<s>
A	O
desktop	B-Device
computer	I-Device
(	O
often	O
abbreviated	O
desktop	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
designed	O
for	O
regular	O
use	O
at	O
a	O
stationary	O
location	O
on	O
or	O
near	O
a	O
desk	O
(	O
as	O
opposed	O
to	O
a	O
portable	B-Device
computer	I-Device
)	O
due	O
to	O
its	O
size	O
and	O
power	O
requirements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
most	O
common	O
configuration	O
has	O
a	O
case	B-General_Concept
that	O
houses	O
the	O
power	O
supply	O
,	O
motherboard	B-Device
(	O
a	O
printed	O
circuit	O
board	O
with	O
a	O
microprocessor	B-Architecture
as	O
the	O
central	B-General_Concept
processing	I-General_Concept
unit	I-General_Concept
,	O
memory	B-General_Concept
,	O
bus	B-General_Concept
,	O
certain	O
peripherals	B-Device
and	O
other	O
electronic	O
components	O
)	O
,	O
disk	B-Device
storage	I-Device
(	O
usually	O
one	O
or	O
more	O
hard	B-Device
disk	I-Device
drives	I-Device
,	O
solid	B-Device
state	I-Device
drives	I-Device
,	O
optical	O
disc	B-Device
drives	I-Device
,	O
and	O
in	O
early	O
models	O
a	O
floppy	B-Device
disk	I-Device
drive	I-Device
)	O
;	O
a	O
keyboard	B-Device
and	O
mouse	B-Device
for	O
input	B-General_Concept
;	O
and	O
a	O
monitor	B-Device
,	O
speakers	B-Device
,	O
and	O
,	O
often	O
,	O
a	O
printer	O
for	O
output	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
case	B-General_Concept
may	O
be	O
oriented	O
horizontally	O
or	O
vertically	O
and	O
placed	O
either	O
underneath	O
,	O
beside	O
,	O
or	O
on	O
top	O
of	O
a	O
desk	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
with	O
their	O
cases	O
oriented	O
vertically	O
are	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
towers	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
majority	O
of	O
cases	O
offered	O
since	O
the	O
mid-1990s	O
are	O
in	O
this	O
form	O
factor	O
,	O
the	O
term	O
desktop	O
(	O
or	O
pizza	B-General_Concept
box	I-General_Concept
,	O
for	O
compact	O
models	O
)	O
has	O
been	O
retronymically	O
used	O
to	O
refer	O
to	O
modern	O
cases	O
offered	O
in	O
the	O
traditional	O
horizontal	O
orientation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Prior	O
to	O
the	O
widespread	O
use	O
of	O
microprocessors	B-Architecture
,	O
a	O
computer	O
that	O
could	O
fit	O
on	O
a	O
desk	O
was	O
considered	O
remarkably	O
small	O
;	O
the	O
type	O
of	O
computers	O
most	O
commonly	O
used	O
were	O
minicomputers	B-Architecture
,	O
which	O
,	O
despite	O
the	O
name	O
,	O
were	O
rather	O
large	O
and	O
were	O
"	O
mini	O
"	O
only	O
compared	O
to	O
the	O
so-called	O
"	O
big	B-Architecture
iron	I-Architecture
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Early	O
computers	O
,	O
and	O
later	O
the	O
general	O
purpose	O
high	O
throughput	O
«	O
mainframes»	O
,	O
took	O
up	O
the	O
space	O
of	O
a	O
whole	O
room	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Minicomputers	B-Architecture
,	O
on	O
the	O
contrary	O
,	O
generally	O
fit	O
into	O
one	O
or	O
a	O
few	O
refrigerator-sized	O
racks	O
,	O
or	O
,	O
for	O
the	O
few	O
smaller	O
ones	O
,	O
built	O
into	O
a	O
fairly	O
large	O
desk	O
,	O
not	O
put	O
on	O
top	O
of	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
1970	O
saw	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
the	O
Datapoint	B-Device
2200	I-Device
,	O
a	O
"	O
smart	O
"	O
computer	B-General_Concept
terminal	I-General_Concept
complete	O
with	O
keyboard	B-Device
and	O
monitor	B-Device
,	O
was	O
designed	O
to	O
connect	O
with	O
a	O
mainframe	B-Architecture
computer	I-Architecture
but	O
that	O
did	O
n't	O
stop	O
owners	O
from	O
using	O
its	O
built-in	O
computational	O
abilities	O
as	O
a	O
stand-alone	O
desktop	B-Device
computer	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
