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

[Brainonska511]

For the foreseeable future, my personal computers will continue to be desktops. I don't need computing on the go, and desktops, even in the mITX format, give me much greater flexibility. And the cost for a desktop is far below the cost of a comparably powered laptop.

However, I do have a laptop for work, since they provide them. They also give us a docking station, two monitors, keyboard, and mouse. The main reason for the laptops is for being able to do work when on-site for a client, and with COVID, it has also greatly assisted all in working from home.

 

[cytg111]

Last 15 years, contracting for different companies, development and architecture work, hardware has been portable from day one. Its been getting thinner and slicker over the years, sure, but portable.
A working desktop is just hooking the portable up to a screen, keyboard and mouse, good to go. When laptops got the fast ssd's it really offset the performance diff from the actual desktops.

 

[lxskllr]

An ssd can remediate a lot of performance sins. If I had to pick any one piece of hardware that really made a difference, it would be solid state drives. I'd rather use an overall slower computer with an ssd, than the newest stuff with a spinner.

 

[AdamK47]

My work is done on a laptop without a docking station and only a mouse plugged into it.

My desktop computing has strictly been entertainment only. It has gone from desk to being part of my living room connected to a 65" OLED and a receiver with a surround sound setup. The best PC gaming experience IMO.

 

[cytg111]

My work is done on a laptop without a docking station and only a mouse plugged into it.

My desktop computing has strictly been entertainment only. It has gone from desk to being part of my living room connected to a 65" OLED and a receiver with a surround sound setup. The best PC gaming experience IMO.

The only reason I am still into desktops is that I still game some times. That's it.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I guess I made a typo in the title. I meant it along the lines of, "no one needs ANOTHER desktop PC, for the rest of their lives".

Meaning, technology has come so far, it can probably last the rest of our lives before needing an upgrade. And for the rest of the population, they don't need a desktop at all.

@AdamK47 , you might possibly be an exception to the rule.

 

[lxskllr]

I only replaced my c2d a couple years ago cause the mb finally died. I'd still be using it if that hadn't happened. If this machine holds up, I could see me using it 20+ years from now, and it's already old; just an old Dell I5 refurb.

 

[VirtualLarry]

It would be interesting to see a graph, referencing the total units of off-lease corporate refurbs entering the market, crossed with the total potential PC market in units. IOW, is refurb PCs going to end up as mostly e-waste, because there's much less of a market for them? I mean, I pick one or two up occasionally, cheap, and tried turning them into gaming PCs. I sold one on here, and didn't manage to give away another one, and I just recently gave away a low-end one locally, an i3-3220 / GT 1030 2GB GDDR5 combo, 8GB RAM, SSD + HDD. Basic Fortnite-esque / e-sports PC, very basic with only a GT 1030 in it. The new owner doesn't really play much beyond flash-player / HTML5 games (slots, etc.). It should last him quite a while. (His last PC I gave him, some years ago, was a Socket 939, what was it, the high-end one, a 4400 or something? I don't quite recall the model number.) It was a dual-core, with 4x512MB DDR1. Of course, it was a bit out-dated when I got it, I got it for kicks from a member here. Well, I put it to use, gave it to this friend, he used it for a number of years.

That's basically what I'm talking about. These Zen2 (and soon, Zen3) CPUs and APUs, with 8C/16T or greater, will last quite a long time I think. Heck, even the 6C/12T CPUs that I invested in, I don't see myself upgrading anytime very soon, unless there's yet another uplift like Zen to Zen2, which Zen3 just might be, with AVX2 and bigger L3 cache and better gaming performance. (Who am I kidding. I'm in my mid-40s. Haven't gamed competitively since my late 20s.)

 

[ponyo]

I only replaced my c2d a couple years ago cause the mb finally died. I'd still be using it if that hadn't happened. If this machine holds up, I could see me using it 20+ years from now, and it's already old; just an old Dell I5 refurb.

I'm finally replacing my c2d desktop next week. Got new HP Pavillion desktop with i5 from Costco that's being delivered. I was going to replace it earlier this year but then Covid-19 hit and the resulting stay at home and stimulus checks wiped out any kind of decent desktop computer deals at Costco. Now that people have spent their stimulus money, there are finally some desktop computer deals available at reasonable prices again. For awhile pickings were slim to nonexistent and prices were high due to increased demand.

I'm going to install linux on c2d desktop and continue to use it as media server.

 

[ThatsABigOne]

My main machine is from 2010 with few upgrades. ATX form factor desktop that sheds lots of heat for what it's being used for, which is web browsing mainly. I planned to build a new PC by now, but as ponyo mentioned, covid made it hard to find good deals.

 

[PowerEngineer]

I guess I made a typo in the title. I meant it along the lines of, "no one needs ANOTHER desktop PC, for the rest of their lives".

Meaning, technology has come so far, it can probably last the rest of our lives before needing an upgrade. And for the rest of the population, they don't need a desktop at all.

@AdamK47 , you might possibly be an exception to the rule.

I suspect you are right in saying that the technology has progress well beyond what the typical PC user really uses. I'm actually thinking we reached that point at least a decade ago.

