Going desktop-less?

[nageov3t]

as long as I'm a PC gamer, I don't really see it happening. I've never seen a laptop that can match the upgrade-ability/expandability of a desktop.

if a new game comes out that I want to play and my system isn't up to par, it's nice having the option of buying a new video card and an extra stick of RAM instead of a whole new laptop.

my laptop is pretty much for traveling or surfing the net on the couch in my living room.

 

[Gibsons]

no, I game and I like a lot of real estate + resolution on my monitor.

 

[vi edit]

no, I game and I like a lot of real estate + resolution on my monitor.

Gaming aside, you can add a monitor to a laptop and dual screen for added real estate/resolution.

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

Lot of people do this. My parents have a desktop that I bought them but they only use their laptops. A desktop is probably going to be cheaper and the tech will last longer or at least can be upgraded to last longer. I have a tablet and a laptop but I don't usually need to take it anywhere. If I didn't game and needed just one it would based on my budget more than anything. Desktop is going to consume more power though.

 

[Ns1]

Hey guys,
has anyone jumped the ship to just having a laptop and a NAS for your computing needs? I haven't used my desktop in a couple of months and I'm thinking that one of the new macbook airs could actually replace the desktop entirely. Any thoughts?

Is should add I've got a decked out Mac Pro at work with 16gb ram, so hard computing stuff is only a vpn away.

Why are you such a poser?

(no gaming = no need for a desktop)

 

[FoBoT]

i use them all, don't see eliminating any of them soon
servers, desktops, laptops, tablets, we use them all on a daily basis

+ smartphones

 

[vi edit]

I still have five computers in the house which seems like a lot but really isn't. I primarily use my desktop, the wife and kids use the Dell XPS AIO which sits in the den, occasionally we all use the Asus netbook when traveling but 75% of the time it sits in its case in the closet. Under the TV in the living room is a fan-less HTPC which resembles a cable TV box and finally a small NAS box sits under the stairs and serves data. The NAS and the HTPC are more of appliances, though I did build them both. When you come in my home the two computers you are likely to see are the family PC and my desktop.

We've got a Windows 7 desktop in my office, a MBA in the kitchen, and an iPad that mostly camps out near the couch in the living room. Really the only thing the desktop in my office does any more is runs Windows Media Center that I shoot over to a media extender in the living room. Plus it's been in service for 6+ years and has all of our pictures, documents, and just the windows familiarity to it.

I could probably scrap it and the media extender and drop in a tivo. The subscription price of the TiVo is probably negated entirely by the power consumption of the desktop running 24/7 and the media center drawing from it. What I lose in monthly fees I make up for in lower energy draw.

I'm really waiting around for the new iMacs to drop in a month or two and probably making the full scale conversion to apple with windows running via emulator on those old legacy apps and things that I need to do on a windows box going forward.

 

[halik]

Why are you such a poser?

(no gaming = no need for a desktop)

huh? The mac pro box at work is for cracking huge amounts of market data. Haven't played a game in like a decade; too old for that shit.

 

[Vic Vega]

...

 

[vi edit]

Though I am not a Mac fan, I looked hard at the iMac because of the awesome screen and AIO foot print. Ultimately I went with the Dell AIO because of price and it has a similarly awesome screen, plus, it's a touch screen and has a TV tuner built in. If the iMac were slightly less money, I would have one. For $650 the Dell was a steal though.

Hmmm...I'll have to take a look at that.

 

[Ns1]

Hmmm...I'll have to take a look at that.

i lol'd

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Dell+-+2...ci_sku=3593031

 

[cronos]

If you don't play games then sure, why not.

I personally would have a 'docking' setup at home with full size keyboard + mouse + multiple big screen monitors for convenience hookup at home.

I don't see myself doing this in the near future though. I currently have three desktops at home. Each of these do other things besides just being a personal workstation for the user (gaming, file serving, media serving through Plex/Air Video).

 

[alent1234]

no desktop for a few years for me

3 laptops, 2 iphones, 1 ipad, 1 android and a BB for me and my wife

 

[Vic Vega]

...

 

[Ns1]

That is not a Dell XPS AIO, they don't make the XPS AIO anymore so if you want one, you have to look around and buy one NOS like I did. Brand new they were $2.5K. I bought mine NOS/NIB/unopened for $650 on eBay.

ah much different.

 

[Vic Vega]

...

 

[Ns1]

Core2Quad, 8GB, SSD (installed by me), 24" 16:10 IPS (1920x1200), mulch-touch, BRD Player, integrated wireless keyboard/mouse, fantastic speakers.

Not sure why Dell quit making them.

Probably because they were 2.5k brand new? lol

 

[vi edit]

Damn. Yeah Apple kinda has a niche in the AIO market being the only one to offer a really nice (although highly reflective) 27" screen + quad core i5/i7 processors. Most others are cheapie AMD or dual core setups with smaller screens.

I can grab them from Best Buy for around $1600 and it's going to run better and look better (in both screen quality and objective looks) than most other brands. Really couldn't care less about touch screen in a desktop.

The iMac is kinda of a crazy deal. It's basically a Macbook Pro with a really nice 27" monitor slapped on it and sold for $1000 less.

 

[shortylickens]

You cant shove two 4890's into a laptop case.

 

[ViviTheMage]

desktop for gaming, MBA for portability.

 

[piasabird]

I built a Desktop 2nd one just to use as an Internet TV or a HTPC. I also cut the cord with my Satelite TV Provider. TV is more expensive than a new computer and 40" HDTV to use as a monitor.

I wish we could get rid of all these stupid DVD and Blu-Ray discs. One scratch and they bite the dust. Just give me the move on flash drive or as a download. Instead of redbox, just load a jukebox with digital copies of songs and movies and allow people to buy a digital copy for a reasonable fee. Lets get real here.

I am calling the the death of all digital opitcal discs!

 

[Vic Vega]

...

 

[JulesMaximus]

If one is not gaming a laptop makes sense, the drawback is to stay current usually means total replacement.

Most that think laptops are too slow haven't experienced the latest top of the line hardware out there.

A laptop that could even come close to matching my desktop in performance would cost well over a thousand dollars.

My laptop cost $399 and it is fine for web surfing, e-mail, spreadsheets, but for gaming it sucks.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I can't imagine going desktopless. Sadly it seems to be the way they're trying to push things. It seems people think tablets and smart phones can replace the desktop and everything can go to "the cloud", and if the industry starts thinking that too, it wont be very good. They'll start by slowing down production of individual parts etc making it hard, if impossible for consumers to build their own machines. Hopefully this will never happen. I'm also not a big fan of SAAS being forced. I want to install my own apps and have control of my own environment.

I don't care how powerful tablets/laptops get, for extended use as well as ability to upgrade/change things, nothing beats a properly setup desktop.

 

[PingSpike]

I have very little need for a portable PC so the extra expense and lost performance would gain me nothing really. I have a laptop but it was a stupid impulse buy, I've only actually used it a handful of times when traveling...which is something I don't do often. A cheaper netbook or maybe even a tablet would fill those needs just as well, or just a smart phone. But again, its not much of a need so I don't really bother with it.

I think more people just leave there laptop on their desk all day than would care to admit it. I don't have a problem with laptops really but literally the only advantage they have is portability and their disadvantages are numerous.