HP	B-Device
9800	I-Device
series	I-Device
,	O
which	O
started	O
out	O
as	O
programmable	O
calculators	O
in	O
1971	O
but	O
was	O
programmable	O
in	O
BASIC	O
by	O
1972	O
,	O
used	O
a	O
smaller	O
version	O
of	O
a	O
minicomputer	B-Architecture
design	O
based	O
on	O
ROM	O
memory	B-General_Concept
and	O
had	O
small	O
one-line	O
LED	O
alphanumeric	O
displays	O
and	O
displayed	O
graphics	O
with	O
a	O
plotter	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Wang	B-Language
2200	I-Language
of	O
1973	O
had	O
a	O
full-size	O
cathode-ray	B-Device
tube	I-Device
(	O
CRT	O
)	O
and	O
cassette	O
tape	O
storage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
IBM	B-Device
5100	I-Device
in	O
1975	O
had	O
a	O
small	O
CRT	B-Device
display	I-Device
and	O
could	O
be	O
programmed	O
in	O
BASIC	O
and	O
APL	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
,	O
TRS-80	B-Device
and	O
Commodore	B-Device
PET	I-Device
were	O
first	O
generation	O
personal	O
home	O
computers	O
launched	O
in	O
1977	O
,	O
which	O
were	O
aimed	O
at	O
the	O
consumer	O
market	O
–	O
rather	O
than	O
businessmen	O
or	O
computer	O
hobbyists	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Byte	O
magazine	O
referred	O
to	O
these	O
three	O
as	O
the	O
"	O
1977	O
Trinity	O
"	O
of	O
personal	B-Device
computing	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Throughout	O
the	O
1980s	O
and	O
1990s	O
,	O
desktop	B-Device
computers	I-Device
became	O
the	O
predominant	O
type	O
,	O
the	O
most	O
popular	O
being	O
the	O
IBM	B-Device
PC	I-Device
and	O
its	O
clones	O
,	O
followed	O
by	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
Macintosh	I-Device
,	O
with	O
the	O
third-placed	O
Commodore	B-Device
Amiga	I-Device
having	O
some	O
success	O
in	O
the	O
mid-1980s	O
but	O
declining	O
by	O
the	O
early	O
1990s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Early	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
,	O
like	O
the	O
original	O
IBM	B-Device
Personal	I-Device
Computer	I-Device
,	O
were	O
enclosed	O
in	O
a	O
"	O
desktop	B-General_Concept
case	I-General_Concept
"	O
,	O
horizontally	O
oriented	O
to	O
have	O
the	O
display	O
screen	O
placed	O
on	O
top	O
,	O
thus	O
saving	O
space	O
on	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
actual	O
desk	O
,	O
although	O
these	O
cases	O
had	O
to	O
be	O
sturdy	O
enough	O
to	O
support	O
the	O
weight	O
of	O
CRT	B-Device
displays	I-Device
that	O
were	O
widespread	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Over	O
the	O
course	O
of	O
the	O
1990s	O
,	O
desktop	B-General_Concept
cases	I-General_Concept
gradually	O
became	O
less	O
common	O
than	O
the	O
more-accessible	O
tower	B-General_Concept
cases	I-General_Concept
that	O
may	O
be	O
located	O
on	O
the	O
floor	O
under	O
or	O
beside	O
a	O
desk	O
rather	O
than	O
on	O
a	O
desk	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Not	O
only	O
do	O
these	O
tower	B-General_Concept
cases	I-General_Concept
have	O
more	O
room	O
for	O
expansion	O
,	O
they	O
have	O
also	O
freed	O
up	O
desk	O
space	O
for	O
monitors	O
which	O
were	O
becoming	O
larger	O
every	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Desktop	B-General_Concept
cases	I-General_Concept
,	O
particularly	O
the	O
compact	O
form	O
factors	O
,	O
remain	O
popular	O
for	O
corporate	O
computing	O
environments	O
and	O
kiosks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
computer	B-General_Concept
cases	I-General_Concept
can	O
be	O
interchangeably	O
positioned	O
either	O
horizontally	O
(	O
desktop	O
)	O
or	O
upright	O
(	O
mini-tower	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Influential	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
