Try out ec2 whilst keeping the desktop for a few weeks. If it goes well then you will earn some cash from the desktop sale along with learning how AWS works. In

Try out ec2 whilst keeping the desktop for a few weeks. If it goes well then you will earn some cash from the desktop sale along with learning how AWS works. In the long-term however, I'm not sure if it is the most economical option -- that really depends on how much power you need along with other factors.