Many people intend to upgrade their PC, but the appeal of a thin, portable laptop pushes them to buy one. However, they quickly realized that their shiny new laptop wasn't ideal and here's why.
Thermal Throttling is the real problem

Many people have pondered the age-old dilemma: Laptop or PC? What should you choose, a laptop you can carry with you or a desktop system?
While laptops may seem attractive with their slim design, portability, and theoretical specifications, their actual performance tends to decrease due to temperature drop. The root cause of this problem is the design of the laptop. Since they are designed to be portable and compact, airflow is affected and there is no room to dissipate heat from the internal components to the surrounding environment.
To get around this, manufacturers limit the amount of power the graphics card or processor can use, reducing performance but protecting the hardware from damage. A PC, on the other hand, has more space for airflow and an efficient cooling system, meaning it can run at full capacity.
So, a person who buys a laptop, thinking that it is a powerful machine based on the specifications, will face unstable performance, especially when playing games or heavy workloads. Even the MacBook M2 Air, which has impressive short-term performance, can become sluggish compared to a 5-year-old desktop with long-term use. When you run software development tools or train Machine Learning models on your laptop, it heats up so quickly that you can't rest it on your lap or use the keyboard.
Limited performance compared to price

Another reason why many people prefer PCs over laptops is because they cost significantly less for similar performance. You can shop online to build a PC with a Ryzen 5-7500F processor, total cost is less than 500 USD. Even if you add a good graphics card, like the Nvidia RTX 4060, it's only an additional $300. However, you will have to spend more to get a laptop with similar performance.
Additionally, you must carefully choose the laptop's specifications before purchasing because there is no room for changes after the decision has been made, as laptops are difficult to upgrade. If you're lucky, you can change your device's RAM and SSD because they are not soldered to the motherboard. However, the processor and graphics card cannot be upgraded.
However, upgrading a PC is easier and more efficient. Not only can you upgrade the RAM and SSD, but you can also upgrade the graphics card and processor. With this, the cost of PC ownership drops significantly over time, since you don't have to sell the entire PC; Just buy the parts and plug in.
Impact on productivity

Using a laptop often hinders productivity and there are a number of reasons. First, Thermal Throttling can significantly reduce performance, leading to unpredictable machine slowdowns and workflow disruptions. On the contrary, with a well-cooled PC, you can run it at maximum performance instead of sudden acceleration in short periods of time.
Second, with a laptop, you tend to use it while lying in bed or on the couch, which causes bad posture and fatigue. However, with a PC, you have to create a setup, which is good because not only do you sit in a better position, but once everything is in place, you don't have to go through the hassle of connecting and disconnecting. cable. Just sit and start working without any additional complications.
Finally, laptop screens are too small for long work sessions, when you spend a lot of time sitting in front of the computer and risk eye strain. The solution is to set up a desk with an external monitor and keyboard. However, if you're going to spend the extra money on an external monitor and a long list of peripherals, why not buy a PC in the first place?