Do you guys think PC builders becoming a dying breed?

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Vithar

Limp Gawd
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Mar 6, 2012
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With the release of Windows 8 I'm starting to see that people are moving away from the idea of the conventional desktop and more towards the touchscreen/all in one or tablet. With these developments do you guys think builders will eventually become a thing of the past, seeing as how most of use can't built the above computers in our garages.
 
Nope. Think I read somewhere that the PC aftermarket like Newegg and such did 10 billion in sales. That's a lot of people buying things like video cards and such so I think there are still plenty of people like us out there.
 
I should expand what I said earlier:

In your statement, replace "8" with "7" and "touchscreen/all in one or tablet" with laptops" and that was the argument back when Windows 7 was released. Many of the same reasons why laptops would never full replace desktops and by extension DIY PCs back then still apply today with the tablets VS desktop debate.
 
Vithar said:
With the release of Windows 8 I'm starting to see that people are moving away from the idea of the conventional desktop and more towards the touchscreen/all in one or tablet. With these developments do you guys think builders will eventually become a thing of the past, seeing as how most of use can't built the above computers in our garages.
Click to expand...

Where are you seeing those things?

Are you talking about DIY builders? If so, then no. There will always be PC enthusiasts who want total control in the parts their systems use and how well their systems perform. Even if the number of said enthusiasts start to go down drastically, which I doubt would happen any time soon, there will always be a few businesses that cater specifically towards then.

I also believe that you're being too optimistic about tablets replacing full-blown PCs. Even today, tablets are best viewed as consumption devices, Windows 8 RT notwithstanding.
 
Ok I see that could mean 2 thing. I took it to mean guys like us that the build our own PC's. If you mean manufacturers like HP, Dell and the like, then there is a possibility. I don't think they'll go away completely but they will scale back their offerings a bit maybe since for the vast majority of consumers out there, a laptop or hell even an ipad will be all they want.
 
No, there is no way that will ever happen. We are a huge niche market and there is no way tablets and such "computer" devices will replace desktops. They just cant compete, I will eat my words the day NORAD has a room full of ipads instead of servers :p
 
There are too many gamers and photoshop users and people who need really strong/fast computers for work/school/play for the DIY market to go bust.

You can build a solid computer for a desktop for cheaper than you can buy it (excepting true budget builds), and for much cheaper than you can buy the same power in a laptop. Getting that capability in something like a tablet? Not for a long while (I suspect).

Desktop + Laptop + Tablet -- All are filling different niches. Some people will be fine with just one of the above for all their needs. Some of us are always going to have one of each.

I suspect. I'm hardly the greatest expert here.

TL;DR? Nope.
 
I see tablets taking over for most consumers. Possibly a system like the Windows 8 Surface Pro. It's a good compromise - great form factor, and able to use legacy software.

For bigger jobs, I see cloud computing as the answer.
 
tablets are nice for mobile access for quick things but they are not something you are going to use for hours on end if you are doing a lot of typing. There are also things that tablets cannot do or do well that your desktop and laptop can (HTPC for example, serious high def gaming, office produictivity)
 
I guess it depends on whether the bulk discounts are better for middle-men like Newegg and Amazon, or for middle-men like Dell and HP. I imagine that the margin is higher on individual parts sales to gearheads, but the sales volume is presumably much lower due to the relatively narrow demographics of the income and knowledge required to participate. We're probably also generating a lot fewer customer support calls, which is a labor expense, and labor customarily takes the biggest cut of revenue.

Bottom line, as long as you can build a computer for less, or build a better one for the same price, this market should persist.

In the long run, things are murkier because of the constant march towards integration and miniaturization. Anything that can be integrated into the CPU probably will be, especially if it lowers total cost. Memory controllers, GPUs, and now VRMs with Haswell. Of course, the GPUs are nothing like dedicated graphics, but they're an order of magnitude closer than they used to be. You can play Source-based games with a ~$100 CPU, $15 of RAM, and ~$50 motherboard. AMD's APUs actually have the potential to greatly democratize PC gaming when you can put together a system for $300 (not including a monitor or Windows).

Ten years from now, I wouldn't be surprised if our general-purpose PCs were the size of an iPod, and your displays and peripherals connected wirelessly from like 100 feet away. Everything would be soldered on a single PCB inside that little box, and the unit would be available in three different tiers.
 
With a growing PC gaming market, I doubt it. E-sports is catching on more and more as people also watch streamers more and more. The prime examples are Starcraft 2, League of Legends, and DOTA 2.
 
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