laptops have become disposable. In days of yore you could replace the battery since it had the shortest MTBF of all components, but now even that requires cracking the case. Performance of laptops has improved but still lags desktops, and desktops are cheaper. Nearly all functions done in a mobile environment can be done on your phone. Unless you really need to travel with a laptop I remain unconvinced in purchasing them.

12 Spice ups
9

Both… unless we’re adding a docking station with monitors in. Putty, Remote Software, Web portals. These things don’t require much power to run. Just need the ability to view it reasonably. larger keyboard than what normally occurs on a laptop with a 10 key.

8 Spice ups
10

Definitely laptop for work, due to mobility requirements.

I have multiple systems for home, but the one I do actual work with is a desktop.

6 Spice ups
11

Flexibility and mobility of a laptop outweighs the benefits of a Desktop for me!

7 Spice ups
12

Laptop for both. I have a nice desk setup at home for work and I can take it into the office when I need to go, and a big beefy gaming laptop that does everything I need and is portable.

6 Spice ups
13

i would prefer a desktop for both, but i use a laptop at work.

I play games at home, so a desktop is almost a must.

For work i have to have a laptop for travel and when i need a direct connection at a remote location. but i would prefer a desktop, which i why my laptop rarely leaves its docking stations with a real mouse, full keyboard and multi monitors.

10 Spice ups
14

I’ve gone for other as I use various Microsoft Surface devices, my main work machines is a Surface Book with a dock but for some jobs I turn the screen around and use the Pen, for personal use I’ve got another Surface Book and a Surface Go tablet which is ultra portable but I’ve got the keyboard / track pad that lets me use it as a laptop.

6 Spice ups
15

I agree with @GDaddy and @tulioarends

  • Work: Laptop for work (docking station et al.).
  • Home: A desktop for gaming and laptop for writing
9 Spice ups
16

Laptop for both for regular things, but I use my tablet as much or more than my laptop for home things, just because it is more portable to carry from room to room and other places without having to take the laptop off the dock, etc. and I don’t need full computer capabilities for reading or playing certain games.

8 Spice ups
17

Laptops everywhere. I am over having a bulky PC. My gaming laptop with a cooler has served me well for quite a while now.

8 Spice ups
18

My ideal setup is to have VDI for everything, then my client device doesn’t matter… However, that’s not feasible with certain modern anticheat systems in games, and I’ve got a work-provided laptop, so I’m currently laptop for work, desktop for home.

I will say that I need at least 2 monitors to work effectively, so I keep a USB-C monitor in my travel bag, and I’ve been considering picking up a second one.

6 Spice ups
19

Both for work: Desktop with 34" curved monitor, ergonomic keyboard, wireless mouse. Laptop for travelling to my schools. (I use SyncToy to keep files consistent between both). I have three desktops at home: one was my work station during Covid (with big curved monitor), still use it if I have to do work after hours; one desktop in our study, one in my garage (seasonal). I do have my old work laptop at home as well, don’t use it much though. So based on that, I am pretty much a desktop guy.

9 Spice ups
20

For the software I use I have to go with desktop. It’s too expensive to buy laptops with the juice i need. I do enjoy my laptop at home. It can handle most of the games I play like CIV6 but for FPS I prefer my desktop to game on.

7 Spice ups