Being that I make extensive use of Microsoft Office applications to analyze big data sets, I suspect I will upgrade my technology at some point. I'm ready for 128-bit Excel! 😄

But I think we will all be replacing our desktops (laptops, tablets, smartphones, etc.) just because their components aren't designed to last the rest of our lives. My recollection is that corporations depreciate their desktop investments over a five year period (which helps explain why there are so many being resold). I push my own builds out toward ten years, but by that time I am starting to worry about hardware failures (even though I have only ever had just one failure). But why push my luck?

At ten year intervals, I'd like to think I am going to need at least another three desktop PCs before I'm done. 😋

 

[lxskllr]

Failures aren't a problem if you're making backups. I run it til it quits running, or quits performing acceptably. My dead c2d lasted 12 years, and it spent a lot of that time with a 30% overclock.

 

[PowerEngineer]

Failures aren't a problem if you're making backups. I run it til it quits running, or quits performing acceptably. My dead c2d lasted 12 years, and it spent a lot of that time with a 30% overclock.

I guess it depends on your definition of a "problem".

I agree that adhering to a routine of making backups does soften the blow of a hard drive/ssd failure (and I go the extra mile of running mirrored drives for my most important files), however hardware failures are still very much a PITA. I have a laptop that can fill in for a failed desktop, but I don't like to be rushed into fixing or replacing desktop parts. I'd much rather build a replacement on my own timetable (after getting myself back up to speed on best current technology) that can last another decade.

Different strokes for different folks... 👌

 

[Perknose]

I'm ready for 128-bit Excel! 😄

 

[Herr Kutz]

VirtualLarry, I was browsing around best buy today and yesterday and noticed most of the premade desktops were pretty small. The hp envy was a nice size and even the hp omen 30l was relatively small. I’m thinking of building another computer with a case size similar to the omen. Are there any cases like this on the market that I can use for a DIY build?

 

[Fanatical Meat]

@VirtualLarry see above^^^^^^^^

 

[Sonikku]

Could never give my desktop up. My Laptop only has a 1660 ti and sounds like a jet engine that never takes off. My desktop has a 1080 ti ftw3 and is whisper quiet even under full load. Same for my cpu, with two 140mm Noctuas cooling it. I wish Noctua made laptop fans!

 

[VirtualLarry]

Fractal Design Node 802? That's the only small mini-ITX gaming case that I really know about, besides the CoolerMaster cube cases for ITX.

Edit: This one. The Node 202, I guess.

Fractal Design Node 202 Black Slim Mini-ITX Computer Case - Newegg.com

Buy Fractal Design Node 202 Black Slim Profile Mini-ITX Computer Case with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!

www.newegg.com

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Fractal Design Node 802? That's the only small mini-ITX gaming case that I really know about, besides the CoolerMaster cube cases for ITX.

No such model. There's a 202 and a 304 that are mini-ITX, and an 804 that's a micro-ATX cube.

The 804 is actually pretty nice. I have a server build in it. Lots of provisions for water cooling radiators.

My next main build will probably be a 202. Been eyeing it for a while, but I have no need to upgrade, so...

 

[Brainonska511]

No such model. There's a 202 and a 304 that are mini-ITX, and an 804 that's a micro-ATX cube.

The 804 is actually pretty nice. I have a server build in it. Lots of provisions for water cooling radiators.

My next main build will probably be a 202. Been eyeing it for a while, but I have no need to upgrade, so...

The Fractal Design Core 500 is nice size mITX case. Has room for at least 3 2.5" drives, 3 3.5" drives, and an optical drive, if that's your style. Also can take AIO coolers, and full size PSUs and GPUs. It's a nice little case - built my wife a mid-range gaming rig in December using that case.

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/LvnG3C/fractal-design-case-fdcacore500bk

 

[Herr Kutz]

Fractal Design Node 802? That's the only small mini-ITX gaming case that I really know about, besides the CoolerMaster cube cases for ITX.

Is the omen 30l itx or micro atx?

 

[AdamK47]

I guess I made a typo in the title. I meant it along the lines of, "no one needs ANOTHER desktop PC, for the rest of their lives".

Meaning, technology has come so far, it can probably last the rest of our lives before needing an upgrade. And for the rest of the population, they don't need a desktop at all.

@AdamK47 , you might possibly be an exception to the rule.

One could say that I've been on the same desktop since 1996. I've never built it from scratch since then. My main desktop has only seen upgrades when new parts hit retail. A new CPU and motherboard there. The newest graphics card when a new architecture releases. A new case when the old one seems outdated. New SSDs when I'm reaching capacity. And so on.

 

[Fritzo]

I work for an IT management company- none of our clients are ordering desktop PCs anymore. Modern laptops are just as powerful as desktops, support multiple monitors through a single USB-C dock connection (that charges too), they take up less desk real estate, and you can take it home if needed (a must in today's world).

 

[Herr Kutz]

I work for an IT management company- none of our clients are ordering desktop PCs anymore. Modern laptops are just as powerful as desktops, support multiple monitors through a single USB-C dock connection (that charges too), they take up less desk real estate, and you can take it home if needed (a must in today's world).

Which USB dock would you say is the best?

 

[AMD64Blondie]

Tell me about it.I'm running a full-tower Cooler Master Storm Trooper case..stuffed with 7 hard drives..
(5 3.5 inch drives,1 PCI-Express Samsung SSD,and a SATA 2.5 inch Mushkin SSD.) My video card is a Nvidia GTX 1080.

The thought of trying to use a tablet or a laptop PC for gaming scares me.