Many people have built their own optimal home office setup and decided to go with a laptop. In fact, despite having the space and expertise to build a desktop, they still use a laptop for everything.
Laptops and desktops both have their pros and cons. Desktops are much more powerful, and are often cheaper to assemble, but you can't take them with you. Laptops are portable, but they can be expensive if you want to upgrade to a better machine.
Many people have built their own optimal home office setup and decided to go with a laptop. In fact, despite having the space and expertise to build a desktop, they still use a laptop for everything.
Laptops offer unparalleled flexibility
Work anytime, anywhere - no compromise
Working from home doesn't mean you have to be stuck in the same place all day. Some days you like to work at your desk, and other days you need a change of scenery. Since your laptop is always with you, you can work in your living room, your bedroom, on your couch, or at your favorite coffee shop.
With a desktop, you can only work in one place and one system. The CPU case, monitor, keyboard, and mouse don't disappear. With a laptop, you can literally pack up the entire workstation and take it wherever you need to go. You can work in airports, on planes, in coffee shops, and sometimes even on the road when you're traveling for work.
Modern laptops are no longer lacking in power.
Mobility no longer means sacrificing performance
Some people don't feel short of power when working on a laptop, whether it's photo or video editing, spreadsheets, programming, or gaming. Yes, a desktop will give you more raw processing power for your money. Unless you're really going to use all that computing power, you should enjoy the portability of a laptop.
The author of the article owns a 14-inch HP Omen Transcend, equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and an RTX 4060. The performance of this laptop is not really good because the total power is limited to 140 watts for the entire system, but it can still handle the most demanding tasks.
Docking station - a turning point in the game
Turn your laptop into a complete workstation in seconds
Just because a laptop is portable doesn't mean it can't be part of a great system. With a good USB-C dock, you can connect all the peripherals you need and power your laptop at the same time. It's a great way to keep your system cable-free, and it also ensures you don't have to untangle a bunch of cables when you pick up your laptop.
The only catch is that buying a good USB-C laptop hub can be a bit tricky. There are a number of factors to consider when shopping for a USB-C hub, such as rated power, available ports, potential overheating issues, and of course, price.
Buying a decent hub can be expensive, but once you have one, it gives you the best of both worlds. With just one cable connected to your laptop, you can connect a monitor, speakers, keyboard, mouse, ethernet, gamepad, SD card reader, and a spare USB port for any additional devices.
No need for power outlet to work
Modern laptops are built to last through the longest workdays.
When you're working on a desktop, a power outage means you're stuck until things get back up and running again. You can add an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) to gain more power, but no UPS can keep a power-hungry desktop running for as long as a laptop.
With laptops, power outages are a minor inconvenience, not a productivity killer. You can expect 6 to 8 hours of battery life on a single charge—enough to get you through a full workday without needing an outlet. Just add a UPS to your router to keep your network up and running, and you're good to go! Power outages are no longer a concern.
The only problem here is that if you have a desk with a monitor, speakers, and other external power sources, you will lose them in a power outage. However, adding a basic PC uninterruptible power supply (UPS) will allow you to continue using your setup as normal for several hours, depending on the power consumption of your peripherals and the UPS battery.
This way, your laptop battery only kicks in when your UPS runs out, giving you more time without interruption. Switching to USB-C for a while means you can even charge your laptop and most peripherals with a suitable power bank in case of emergency.
If you're setting up a new home office, invest in a good laptop that can handle your workload, then build a docking station around it. Get a quality USB-C dock, a dual-monitor setup, and peripherals that help you get things done. You'll be up and running in no time.