Yeah, laptops are handy for portability but I wouldnt buy one myself - I actually lug my pc around when I have to. The pros for a desktop are all in the hardware, there are limits to soundcards and other hardware add ons that simply arent compatable with laptops. Also, with the speed technology is advancing, a laptop is out of date within 15 months. A pc is much easier to upgrade to keep up with software evolution - the only real constraint is in the motherboard. If you are buying a pc, it's best to go all out and get the fastest processor and most up to date motherboard. I get all of my stuff through Dell, it's cheaper that the shops and the support is great... plus you can customise. Optiplex is a great foundation for a home studio. Unless you go Mac which is more powerfull for production but slightly limited when it comes to VST technology. The ideal studio setup would be a pc for midi, VST's and samplers and a Mac for ProTools... not cheap though