Desktops - Tech Takes

When the Hewlett-Packard Company (HP) was founded in 1939, the world was a very different place. There were no fully electronic computers. The only printers were industrial-sized printing presses. Palo Alto, California was composed mostly of fruit orchards. The internet was decades away from fruition.

Whether you want to run basic programs or you crave the most power from your new laptop or desktop PC, it’s helpful to know how many CPU cores you need before you start shopping.

When should you buy a workstation for your business, and when will a desktop or standard laptop deliver the performance you need? A workstation can add substantial productivity gains to your workflow.

Determining whether you need the added computing power will depend on your business and the roles within that business. You may find that some employees, such as engineers and content creators, need a workstation due to the intensity and complexity of the work they do. Others, even within the same company, can accomplish everything they need to do with a more entry-level desktop PC or even a laptop.

There’s no universal answer to the workstation vs. desktop (vs. laptop) question, so you can consider your company's needs as we take a look at the differences between workstations and PCs. We’ll also cover the types of employees and workflows that demand a workstation, and the advantages these beefed-up computers bring to your workflow.

What is a workstation?

Workstations

Powerful, secure desktop computers still reign supreme for running a small- or medium-sized business. Here are the best 5 desktop computers for business from HP. But first, we’ll clarify what a desktop computer is in 2020, then get into some of the features to look for as you shop for your top desktop computer.

PCIe slots allow your motherboard to connect with your PC’s most critical components and provide key functionality. They also supply you with numerous customization and upgrade options when you’re ready to venture beyond preloaded features like graphics and storage.

You’ve wrapped your head around the core AiO desktop pc considerations. Now it’s time to find your swanky new standalone machine. We’ve sorted our top recommendations into categories and highlighted the key specs to simplify the shopping experience.

An underpowered GPU will impact performance and lead to a lackluster visual experience for gaming, photo and video editing, and other visual tasks. If you don’t know where to start, our graphics card buying guide will help you make the right decisions when it comes to choosing your next graphics card and taking control of the graphics performance on your PC.

Your computer’s BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) software is an essential part of keeping all your systems running smoothly.

Updating it can help resolve bugs and fix hardware issues. But before you make any updates to your BIOS, it’s important to know exactly when and how to update it. Making an unnecessary change could harm your computer instead of help if not done properly.