Gartner is warning that businesses buying consumer PCs for staff may be making a short term saving that will cost in the long term.

The analyst firm said that consumer PCs do not come with the support or quality control that come with business PCs, and that the overall total cost of ownership is much higher.

"There is growing pressure for IT organisations to consider purchasing consumer PCs primarily as a cost-saving measure for the business, and to appease users who are more technology-astute and want the latest consumer features," said Leslie Fiering, a research vice president at Gartner.

"However, consumer devices are no substitute for business-class devices as they lack many vital features that businesses need."

The firm also warned that the effects of consumer versions of Windows Vista and XP could hamper businesses, and that failure rates on new consumer hardware run at 50 per cent.