Are Desktop Computers Becoming Obsolete?

Bonnie said:
Can't picture this becoming obsolete ... they only keep getting better!


iu
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I totally agree. I love my iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2015). 👍
 

A desktop is bulky and a waste of space IMO. A laptop, or even a good phone, can do everything a big ugly desktop can do. Desktop lovers may as well be washing their clothes on a rock in the river.
 
Anybody taking the time to read through this thread can easily see that different folks have different needs, and none of the various formats of computer technology is a waste for somebody. Just because I don't need, say, a desktop, that doesn't mean it wouldn't be the perfect thing for somebody else. It is a good thing that there are choices to fit different folks' needs.

It is not entirely true that a portable device can do everything a laptop can do. Portable devices that have a need for long battery life will necessarily use support chip sets that don't have the bandwidth capability that the higher powered chip sets can handle. There ARE still very good uses for desktops. Intense gamers, those doing intensive graphics and/or video processing, larger scale data crunching in general, these are best served by a well stocked desktop.

Personally, I have been using laptops at home since the mid-90s, but on the job, desktops have long held their own, and will continue to do so for some time to come. Laptops are becoming increasing capable and are handling more of the day to day tasks that in the past, only a desktop could manage, but there are still areas where the desktop is the right tool for the job. I don't see that ending any time soon, though its role has been diminishing for all but the most demanding tasks.

Consider, also, that there are folks whose eyesight demands a large screen monitor. Such a monitor can be connected to a laptop, but if the user already has a desktop, it really doesn't matter since connected to that monitor, the portability isn't a factor. I doubt that folks who already have a desktop are planning to dump it as long as it has a useful life just because somebody in a forum declares desktop computers obsolete.

Tony
 

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tbeltrans said:
Anybody taking the time to read through this thread can easily see that different folks have different needs, and none of the various formats of computer technology is a waste for somebody. Just because I don't need, say, a desktop, that doesn't mean it wouldn't be the perfect thing for somebody else. It is a good thing that there are choices to fit different folks' needs.
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Very True. ;)
My wife has an Android Phone and iPad. I can't use them, I'm all thumbs with them. I still have a flip phone (don't laugh, lol). I also have a Windows 10 Desktop for testing different computer security software and a Toshiba laptop running Win 10.
Gardenlover said:
A desktop is bulky and a waste of space IMO. A laptop, or even a good phone, can do everything a big ugly desktop can do. Desktop lovers may as well be washing their clothes on a rock in the river.
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It all depends what you're using them for. Windows 10 Desktops are easier to fix when something goes wrong with it. I love watching movies on my 27 inch screen also. Hard to drop and break a desktop. :)
 
ProTruckDriver said:
Very True. ;)
My wife has an Android Phone and iPad. I can't use them, I'm all thumbs with them. I still have a flip phone (don't laugh, lol). I also have a Windows 10 Desktop for testing different computer security software and a Toshiba laptop running Win 10.

It all depends what you're using them for. Windows 10 Desktops are easier to fix when something goes wrong with it. I love watching movies on my 27 inch screen also. Hard to drop and break a desktop. :)
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My wife and I both have flip phones. We don't need anything more than the ability to use these as a phone, and are not willing to pay for smart phones and the attendant data plans. So we are not laughing. :ROFLMAO:

Tony
 
tbeltrans said:
My wife and I both have flip phones. We don't need anything more than the ability to use these as a phone, and are not willing to pay for smart phones and the attendant data plans. So we are not laughing. :ROFLMAO:

Tony
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I have no desire for a cell phone that does anything other than make calls if I have an emergency when I'm out and about. We have a landline. One of the problems with smart phones is that everything is so small. Old arthritic hands don't do good with that.
 
I MAY be tempted to get a smart phone at some point. If smart phones become necessary to do some of the things we need to do, then we would reconsider. As an example of the general direction I am seeing, my wife uses coupons at her favorite fabric store for quilting. They are moving toward scanning a mark in an email, rather than sending out coupons that can be printed. That, in itself is not important enough for us to reconsider, but we are keeping an eye on such developments.

Also, I have seen smart phones coming with a flip phone format AND running full blown Linux. That would be interesting to me for reasons I have posted in other discussions in other threads.

My point is that whatever choices I have made for today, need to be flexible enough to change when change is warranted.

Tony
 
When you have to work on a computer, it has to be a desktop.... you need the full keyboard and full-size screen. Who wants to work on a screen that might be 6 x 8 or smaller....and using thumbs to key all that. I have a desktop at home and a my cell..... Just bought a laptop a couple weeks ago to help with homework. My grands are on remote learning, and when they come, I find I might need additonal access to the internet if they forget their chargers for their Chromes.
 
I use laptops with full size keyboards, mouse and multiple screens by connecting them to a docking station.

Another argument for desktops is that they sit under the desk, rather than on top of it, but try taking your desktop back and forth from work or to different locations.

