I really wish my employer would just give me a desktop; they keep insisting on giving me a laptop that I immediately close and plug into a dock. But, it's just not a fight worth having for me.
I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers
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Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers
#152My main concern with desktops is that they’re much less power efficient than laptops, and therefore create a lot more heat in my office. Something like a Mac cheese grater is probably more power efficient than my custom built PC, but you lose a lot of the value going with a prebuilt system.
Why do you think a well built desktop PC would be less power efficient? It's probably more power hungry, but I don't think desktop PCs use inherently more power per instruction executed or whatever arcane metric we'd be measuring. Modern desktops can clock up and down just as quick as their more mobile counterparts, and due to proper cooling, the same chip you have in a laptop would be more efficient in a desktop enc…
If you're comparing "I'm using a laptop to edit a spreadsheet" to "I'm using a desktop to edit a spreadsheet", desktops are more often than not going to use more power to do essentially the same work (and by extension, radiate more heat).
This is one of the reasons that I ditched my desktop and switched to a laptop for my daily driver (moved heavy workloads to the cloud inc. gaming via GeForce Now, ditched all file sync tools to keep my desktop and laptop sync'd, etc). I can now comfortably close my office door and not have my office heat up to a zillion degrees.
Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers
#153Earlier quoted context omitted.
12. High end desktop CPUs are noticeably faster than mobile counterparts (higher freq, more cache)
Is that actually true anymore? I mean, hardware wise they are not much faster, but cooling is a different story.
My workstation has a 3990x in it. It may not be the fastest single threaded machine out there but there isn't a laptop available right now with 64 cores (128 with hyperthreading if that supports your workload). As a c++ developer, compilation speed is p0 to me and there isn't a laptop that comes even close.
Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers
#154Instead of blasting UEFI, take a minute to learn about tools like `efibootmgr`, and how to install your own keys, so that you control your own machine. UEFI is a bit overengineered, but it's OK. - Most computers' UEFI firmware, desktop or laptop, allows you to install your own keys. - And every computer I've ever heard of with UEFI will allow you to disable secure boot. - Linux runs just fine on UEFI. I'm worried abo…
It was hard to read past the attitude that Secure Boot is the enemy. That’s just not the case, and if the author believes it is, it kind of undermines their expertise/the rest of the writing.
Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers
#155Ive been mainly using a desktop for years, ever since I started working from home. I have the keyboard, mouse and monitor on a sort of 'breakfast in bed tray' type thing I made. This tray fits on top of a little desk I made. So I can work at the desk or in a bed sitting up on cushions if I want.
When I'm not in my computer room I dont want to be using a computer anyway, so theres no downside for me.
Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers
#156Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Most people are not content creators, they are consumers. I don’t think this is true at all, everybody that has a Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / YouTube / TikTok account is a content creator. There’s a reason the term “browsing the web” has died out, it’s not about passive consumption anymore. Writing code is just about the only thing you can’t do on an iPad. And while I think we can all agree on HN that having a…
> everybody that has a Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / YouTube / TikTok account is a content creator. All the fora you mention are characterized by lack of longform text. What people are creating today tends to be image-heavy and eschew any long argumentation or prose storytelling. Having just a smartphone obviously represents a limitation. For example, I am a member of some niche travel communities. A decade ago, w…
Definitely agree with this. Twitter and other social media has really forced the short 140 character snippet or image to be favored over thoughtful posts and blog articles.
Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers
#157Any good way to use desktop computers while lying in bed? It's so much more comfortable than actually sitting at a desk.
Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers
#158Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's hard to find a full size bluetooth keyboard. I think I went through every keyboard on Amazon and found only one. If you use a USB wireless keyboard, well, there goes one of the two USB slots on the laptop. It's not just the monitor being big, I want lots and lots of pixels. I'm currently running 3840*2160, and have a second monitor attached set up in portrait mode (so I can display a manual page while I work on…
Are there even any decent BT keyboards at all off the shelf?
I have the Logitech MX Master Keys, although I use a receiver with it instead of Bluetooth which is also connected to my Logitech mouse. The keyboard is good for people who like the shallow press laptop like keyboards instead of a long travel mechanical keyboard. It's similar looking to a Magic Keyboard but the keys have dimples in them so it's more comfortable.
Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers
#159Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's hard to find a full size bluetooth keyboard. I think I went through every keyboard on Amazon and found only one. If you use a USB wireless keyboard, well, there goes one of the two USB slots on the laptop. It's not just the monitor being big, I want lots and lots of pixels. I'm currently running 3840*2160, and have a second monitor attached set up in portrait mode (so I can display a manual page while I work on…
Are there even any decent BT keyboards at all off the shelf?
I love Filco’s. They make mechanical Bluetooth keyboards. They’re 60% (I think), which is certainly not for everyone. But I love mine so much!
Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers
#160I prefer a desktop because: 1. I like big, big monitors. 2. I prefer a full size keyboard. 3. I prefer a separate mouse. 4. I prefer big freaking disk drives installed. 5. I put the desktop under my desk, and with a wireless keyboard and wireless mouse, there is much less of a snarl on my desk. 6. The desktop has an optical drive I still use. 7. The desktop has lots of USB ports and they're all in use. 8. I can repla…
1-7 can be solved with a good dock. This allows you to still use your main machine as a portable machine on the go.
I do agree with the other items, especially number 10. It's the one big thing I miss from having a desktop.