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I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

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Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#201

Post by AnimalMuppet »

WalterBright wrote: post #101
gruez wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agree on most of the points, but... >6. The desktop has an optical drive I still use. for what? You're probably better off (in terms of both convenience and IO performance) to store it on a hdd/ssd as an iso and mount it.

1. Ripping a CD I just bought. Yes, I still buy CDs. So shoot me now. 2. Burning a bluray for backup. (I do backups on different media types just for insurance, and I like that blurays are write-once and incompetence and ransomware cannot f k with them.)

> Yes, I still buy CDs. So shoot me now.

No need. You still buy CDs, you're old enough that we can wait.

;-)

(I still buy them, too.)

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#202

Post by Filligree »

Scoundreller wrote: post #125
megous wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And can sustain the top clocks with proper cooling, contrary to laptops.

Even SSDs throttle under heavy use.

Sure. The NVMe that gives you 2GB/s write may throttle to only 500 MB/s after a few seconds of writes, but--

How often is that a problem, really?

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#203

Post by AdrianB1 »

mxschumacher wrote: post #97
ufmace wrote: post #18

What seems odd about this to me is his complaint that what he wants is out there, in the form of laptops built for linux and set up exactly like he wants, but they're "overpriced". Uh what? If you're gonna be that picky about your setup, then it's time to pony up and pay for it. This stuff is never gonna get more manufacturer attention unless people buy it. If you wanna pay the lowest price, you should expect to get…

I'm generally quite price-sensitive and frugal and I want to describe why I think you are right in calling out the author on their "overpriced" comment: Two aspects are important to keep in mind for a decision of this kind: This machine is going to be your primary professional tool for the next several years - do you really care about a few hundred dollars extra? Especially if you have niche-requirements (read: non m…

Just calculating, $400 extra means doubling the price for most of the corporate laptops (I checked the prices, my laptop was a bit cheaper than that). And I guess the OP was already spending more for a better spec'ed laptop, not buying the cheapest junk, so doubling up the extra is easy to speak about, harder to do, especially if you don't work for big money and you are in the rest of the world outside USA, Canada, Western Europe and Australia.

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#204

Post by dmitryminkovsky »

WalterBright wrote: post #16

I 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…

How often do you use an optical drive and for what?

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#206

Post by shric »

WalterBright wrote: post #113
FpUser wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right away I will say that I do use desktops and in general would prefer because of the absolute power. However my laptops are gaming grade and most of the time I use one of those as a desktop. And this is how it goes again your list: 1) I have 2 "big big" 4K monitors hooked up to my laptop so no problems here. The laptop's monitor is not used as the lid is closed. 2/3) I use external keyboard and mouse. No problems…

I didn't know that a modern laptop could drive 2 4K monitors. This is good news. BTW, it sounds to me that your laptop setup is indistinguishable from a desktop, and your setup is even less portable than a desktop, so why not go the cheap desktop route?

My laptop (16" MacBook Pro) can allegedly drive four 4K monitors. I currently use two 32" 4K (landscape) and one 24" 1440p (portrait). The additional portrait 1440p is totally silly, and it was because work happened to send me it for WFH.

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#207

Post by shric »

sokoloff wrote: post #172
cgriswald wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think what confuses me about the GGP is that at some point don't you just get both a desktop and a laptop rather than trying to turn a super-laptop into an on-par desktop?

That’s what I did (and with one USB cable swap and a button press on the monitor, I can switch keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, and camera between them). But the key for me is I do that because I have a work laptop and a personal desktop and I want no question about the ownership of things I do on the desktop.

This. Employers tend to give out laptops for home use, not desktops. I'm not about to use my personal desktop for work, or my work laptop for personal stuff.

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#208

Post by redisman »

I switched to a Linux desktop since wfh from a MacBook Pro. It’s superior in every way except portability - but there’s nowhere I could take my laptop right now anyway. I can get tons of NVMe storage, lots of fast memory, a wildly powerful CPU with 8+ cores, an unfathomable GPU(coming from laptops) for the same price as that laptop.

None of this is news but it definitely makes the development experience so much nicer, and I can play any game with max settings on it too. Building desktops is also just a lot nicer than it used to be. There are tons of quality of life improvements in the cases, PSUs with detachable cables, silent fans and cooling solutions, etc.

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#209

Post by octoberfranklin »

curiousllama wrote: post #53

> I know that new "open" laptops are still available, but most of them--the System76's, the Purisms, etc.--are overpriced in my opinion This quote suggest to me the author is an integral part of the problem. Companies are ALWAYS trying to increase their profitability. If they can lock down the computer, they can drop the price while _increasing_ CLTV. That’s why System76 is more expensive. They’re NOT overpriced. The…

These "open" vendors are selling you machines with a very, very closed Intel Management Engine (IME) or AMD Platform Security Processor (PSP) in it.

They're distracting people from the real problem, and doing so is harmful.

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#210

Post by balfirevic »

WalterBright wrote: post #131
bleepblorp wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't see a lack of USB ports as a complete dealbreaker for using a laptop. USB hubs work fine to attach large numbers of lower-speed USB devices to a laptop.

Not any one thing is a dealbreaker. It's the combination. Once the laptop is festooned with hubs, external drives, cables everywhere, might as well just buy a desktop.

I think it just comes down to how important you find the convenience of using the same machine when you're at your desk and when you're not.

I used an external monitor, keyboard and mouse when at the desk, even when I only owned a laptop. But I also use the laptop a lot on the couch, not just for traveling - so I wondered if I would find it annoying to have a separate desktop machine.

So far it's been well worth it. The desktop performance is much better (especially for gaming) and Dropbox, git, Chrome sync and VS Code sync make having multiple machines relatively painless.

Edit: I see in previous comments you were looking for a full sized bluetooth keyboard. I recently got a Logitech G915 [0] and I'm pretty happy with it. Expensive though.

[0] - https://www.logitechg.com/en-eu/products/gaming-keyboards/g9...

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