Note: Our comparison table only shows our top 5 picks. You can find the other recommendations within this article.
Someone once correctly said 'change is the only constant in life'. Well, it is very true that change is the only thing that keeps occurring constantly day after day. One needs to change their lifestyle, products, methods of performing things and related others.
While some embrace changes like this there are still a few people who resist change immensely. They like things and ways the way they are and do possess a will to replace it. A similar instance occurs when one goes to using a laptop from a desktop.
They have to bring about change because laptops are more convenient and definitely more portable easing out lives of all. But desktops, on the other hand, are more durable, upgradable and much preferred to use for excessive work.
What such people do not realise is that there is always a good replacement for old things. There are laptops out there that are considered to be as excellent as desktops and even better at with certain features.
What one needs to keep in mind is the specifications of the laptop while purchasing it. What makes a desktop different would be its excellent display and ways in which one can modify any of its parts to make it better as well as how one does not need to worry about the computer heating up.
Factors To Consider
Such a desktop can be easily replaced by a laptop with a giant screen, upgradable parts, and an excellent cooling system. Making a laptop a perfect replacement for your desktop, however, is not an easy job.
The list of specifications required in a laptop mainly depends on how one is planning to use it. Gaming and hacking purpose would require a good RAM and graphics card and undoubtedly the latest processor.
Extensive accounting or office related work would require upgraded storage, brilliant speed and smooth working of the laptop. If you are someone who wants a budget laptop with desktop like features then you must find a laptop with all the general specifications.
The most important aspect of a laptop to become a well-received desktop replacement would be the upgrading options available in the laptop. Without upgrading provision, it would be a disadvantage for a laptop to be called a good desktop replacement.
Comfort is another important aspect to pay much attention to. The laptop's keyboard and touch pad should be equally comfortable and convenient to use as is the case in a desktop.
Finding all these features in one laptop might seem challenging but with numerous laptops coming up there is always a good alternative for you to discover. Here are our reviews of laptops that we consider to be the 10 best desktop replacement laptops.
See Also: 5 Best Laptops For Hackers And Hacking
Our Top Picks for Best Desktop Replacement Laptops
1. ASUS ROG Zephyrus
Specs:
Asus as a renowned brand is known for providing quality laptops at very reasonable prices. The Zephyrus is another such laptop. You can have computing power without sacrificing mobility with this ultra-slim (0.7") and relatively lightweight laptop.
It's 16 GB RAM and and 512GB SSD storage makes it as fast as a desktop. However, you can easily upgrade it to more memory and storage if you need it.
The 15.6-inch Full HD 144 Hz display provides a much sharper screen than probably even your desktop. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 GPU is one of the latest and most powerful for laptop usage.
With the four USB 3.0 ports you have the option to add fast external storage or multiple high resolutions displays when using the laptop in a desktop context. The multicolor backlit keyboard is attractive and controllable.
Since it is designed for the gaming market it has one of the best cooling systems that make the laptop work quicker and remain cooler. Asus calls it the Active Aerodynamic System (AAS) and it increase airflow significantly to keep laptop temperatures under control.
A unique feature of the Zephyrus is that the keyboard is positioned at the front of the chassis. This allows the laptop to use better cooling techniques for the internal components.
This laptop has the power to replace a desktop computer with the mobility required when you are away from your desk. That's why it's our top pick for a desktop replacement laptop.
2. Alienware AW15R3-7376SLV-PUS
Specs:
Alienware as a company is not much known by the ordinary crowd, however, it is considered better than majority laptops amongst the gamers and hackers. It generally designs gaming laptops only but since we are looking for a desktop replacement here, such a laptop can be a great replacement.
Alienware 15 has a 16 GB RAM which can be upgraded to any extent as per requirement. It is designed to support 4K gaming and hence has a stunning display, music system and a quicker next generation processor.
This laptop takes virtual reality to another level and provides enhanced performance and productivity to the user. It's Thunderbolt Type-C port provides exemplary connectivity that ensures that there are no obstacles or hindrances while doing anything and everything on the laptop.
It's 256 GB Solid Slate Drive provides excellent speed and makes your work faster. It's 99 WHr battery provides a minimum of eleven hours of charge at one go when putting to maximum use. Such a great battery life makes one feel as comfortable as while using a desktop.
