The first questions to consider when you buy a computer should be:
“Do I want a laptop or a desktop?”
Both have pros and cons: Desktops have more power for the money, but laptops are portable. Wouldn’t it be nice to have both?
Well, with a laptop and a few accessories, you can actually convert it into a desktop. When you’re home or at your office you can reap the benefits of a big screen and wireless accessories.
1. A Laptop Stand
Because a big space of your desk is taken up by accessories and your monitor, a key part of the laptop-to-desktop conversion is a laptop stand. There are two different styles of stands, and I use both on a daily basis.
At home, try using Twelve South’s BookArc because it lets you store your laptop on a lower shelf on your desk. It’s out of the way and totally organized.
At work try to use an elevated dock. The laptop is still connected to a monitor, but instead of being closed and out of the way, you can use the laptop’s screen as a second display. Griffin’s laptop stand has the added benefit of being designed in an open way, so you can store an accessory or two under it.
Regardless of which you pick, a laptop stand is the key part of turning your laptop into a desktop.
A Bluetooth Keyboard
A Bluetooth mouse
You’re also going to need a new pointing device i.e. a mouse, since you won’t be able to use your laptop’s trackpad.
There are a lot of Bluetooth mice out there, but this one from Logitech is very popular . One for home, one for work. It’s small, accurate, and has very good battery life. A major advantage of getting a Bluetooth mouse is you don’t have to take up one of your laptop’s USB ports with a wireless receiver. They’re usually small, so make sure you don’t break or lose it.
A monitor
Arguably the most important part of turning your laptop into a desktop is getting the monitor. Which you get will depend on how big your desk is, and how much space you really need.
Mostly graphics designers opt for a ASUS 28″ 4K monitor because they occasionally work in InDesign and edit video. It’s a big, gorgeous display that can be raised, lowered, and turned vertically. You can use it as a TV as well , and the two HDMI ports on the back can be used for game consoles and laptop. It might be overkill for some, but part of the fun of turning your laptop into a desktop is having a big screen.
As a side note, if you’re going to use this monitor at 4K, you’ll need to connect your laptop to it through a Thunderbolt to DisplayPort cable.
Speaker
If you listen to music, you’re going to need a set of speakers to complete your desktop setup.
A set of Bose speakers just like these sound excellent. We are recommending these because they have a headphone port on the front. Sometimes you want to blast music, but other times it’s important to listen to music without disturbing other people.
On a stand, your computer’s headphone jack may be in an inconvenient place; with these speakers, it’s right in front of you.