I prefer desktops to laptops. The main reasons are screen size and keyboards. My current screen is a 23" flat screen model in 1920x180 resolution. My keyboard it a Logitech USB model.
The keyboard is the critical part. When I try to type in a laptop, my WPM plummets like a rock. Muscle memory is involved, and mine is for the Logitech. Shift to a laptop and it's wrong and endless errors occur.
My current desktop is an HP Small Form Factor model. It's a refurbished ex-corporate desktop machine. It came with with a 3.1-3.4 ghz Intel quad core i5-2400 CPU, and 512GB SATA HD, Intel HD2000 graphics, 8GB RAM, and Win7 Pro. I added a Crucial MX100 SSD purchased for a failed Dell SFF desktop and the HD from the Dell as a second data drive. I upgraded wo Win10 Pro, cloned the OS to SSD, and set it as boot drive. I also had an ATI low-profile video card I got for the Dell for better 3D graphics, but the built-in Intel HD2000 graphics offered better performance, so the ATI card is in a parts drawer.
I recently added a few small things - a USB3 mini-PCIe card, as the macing did not come with USB3, a USB3 hub, a USB3 external drive enclisure, and a USB Bluetooth dongle that plugs into a front USB slot.
I'm not a gamer, so performance is entirely adequate for my needs. (I could theoretically increase RAM to 32GB, but I seldom see more than half of the RAM I have used._
The unit cost $250 at my local Micro Center outlet, and I've been very pleased.
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Dennis