How many friends of yours that: 1) Used to own/use desktop PCs, and 2) Used to build desktop PCs themselves, still do?

[VirtualLarry]

Inspired by a post in another forum (The JonnyGuru site decline thread in the PSU forum).

Just wanting to get a picture of how many of your friends that back in the day, back in HS, College, whatever, owned and used desktop PCs, and maybe even, like us, built their own PCs, how many still do?

Pretty-much all of my close PC-using friends, still do, and one of them, even learned to build his own this year. (I "directed" and "assisted" over Skype, he didn't do it 100% on his own (without direction), but he basically put it together himself.)

Another one had me build his PC a few years back, and he knows how to upgrade RAM and video cards, and another friend has built his last two PCs, in the last 10 years, after I helped him build one maybe 10-12 years ago. He also taught himself Linux, and gives me assistance sometimes, on things that I've never tried in Linux. I also help him out.

Most of my friends are still die-hard desktop PC users, and there's another few people that I associate with, that I have a professional relationship with, that have admitted to me that they still have and use desktop PCs (at home).

 

[BoomerD]

I don't think I know anyone any more who builds their own PCs. Hell, for the first time since the early 90's, I bought a pre-built. I WILL be replacing the PSU...it's in a box ready to go...I'm just too damned lazy to do it. Just about everyone I know nowadays either uses a phone...or tablet...with a few that still use laptops.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Just about everyone I know nowadays either uses a phone...or tablet...with a few that still use laptops.

Laptops are even on the way out? Wow.

Maybe I should have asked, how many of you remember AOL's "You've Got Mail" audio clip. It doesn't count seeing the Meg Ryan movie. (I think it was Meg Ryan, wasn't it?)

(I never had AOL myself... at least, as far as actual ISP service goes. I eventually got an AOL ID or two to use AIM, which was the main chatting tool years ago, before Skype hit the scene.)

Edit: Or Packard Bell pre-built PCs, that they got into Hot Water with the FTC, over the re-use of "used" parts in "new" PCs. My roommate in college got one, second semester in. I came into the dorm with my home-built PC. We had some really fun games of "X-Wing" (the flight-simulator game, not the FMV shooter version). I would pilot, and he would work the keyboard for the flight controls. I also did some coding on mine.

So yeah, I've been building PCs since HS, or possibly before.

 

[Geekbabe]

Inspired by a post in another forum (The JonnyGuru site decline thread in the PSU forum).

Just wanting to get a picture of how many of your friends that back in the day, back in HS, College, whatever, owned and used desktop PCs, and maybe even, like us, built their own PCs, how many still do?

Pretty-much all of my close PC-using friends, still do, and one of them, even learned to build his own this year. (I "directed" and "assisted" over Skype, he didn't do it 100% on his own (without direction), but he basically put it together himself.)

Another one had me build his PC a few years back, and he knows how to upgrade RAM and video cards, and another friend has built his last two PCs, in the last 10 years, after I helped him build one maybe 10-12 years ago. He also taught himself Linux, and gives me assistance sometimes, on things that I've never tried in Linux. I also help him out.

Most of my friends are still die-hard desktop PC users, and there's another few people that I associate with, that I have a professional relationship with, that have admitted to me that they still have and use desktop PCs (at home).

Used to build them but haven’t owned a desktop in years. MacBook, iPad & iPhone for me now

 

[nakedfrog]

I took a break for nine years because I had a string of bad luck with various PCs and bought a pre-built Dell. Finally put together a new system again last year.
That Dell is still kicking too, I took it offline because it's running Vista. Might throw in an SSD and run it on a Linux distro.

 

[deadlyapp]

Built desktops and HTPCs through HS and college (mid-2000s) but haven't built or used a desktop component in...at least 10 years now. Laptops, tablets, and phones just work without any issues that I always experienced with a built computer.

Just bought a raspberry pi 4 which is the closest thing to a new "built" computer I've done in 10 years and I'm already fed up with it because of the lack of easy to go out of the box - but that might be a fundamental issue with just linux distros in general.

 

[IronWing]

I don't pry into the PC lives of my friends and coworkers but as near as I can tell, I'm the only one I know (other than my parents) who still uses a desktop. Everybody else I know has switched to laptop and phone or just phone with a few tablet users. My parents will likely switch to a laptop with their next computer purchase (if they live long enough to bother; they're really old).

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

Used to build them and still do (desktops)

My biggest difference is the fact that I just don't care as much as I used to....
1. Used to make it look good - organize cables better
2. Used to do stuff like water cooling
3. Used to do overclocking
4. Used to upgrade components a LOT more often.

No point in any of that anymore for me.


Latest thing I've done was build a NAS.