Doom	B-Application
and	O
Quake	O
during	O
the	O
1990s	O
had	O
pushed	O
gamers	B-Device
and	O
enthusiasts	O
to	O
frequently	O
upgrade	O
to	O
the	O
latest	O
CPUs	O
and	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
(	O
3dfx	O
,	O
ATI	O
,	O
and	O
Nvidia	O
)	O
for	O
their	O
desktops	O
(	O
usually	O
a	O
tower	B-General_Concept
case	I-General_Concept
)	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
run	O
these	O
applications	O
,	O
though	O
this	O
has	O
slowed	O
since	O
the	O
late	O
2000s	O
as	O
the	O
growing	O
popularity	O
of	O
Intel	O
integrated	O
graphics	O
forced	O
game	O
developers	O
to	O
scale	O
back	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Creative	O
Technology	O
's	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
series	O
were	O
a	O
de	O
facto	O
standard	O
for	O
sound	O
cards	O
in	O
desktop	B-Device
PCs	I-Device
during	O
the	O
1990s	O
until	O
the	O
early	O
2000s	O
,	O
when	O
they	O
were	O
reduced	O
to	O
a	O
niche	O
product	O
,	O
as	O
OEM	O
desktop	B-Device
PCs	I-Device
came	O
with	O
sound	O
boards	O
integrated	O
directly	O
onto	O
the	O
motherboard	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
desktops	O
have	O
long	O
been	O
the	O
most	O
common	O
configuration	O
for	O
PCs	B-Device
,	O
by	O
the	O
mid-2000s	O
the	O
growth	O
shifted	O
from	O
desktops	O
to	O
laptops	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Notably	O
,	O
while	O
desktops	O
were	O
mainly	O
produced	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
laptops	B-Device
had	O
long	O
been	O
produced	O
by	O
contract	O
manufacturers	O
based	O
in	O
Asia	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Foxconn	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Battery-powered	O
portable	B-Device
computers	I-Device
had	O
just	O
a	O
2%	O
worldwide	O
market	O
share	O
in	O
1986	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
laptops	B-Device
have	O
become	O
increasingly	O
popular	O
,	O
both	O
for	O
business	O
and	O
personal	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Around	O
109	O
million	O
notebook	B-Device
PCs	I-Device
shipped	O
worldwide	O
in	O
2007	O
,	O
a	O
growth	O
of	O
33%	O
compared	O
to	O
2006	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2008	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
estimated	O
that	O
145.9	O
million	O
notebooks	B-Device
were	O
sold	O
and	O
that	O
the	O
number	O
would	O
grow	O
in	O
2009	O
to	O
177.7	O
million	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
third	O
quarter	O
of	O
2008	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
when	O
worldwide	O
notebook	B-Device
PC	I-Device
shipments	O
exceeded	O
desktops	O
,	O
with	O
38.6	O
million	O
units	O
versus	O
38.5	O
million	O
units	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
sales	O
breakdown	O
of	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
Macintosh	I-Device
has	O
seen	O
sales	O
of	O
desktop	O
Macs	B-Device
staying	O
mostly	O
constant	O
while	O
being	O
surpassed	O
by	O
that	O
of	O
Mac	B-Device
notebooks	B-Device
whose	O
sales	O
rate	O
has	O
grown	O
considerably	O
;	O
seven	O
out	O
of	O
ten	O
Macs	B-Device
sold	O
were	O
laptops	B-Device
in	O
2009	O
,	O
a	O
ratio	O
projected	O
to	O
rise	O
to	O
three	O
out	O
of	O
four	O
by	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
change	O
in	O
sales	O
of	O
form	O
factors	O
is	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
desktop	O
iMac	O
moving	O
from	O
affordable	O
G3	B-Device
to	O
upscale	O
G4	B-Device
model	O
and	O
subsequent	O
releases	O
are	O
considered	O
premium	O
all-in-ones	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
contrast	O
,	O
the	O
MSRP	O
of	O
the	O
MacBook	O
laptop	B-Device
