PC Parlance - 'Tower' vs 'Desktop'

[Galant]

Here's a topic that came up at work, thought I'd get a wider perspective from Hexus.

The words 'Desktop' and 'Tower' when used to describe a PC - in your opinion/usage are they synonymous or do you use them to specifically refer to different types of cases?

We have a mix at work:

One guy is adamant that desktops are horizontally oriented cases designed to fit on a desktop, and towers are vertically oriented cases designed to fit under desks.

Others see the words as interchangeable since size varies, and orientation is irrelevant - i.e. you can stand up horizontal machines and lie down vertical ones, and you can place the machines wherever you want. The true differentiation comes when you look at All-in-one machines, or other more distinct designs.

To avoid any risk of this becoming too abstract here's a scenario:

Person A: "Bob just called. Can you head out to his office, apparently his desktop has died."
Person B: "Bob doesn't have a desktop."
Person A: "Yes he does. He has two."
Person B: "Those are towers, not desktops."

So Hexites - lay down the law! Which is the final, ultimate truth? Are you person A or person B?

[Xlucine]

A vertical PC could be a desktop PC or a tower PC, but it'd be odd to call a horizontal PC a tower

[Galant]

Do you use the words differently yourself, or somehow differentiate between them?

[scaryjim]

Ooooh, interesting ...

I think we need to distinguish between two different uses for "desktop" here - desktop PC and desktop case.

Nitpicking? I don't think so. The term desktop PC is a catch-all for a non-mobile (i.e. not a laptop) PC. I remember back when my parents got their first PC pretty much all PCs came in a desktop case - it would've been really unusual to have a tower. The term obviously had enough traction that it continued being used for the entire category of non-mobile PCs even when tower cases started to become more common.

That makes use of the term "desktop" on its own ambiguous - you could be taking about a desktop PC, which may be in a tower case or a desktop case, or you cold be talking about a desktop case. Whereas the term "tower" would pretty unambiguously mean a desktop PC in a case that was taller than it was wide.

Of course, you then get into the various terms people use for a base unit (that, a desktop PC without any peripherals or monitor) - which may include things like "box" and, surprisingly, "CPU".

Basically, all computer terminology will tend to some degree of ambiguity. Probably time to cherish our differences and move on

[Galant]

Ooooh, interesting ...

I think we need to distinguish between two different uses for "desktop" here - desktop PC and desktop case.

Nitpicking? I don't think so. The term desktop PC is a catch-all for a non-mobile (i.e. not a laptop) PC. I remember back when my parents got their first PC pretty much all PCs came in a desktop case - it would've been really unusual to have a tower. The term obviously had enough traction that it continued being used for the entire category of non-mobile PCs even when tower cases started to become more common.

That makes use of the term "desktop" on its own ambiguous - you could be taking about a desktop PC, which may be in a tower case or a desktop case, or you cold be talking about a desktop case. Whereas the term "tower" would pretty unambiguously mean a desktop PC in a case that was taller than it was wide.

Of course, you then get into the various terms people use for a base unit (that, a desktop PC without any peripherals or monitor) - which may include things like "box" and, surprisingly, "CPU".

Basically, all computer terminology will tend to some degree of ambiguity. Probably time to cherish our differences and move on

To avoid any risk of this becoming too abstract here's a scenario:

Person A: "Bob just called. Can you head out to his office, apparently his desktop has died."
Person B: "Bob doesn't have a desktop."
Person A: "Yes he does. He has two."
Person B: "Those are towers, not desktops."

So - are you person A or person B?

[Unique]

you should thank yourself lucky people don't refer to the pc as the hard disc. it's worse than calling desktop or phone wallpaper a screensaver

over the years less people have towers as all the power they need is in a smaller case that fits more comfortably on the desk, whereas 15 years or so ago people have have used mini or midi towers and sometimes put them on the side like "landscape" style. similarly the new smaller desktops could sit in a "portrait" mode like a mini tower. you could still stick a big antec case on your desk if you want

ultimately as long as you know what people are referring to, that's all that matters. nit pick too much in the office and you may not work there much longer

[Saracen]

There is no confusion in my mind. Originally, PC's were simply "personal computers" and "desktop" described the location, I.e. on the top of a desk. Such descriptions applied to pre-"PC" systems, I.e. not IBM compatibles based in Intel processors, and included variants like Apple II, Sirius, Apricot, etc.

As soon as PCs started to become relatively commonplace in offices, it wasn't long before manufacturers realised that most people wanted desktop space to actually work on, and that a ruddy great computer case on the desktop got in the way, the "Tower" variants were born. They were designed to be beside, or indeed under, desktops and, as a result, most media drives were oriented on the perpendicular to the way the case stood.