 

[Muadib]

I was the builder for most of my friends, until Dell came along. Most of them had both desktops and laptops last I checked.

 

[IronWing]

I don't pry into the PC lives of my friends and coworkers but as near as I can tell, I'm the only one I know (other than my parents) who still uses a desktop. Everybody else I know has switched to laptop and phone or just phone with a few tablet users. My parents will likely switch to a laptop with their next computer purchase (if they live long enough to bother; they're really old).

I asked my wife about her friends and coworkers. She says most of them still use desktops. More folks she knows do photo and video editing so need the speed and storage capacity.

 

[Thebobo]

I bought a used dell off CL recently for web stuff. When I do my next game machine I will build since I can use a lot of the older components, Case Drives PS CD Fans ect.

 

[gill77]

Still do, but the time between rebuilds has gotten a lot longer.

Anyone remember installing individual ram chips on the motherboard?

All in all, much easier now.

 

[clamum]

I haven't talked with my two PC geek buddies from high school since a couple years or so after graduating from high school (~16 years ago). I had a PC Tech class junior and senior year in high school, don't know what those classmates were/are doing as far as desktop PCs and building them. We weren't close friends like I was with those other two guys, just kind of acquintances.

I've built my desktop PCs since roughly sophomore year of high school (1998-1999) up through now, my last build being two years ago I think? For the first time in that whole time, I now would actually consider buying a ready-made desktop system. Companies like Origin (that's the only one I know of) I think make pretty good systems, with quality mobo/RAM/processor/video card. I haven't looked, but I'd guess they're a bit pricey compared to building your own. But you pay for convenience of not having to spend all that time researching, ordering, building (and possibly troubleshooting if things don't go right).

I still want a desktop PC even though I'm not much of a gamer anymore. Playing FPS games on a laptop? No thanks. I think as long as I play stuff like FPS games I'll want desktop. But man I got a Surface Pro about a year ago and dang, that thing is slick. A lightweight system matters more to me now than a super powerful one (regarding laptops).

 

[nakedfrog]

I haven't talked with my two PC geek buddies from high school since a couple years or so after graduating from high school (~16 years ago). I had a PC Tech class junior and senior year in high school, don't know what those classmates were/are doing as far as desktop PCs and building them. We weren't close friends like I was with those other two guys, just kind of acquintances.

I've built my desktop PCs since roughly sophomore year of high school (1998-1999) up through now, my last build being two years ago I think? For the first time in that whole time, I now would actually consider buying a ready-made desktop system. Companies like Origin (that's the only one I know of) I think make pretty good systems, with quality mobo/RAM/processor/video card. I haven't looked, but I'd guess they're a bit pricey compared to building your own. But you pay for convenience of not having to spend all that time researching, ordering, building (and possibly troubleshooting if things don't go right).

I still want a desktop PC even though I'm not much of a gamer anymore. Playing FPS games on a laptop? No thanks. I think as long as I play stuff like FPS games I'll want desktop. But man I got a Surface Pro about a year ago and dang, that thing is slick. A lightweight system matters more to me now than a super powerful one (regarding laptops).

What's so wrong with FPS games on a laptop? Granted, I always used a mouse...

 

[UsandThem]

I still build the majority of my PCs, but just about everyone else I know just buys a PC from places like Best Buy, Costco, Amazon, or Dell.

However, I likely built the last for my oldest son who went off to college this year. I imagine the next time he will need a new PC, I will likely just help him find a good deal on a Dell XPS or similar. I still have to upgrade my next oldest son's PC this winter, and it will likely be a similar story for him going forward.

I will likely continue building a PC for myself for the foreseeable future as I am very picky on how I want my PCs......from case, to audio, to noise and temperatures. Every time I've tried using a prebuilt tower for myself, there's always something I don't like about it.

I personally don't see how people go without using either a laptop or desktop if they need to do anything productive. Smart phones are convenient when out and about, but I couldn't imagine doing serious work on it.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

While I haven't been justified in building a new one yet, the next one will be built by me. I have no reason to buy a name brand computer anymore. And I've got at least a couple of friends still doing this, just not as frequent as we all use to do it.

 

[clamum]

What's so wrong with FPS games on a laptop? Granted, I always used a mouse...

I admit I haven't tried it, but I would think the screen is too small (I have a 27" monitor at home). Also I thought laptop keyboards were usually kind of small but I'm not positive on that.

 

[nakedfrog]

I admit I haven't tried it, but I would think the screen is too small (I have a 27" monitor at home). Also I thought laptop keyboards were usually kind of small but I'm not positive on that.

Oh, mine have always been 17" with full size keyboards.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I was always seen as the more geeky type among my friends. I have one friend who I'm sure would be able to build a PC if he wanted to but as far as I know has always bought prebuilts, mostly because they are cheaper. There was a time where building was cheaper but it's not so true anymore.