Its 15-inch display is designed to provide the greatest and smoothest working experience. It's Higher maximum thermal design power (TDP) support makes sure that working on this laptop is a cool and tension free experience for the owner.
See Also: 5 Best Laptops For PUBG (PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds)
3. MSI GV72
Specs:
Another rare laptop brand, MSI is known to provide powerful laptops with commendable features. This laptop is both powerful and ultra portable as it is slim, sleek and light weighted.
This gaming laptop is more like a notebook and provides an amazing replacement for a desktop. It's 256 SSD and 1 TB hard drive storage provides flawless speed and generous storage capacity.
A laptop like this is generally used in gaming competitions where speed, connectivity, display, and charge play the most important roles. But one can easily buy this laptop at an affordable price and enjoy a better experience than a desktop.
This laptop is known to provide the best eSports experience and is yet another excellent gaming laptop. It can be upgraded and modified as per one's desire and is nowhere less than a desktop.
Since it uses the true color technology, it gives an unforgettable experience with an awe inspiring display. Multitask might cause freezing of the screen or hanging of the system in most laptops, but with this laptop, one can multitask like a pro. This laptop is the best choice if someone wants to experience desktop like gaming on a laptop with more fun and frolic.
4. Lenovo Y7000
Specs:
Lenovo produces both excellent laptops and superb desktops. This is one of the laptops that can replace your desktop without giving you any regrets ever. It's full HD display and subwoofer sound system provides enhanced audio and visual experience which is much better than any desktop ever.
It has thermal cooling to prevent heating up of the laptop with excessive use. It's JBL speakers and Dolby Home give a desktop like sound quality. This IdeaPad Y7000 provides raw power and a quad-core processor.
With awesome graphics and performance boosting power it is like a dream come true for any desktop replacer. Its anti glare display, backlit keyboard, massive hard drive, upgradable RAM is just a few out of many features that it offers.
Built to last long, this laptop is as sturdy as a desktop and is portable at the same time. Such laptops prove that owning a desktop is useless with the invention of such a beastly beauty.
It has all the key features one would want in their gadget and since it is designed by a company like Lenovo it can be trusted. This powerhouse laptop is an ultimate choice for a desktop replacement.
5. Acer Predator Helios 300
Specs:
This ACER laptop has everything a gamer could possibly ask for – a powerful internal core allowing it to function at a high capacity, large memory space along with a powerful battery life. It has state of art display with NVIDIA graphics card and an elegant look with an elegant silver color.
It possesses an i7 core with 6MB cache coupled with a 16GB RAM that is expandable to 32GB as well. For storage, it has both a 1TB big HDD device as well as an SDD device expandable up to 512GB. This laptop uses a dedicated NVIDIA GTX 1060 GPU to drive the vast 17.3-inch screen.
And it offers all of this at pretty attractive prices! But it still has factors working against it. Packing full power, it fails to be lightweight. Its bulkiness sometimes serves as a deterrent to its user especially if he/she was hoping for a portable laptop.
For a gaming computer, this laptop has an impressive 7 hour battery life. This laptop has it all: processing power, gaming capability and good portability. If you need this combination of features, this is the laptop for you.
6. HP OMEN 17
Specs:
The name HP has since long been associated with electronic devices. It forms a somewhat premium brand. However, this particular laptop along with being pretty helpful in your gaming endeavours is not so heavy on your pocket!
With all requisite specifications of a gaming laptop like extensive firepower in the form of an advanced quad core i7, upgraded memory and running capacity provided by an HDD hard drive of 1TB (expandable to 2TB) storage and an additional SDD device of up to 512GB this laptop serve you quality.
High definition NVIDIA graphics 965M, along with a 17.3 inches wide display screen that enhances your gaming experience even further. A powerful cooling fan and unbelievably good speakers make this model the complete package.
Above we have looked at all the numerous pros that the HP Omen 17 offers. Let us now look at its cons before declaring our final verdict. While it has amazing functionalities it also weighs as much as 3.35 kilograms which make it not so portable.