I guess it's like @tbeltrans stated, it's a good thing there are different machines for different needs. I remember years ago when people were saying that mainframes were dead, while not as popular as they once where they still have their uses.

Guess I hit some nerves when I compared desktops to river rocks. :devilish:
 
Desktops will always be around, if they weren't half the industry or more would be dead. You wouldn't be buying these high powered graphics cards and suitcase full of RAM or Ultra fast cpu s .. Today all computers no matter the size have a place and a need by the same people that will buy them or build them again and again. I finally made the move to retire two of my machines for something more modern, not because they don't do what I want to do but because the software out there are all going to the latest operating systems and hardware requirements. Lately just about all my software updates requires processors and operating system upgrades. So I now have one and a third two new AMD Ryzen systems both Desktops of course, to replace these two older dinosaurs I have patched and upgraded until it is now impossible to go any further. I am looking forward to receiving the processor around the 29th and the RAM., everything is back ordered and coming from Hong Kong because the inventories here in the US is now dry. Forget about that GeForce 1660 6GB graphics card because they are now around a thousand dollars thanks to crypto miners buying everything that hit the shelves in 2020. I had to settle for an AMD RX580 8GB card for the first build but hopefully prices will go down soon, we'll see and if they don't go down I will buy another AMD card and live with it. You can bet I didn't pay a thousand dollars for something that was once 200 dollars earlier this year. :) They don't call me cheap for nothing.
 
I'm on my desktop now posting this. I have an android phone (the latest ), a laptop, and a tablet but I use my desktop the most. I'm 74 and not completely a dinosaur yet, so I understand technology to a degree as I worked with computers my whole working career, but I find it ridiculous that everyone is so glued to their phones...constantly...that it's become an obsession. I use my PC for everything. I don't think they're becoming extinct at all. I don't care how big they make the screen on a phone, it's still not the same as a PC monitor. These old eyes need clarity...haha.
 
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Gardenlover said:
I use laptops with full size keyboards, mouse and multiple screens by connecting them to a docking station.

Another argument for desktops is that they sit under the desk, rather than on top of it, but try taking your desktop back and forth from work or to different locations.

I guess it's like @tbeltrans stated, it's a good thing there are different machines for different needs. I remember years ago when people were saying that mainframes were dead, while not as popular as they once where they still have their uses.

Guess I hit some nerves when I compared desktops to river rocks. :devilish:
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People often tend to think of themselves and their needs, and express that accordingly. I find myself reminding folks here that there are many people in these forums with a variety of needs and circumstances. I suppose it is a bit like a "poke in the eye with a stick" to tell others here who use something you don't think much of, that their respective choices are stupid, outmoded, non-sensical, or whatever. As for me personally, I make my own choices and have been working in technology enough to know when somebody is just spewing nonsense. However, there are those here who are sensitive about their respective situations, such as in this case, some having poor eyesight and needing a large monitor, or not being able to afford tossing a perfectly usable desktop in favor of this week's trendy technology.

Tony
 
I only now have a laptop and a tablet.. Tablet for games and back up if the laptop ever needs it..Laptop for email and internet (No windows!!). Thats all I care about..
 
tbeltrans said:
People often tend to think of themselves and their needs, and express that accordingly. I find myself reminding folks here that there are many people in these forums with a variety of needs and circumstances. I suppose it is a bit like a "poke in the eye with a stick" to tell others here who use something you don't think much of, that their respective choices are stupid, outmoded, non-sensical, or whatever. As for me personally, I make my own choices and have been working in technology enough to know when somebody is just spewing nonsense. However, there are those here who are sensitive about their respective situations, such as in this case, some having poor eyesight and needing a large monitor, or not being able to afford tossing a perfectly usable desktop in favor of this week's trendy technology.

Tony
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Seems a bit like you're baiting me to continue the conversation @tbeltrans. Okay, I'll bite, as I'm never one to back down from my ideologies. Technology changes - how many people still use slide rules?

My grandpa, a carpenter, used to criticize the use of a calculator or any computer - saying if you can't figure it out with a tape measure and a ball of string you just were not worth you salt. A ball of string is cheaper, easier to handle, and comfortable. But it doesn't mean it's still the best tool to use. Adapt or die.

Your turn, be nice or I'll have to release the flying monkeys.
 
Gardenlover said:
Seems a bit like you're baiting me to continue the conversation @tbeltrans. Okay, I'll bite, as I'm never one to back down from my ideologies. Technology changes - how many people still use slide rules?

My grandpa, a carpenter, used to criticize the use of a calculator or any computer - saying if you can't figure it out with a tape measure and a ball of string you just were not worth you salt. A ball of string is cheaper, easier to handle, and comfortable. But it doesn't mean it's still the best tool to use. Adapt or die.

Your turn, be nice or I'll have to release the flying monkeys.
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My point was, quite simply, that we can express our likes and dislikes without expressing negativity about what other people choose.

