Is The Desktop PC Doomed?

[dsio]

Originally Posted by Kaitain

...Am checking with the brother-in-law what that sort of money would buy in China....

The computer would be less likely to require a course of penicillin afterwards though.

[Kaitain]

Originally Posted by dsio

The computer would be less likely to require a course of penicillin afterwards though.

Ever considered a career in the oil industry? You'd fit right in

[Samuknow]

I just like gaming on a PC. Never have been a console fan. It just feels different. Plus I still only need one rig for all my needs. I realize the consoles can do alot, but not everything I do on a PC.

[Daniel ~]

It DOES take a bit of getting use to, but after years of PC gaming I have to say that I don't even think about loading the games that run in Linux as good as they do in MS ... I've really come to prefer PS3 gaming...but to each their own Sam...":O}

[candle_86]

well laptop + console+TV is 1600 bucks or a gaming desktop can be built for 800 you tell me whats cheaper lol

[Daniel ~]

A console (PS3 $300.00)is less expensive than first rate Video card (or second rate one for that matter) , most already have a TV, the laptop can just as easily be a desktop. I know I've saved quite a bit simply in not having to keep up with the video cards.

I've not had a need that many have for portability.

[candle_86]

ok take into account a geforce 7900GT or x1900XT can still play todays games at settings comparable to the xbox and a GTS640 can still play them at high, which tends to look better than most consoles. Thats 2006 cards. An Athlon x2 3800 or PentiumD will handle any modern game those are from 2005. A PC lasts just as long as console

[dsio]

mmmm... Killzone 2 / Modern Warfare 2 on the PS3 on a 1080p TV looks really, really good. I'm very doubtful that an Athlon X2 3800 is going to come close to pulling that magic off.

[Repo Man]

The only game I play is Il2 1946 combat flight simulator. Though a version of it was ported to the ps3, it doesn't have the realism that the PC version does. When you consider the PC version has options that allow you to set the trim, change the prop pitch, open and close the radiator, and much, much more - you need a keyboard, a joystick, and ideally, pedals for the ailerons. The market for such realism is too small for a successful PS3 game, so it will remain PC only. I see that as the future for PC gaming; that is, games that will only attract a small (but very dedicated) market share.

For me, my PC is my entire entertainment system. Television, music, movies, games (or just game in my case). If I needed one, I'd buy a laptop. But I have almost no use for a portable computer.

[Daniel ~]

Good point R.M.!

[booman]

I was hoping that PC's would start to get smaller with Solid State 2.5" hard drives and the Video cards that have outgrown motherboards. I wouldn't be surprised if the Video card becomes the mainstream for computers and the cases just get smaller so we won't need huge towers for upgrading. Instead we will upgrade our GPU and Memory. Kinda like combining the power of PC and compactness of a laptop.
I'm not too concerned about portability because I play games and work at home, but if computers would get smaller, were just as fast & upgradable then it would be even easier to take my Tower with me.
Desktops still have a lot to offer, specially for enthusiasts. Most people who use laptops really don't play a whole lot of High Quality games. The use it for internet, work, office apps & communication. Just like the Blackberry's & iPhones.

[candle_86]

i think honestly the laptop is doomed alot more so than the desktop. Your plam and phone can do 90% of what your laptop can, they also have longer battery life and fit in your pocket. Id dare say the laptops days are numbered. The desktop will live on for much longer, maybe not as a gaming box, but consider the terminals on a server, or grahpics rendering box's and the enthusiant crowd. For normal people the desktop will fade away, but for a great many people it will never disappear, as long as there is a market for it. As for GPU/CPU combo I hate that idea honestly. Think about it this way, transistor count goes up sevral million per GPU generation, requiring a new CPU socket per GPU generation. It destroys the advantage of say using a socket 939 with an FX60 and installing say a GTX260. Those users would be stuck with say geforce 7 hardware today.

[Daniel ~]

In that respect...I see it (Desktop) becoming more and more a home monitoring (Light, heat,security refer, food supply etc,) home entertainment, (Music, TV, Movies, games) center streaming away and adapting to our preferences and needs.

[Kaitain]

Originally Posted by candle_86

i think honestly the laptop is doomed alot more so than the desktop.

Oh I do hope so! I'm so sick of lugging a 10kg laptop, 6kg of which is laptop plus paraphernalia, through airports.

Sadly the reality at the moment is that a 3" screen and soft-keyboard is not a match for a proper physical keyboard and 14" screen when you're trying to write a report.

I rather like the idea that the PC desktop will disappear into household furniture, the laptop will disappear into ever more capable smartphones, games systems will disappear into a lads' den and the sitting room will revert to a gathering place for the family.

Sadly, I think I'll be somewhat disappointed.

[candle_86]

yea reports need a laptop but how long till your smartphone can plug in with a mini DVI into say your living room TV and a mini USB port for a keyboard?

[Samuknow]

Originally Posted by Daniel ~

In that respect...I see it (Desktop) becoming more and more a home monitoring (Light, heat,security refer, food supply etc,) home entertainment, (Music, TV, Movies, games) center streaming away and adapting to our preferences and needs.

Totally agree.

[Gizmo]

Originally Posted by candle_86

yea reports need a laptop but how long till your smartphone can plug in with a mini DVI into say your living room TV and a mini USB port for a keyboard?

And carrying around a monitor and keyboard with me for doing my reports is more desirable than carrying a laptop because......?

(Help me here, because I'm completely missing your point.....)

[candle_86]

Ok most people do reports from home anyway, some will do them on the road, but id say 90% will write them up at home or at the office. So for the majoirty a laptop isn't required anymore for your work

[Daniel ~]

For the majority it was never needed for anything. Those who do need it they will most like continue to do so until something better comes along...":O}

[booman]

And carrying around a monitor and keyboard with me for doing my reports is more desirable than carrying a laptop because......?

(Help me here, because I'm completely missing your point.....)

He means the roll-up flexible LCD screen with accompanying roll-up keyboard. Fits in your pocket