lines	O
have	O
dropped	O
through	O
successive	O
generations	O
such	O
that	O
the	O
MacBook	O
Air	O
and	O
MacBook	O
Pro	O
constitute	O
the	O
lowest	O
price	O
of	O
entry	O
to	O
a	O
Mac	B-Device
,	O
with	O
the	O
exception	O
of	O
the	O
even	O
more	O
inexpensive	O
Mac	B-Device
Mini	O
(	O
albeit	O
without	O
a	O
monitor	B-Device
and	O
keyboard	B-Device
)	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
MacBooks	O
are	O
the	O
top-selling	O
form	O
factors	O
of	O
the	O
Macintosh	B-Device
platform	O
today	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
decades	O
of	O
development	O
mean	O
that	O
most	O
people	O
already	O
own	O
desktop	B-Device
computers	I-Device
that	O
meet	O
their	O
needs	O
and	O
have	O
no	O
need	O
of	O
buying	O
a	O
new	O
one	O
merely	O
to	O
keep	O
pace	O
with	O
advancing	O
technology	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Notably	O
,	O
the	O
successive	O
release	O
of	O
new	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	O
(	O
Windows	O
95	O
,	O
98	O
,	O
XP	O
,	O
Vista	O
,	O
7	O
,	O
8	O
,	O
10	O
and	O
so	O
on	O
)	O
had	O
been	O
drivers	O
for	O
the	O
replacement	O
of	O
PCs	B-Device
in	O
the	O
1990s	O
,	O
but	O
this	O
slowed	O
in	O
the	O
2000s	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
poor	O
reception	O
of	O
Windows	O
Vista	O
over	O
Windows	O
XP	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Recently	O
,	O
some	O
analysts	O
have	O
suggested	O
that	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
has	O
actually	O
hurt	O
sales	O
of	O
PCs	B-Device
in	O
2012	O
,	O
as	O
businesses	O
have	O
decided	O
to	O
stick	O
with	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
rather	O
than	O
upgrade	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
suggested	O
that	O
Microsoft	O
has	O
acknowledged	O
"	O
implicitly	O
ringing	O
the	O
desktop	B-Device
PC	I-Device
death	O
knell	O
"	O
as	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
offers	O
little	O
upgrade	O
in	O
desktop	B-Device
PC	I-Device
functionality	O
over	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
;	O
instead	O
,	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
's	O
innovations	O
are	O
mostly	O
on	O
the	O
mobile	O
side	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
post-PC	B-Device
trend	I-Device
has	O
seen	O
a	O
decline	O
in	O
the	O
sales	O
of	O
desktop	O
and	O
laptop	B-Device
PCs	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
PC	O
makers	O
and	O
electronics	O
retailers	O
have	O
responded	O
by	O
investing	O
their	O
engineering	O
and	O
marketing	O
resources	O
towards	O
laptops	B-Device
(	O
initially	O
netbooks	B-Device
in	O
the	O
late	O
2000s	O
,	O
and	O
then	O
the	O
higher-performance	O
Ultrabooks	B-Device
from	O
2011	O
onwards	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
manufacturers	O
believed	O
had	O
more	O
potential	O
to	O
revive	O
the	O
PC	O
market	O
than	O
desktops	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2017	O
,	O
StatCounter	O
declared	O
a	O
"	O
Milestone	O
in	O
technology	O
history	O
and	O
end	O
of	O
an	O
era	O
"	O
with	O
the	O
mobile	B-Application
Android	I-Application
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
becoming	O
more	O
popular	O
than	O
Windows	O
(	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
that	O
made	O
desktops	O
dominant	O
over	O
mainframe	B-Architecture
computers	I-Architecture
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	O
is	O
still	O
most	O
popular	O
on	O
desktops	O
(	O
and	O
laptops	B-Device
)	O
,	O
while	O
smartphones	O
(	O
and	O
tablets	O
)	O
use	O
Android	B-Application
,	O
iOS	B-Application
or	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
