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A stylised illustration of a desktop personal computer
A stylised illustration of a desktop personal computer

A desktop computer is a personal computer (PC) in a form intended for regular use at a single location, as opposed to a mobile laptop. A personal computer ( PC) is any Computer whose original sales price size and capabilities make it useful for individuals and which is intended to be operated A personal computer ( PC) is any Computer whose original sales price size and capabilities make it useful for individuals and which is intended to be operated A laptop computer, also known as a notebook computer, is a small Personal computer designed for mobile use. Prior to the wide spread of microprocessors a computer that could fit on a desk was considered remarkably small. Today the phrase usually indicates a particular style of computer case. A computer case (also known as the computer chassis, cabinet, tower, box, enclosure, housing or simply case Desktop computers come in a variety of styles ranging from large vertical tower cases to small form factor models that can be tucked behind an LCD monitor. A computer case (also known as the computer chassis, cabinet, tower, box, enclosure, housing or simply case Small form factor ( SFF) computers are housed in smaller cases than typical Desktop computers While the term has no exact definition it generally includes A thin film transistor liquid crystal display ( TFT-LCD) is a variant of Liquid crystal display (LCD which uses Thin film transistor (TFT technology to In this sense, the term 'desktop' refers specifically to a horizontally-oriented case, usually intended to have the display screen placed on top to save space on the desk top. Most modern desktop computers have separate screens and keyboards. A specialized form of desktop case is used for home theatre systems, incorporating front-panel mounted controls for audio and video. A Home Theater PC ( HTPC) or media PC is a convergence device that combines the functions of a Personal computer and a Digital video recorder.

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All-in-one

All-in-one computers are desktop computers that combine the monitor into the same case as the CPU. A desktop computer is a Personal computer (PC in a form intended for regular use at a single location as opposed to a mobile Laptop or portable computer Apple has manufactured several popular examples of all-in-one computers, such as the original Macintosh and the iMac. The Macintosh is the original Apple Macintosh Personal computer. The iMac is a desktop Macintosh computer designed and built by Apple Inc Some older 8-bit computers, such as the Commodore PET 2001 or Kaypro II, also fit into this category. The PET ( P ersonal E lectronic T ransactor) was a home -/ Personal computer produced by Commodore starting in 1977 Kaypro Corporation, commonly called Kaypro, was an American home / Personal computer manufacturer of the 1980s All-in-one PCs are typically more portable than other desktop PCs and many have been built with carrying handles integrated into the case. They can simply be unplugged and transported to a new location.

Health effects of desktop computers

Carelessly-arranged computer screens and keyboard can lead to ergonomics problems such as eyestrain and repetitive strain injuries while using a keyboard for long periods. Ergonomics is the Scientific discipline concerned with Designing according to the human needs and the profession that applies theory principles data and methods A repetitive strain injury (RSI also called cumulative trauma disorder ( CTD) occupational overuse syndrome, or work related upper limb disorder The height of a standard desktop is not recommended for keyboard use, and stacking the monitor on the case aggravates posture problems.

Comparison with laptops

Desktop computer with several common peripherals (Monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers, microphone and a printer)
Desktop computer with several common peripherals (Monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers, microphone and a printer)
Main article: Laptop#Disadvantages

Desktops have the advantage over laptops that the spare parts and extensions tend to be standardized, resulting in lower prices and greater availability. A laptop computer, also known as a notebook computer, is a small Personal computer designed for mobile use. A laptop computer, also known as a notebook computer, is a small Personal computer designed for mobile use. For example, the form factor of the motherboard is standardized, like the ATX form factor. A motherboard is the central or primary Printed circuit board (PCB making up a complex electronic system such as a modern Computer or Laptop The ATX (for Advanced Technology Extended) form factor was created by Intel in 1995. Desktops have several standardized expansion slots, like PCI or PCI express, while laptops only tend to have one mini PCI slot and one PC card slot (or ExpressCard slot). An expansion card (also expansion board, adapter card or accessory card) in Computing is a Printed circuit board that can be inserted Not to be confused with PCI-X, a different bus architecture Peripheral Component Interconnect Express, officially abbreviated as PCI-E Mini PCI is a standard for a Computer bus for attaching peripheral devices to a Computer Motherboard and is an adaptation of In Computing, PC Card (originally '''PCMCIA''', or PCMCIA Card is the Form factor of a peripheral interface designed for Laptop computers ExpressCard is a Hardware standard replacing PC cards (also known as PCMCIA cards both developed by the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association This means that a desktop can be customized and upgraded to a greater extent than laptops. Procedures for (dis-)assembly of desktops tend to be simple and standardized to a great extent too. This tends not to be the case for laptops, though adding or replacing some parts, like the optical drive, rechargeable battery, hard disk, and adding an extra memory module is often quite simple. In Computing, an optical disc drive ( ODD) is a Disk drive that uses Laser light or electromagnetic waves near the Light spectrum See also Rechargeable electricity storage system A rechargeable battery, also known as a storage battery, is a group of two or more secondary A hard disk drive ( HDD) commonly referred to as a hard drive, hard disk, or fixed disk drive, is a Non-volatile storage device

Another advantage of desktop is, that power consumption is not as critical in laptop because desktop is not powered by a rechargeable battery but electricity from the wall socket. In Electrical engineering, power consumption often refers to the Electrical energy over Time supplied to operate an Electrical appliance, although See also Rechargeable electricity storage system A rechargeable battery, also known as a storage battery, is a group of two or more secondary Desktop also provides a lot more more space for heat to escape, though in many cases heat is not the main issue for a desktop (unless it is overclocked). Due to this, the two giant microprocessor manufactures Intel and AMD develop special CPUs for mobile computers (i.e. laptops) that consume less power and lower heat with considerably lower performance levels. A notebook processor is a CPU optimized for notebook computers CPU s ( Central processing units in their various incarnations consume some amount of Electric power.

References

See also

External links

A desktop replacement computer ( dtr) is a Personal computer that provides the full capabilities of a Desktop computer while remaining portable A laptop computer, also known as a notebook computer, is a small Personal computer designed for mobile use. A personal computer ( PC) is any Computer whose original sales price size and capabilities make it useful for individuals and which is intended to be operated An operating system (commonly abbreviated OS and O/S) is the software component of a Computer system that is responsible for the management and coordination

Dictionary

desktop computer

-noun

  1. A computer of a size designed to be used on a desk or table, as opposed to larger machines, such as mainframes, and smaller machines, such as laptops and palmtops.
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