Is The Personal Computer Dead?

[Gary A]

My wife was happy with her laptop until I upgraded my desktop. My old desktop is still pretty good. It is a dual core with 4 GB of RAM. I had it sold but my wife has claimed it for her own. I ended up having to buy another monitor for it.

The full size keyboard and the larger monitor on the desktop are just better. She does drag the laptop around with her and wouldn't give it up but at home the desktop gets used more.

Maybe it's the best of both worlds.

[robblok]

My wife was happy with her laptop until I upgraded my desktop. My old desktop is still pretty good. It is a dual core with 4 GB of RAM. I had it sold but my wife has claimed it for her own. I ended up having to buy another monitor for it.

The full size keyboard and the larger monitor on the desktop are just better. She does drag the laptop around with her and wouldn't give it up but at home the desktop gets used more.

Maybe it's the best of both worlds.

The whole point is what kind of use you get out of it if you are mainly home and a bit more demanding of the equipment a desktop still wins. Its easier to repair easier to upgrade more bang for your buck and more comfortable then any other device. (as long as it has its own place).

Are you on the move or no place for a desktop then the other devices are better. I use an s3 and an ipad too. I prefer the Ipad over the s3 but its less mobile when i go shopping. I dumped the iphone as it was just too small. Love the s3 more as its bigger but still portable.

[David006]

Ok there is massive storm here at the moment: ...unplugged all my electronic goodies including my laptop ..big bang ! some place in the house..think we got hit..anyways can't find anything fried or burning smells.......seems to me a battery laptop just may be a good idea here?

[TommoPhysicist]

Ok there is massive storm here at the moment: ...unplugged all my electronic goodies including my laptop ..big bang ! some place in the house..think we got hit..anyways can't find anything fried or burning smells.......seems to me a battery laptop just may be a good idea here?

UPS is cheap.

[dave111223]

I find my productivity is significantly reduced when using my laptop (without an external mouse/keyboard/screen).

The keyword is not as comfortable and I type slower, the screen is a lot smaller, and obviously touchpads are rubbish.

[DrTuner]

The first time one hits the wall with a laptop is when trying to create a RAID array. Most don't allow two physical drives and RAID is pretty much obligatory for anything more mission critical. Running any sort of 24/7 services or long running processes fall into that category.

[totantaz]

PC is not dead for me,

when i can play high quality games (Skyrim, CoDMw, Fallout, etc ..) at Ultra quality details on a Tablet i will switch my views

Edited October 14, 2012 by totantaz

[MAJIC]

As well as one of the OP's reasons being self-upgradeable, a Desktop PC is for the most part self-repairable.

Keyboard breaks, fine, buy a new one, same goes for drives, sound cards, video cards, power supply etc.

You have hit on the main point for keeping a Desktop PC,easy to upgrade and work on,while laptops reguire specialist knowlege and tools to even get the case open on some of them,because the manufacturers want you to send them back for repair,so they can hit you with a big bill.

Having said that my Compaq Presario is still in daily use 3 years later. but not without some maintenance,from me on occasions.

[Crushdepth]

Most businesses with fixed work stations also want desktops, for obvious reasons.

[rijb]

Hell no! There are many big companies still running Windows NT.

[Vale Tudo]

Haven't had a desktop for years and will never buy one again. So big. Too ugly. I like to use my laptop in different places - kitchen, bedroom, living room, balcony, etc. Would hate to be stuck in one place with a desktop. I think laptops are more unreliable these days though, probably because they don't use quality parts. Just built to fall apart so that you have to buy a new one. This Sony Viao has already broken twice in 7 months. Has to go back next week for complete new casing and hard drive. Looks good, but quality/design seems not so good. Feel like dumping it and getting something else, but will see how it goes after it's repaired. Last Dell laptop broke down about 8-10 times. Had 3 motherboards, new screen, new hard, new keyboard and about another 5 internal parts. Shockingly bad quality. Any suggestions on a reliable laptop?

I've used Sony Vaios for the last 10 years and have NEVER had one break down on me!It's widely accepted that they are very good quality laptops.