Mobile	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Towards	O
the	O
middle	O
of	O
the	O
2010s	O
,	O
media	O
sources	O
began	O
to	O
question	O
the	O
existence	O
of	O
the	O
post-PC	B-Device
trend	I-Device
,	O
at	O
least	O
as	O
conventionally	O
defined	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
the	O
so-called	O
post-PC	B-Device
devices	O
are	O
just	O
other	O
portable	O
forms	O
of	O
PCs	B-Device
joining	O
traditional	O
desktop	B-Device
PCs	I-Device
which	O
still	O
have	O
their	O
own	O
operation	O
areas	O
and	O
evolve	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
for	O
casual	O
use	O
traditional	O
desktops	O
and	O
laptops	B-Device
have	O
seen	O
a	O
decline	O
in	O
sales	O
,	O
in	O
2018	O
,	O
global	O
PC	O
sales	O
experienced	O
a	O
resurgence	O
,	O
driven	O
by	O
the	O
business	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
the	O
International	O
Data	O
Corporation	O
(	O
IDC	O
)	O
,	O
PC	O
sales	O
shot	O
up	O
14.8	O
%	O
between	O
2020	O
and	O
2021	O
and	O
desktop	O
market	O
grew	O
faster	O
than	O
the	O
laptop	B-Device
market	O
in	O
the	O
second	O
quarter	O
of	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
gaming	B-Device
desktops	I-Device
have	O
seen	O
a	O
global	O
revenue	O
increase	O
of	O
54%	O
annually	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
gaming	O
the	O
global	O
market	O
of	O
gaming	B-Device
desktops	I-Device
,	O
laptops	B-Device
,	O
and	O
monitors	O
is	O
expected	O
to	O
grow	O
to	O
61.1	O
million	O
shipments	O
by	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
2023	O
,	O
up	O
from	O
42.1	O
million	O
,	O
with	O
desktops	O
growing	O
from	O
15.1	O
million	O
shipments	O
to	O
19	O
million	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
partially	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
increasing	O
affordability	O
of	O
desktop	B-Device
PCs	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
components	O
are	O
connected	O
to	O
each	O
other	O
by	O
cables	O
or	O
wireless	B-General_Concept
connections	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
often	O
come	O
in	O
a	O
tower	B-General_Concept
form	O
factor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
by	O
expansion	B-Device
card	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Early	O
extended-size	O
(	O
significantly	O
larger	O
than	O
mainstream	O
ATX	B-Language
case	B-General_Concept
)	O
tower	B-General_Concept
computers	I-General_Concept
sometimes	O
were	O
labeled	O
as	O
"	O
deskside	B-Device
computers	I-Device
"	O
,	O
but	O
currently	O
this	O
naming	O
being	O
quite	O
rare	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
are	O
typically	O
small-sized	O
,	O
inexpensive	O
,	O
low-power	O
computers	O
designed	O
for	O
basic	O
tasks	O
such	O
as	O
web	O
browsing	O
,	O
accessing	O
web-based	B-Application
applications	I-Application
,	O
document	O
processing	O
,	O
and	O
audio/video	O
playback	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
nettop	B-Protocol
is	O
a	O
notable	O
example	O
of	O
a	O
compact	O
desktop	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
laptop	B-Device
without	O
a	O
screen	O
can	O
functionally	O
be	O
used	O
as	O
a	O
compact	O
desktop	O
,	O
sometimes	O
called	O
a	O
"	O
slabtop	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
all-in-one	O
(	O
AIO	O
)	O
desktop	B-Device
computer	I-Device
integrates	O
the	O
system	O
's	O
internal	O
components	O
into	O
the	O
same	O
case	B-General_Concept
as	O
the	O
display	O
,	O
thus	O
occupying	O
a	O
smaller	O
footprint	O
(	O
with	O
fewer	O
cables	O
)	O
than	O
desktops	O
that	O
incorporate	O
a	O
tower	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
All-in-one	O
systems	O
are	O
rarely	O
labeled	O
as	O