As smaller "mini" tower cases came out, some people then went back to putting "tower" cases on the desktop, thereby sowing the seeds of the current confusion, or indeed overlap, of terms

My definition would still be that old one, in that a case designed to sit long-edge horizontally, often with a monitor sat on top, is a "desktop" and one designed to sit, whether on the floor or (for smaller ones) on the desktop, where the long edge is, very tower-like, vertical. But that the term desktop has somewhat evolved with a common usage being that they are, incorrectly IMHO, used interchangeably. But life's like that, and language evolves. Changing meanings is commonplace, and today, for instance, "gay" does not most commonly mean what it did in my youth.

Anyway, desktop or tower means, for me, PC and honestly, where people put theirs diesn't much twist my knickers. So .... 'whatever'.


PS. Anyone thinking my Antec 1200 "tower" looks right on a desktop, must have a football-pitch-size desk. And a big office with high ceilings.

[Ttaskmaster]

desktops are horizontally oriented cases designed to fit on a desktop, and towers are vertically oriented cases

And that's as far as it goes.
All towers are desktops, but not all desktops are towers.

Desktop just means 'Not a laptop, palmtop or whatever'. It's reliant on the mains power sockets.

If my tower was designed to sit under the desk, wallowing in the dust, dirt and muck like an idiot pig, why then does it have loads of fan intakes and a whacking great case window?
If those are the only two definitions, what does he make of those desk cases and wall-mounted cases?

[chinf]

I think scaryjim hits the nail on the head; it's more usual to talk about PC "the system" (which is what Person A is talking about) as opposed to the case style used (which is what Person B is talking about). The latter is odd as case style is usually irrelevant to conversation, unless you're needing to distinguish between multiple PCs or discussing a system build perhaps.

As for the case styles, the vast majority of cases are designed to be oriented one way (they'll only have feet on one "side"), but will tolerate the other orientation, albeit compromising cooling and transmitting vibrations to/from the desk. A few cases really are agnostic and will have feet on two sides (one of my PCs is like this).

[chinf]

And that's as far as it goes.
All towers are desktops, but not all desktops are towers.

Yes, but I'd also say all tower cases are for desktop PCs, but not all desktop PCs are built in tower cases.

Desktop just means 'Not a laptop, palmtop or whatever'. It's reliant on the mains power sockets.

Yes (unless we're explicitly talking about case style, which is not the norm).

...wallowing in the dust, dirt and muck like an idiot pig...

I think someone needs to rescue that poor PC!

[AGTDenton]

I would say I have followed the media on this one.

When I say 'desktop' PC I use that as a broad term meaning a PC with a separate monitor in a fixed location. In other words to use it you have to go to it, rather than bring it to wherever you want to be.
In general I do not use 'desktop' to refer to the location of the the PC or it's chassis design. It is so rare now to see an actual horizontal PC that isn't a mini PC or HTPC < but they're now genres in their own right.

However, I say 'tower' to describe a specific type of PC. In this case an upright PC, I don't refer to it on where it may be placed whether its on the floor or desk.

I suspect people will use the terms differently depending on what era of computing they were brought up in. Back in the the 80's/90's it was more common for PC's to be within a horizontal chassis that was placed on the desk with the monitor on top and given the title 'Desktop PC'. And a 'tower' was used to describe often a much larger PC that was within an upright vertical chassis commonly placed on the floor.

Today if you go to PC World's website for example, they rightly or wrongly describe all PC's that are not portable as desktops regardless of whether they are within an upright tower or a small client mini PC and regardless of whether you are going to put them on the floor or the desk. Modern towers are a lot smaller and lighter than what we had in the 80s/90s so they can now sit on the desk, also a lot less uglier!

So I think it's era based as to how people will understand the terms 'desktop' and 'tower' PC's

[OilSheikh]

We techies call it a PC. Average Joe call them desktops.

Tower is used to describe the case ONLY e.g. Mid-tower case

[scaryjim]

... are you person A or person B?

Person B is a pedantic git. Don't be person B

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Many of my SFF rigs were desktops but not towers.

[spolsh]

Anyway, a tower is designed to stand vertically, a desktop horizontally ... and sometimes cases can be a bit of both or neither.

You could also be meaning the desktop as in "windows desktop" - that place where messy people put shortcuts for programs (programs not apps - don't want any of that app nonsense here, no sir, none of that).

[peterb]

We techies call it a PC. Average Joe call them desktops.

Tower is used to describe the case ONLY e.g. Mid-tower case

But of course PCs come in at least three flavours, Windows PCs, Apple PCs and Linux/Unix PCs. (Without going into further differentiation with dual or triple boot PCs, and virtual PCs)