Quick Links Thermal Throttling Is a Real Issue Limited Performance for the Price Impact on Productivity

I had planned to upgrade my PC, but the appeal of a sleek, portable laptop swayed my decision -- so I went out and bought one. However, I quickly realized my shiny new laptop was less than ideal, and there are several reasons why.

Thermal Throttling Is a Real Issue

Many people, including myself, have pondered the age-old dilemma: laptop or PC? What should you choose, a portable machine you can carry around or a box that sits on the table?

While laptops seem appealing with their sleek design, portability, and specs on paper, their actual performance tends to fall short due to thermal throttling. The root cause of this is the laptop design itself. Since they are designed to be portable and compact, the airflow is compromised, and there is no room to dissipate heat from internal parts to the surroundings.

To counteract this, manufacturers limit how much power a graphics card or processor can draw, reducing performance but protecting the hardware from damage. On the other hand, a PC has more room for airflow and an efficient cooling system, which means it can run at its full potential.

So, someone who bought a laptop, thinking it's a powerful machine based on specs, is faced with inconsistent performance, especially during gaming or heavy workloads. Even my MacBook M2 Air, which outputs impressive performance for short bursts, can feel sluggish against a 5-year-old desktop when used over a longer period. When I run software development tools or train machine learning models on my laptop, it heats up quickly to a point where I can't place it on my lap or use its keyboard.

Limited Performance for the Price

Another reason I favor a PC over a laptop is because it costs significantly less for similar performance. I was shopping online to build a PC with a Ryzen 5-7500F processor, which totaled less than $500. Even if I add a decent graphic card, like an Nvidia RTX 4060, it would only cost me an additional $300. However, I would have to spend much more to get a laptop with similar performance.

Also, I have to carefully choose a laptop's specs before purchasing because there is no room for change after making the decision, as laptops are difficult to upgrade. If I am lucky, I might be able to increase its RAM and SSD, given that they are not soldered to the motherboard. However, a processor and graphics card upgrade is impossible.

However, upgrading a PC is easier and more effective. Not only can I upgrade my RAM and SSD, but I can also upgrade my graphics card and processor. With this, the cost of owning a PC significantly decreases over the long run, as I don't have to sell the entire PC; I just get the parts and plug it in.

Impact on Productivity

Using a laptop often hinders my productivity, and there are several reasons why. Firstly, thermal throttling can significantly degrade performance, leading to unpredictable slowdowns and workflow disruption. In contrast, with a well-cooled PC, you can run it at maximum performance rather than short bursts of boost.

Secondly, with a laptop, you are tempted to use it while in bed or on a couch, which introduces bad posture and fatigue. However, with a PC, you are required to create a set-up, which is good because not only do you sit in a better posture, but once everything is in place, you don't have to get into the hassle of connecting and disconnecting cables. Just sit and start working with no added complexities.

Finally, laptop screens are too small for extended work sessions, where you spend a lot of time sitting in front of a computer and risk eye strain. The solution is to set up a desk with an external monitor and keyboard. However, if you are going to spend extra money on an external display and a long list of peripherals, why not get a PC in the first place?