desktop	B-Device
computers	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gaming	B-Device
computers	I-Device
are	O
desktop	B-Device
computers	I-Device
with	O
high	O
performance	O
CPU	B-General_Concept
,	O
GPU	B-Architecture
,	O
and	O
RAM	B-Architecture
optimized	O
for	O
playing	O
video	O
games	O
at	O
high	O
resolution	O
and	O
frame	O
rates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gaming	B-Device
computer	I-Device
peripheries	O
usually	O
include	O
mechanical	B-Device
keyboards	I-Device
for	O
faster	O
response	O
time	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
gaming	B-Device
computer	I-Device
mouse	B-Device
which	O
can	O
track	O
higher	O
dots	O
per	O
inch	O
movement	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Over	O
time	O
some	O
traditional	O
desktop	B-Device
computers	I-Device
have	O
been	O
replaced	O
with	O
thin	O
clients	O
utilizing	O
off-site	O
computing	O
solutions	O
like	O
the	O
cloud	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
more	O
services	O
and	O
applications	O
are	O
served	O
over	O
the	O
internet	O
from	O
off-site	O
servers	O
,	O
local	O
computing	O
needs	O
decrease	O
,	O
this	O
drives	O
desktop	B-Device
computers	I-Device
to	O
be	O
smaller	O
,	O
cheaper	O
,	O
and	O
need	O
less	O
powerful	O
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
More	O
applications	O
and	O
in	O
some	O
cases	O
entire	O
virtual	O
desktops	O
are	O
moved	O
off-site	O
and	O
the	O
desktop	B-Device
computer	I-Device
runs	O
only	O
an	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
or	O
a	O
shell	O
application	B-Application
while	O
the	O
actual	O
content	O
is	O
served	O
from	O
a	O
server	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Workstations	O
are	O
advanced	O
class	O
of	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
designed	O
for	O
a	O
user	O
and	O
more	O
powerful	O
than	O
a	O
regular	O
PC	O
but	O
less	O
powerful	O
than	O
a	O
server	O
in	O
regular	O
computing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
main	O
form-factor	O
for	O
this	O
class	O
is	O
a	O
Tower	B-General_Concept
case	I-General_Concept
,	O
but	O
most	O
vendors	O
produce	O
a	O
compact	O
or	O
all-in-one	O
low-end	O
workstations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
of	O
tower	B-General_Concept
workstations	O
can	O
be	O
converted	O
to	O
a	O
rack-mount	B-Application
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Desktops	O
have	O
an	O
advantage	O
over	O
laptops	B-Device
in	O
that	O
the	O
spare	O
parts	O
and	O
extensions	O
tend	O
to	O
be	O
standardized	O
,	O
resulting	O
in	O
lower	O
prices	O
and	O
greater	O
availability	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
the	O
size	O
and	O
mounting	O
of	O
the	O
motherboard	B-Device
are	O
standardized	O
into	O
ATX	B-Language
,	O
microATX	B-Device
,	O
BTX	B-Device
or	O
other	O
form	O
factors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Desktops	O
have	O
several	O
standardized	O
expansion	B-Device
slots	I-Device
,	O
like	O
conventional	B-Protocol
PCI	I-Protocol
or	O
PCI	B-Protocol
Express	O
,	O
while	O
laptops	B-Device
tend	O
to	O
have	O
only	O
one	O
mini-PCI	O
slot	O
and	O
one	O
PC	B-Architecture
Card	I-Architecture
slot	O
(	O
or	O
ExpressCard	B-Device
slot	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
tends	O
not	O
to	O
be	O
the	O
case	B-General_Concept
for	O
laptops	B-Device
,	O
though	O
adding	O
or	O
replacing	O
some	O
parts	O
,	O
like	O
the	O
optical	O
drive	O
,	O
hard	B-Device
disk	I-Device
,	O
or	O
adding	O
an	O
extra	O
memory	B-General_Concept
module	I-General_Concept
is	O
often	O
quite	O
simple	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
means	O
that	O
a	O
desktop	B-Device