Been a while since I built a machine myself actually. My last build was my mining rig a few years ago. I do want to look at upgrading my network, and adding one or more VM servers so I can do a proper HA cluster, but it's a lot of money so it's one of those things I want to do but that I don't really NEED so I tend to just put the money towards other things.

Recently bought a used truck at around 14k so I'll be paying that off for the next couple years at least so no PC builds any time soon unless one of my main ones break down. I cashed in 7k of shares to pay part of it then I put rest on credit line. I might pay off the rest next year with more shares though. Did not want to pull out too much at once in case I get hit hard at tax time.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

What's so wrong with FPS games on a laptop? Granted, I always used a mouse...

Anytime I've ever seen someone try to game with a touch pad it is... cringe... so cringe...

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

I still build the majority of my PCs, but just about everyone else I know just buys a PC from places like Best Buy, Costco, Amazon, or Dell.

However, I likely built the last for my oldest son who went off to college this year. I imagine the next time he will need a new PC, I will likely just help him find a good deal on a Dell XPS or similar. I still have to upgrade my next oldest son's PC this winter, and it will likely be a similar story for him going forward.

I will likely continue building a PC for myself for the foreseeable future as I am very picky on how I want my PCs......from case, to audio, to noise and temperatures. Every time I've tried using a prebuilt tower for myself, there's always something I don't like about it.

I personally don't see how people go without using either a laptop or desktop if they need to do anything productive. Smart phones are convenient when out and about, but I couldn't imagine doing serious work on it.

Wtf, you mean you can't code, compile/emulate, and troubleshoot on a tablet or phone?

Get with the times old man

 

[nakedfrog]

Anytime I've ever seen someone try to game with a touch pad it is... cringe... so cringe...

I don't even like browsing with a touchpad...

I wish we had a "puke" emoji.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I still build the majority of my PCs, but just about everyone else I know just buys a PC from places like Best Buy, Costco, Amazon, or Dell.

The thing is, back in the 90s/2000s, if you wanted a competent, like, ACTUAL gaming PC, you couldn't really rely on the Dells and HPs of the world (well, back then, Micron Millenia and Gateway 2000, I know a guy that still has one of those), you had to find your corner neighborhood "whitebox builder", who generally had Taiwanese or Chinese heritage, and barely spoke a lick of English. (Not trying to be racist here, honest. Just what I remember, from a number of years doing Computer Shows in the 90s.)

And then those "whitebox builders" largely got wiped out by Dell/Compaq/Gateway/HP's carpet-bombing of big-box stores and office stores with "domestic" (non-gaming) PCs, but they sold them at prices that your individual PC builders couldn't compete with.

It has only been in the last, say, 3-4 years, at best, that "big-box store PCs, with 'Gaming' labels", actually fit the bill. No doubt, because the bean-counters read the analysts' reports, on how the "PC market" was declining, but the "gaming segment" was growing, so they shifted their product (about 10 years late, but I digress), to actual, what you could call bona-fide gaming PCs. NVidia and to a (much) lesser extent, AMD (well, more so recently) deserve some credit for this too, for producing lower-powered competent GPUs, that could be used in OEM systems, without much hassle, or a nuclear-powered backpack to drive their power requirements.

I tested that out, a couple of years back, Walmart (of all places) had an "HP Power Gaming PC", for $500 OTD (BF special), with an i5-7400 CPU, 8GB of DDR4, and a GTX 1060 3GB. It got mostly good reviews, and surprisingly, played nearly all of the games of that era, pretty dang well. For a $500 store-bought PC, that was amazing market progress.

It was mostly like a "console PC", to borrow a YouTuber's comments about it, because it wasn't really upgradable in the same way that a boutique PC would be, made from DIY-channel upgradable and overclockable PC components, but ... it was $500. Something affordable for the masses.

But it may have been a bit too late, as they didn't sell well. I picked mine up in early Dec., as a matter of fact, a full week after BF, and they still had a few on the pallet.

But make no mistake, there now exists semi-competent actual Gaming PCs at big-box retailers.

 

[rommelrommel]

I do but I don't know anyone else that does anymore. Mine is like 7 years old and aside from SLI'ing a second video card 5 years ago and putting in a much bigger SSD this year I've just left it.

 

[RossMAN]

I never really was part of the build your own PC crowd, my only attempt was an Athlon 600 or something like that, years and years ago. I don't game, do 3D rendering, video editing, DC or anything remotely taxing like that. OK where do I turn in my ATOT credentials? I'm keeping the keys to the executive washroom though.

Refurb Dell Latitude or Lenovo Thinkpad since then.