Laptop vs. Desktop computers

Anybody know which will typically have a longer life, a Desktop or a Laptop computer?

I've owned two Mac notebooks (a PowerBook and a Macbook Pro) in the last 8 years, both of them lasting about 4 years before starting to experience very significant performance deterioration and some general problems.

I've never compared against a Desktop computer but I'm curious if one or the other will typically perform better for longer.

Well, this is a very broad and wide-ranging question. There are many types of laptops (netbooks, ultra portables, thin and lights, midsize, desktop replacements) and even some different type of desktops (all-in-ones, slimlines, mini-tower, mid-tower, full-tower). The form factors of these have a lot to do with how they are designed/engineered, and ultimately how long they last to the end-user.

In general, most people want laptops they can lug around with them somewhere, so most people end up being somewhere between a midsized laptop and an ultra-portable. These smaller form-factor portable laptops try and cram in as many components into a small space, while still trying to keep performance high. The more powerful these laptops are in more confined spaces, the more heat they tend to generate which at some point will wear down the components inside. For this general reason, a mid-to-full sized desktop will tend to last longer because it has a much more liberal use of space to allow for proper ventilation and heat dissipation.

The other reason why desktops have a longer life, is because they are made to have replaceable and swappable parts. Up until the past couple years, laptops were not intended to have the internal hard drive replaced, only the RAM. You still really don't have the option of upgrading the CPU or the GPU down the road. But on desktops you can virtually replace any broken part yourself and upgrade parts as needed or desired. This, of course, assumes you have the knowhow to do it. If you don't have the knowhow, make sure you buy from an OEM brand like Apple or Dell and have good customer support or warranty coverage.

I would personally go with a desktop for all of the aforementioned reasons. As long as I don't have a need to move it around, I will always have a desktop as my main computer. I have a notebook for the living room that I use to access files from my desktop as needed, but if the laptop died tomorrow (which it appears ready to do after about 4 years) it wouldn't cause me any heartache, as everything is on the desktop and backed up weekly.

Brandon

My desktop Power Mac G4 actually just died a few days ago, 11 years later. I would venture to guess desktops last longer. More space, the chipsets are larger, better and larger fans, NO BATTERY, no screen, keyboard, or mouse to break... But that's just off the top of my head. I could be wrong.

Brandon pretty much nailed it. Laptops are nearly impossible to upgrade, except memory and disk. You are pretty much stuck with the technology that was built in. That's not to say it won't last longer than a desktop, but as applications become more CPU and graphics intensive the older device won't be able to keep up. A modest desktop will also be about half the cost of the laptop. Just one other point, stay away from Celeron processors. Although they make for a very inexpensive computer, it doesn't take much to slow one down.

Seems to be a consensus growing, and I agree. Desktops will almost surely far outlast laptops, both in terms of wear and tear and performance, although for most practical purposes any more it'll be the wear and tear that forces either of them to be replaced most likely. At the same price point, you'll get more horsepower out of a desktop since they don't have to provide a battery and can use fewer custom components.