computer	I-Device
configuration	O
,	O
usually	O
a	O
tower	B-General_Concept
case	I-General_Concept
,	O
can	O
be	O
customized	O
and	O
upgraded	O
to	O
a	O
greater	O
extent	O
than	O
laptops	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
customization	O
has	O
kept	O
tower	B-General_Concept
cases	I-General_Concept
popular	O
among	O
gamers	B-Device
and	O
enthusiasts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
advantage	O
of	O
the	O
desktop	O
is	O
that	O
(	O
apart	O
from	O
environmental	O
concerns	O
)	O
power	O
consumption	O
is	O
not	O
as	O
critical	O
as	O
in	O
laptop	B-Device
computers	I-Device
because	O
the	O
desktop	O
is	O
exclusively	O
powered	O
from	O
the	O
wall	O
socket	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Desktop	B-Device
computers	I-Device
also	O
provide	O
more	O
space	O
for	O
cooling	O
fans	O
and	O
vents	O
to	O
dissipate	O
heat	O
,	O
allowing	O
enthusiasts	O
to	O
overclock	O
with	O
less	O
risk	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
two	O
large	O
microprocessor	B-Architecture
manufacturers	O
,	O
Intel	O
and	O
AMD	O
,	O
have	O
developed	O
special	O
CPUs	O
for	O
mobile	O
computers	O
(	O
i.e.	O
</s>
<s>
laptops	B-Device
)	O
that	O
consume	O
less	B-General_Concept
power	I-General_Concept
and	O
lower	O
heat	O
,	O
but	O
with	O
lower	O
performance	O
levels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Laptop	B-Device
computers	I-Device
,	O
conversely	O
,	O
offer	O
portability	O
that	O
desktop	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
(	O
including	O
small	O
form	O
factor	O
and	O
all-in-one	O
desktops	O
)	O
can	O
not	O
due	O
to	O
their	O
compact	O
size	O
and	O
clamshell	O
design	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
laptop	B-Device
's	O
all-in-one	O
design	O
provides	O
a	O
built-in	O
keyboard	B-Device
and	O
a	O
pointing	O
device	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
touchpad	B-Application
)	O
for	O
its	O
user	O
and	O
can	O
draw	O
on	O
power	O
supplied	O
by	O
a	O
rechargeable	O
battery	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Laptops	B-Device
also	O
commonly	O
integrate	O
wireless	O
technologies	O
like	O
WiFi	O
,	O
Bluetooth	B-Protocol
,	O
and	O
3G	B-Architecture
,	O
giving	O
them	O
a	O
broader	O
range	O
of	O
options	O
for	O
connecting	O
to	O
the	O
internet	O
,	O
though	O
this	O
trend	O
is	O
changing	O
as	O
newer	O
desktop	B-Device
computers	I-Device
come	O
integrated	O
with	O
one	O
or	O
more	O
of	O
these	O
technologies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
desktop	B-Device
computer	I-Device
needs	O
a	O
UPS	O
to	O
handle	O
electrical	O
disturbances	O
like	O
short	O
interruptions	O
,	O
blackouts	O
,	O
and	O
spikes	O
;	O
achieving	O
an	O
on-battery	O
time	O
of	O
more	O
than	O
20	O
–	O
30	O
minutes	O
for	O
a	O
desktop	B-Device
PC	I-Device
requires	O
a	O
large	O
and	O
expensive	O
UPS	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
laptop	B-Device
with	O
a	O
sufficiently	O
charged	O
battery	O
can	O
continue	O
to	O
be	O
used	O
for	O
hours	O
in	O
case	B-General_Concept
of	O
a	O
power	O
outage	O
and	O
is	O
not	O
affected	O
by	O
short	O
power	O
interruptions	O
and	O
blackouts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
desktop	B-Device
computer	I-Device
often	O
has	O
the	O
advantage	O
over	O
a	O
comparable	O
laptop	B-Device
in	O
computational	O
capacity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overclocking	O
is	O
often	O
more	O
feasible	O
on	O
a	O
desktop	O
than	O
on	O
a	O
laptop	B-Device
;	O
similarly	O
,	O
hardware	O
add-ons	O
such	O
as	O
discrete	B-Device
graphics	I-Device
co-processors	O
may	O
be	O
possible	O
to	O
install	O
only	O
in	O
a	O
desktop	O
.	O
</s>
