Companies have been advised that IT support should not always look to save money on its computer purchases as business class systems are likely to be more reliable than consumer models, it has been suggested.

Laptops and desktop PCs bought for lower consumer class price can rack up a higher cost throughout their total life, according to Gartner analyst Leslie Fiering.

She argued that consumer PCs are "no substitute" for the better reliability, support and stability of business class systems, which are only priced higher as this "reflects the real value" of the hardware.

While Ms Fiering agreed that businesses are often "looking at the dollars" rather than the bigger picture of IT support, she pointed out to silicon.com that "in large business we don't see too many [choosing to buy consumer systems]".

Other factors which work against consumer IT systems include that there is typically a lower level of support on offer from the manufacturer as warranties are shorter than with business class computers.

In addition Gartner research suggested that consumer PCs are less rigorously tested than corporate systems, which leads to a failure rate some 50 per cent higher and the resulting added costs through repairs.