While workstations may seem unnecessary with the rise of laptops and tablets, workstations are still extremely useful in many applications. Workstations pack much more power than laptops can handle, and are longer lasting because of their cooling mechanisms. Workstations are therefore great for applications that require large amounts of processing power. The great part about workstations or desktops is their upgrade-ability. A workstation can easily be upgraded by adding more RAM, more Harddrives or even a new processor. Workstations are great for offices in which mobility is not a necessity. Workstations are also great for graphic and video design studios, and other applications in which computers are tasked with high performance tasks.

The Intel NUC is an extremely small computer, that packs as much heat as a full size tower. These little devices can be mounted to the back of a computer screen to be perfectly hidden. The NUC is great for applications that require little to medium processing power with a device that is practically hidden. The NUC comes in a kit, so only the harddrive and the RAM is needed to make it a fully functioning computer. Intel also offers the ComputeStick that allows you to turn any screen into a computer. While this device is an even smaller form factor, it still packs a punch and makes presentations just that much easier.

Small form factor desktops are tower computer shrunk to the size that all the parts really need. This allows manufacturers to build a desktop computer at a size that you can hold it comfortably in one hand. While still providing full power, the computers are great for offices and warehouses, that require the computer to be hidden as much as possible. These desktops can usually be mounted to the back of a screen as well, to make sure nothing is exposed, practically turning the screen into an all-in-one computer. Lenovo’s M Series SFF are a great example of these computers.

Full blown desktops and workstations are great for intensive applications, that require as much processing power as is possibly available. These computers are the full size of the towers that you are used to seeing. They bring with them some real advantages, such as easily swappable and upgradeable parts as well as all the power that is possible available for your application. Desktops are great for applications in which the size of the computer does not matter, but also where high power applications are run. AutoCAD and Adobe products are an example of the programs we would recommend a full desktop for.