[Vale Tudo]

If you just want to read the internet and you think Farmville is an awesome game, you will probably be content with a tablet or maybe a lap top.

But lets get real here, if you're working on documents, programming, photos, videos or playing a *real* game, you need a big screen if you want to stay sane. And you will probably want, if not need, a processor with some serious grunt. Desktop pcs are not dead.

I use a laptop when I must, but I will always turn to a tablet or desktop first. I kind of hate laptops, actually.

Ever heard of 'Ivy Bridge' CPUs?You seem to be living in the past!

[Chivas]

With all the capabilities now available in laptop, I would never plan to by a PC again in the future

I agree with that sentiment entirely, but would also add that "phones" are for talking and SMS and I cannot comprehend people scrolling around a 3" screen for Internet access.....

[Notstupid30]

I will always stick to high performance desk tops pc

[Vale Tudo]

The first time one hits the wall with a laptop is when trying to create a RAID array. Most don't allow two physical drives and RAID is pretty much obligatory for anything more mission critical. Running any sort of 24/7 services or long running processes fall into that category.

My Sony Vaio laptop has 4 SSDs of 128MB each in a RAID array.The memory alone cost nearly 2,000 USD!

[dharmabm]

The first time one hits the wall with a laptop is when trying to create a RAID array. Most don't allow two physical drives and RAID is pretty much obligatory for anything more mission critical. Running any sort of 24/7 services or long running processes fall into that category.

My Sony Vaio laptop has 4 SSDs of 128MB each in a RAID array.The memory alone cost nearly 2,000 USD!

i'm guessing there are typos in that post because it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever!

[2008bangkok]

If you dotn need to move around with your PC then a desktop would always be better as it is always going to be more powerful for your money and cheaper and easier to either upgrade or be fixed, i can wip out a faulty motherboad on a PC and have a new one in and up and running in 30 mins, where as I currently have a laptop that needs a new motherboard and it is a right hassle to do as a result its just sitting in the cupboard.

Pads are purely for entertainment purposes and cannot be used for any work apart from sending emails..

[Vale Tudo]

The first time one hits the wall with a laptop is when trying to create a RAID array. Most don't allow two physical drives and RAID is pretty much obligatory for anything more mission critical. Running any sort of 24/7 services or long running processes fall into that category.

My Sony Vaio laptop has 4 SSDs of 128MB each in a RAID array.The memory alone cost nearly 2,000 USD!

i'm guessing there are typos in that post because it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever!

Not that I'm aware of,unless I'm misunderstanding a RAID array.I though it was just a load of hard/solid state drives working side-by-side,is that not correct?

[IMA_FARANG]

Any suggestions on a reliable laptop?

My laptop, the one I'm using now says TOSHIBA on it.

I purchased it in 2005.

It uses a touch pad cursor system....and though that still works I had to add a mouse in January 2012 as the main cursor control. The keys on the touch pad are sticking ocasionally after 7 years.

Also in 2012 the space key died.

Solved that with a plug-in USB keyboard I bought, that cost me 150 baht for the USB keyboard.

Looks like after 7 years of daily use my old Toshiba laptop is starting to slowly fade away.

At about $1100 in 2005, I guess it was a good investment.

[DrTuner]

The first time one hits the wall with a laptop is when trying to create a RAID array. Most don't allow two physical drives and RAID is pretty much obligatory for anything more mission critical. Running any sort of 24/7 services or long running processes fall into that category.

My Sony Vaio laptop has 4 SSDs of 128MB each in a RAID array.The memory alone cost nearly 2,000 USD!

i'm guessing there are typos in that post because it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever!

Not that I'm aware of,unless I'm misunderstanding a RAID array.I though it was just a load of hard/solid state drives working side-by-side,is that not correct?

That's the basic idea of it. But 128MB ? What are they, usb sticks ?

[guzzi850m2]

Any suggestions on a reliable laptop?

My laptop, the one I'm using now says TOSHIBA on it.

I purchased it in 2005.

