"Realistically, no-one I know, needs a Desktop Computer, for the rest of their lives."

[dullard]

Desktops are getting less important, but they are not dying any time soon. You either need the power, or you don't. If you don't then laptops, SFF desktops, tablets, and phones work okay (not great, but they get the job done). If you need the power, nothing can come even remotely close to a desktop.

A laptop/tablet will never be able to handle the 280 W needed for a Threadripper or 250 W for Xeon Platinum processors. And we'll need at least another decade for mobile processors to reach that capability. Same goes if you need GPU power, AI power, etc.

Last winter my work went through and replaced all of our 5-year old desktop workstations with SFF computers (Lenovo ThinkCentre Ryzen 5 Pro 2400GE). The speed went down. Compiling code takes longer. Long Excel calculations take longer. Solidworks now chugs. The main difference is my feet have more space and my desk has less space.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I haven't used a desktop computer in a decade. My work computer is a laptop and my home computer is a laptop. My wife's computer is a laptop and I almost always just use a tablet for web browsing at home anyway.

 

[Captante]

It really is FAR easier to do actual work on a desktop or at least a fast laptop in a docking station.

 

[BoomerD]

I hate typing on a laptop...my big hands keep dh$mwhz nhed ndqor. I haven't taken it out of the travel case in over a year.

I love gaming, but I can't make the mental adjustment to the x-box controllers...so gaming that way sucks for me...(i wish there was a way to use mouse/keyboard)

I do MOST of my surfing...like now...on an iPad, but it would suck for trying to do any actual work.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I don't like typing on a laptop keyboard either. They are a step above typing on a phone or tablet, but nothing beats a proper desktop keyboard - a decent one. It seems a lot of them are trying to imitate laptop keyboards now. I like normal keys and not flat ones.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

My daughter uses my desktop more than I do nowadays. I haven't upgraded that thing since around 2011, but she uses it to play Minecraft and Roblox with her friends or cousins when she doesn't feel like playing on her ipad. I use it sparingly when I rip blu rays or on the rare occasion I'm editing photos. But nowadays I game and edit on my laptop.

About a year ago we swapped out our towers for surface books and a dock to hook up m/kb and monitors. I love the portability of the surface, but there are some programs we use that just lag big time. Not sure it's a network issue or hardware issue, but using ArcGIS on this thing takes forever.

 

[ponyo]

I ordered new desktop computer today. HP Pavillion desktop from Costco.

https://www.costco.com/hp-pavilion-...0f---amd-radeon-rx-550.product.100579377.html

It should be good enough for general computing use and very light gaming.

 

[Red Squirrel]

What I'd like to see is a day where there is a docking standard, it would be cool having a laptop or even tablet that can dock anywhere and be used like a desktop. It needs to be a full standard though. Apple kinda tried to do that with thunderbolt and it does work for IBM compatible computers as well, but it's still very sporadic as to what works with what, and there is a lot of "it depends". I've seen videos on it and it sounds super frustrating trying to get it to work and you'll find yourself swapping hardware a lot.

The way I think it should work is there needs to be a standard kinda like PCIe but for docking, and when you connect to the dock it just presents all the lanes to all the devices connected to the dock and as long as your laptop/tablet has enough lanes it would then interface with all the devices. Monitors, USB devices etc... But it needs to be universal and work across all devices, phones, tablets, laptops etc. I think if something like this existed I would consider a laptop as I could still get all my external devices working easily but yet also have the portability.

On similar note, modular laptops would be nice too. There is ATX standard for desktop, make a similar standard for laptops. Would be cool if you can buy all the parts separate and build your own. And give me 1 inch thick laptops again, more IO and just more robust. Like those old school IBM laptops.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Desktops still most bang for buck, most horsepower, most flexible, most expandable, and most re-useable

I agree that many folks dont have a need, but, its much cheaper to build a PC, and then keep your chassis and power supply and replace parts as they get old ...

Laptops still cost too much and deliver too little IMO. Sure, you can spend 2000 and get a nice gaming laptop, but, I guarantee you, if you spent 2K building a desktop, it would be much much much more powerful and capable.

 

[Charmonium]

There are a lot of things I can live without but a desktop (several desktops) would not be my first choice.

I have a decent laptop that I got maybe 3 years ago. It's very slow compared even to my old 2600k rig. There are a lot of things I don't like about it but overall, I can accomplish whatever I need to on either.

I guess it really depends on what your expectations are. If I don't have at least 2 big monitors and real keyboard with tactile response, I feel both lost and claustrophobic. Plus I don't want to be at the mercy of a laptop vendor in terms of telling me what I can and can't change.

