ANSWERS: 9
  • If at the same level of tech: The answer might be yes, because of the greater space.
  • I think it depends on how much RAM they have and processor speed rather than the type of computer.
  • desktops might have better air conditioning. to help them run faster longer.
  • It depends on the strength of the leg muscles. First - a laptop/notebook IS a computer. Just uses smaller, lighter and more expensive components. TYPICALLY a desktop uses 7200 RPM disks. Laptops tend to use slower disks - 4200 RPM was the standard, but now 5400 RPM disks are more readily available and even some 7200's as well. EVEN SO - with the smaller platters, the data transfer will still tend to be slower, giving the desktop an advantage. Then there is RAM size. Current laptops come with 2 GB or even more RAM, which is good, but often it will be slower ram than used in a desktop as it saves power. A laptop with less RAM will tend to be much less responsive - but not so bad once the paging has finished and the application is in memory. The rest of the system will probably have more subtle effects.. but again the laptop will tend to lose. But if you want to do a race - even though a desktop will often be faster than a laptop, it is easy to find a laptop that's faster than a particular desktop. And if you're comparing new, if the price is the same, the desktop will almost always be faster. I realized I did not make any reference to processor speed. This was not entirely an oversight - For most uses, as long as a processor is fast enough, it makes little difference. Even when processing large audio or video files, the hard drive will tend to be the limiting factor. It's probably mainly games where processor speed is really an important factor. And one of my pet peeves is multi core CPUs. Since most software runs on one core, there is usually little or no benefit for most users. I use XP. Maybe Vista and Windows 7 have better support, I do not know.
  • My laptop works much faster than most computers I've used.
  • Think of computers and laptops the same as you think of cars. You have Porsche Computers and Porche Laptops....and Yugo Computers and Yugo Laptops. You may find them faster and better on either Computers and Laptops.
  • I've yet to see a computer and lap top run, so I am unable to answer this question! I can guess though, that the laptop would run faster.
  • Usually, yes. Desktop systems have the luxury of being able to draw as many amps as they need while laptops must concern themselves with battery life. A large-screen gaming laptop can run as fast as a mid-range desktop, but will drain the battery in less than 90 minutes. On the other hand, my netbook which is somewhat slower and lacks the graphical power (it uses integrated graphics instead of a dedicated graphics card) can nurse a much smaller 2400mAh battery for nearly twice as long or go all day with a battery comparable to the one that a gaming laptop uses. The 3.4 GHz Northwood P4 in my tower draws almost 90W all by itself and has overloaded a 400W PSU. By comparison, my netbook draws about 17.3W maximum for the CPU, motherboard, LCD panel, and hard drive combined. Desktops also have the luxury of mounting big heat sinks with lots of surface area for better cooling and more and larger fans. The CPU heatsink and fan alone from my desktop weighs almost as much as my netbook. When you total the size and weight of just the fans and heatsinks in my tower, you wind up with something larger and heavier than many laptops that draws nearly as much power and you haven't even added in the CPU or who-knows-how-much for my graphics card or motherboard or drives. Plus, my monitor draws juice too, so we have to add in the power draw of a 20" CRT, which is considerable. Running chips generates heat and draws power. Running chips faster generates more heat and draws more power. Laptops have to worry about heat and power consumption so most do run slower than desktops. Those that don't are often nearly as big/heavy as desktops and can't stray too far from a wall outlet.
  • That would depend on the brand, the quality, the ram, all the specs on your computer =)

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