Tony
 
Gardenlover said:
A desktop is bulky and a waste of space IMO. A laptop, or even a good phone, can do everything a big ugly desktop can do. Desktop lovers may as well be washing their clothes on a rock in the river.
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Both dear husband and myself love our desktop. Nothing beats the sound of the speakers we have, so listening to music is a dream, and when we're done doing whatever it is that we're doing on the desktop, we can remove ourselves from the office and go about doing whatever it is that we want to do outside of internet based things.

Laptops, my husband has one for his work, he hates it, I hate it, he also has a smartphone, and again, he hates it and I hate it. The screen is small, the sound sucks, and I loathe pressing teeny, weeny, tiny buttons. Dear husband and I also loathe the idea of having to pack an electronic device around with us everywhere we go.

For me, the biggest part of my hatred towards smartphones, is how oblivious everyone seems to have gotten in relation to using them... their noses stuck in them every minute of every hour of the day, texting at stoplights and while driving, and venturing across busy streets on a red (no walk light), because people are so wrapped in their own little world replying to calls and texts. It's pathetic.

My husband has a little over a year before he retires, and he said the first thing he's going to do is shed his smartphone. No more smartphone... no more laptop. That tells me everything I need to know about both smartphones and laptops.

We're old-fashioned folk, and we know many other old-fashioned folk that aren't interested in entertaining portable internet and telephone. When we leave our home, we leave behind any/all attachment to both internet and telephone... it's called freedom. What a freeing feeling it is to be tied to no such devices when we're out for a Sunday drive or observing wildlife on a field day outing.

So as for washing clothes on a rock in the river, dear husband and I will gladly continue to do our washing the old-fashioned way, because as far as I'm concerned, it's a far more superior option than joining the ranks of those who have allowed their electronic devices to take-over and rule their world.
 
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Sometimes I think that subconsciously I have a desire to drive my wife bonkers, she is somewhat tech handicapped. I've used Linux since early in the 21st Century. She refuses to use anything besides Win 10 and Chrome, I have disdain for both. I told her on our last laptop purchase for her /w Win 10 OS, that I no longer do windows (I'm still forced to help in emergencies). I'm trying to forget or clear my mind of the hassle to keep up with what Google or Microsoft are doing.

I bought myself a mini CPU (6X6 inch footprint desktop) with Linux OS installed has 4 USB ports, 2 HDMI ports and 64 GB storage. Later installed a bluetooth KB/mouse/headphones and connected it to our big screen Sony TV via HDMI. I installed an Amazon Firestick app on my smartphone. I put all cables, components,,,etc in the TV stand and can now sit in my easy chair with my headphones, KB and mouse on my side table and watch either 400+ HD movies, DVDs, streaming (Netflix/Prime) and surf the web at leisure without moving to far unless it's a bathroom break or snack.

My wife's laptop has an icon installed so our Engineer grandson can remote in from 700 miles away to solve her Win 10 problems.
 
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ManjaroKDE said:
I bought myself a mini CPU (6X6 inch footprint desktop) with Linux
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Store bought? What /model? I have a 42" TV for my treadmill and elliptical, currently have an old HP media center PC running Debian. Netflix working OK except the closed captioning flickers, I suspect the graphics card is a little weak for modern websites.
 
Nathan said:
Store bought? What /model? I have a 42" TV for my treadmill and elliptical, currently have an old HP media center PC running Debian. Netflix working OK except the closed captioning flickers, I suspect the graphics card is a little weak for modern websites.
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https://www.amazon.com/MintBox-Mini-2-MBM2-Pro/dp/B07DW6W831
I bought directly from Mint I saved $50 needed only a 64 GB storage since I have a 2 TB external HD with all my movies installed. Also mine came with 2 HDMI ports (newer version) than shown. The 4 USB ports is an installed 3.0 USB hub I had previously purchased for my laptop. Came with serial port cable if needed, but I found the HDMI worked fine.
 
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ManjaroKDE said:
Sometimes I think that subconsciously I have a desire to drive my wife bonkers, she is somewhat tech handicapped. I've used Linux since early in the 21st Century. She refuses to use anything besides Win 10 and Chrome, I have disdain for both. I told her on our last laptop purchase for her /w Win 10 OS, that I no longer do windows (I'm still forced to help in emergencies). I'm trying to forget or clear my mind of the hassle to keep up with what Google or Microsoft are doing.

I bought myself a mini CPU (6X6 inch footprint desktop) with Linux OS installed has 4 USB ports, 2 HDMI ports and 64 GB storage. Later installed a bluetooth KB/mouse/headphones and connected it to our big screen Sony TV via HDMI. I installed an Amazon Firestick app on my smartphone. I put all cables, components,,,etc in the TV stand and can now sit in my easy chair with my headphones, KB and mouse on my side table and watch either 400+ HD movies, DVDs, streaming (Netflix/Prime) and surf the web at leisure without moving to far unless it's a bathroom break or snack.

My wife's laptop has an icon installed so our Engineer grandson can remote in from 700 miles away to solve her Win 10 problems.
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Sounds a bit like a raspberry pi.
 

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