I try not to judge though. If I can accept the fact that a lot of people completely lose their shit over tiny houses and want nothing more than to live in a space smaller than some prison cells, the fact that most people prefer laptops and tablets is something I guess I can also accept.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

My desktop runs most stuff way quieter - even with the GPU - than my laptop, because the laptop has to work to keep itself cool with those tiny little fans.

The desktop form factor is built around its cooling system and is still the best way to get a consistently silent or near-silent experience.

Most people don't care about that, true.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

Finally coming to this conclusion. Kind of floors me. Sure, I might upgrade a spot or two, but... all my friends are older, they all use desktops, but they'll probably use their current desktop, until they're too old to use one.

Edit: Desktop (Edit: I meant the "tower style") PC's, are kind of like Oldsmobile... yeah, your dad owned one, but kids these days? NO interest. (*)

I think that the upcoming console generation, ESPECIALLY if they include an x64/x86 VM feature for advanced users, to download a Windows OS image onto them, and use that part-time, will be the final nail in the coffin of desktop PCs. Well, heck, the Dinosaurs died off too.

(*) Not that I know any under-18-year-olds. So really, I'm just guessing here. But from what I've heard in the media, they're mostly all "mobile" (laptop/cell) users.

Yeah, but this makes me think kids these days are just DUMB. I mean, stupid, and born of similar parental genetics. Ignorance is bliss to them, but they don't know it because they are living the ignorance dream.

 

[PingSpike]

I mostly like desktops because I like tinkering, I'm still a bit of a PC hardware nerd and I like to be able to repair and upgrade systems. That certainly doesn't apply to most home users anymore though, with the exception of some subsets of gaming which still seems to be popular. Desktops just aren't what your average person wants or needs.

I have a desktop at work...frankly I've been pretty unimpressed with the ergonomics of laptops and most people at work seem like they are as well. Your average laptop user at work seems to plug it into a docking station at their desk and run it through big monitors and a real keyboard setup. Sometimes they take it to meetings to present and (before this pandemic) occasionally brought it home to work during bad weather.

Weirdest fad that was going on for awhile were all-in-ones. I never could understand these, they basically combine all the weaknesses of a desktop (poor portability, no battery or easy docking) with all the weaknesses of a laptop (space/heat constraining performance, expensive smaller custom parts, hard to repair, poor ergonomics and extremely limited upgrade options) into one abomination of a product. Yet marketing was obsessed with them for awhile there.

With the wfh thing I've thought maybe I should switch to a laptop as well. But honestly all I really need is a desktop with a docking port and a luggable handle bolted onto the top. I'd never use the thing on my lap and have rarely ever done a presentation. I think something like @Red Squirrel suggested is the real answer, maybe even stupider though. Even just a docking port adapter that plugged right into the standard ports coming off the motherboard which crudely bolted to the back of the case would solve the problem for me.

I haven't been impressed with thunderbolt, I think cost and overly complex design has left it in a weird place as a standard.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I hate typing on a laptop...my big hands keep dh$mwhz nhed ndqor. I haven't taken it out of the travel case in over a year.

I love gaming, but I can't make the mental adjustment to the x-box controllers...so gaming that way sucks for me...(i wish there was a way to use mouse/keyboard)

I do MOST of my surfing...like now...on an iPad, but it would suck for trying to do any actual work.

I should clarify, my wife's laptop at home has a docking station and full size keyboard and a mouse and separate 27" monitor on her desk. It is a Lenovo and it is plenty powerful and reliable, not to mention huge.

I hook my work laptop, which is a tiny 13" Toshiba, up to her monitor and keyboard when I work from home.

At work, my laptop has a docking station so I use a full size keyboard and a mouse, I do not use the laptop keyboard or the ridiculous pointing devices they come with.

My personal laptop at home has a full size keyboard so I just use a USB mouse with it when I use it. It is super thin and fairly light despite the large display. It used to be my wife's work computer but she kept having problems with it restarting randomly so I bought her the Lenovo.

I suspected it might have something to do with all the bloatware Toshiba loaded on it so I bought a SSD and loaded Windows 10 on it and it has been fine ever since, not to mention fast as hell. I didn't want her to be the one testing it though so that's why I went and bought her a Lenovo. Fucking thing was expensive but it's a tank and very powerful.

 

[BudAshes]

I'll give up my desktop when it is pried from my cold dead hands.

 

[Charmonium]

[. . . .] I
do not use the laptop keyboard or the ridiculous pointing devices they come with.

I was going to mention this in my post too, but it was already a little long.

I can never f***ing remember how to scroll, drag and drop, etc using a touchpad. And it's not like it just comes back to me after I haven't used it in a while. Every time, it's like learning to do it all over.

To be fair, I rarely use the pad since I pack a small wireless mouse to use with it. But sometimes it's necessary and I feel like someone should be asking me if I want my milk and cookies before my nap.

