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Advantages & Disadvantages of a Workstation

Advantages & Disadvantages of a Workstation

Laptop or desktop workstation? Which is right for your remote teams?

There’s a good chance you’re reading this on a laptop screen. With a huge amount of us now working remotelylaptops have become the default work machines for more and more people. And what’s not to like? They’re mobile, lightweight and compact, so you’re not confined to one working space. However, there is a lot that laptops don’t live up to. 

In general, even low-end workstations offer more power than premium laptops. They have more memory and more powerful processors compared to laptops. You would expect them to be quite expensive with all this power, but quite the opposite. High-end laptops often cost more than desktop workstations with comparable specifications

Once you’ve purchased (or, more likely, been assigned by your IT Manager) a laptop, the ability to modify and add hardware later is non-existent in most cases. A desktop workstation gives you the freedom to add hardware as your requirements develop, such as a professional-level GPU or bigger storage drives. Plus, if you know your requirements will grow as time goes on, it’s more affordable to invest in a somewhat “future-proof” workstation than trying to do the same with a laptop.

Think of a desktop workstation as an investment; something that will last for years and years, and can be readily modified to suit your needs. Laptops, on the other hand, aren’t easily customized and have an average lifespan of three to five years.   

"Laptops have an average lifespan of three to five years"

In general, desktop workstations make for an overall more comfortable work setting. Requiring separate monitor, keyboard and mouse, and usually set on a dedicated desk. The user interface and experience is easier and potentially more productive than that of a laptop. I’m sure you’ll know what I mean when I say “laptop hunch”; the unmistakable form of someone crouched over a laptop. This can be easily remedied with the addition of desktop peripherals (monitor, keyboard etc.), but that means investing an even more precious budget on top of significant spending to make a powerful, portable computer function as a desktop, too! 

"Workstations do have their disadvantages"

Of course, workstations do have their disadvantages, the most obvious being their size and lack of portability. Not having batteries, they’re certainly not ideal for a travelling workforce. Whilst laptop batteries used to have notoriously poor performance and longevitythey’re now much improved and give on-the-road teams the ability to work from anywhere, reliably.

And, let’s be honest, workstations aren’t pretty! They tend to be bulky and utilitarianmore suited to being tucked away under a desk than displayed on top of it. 

As with any purchase, whether it’s for yourself or you’re investing in hardware for an entire department, it comes down to what’s really needed. 

If your teams are (or are going to be) travelling between multiple workplaces, requiring flexibility and portability, laptops are the obvious choice. You also need to account for the additional expense of monitors and peripherals.

However, if your company is one of the growing number moving to entirely remote working, consider this. Opting for workstations could be the more powerful, more affordable, more comfortable and overall more future-ready choice. 

View our range of workstations at Bytestock.com. We offer the best from Dell and HP, catering to your business needs! 

Speak to our team

sales@bytestock.com
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+44 (0) 1753 965 777