The end of an era? At $250, Dell's cheapest laptop is almost half the price of its most affordable PC so are desktops on the way out?

• Dell’s $250 laptop beats its own entry-level desktop and rivals more expensive models
• The cheapest Dell desktop lacks Windows, while next options start at $599.99
• At under half the price, Dell's laptop offers full PC experience with modern specs

Desktops used to be the default for affordable computing, offering more power, easier upgrades, and better value.

Components can be swapped out, memory increased, and parts repaired when needed - which is much harder to do with laptops, which typically have elements like memory soldered in place.

But if you’re in the market for a budget PC, then you might not want to be considering a desktop -case in point, Dell is now offering a 15-inch laptop for just $250.

Far cheaper than a desktop

The Dell 15 laptop is currently $130 cheaper than its usual $379.99 asking price. That’s nearly half the price of Dell’s least expensive desktop, the $439 OptiPlex 3000 Thin Client. It’s not just about cost either.

The default laptop configuration comes with Windows 11 Home, an AMD Ryzen 3 7320U processor, 8GB of LPDDR5 memory, and a 512GB SSD. It also includes a 15.6-inch Full HD 120Hz screen, Wi-Fi, and ports for basic connectivity, including one USB 3.2 Gen 1 port, one USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 port, one USB 2.0 port, and a universal audio jack.

The OptiPlex desktop doesn’t run Windows, rather it uses Dell’s ThinOS, only has 64GB of onboard storage, and lacks Wi-Fi entirely.

It’s meant for narrow business environments, not general use, so for the average buyer, it’s hard to recommend unless they’re locked into a specific setup.

Looking beyond that, Dell’s next Windows-ready desktops start at $599.99. The Dell Slim Desktop includes a Core Ultra 5 processor, 16GB of DDR5 memory, and a 512GB SSD. It does offer more power but also costs more than twice as much as the laptop.

The Dell Tower Desktop at $749.99 bumps things up with a Core Ultra 7 chip, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. But again, that’s triple the price.

For most users, especially students, small business owners or casual users, those upgrades may not be needed anyway.

The $250 Dell 15 Laptop delivers a full experience that covers everything from web browsing to light productivity.

Desktops still make sense for users who need expansion or maximum performance of course, but on the low end, the gap is closing fast. In some cases, it may already be gone.

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