 

[lxskllr]

I can use all the laptop hardware, but I don't like it. It is what it is because of portability, not because it's a superior system. I'm always vaguely anxious and uncomfortable on laptop hardware, which is decreased from my anxiety and discomfort using a phone that I absolutely hate. Again, the portability is great, but the usability sucks.

 

[kt]

Before I got my MacBook Pro a few years ago, I would have told you I could never do development on a laptop. I had 2 Dell's prior and I was simply not as efficient on it as I was on a desktop with multiple monitors.

But with Macbooks it's so easy for me to have multiple desktops and swipe the touchpad to go between them that I may be more efficient with my laptop than I am on a desktop now. On my desktop at work I have 2 huge monitors and being able to have a browser in one window and the dev tools in another window is definitely comfortable to work with, but I've done enough of that on Macbooks now that I am just as productive if not more on it now. I typically have 3 desktops on my Macbook when working so that is even more than the 2 I have at work on a desktop.

I don't game anymore on PC at all and don't plan on ever upgrading my desktop at home. I haven't upgraded in over 10 years. I do still use it however when I've been messing with some arcade games and hardware, like to flash some HDD's with MAME CHD images, and stuff similar to that. But other than that I don't use it at all.

I still don't see ANY use for a tablet though like on the professional level. The only thing I use my Asus Nexus 7 for is basically a movie player for my son when we are flying.

Windows 10 has virtual desktops too, Windows key + Tab. Each desktop runs its own session so applications you open in one desktop don't show up as being opened in other desktop sessions.

 

[HeXen]

I use a laptop and could probably get by just fine using a chromebook. But I have to have at least 15 inch screen just to avoid the visual frustration of either smaller fonts or smaller website/app space.

 

[balloonshark]

I hate typing on a laptop...my big hands keep dh$mwhz nhed ndqor. I haven't taken it out of the travel case in over a year.

I love gaming, but I can't make the mental adjustment to the x-box controllers...so gaming that way sucks for me...(i wish there was a way to use mouse/keyboard)

I do MOST of my surfing...like now...on an iPad, but it would suck for trying to do any actual work.

I'm the same way. Take a look at the XIM or similar devices. https://xim.tech/

I have a hard time using anything that doesn't have a large screen and full sized keyboard. For 90% of what I do I could get by with a SFF PC but it's nice to have the extra horsepower and cooling capability of a full sized PC.

 

[JEDIYoda]

I muse my laptop fpor everything! I also use my flat screen TV if I need a bgger screen! HDMI all the way!

 

[purbeast0]

Windows 10 has virtual desktops too, Windows key + Tab. Each desktop runs its own session so applications you open in one desktop don't show up as being opened in other desktop sessions.

I would never use Windows for development.

 

[Zeze]

I honestly hope I'm not wrong, and I honestly hope gaming gets bigger.

In the last decade, gaming has enjoyed an unprecedented explosive growth and straight-up broke into all mainstream area. This has been every nerd's wet dream from 70s/80s/90s.

You got League/Dota/Counterstrike/Fortnite/etc absolutely destroying all records with multi-million dollar international championships. Twitch & Youtube's gone mainstream with endless gaming content - streaming, analysis, fan vids, merch, community, you name it.

Also, culture-wise, gaming has more acceptance than ever - there's no 'nerd' stigma for playing games like in 80s/90s. Girls play it non-stop. Boobtubers play it non-stop.

Your dream is here today. And it has been.

 

[purbeast0]

In the last decade, gaming has enjoyed an unprecedented explosive growth and straight-up broke into all mainstream area. This has been every nerd's wet dream from 70s/80s/90s.

You got League/Dota/Counterstrike/Fortnite/etc absolutely destroying all records with multi-million dollar international championships. Twitch & Youtube's gone mainstream with endless gaming content - streaming, analysis, fan vids, merch, community, you name it.

Also, culture-wise, gaming has more acceptance than ever - there's no 'nerd' stigma for playing games like in 80s/90s. Girls play it non-stop. Boobtubers play it non-stop.

Your dream is here today. And it has been.

And being one of those gaming nerds from the 80s/90s making real money I have now purchased 4 actual arcade games and have them in my man cave. And my wife is cool with it!

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Desktops still most bang for buck, most horsepower, most flexible, most expandable, and most re-useable

I agree that many folks dont have a need, but, its much cheaper to build a PC, and then keep your chassis and power supply and replace parts as they get old ...

Laptops still cost too much and deliver too little IMO. Sure, you can spend 2000 and get a nice gaming laptop, but, I guarantee you, if you spent 2K building a desktop, it would be much much much more powerful and capable.

and the desktop will have 1/5th the breakdowns