It uses a touch pad cursor system....and though that still works I had to add a mouse in January 2012 as the main cursor control. The keys on the touch pad are sticking ocasionally after 7 years.

Also in 2012 the space key died.

Solved that with a plug-in USB keyboard I bought, that cost me 150 baht for the USB keyboard.

Looks like after 7 years of daily use my old Toshiba laptop is starting to slowly fade away.

At about $1100 in 2005, I guess it was a good investment.

Yes that's very impressive I must say, but sounds like it about time to buy a new one eh.

[Vale Tudo]

My Sony Vaio laptop has 4 SSDs of 128MB each in a RAID array.The memory alone cost nearly 2,000 USD!

i'm guessing there are typos in that post because it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever!

Not that I'm aware of,unless I'm misunderstanding a RAID array.I though it was just a load of hard/solid state drives working side-by-side,is that not correct?

That's the basic idea of it. But 128MB ? What are they, usb sticks ?

The Macbooks come with 128GB and Sony online were giving the option of 128,256 or 512GB so I just assumed that's how they were configured,in units of 128GB.Is that not the case then?

[DrTuner]

The Macbooks come with 128GB and Sony online were giving the option of 128,256 or 512GB so I just assumed that's how they were configured,in units of 128GB.Is that not the case then?

No, I think what you've got is one physical drive inside the laptop, it's either 128GB, 256GB or 512GB. There just isn't enough slots in a laptop for four of these:

http://followsteph.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/ssd.jpg

The idea with RAID (The RAID-1 variety at least) being if one drive breaks, the other one(s) will continue to work and you can replace the broken one without any interruption. With 1TB 3.5" disks for desktops around 2500b it makes a lot of sense.

[Guest]

RAID stands for redundant array of independent disks.

Wiki article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAID

And the presentation of different RAID setups.

[Thaddeus]

The Macbooks come with 128GB and Sony online were giving the option of 128,256 or 512GB so I just assumed that's how they were configured,in units of 128GB.Is that not the case then?

You really need to read, and understand this.....

http://www.thegeekstuff.com/2010/08/raid-levels-tutorial/

How is your RAID Array configured?

[tinfoilhat]

I have a notebook and a laptop but for home use its the desktop for me ,far more reliable nice large screen to watch a movie ,as for the other two in the home you can insert them where the sun dont shine .

why would you want to watch a movie from a desktop when a dedicated media player like the wdtv live or a laptop would allow you to watch in comfort on a TV?

[thenervoussurgeon]

I have a notebook and a laptop but for home use its the desktop for me ,far more reliable nice large screen to watch a movie ,as for the other two in the home you can insert them where the sun dont shine .

why would you want to watch a movie from a desktop when a dedicated media player like the wdtv live or a laptop would allow you to watch in comfort on a TV?

Actually i wasnt thinking when i wrote this ,my brain was out for a clean, i do watch movies on the tv ,just plug in a usb ,

[DrTuner]

why would you want to watch a movie from a desktop when a dedicated media player like the wdtv live or a laptop would allow you to watch in comfort on a TV?

I've got the HTPC box for this, it's a desktop. Connected with HDMI to a 52" and S/PDIF to a surround system, I've added a Hauppauge TV tuner and IR remote as well. It sits on it's place and never moves and as it runs Linux, I'm able to do Skype video conferencing using the TV as monitor as well.

You can do that with a laptop too, if you've got the connections, but the RAID thing once again means a separated NAS box unless you don't care that much about the data on the disks. The only way to extend a laptop is through USB connections or a dock, which means a pit of snakes in cables or extra $$$. You can also buy an HTPC case, making it look like the usual stereo equipment.

[tinfoilhat]

yer preaching to the choir sir, i just cant conceive of why anyone would want to watch a movie at their desk off of a computer screen

[guzzi850m2]

yer preaching to the choir sir, i just cant conceive of why anyone would want to watch a movie at their desk off of a computer screen

You obviously don't have kids. I do and I let him watch 1 hour cartoons before bedtime. He is to small to sit upstairs alone in one of the bedrooms and prefer to be close to his parents so my 22" HD Samsung desk-top screen is very handy for me.