The Desktop: It’s Alive!

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For months on end we’ve heard every pundit and analyst on the planet tell us the desktop PC is all but dead. Well, it would seem that there is a little life left in the desktop PC after all and, we might even see a revival of sorts in 2010.

Many companies that embraced laptops as a liberating force for their workers just three and four years ago have edged back toward more conventional thinking. Desktops offer better value, they’re harder to lose and they’re harder to steal.
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I remember my teacher in college several years back saying how the desktop would be dead soon and handhelds (PDAs and smart phones) would be the replacement. I really think he is/will be wrong!
 
They are also easier to type with with, use a mouse with, more powerful and have more storage options. Lappys should only be used on vacations;)
 
Small form-factor? Meh. I know a lot of people like those, but I personally don't care how large my computer is. I actually prefer a larger case with a little breathing room inside.

But at least there might be some more hardware to choose from if that article is correct. :)
 
KleeziE said:
They are also easier to type with with, use a mouse with, more powerful and have more storage options. Lappys should only be used on vacations;)
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Docking stations are really where notebooks excel in the work place.
 
PyroHoltz said:
Docking stations are really where notebooks excel in the work place.
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I've put in and have seen workplaces have all laptops with docking stations where the laptops never ever leave the office, much less the desk. Now that is a waste of money. The sales guy who sold it to them must be pretty good at his job.
A $1500-2000 laptop with a $150 dock in place of where a sub $800 desktop w/ LCD would fit the bill. What a waste.
 
I have now 2 nettops on each of my HDTVs one of which is set up with remote access software which I can control over the internet or my iPhone. Desktops are in no way dead, we may just have to change what we think of as a desktop. I still prefer my desktops (4 up and running at my home), but notebooks are more confinement.

In the last 3-4 years I have been working on learning the internal workings of notebooks like I did with desktops, taking them apart upgrading components is a pain in the ass compared to my tower, but it can be done and can mean savings just like with a desktop. We will adapt with the change.

Now what the tablet will change I can not tell yet, but iPhones and smart phones really have changed the computer landscape in ways we don't even realize yet.
 
I'd like to see a sort of whole-house PC that could serve all of the handhelds and PCs and what-have-yous in the house, excepting the dedicated gaming PC of course.
 
^ Edit, without me having to do a lot of work to get it running. ;)
 
PyroHoltz said:
Docking stations are really where notebooks excel in the work place.
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I still use a full keyboard and mouse on my work laptop, Much easier and faster to type with. Desktops will always have a place no matter how small, its just easier to tinker with and SFF are just ventilation nightmares where I work (hospital).
 
eggrock said:
I'd like to see a sort of whole-house PC that could serve all of the handhelds and PCs and what-have-yous in the house, excepting the dedicated gaming PC of course.
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I agree. Integration of the computer into the entire house is a step I think we'll see in the coming decades.

Say, a touchscreen on the wall of the kitchen for playing music and accessing your recipe database. A small screen in the bedroom to wake you at a certain time, give you up-to-date weather information such as current temp. and the high for that day. An interface in the living room for movies, games, recorded TV shows, etc.

All of this integrated into one central computer, a house-hold server if you will. Of course, you could definitely do all of this with current technology, but it would take a lot of work and interface programming. :)
 
ProfessorKaos64 said:
I still use a full keyboard and mouse on my work laptop, Much easier and faster to type with. Desktops will always have a place no matter how small, its just easier to tinker with and SFF are just ventilation nightmares where I work (hospital).
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Well for "most" users an Atom based computer is more than enough. It will run Windows, Office, and surf the net. The newest atoms use what, 5 watts? Most of the people in my company would kill to get a tiny PC that doesn't take up a bunch of room on their desks or under them.
 
Lebowski said:
Well for "most" users an Atom based computer is more than enough. It will run Windows, Office, and surf the net. The newest atoms use what, 5 watts? Most of the people in my company would kill to get a tiny PC that doesn't take up a bunch of room on their desks or under them.
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And if it is used like that, why not just get an atom based miniITX desktop system? :rolleyes:
 
laptops are pretty good these days. A good laptop and a docking station would make a great desktop alternate unless you want the latest and greatest graphics option and better upgradability.

At work, I replaced my desktop for an HP Elitebook 2530p and a docking station. Coupled with a 22" monitor and a Logitech Cordless Desktop S520, it makes for a great work computer.

However, at home, unless they lower the price of gaming laptops, it's not going to replace my sig rig anytime soon. But once they drop the prices to match their desktop counterpart, then yes, I can see them replacing desktops for most people, but probably not us enthusiasts.
 
I'm a big believer in desktops for my home use. It offers more performance and flexibility than a laptop - by far - and at a better price. If you don't need mobility, then there's no need for a laptop.
 
Indeed notebooks with a docking station aren't the end all be all, but in our work environment they work well. If you need to head out to a meeting or something, its nice to be able to bring your work along.
 
I work for a project management firm and we have employees all over the world working on sites at steel plants and coal plants and nuclear plants and so on, so laptops for me is better.

If I have to travel to repair a network or whatever at the employee's on site trailer, I could lug my laptop with me instead of having to manage files and all between two computers at work and on the road.
 
Lebowski said:
Well for "most" users an Atom based computer is more than enough. It will run Windows, Office, and surf the net. The newest atoms use what, 5 watts? Most of the people in my company would kill to get a tiny PC that doesn't take up a bunch of room on their desks or under them.
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That's true.

WHERE'S THE MONEY LEBOWSKI!?!?!?:D
 
Take the money for the laptop and buy 2 24" monitors and use the rest on the desktop build.
They could probably reuse the monitors in 3 years and save even more money. There are times I wouldn't mind a laptop, but for the most part, I'd rather have a desktop with lots of screen real-estate.

With that said, the first thing I do is take the mouse and keyboard that the company bought and stick it in a drawer and then plug in my mouse an keyboard. I've been half tempted to replace the monitor too.
 
I like to buy high-quality parts when they become dirt cheap and build my own PC whenever I do a major upgrade. It costs me maybe $700 at most to build a complete system that way, and that's with high-end mainboard CPU, graphics, and video, etc - not a prebuilt combo or all-in-one mainboard. Then I overclock the daylights out of it. That's not exactly something I can do with a laptop. For the same performance I'd be spending $2,000 or better. If I don't need portability why do I need a laptop? Why would I spend the extra money when I can buy PC parts dirt cheap and swap them out and upgrade at will?
 
I personally have never purchased a laptop in my life I can never justify the costs and I have a few hand me downs that fill the laptop roll well. If you don’t need portability then you don’t need a laptop, simple, sadly most companies don’t care to understand this..
 
No laptop will ever replace my desktop but working offshore my gaming laptop was a godsend. When your stuck in the middle of nowhere for weeks at a time, killing bad guys with a double barrel can be so satisfying.
 
As awesome as some laptops may be, it will never be as [H]ard as our kick@ss desktop rigs! On top of that, you get to save some $$$
 
Desktops are simply too powerful and flexible to disappear. I think that the desktop has a BRIGHT future on the big screen. With standalone CableCard FINALLY coming to the PC we now have a device than can do EVERYTHING digital.
 
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