These days, a computer is more of a need than a luxury and it is not hard to understand why it has become so. With a computer, it is so much easier to run the operations of a business. It is much easier to organize your home office documents with a desktop or laptop in today’s business world. Important details regarding customers, suppliers and even financial aspects of a business can be stored in computers for easy reference and it also increases productivity as all the information can be found just by a few clicks of a mouse. It is even more useful for a home business owner to have a computer as usually, home based businesses have very few employees, sometimes only the owner herself. When it comes down to how to organize your home office files, there are really only two options to choose from; a desktop or a laptop. The question is which one is better? In this post, I will try to help you decide on that.

Benefits of Desktop To Organize Your Home Office Stuffs:

• Cheaper in cost - Usually desktops cost less compared to laptops for similar specifications. Therefore if you are on a low budget or would like to save cost, then a desktop is more suitable for you. You can visit the DELL website for pricing on desktops configured the way you want.
• Lower possibility of getting stolen - It is not so easy to steal a desktop as it is big and heavy! Furthermore, desktops rarely leave your desk so it is definitely more unlikely for you to lose one. I think I have never heard of a desktop getting stolen. Have you?
• Easier to upgrade hardware - It is easier to upgrade items such as storage capacity and memory on a desktop compared to a laptop.

Benefits of Laptop To Organize Your Home Office Stuffs:

• Portable and lightweight - If you have to meet clients to discuss over a work project, you can bring your lightweight laptop to the meeting and key in all the details discussed straight away into the laptop. Otherwise, you will need to jot it down a notebook then transfer it over to the computer when you get home which means wasting precious time and energy. Also, if you use a laptop then you can choose to work anywhere; in your bedroom, in the kitchen, out on the patio.
• Presentations - With a laptop, you can bring it to meetings and do presentations on it. This will give you a more professional outlook and it is also easier for you because everything is stored in the laptop itself. You do not have to carry stacks of paper with you.
• Space saving - Normally for home businesses, space is a concern. A laptop only needs very minimal space whereas a desktop takes up a whole lot of space as it includes a monitor, a separate keyboard and a tower.

There are also other factors which you need to consider before making your decision on which will be best suited for you to organize your home office with. First is how much is your budget? Secondly, how many people will be using the computer? Is it only for your work tasks or is it going to be used for personal things as well? Will your kids also be using the computer for their entertainment and academic purposes? Realistically, how long do you want the computer to last you? Are you a klutz normally? These questions are all important in order to determine what sort of specifications you require on your computer.

My Recommendations For A Home Business:

***This is my recommended specifications for a laptop used only by 1 user for general business purposes only. You can use this just as a guideline and ask for more detailed recommendations from your sales agent.

• Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo Processor T5750
• Genuine Windows Vista(R) Ultimate 32 bit SP1 Edition (English)
• 3GB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM
• 320GB SATA Hard Drive
• 8X DVD Writer
• NVIDIA(R) GeForce(TM) 8400M GS with 128MB GDDR3 dedicated graphic memory
• Intel wireless card
• Bluetooth module
• Extended warranty
• Pendrive
• Laptop bag
• Anti-virus protection
• Microsoft Office Small Business Editon

I prefer a laptop personally because I find it really useful when I have to travel and it saves space on my desk, not to mention I can organize home office documents and important receipts in an orderly manner. If you are worried that it might get stolen, you can purchase cable locks in any computer store or hardware store for a low price. Some people say that laptops do not have a big enough storage space but these days you can easily get 250GB on a laptop. If that is not enough then you can always purchase an external hard drive as well. You can also check out review sites such as PCMag.com or the popular site called Tom’s Hardware. Happy shopping!

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