Powerful in functionalities with well-functioning cores, its battery has a smaller life than normal making it requisite for its owner to forever look for a plug point. In conclusion, it is never possible to find a device that has only good and no bad. Based on one's requirements one can choose to use or not use this laptop accordingly.
7. Acer Aspire 5
Specs:
This laptop would be a good replacement for working class people who need large storage, great speed and long-lasting laptops for extensive use. Acer Aspire is a budget laptop with upgradable RAM and Solid State Drive.
Designed for perfection, this black edition provides high-octane performance with enhanced speed and removes all hindrances that one might face in a normal laptop. It supports Windows 10 and running any accounting software like Tally or other kinds of software is never a problem in this laptop.
The laptop is customized especially to provide fast track life experience. It's 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8565U processor is faster than a majority of other laptops. It's 15.6-inch full HD IPS backlit display makes using this laptop amazing both at night and during the day.
Using the Thunderbolt technology like all the other laptops on this list, it provides flawless connectivity and makes one work faster and easier. The name itself suggests that this is one of those laptops that have great battery life and is as fast as a nitro booster.
It provides 9.5-hours of battery life under normal load, which isn't bad given the high-end processor. Its advanced cooling pads avoid heating up of the laptop and maintain its quality.
8. HP Pavilion Gaming LAptop
Specs:
Perfect for designers, video editor, movie makers and the kind, this laptop provides turbocharged performance and impressive streaming sessions and photo editing without any obstacles.
One multi task on this laptop like a master and produce high quality work much faster. With massive storage and upgradable memory, this laptop can be a good replacement for your desktops. It is slim and light weighted that makes it Ultra portable.
Besides the look, it has a full HD IPS touch screen that makes the display better than your desktops. It's liberating battery life and turbo charger makes one not worry about the charge at all while using the laptop for extensive work.
Its backlit keyboard provides comfortable typing similar to that on a desktop. One can even work with lights off or at night. The HP Support Assistance gives a solution to all your problems making this laptop a great choice for all those people who are way too comfortable with their desktops.
9. Dell Inspiron
Specs:
The Inspiron series produced by Dell has been a hit since their launch. These laptops are a complete package and can be bought in exchange for a real budget price making it an optimum choice for the people having a tight budget.
Having a 17.3-inch FHD display the screen has clarity and great quality which is much better than a desktop. It's 16 GB RAM and 1 TB memory can be expanded if needed but when used seems to be just enough.
This laptop is fast, smart and the preview of the great laptops that are yet to come. With a 16 GB system memory which can be expanded, multi tasking and gaming are possible even on the go.
However, since it's Hard Drive of 1 TB cannot be upgraded, storage might be a problem for some but 1 TB is a large storage and does not create many problems. Besides the storage, everything else is just a perfect replacement for your desktop.
It has a good sound system, stunning display, advanced processor, amazing optical drive and great connectivity. This laptop can be trusted even more as it is produced by one of the top laptop brands which provide great after sales service.
10. HP Envy 17T Touch
Specs:
As the name of the laptop is envy, one will definitely envy someone who owns this out of the world laptop. With 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD storage and 8th generation Intel Core processor, it is one of the fastest and efficient laptops of the lot.
It's backlit keyboard and smooth touch pad provides great comfort which is much similar to that found while using a desktop. Its 17.3-inch full HD Touch Screen display makes it quite similar to the HP Pavilion Notebook.
The Bang & Olufsen Audio stereo speakers provide great sound quality and can be a good laptop for mixing songs and making videos. It's 802.11ac (2x2) and Bluetooth 4.0 combo provide great network connectivity and makes one's work faster and simpler.
Its dimensions are such that the laptop does not weigh much but still has a large body. It even has a finger print reader that can help one increase security on their laptops. Unlike other laptops on this list, it does not have a lot to offer but it has all the major features that one would want in a desktop replacement.
Conclusion
One may want a laptop because of its portability factor and prefer the smaller laptops rather than the desktops.
However, those who resist change but are forced to replace their desktops or even wish to make a willing change, these choices are some of the best replacements and will give the user a better experience than a desktop could ever impart.
These laptops provide much more than a desktop and any one would be happy to own any one of these 10 best desktop replacement laptops.