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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

#141

Post by ThrowawayR2 »

marmaduke wrote: post #77
aksss wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can of course leave secure boot disabled in UEFI, but you can’t run secure boot with BIO, to my knowledge. That’s why the association - if you want SB, use UEFI.

> if you want SB, use UEFI Not sure I've ever seen anyone wanting secure boot. what is it actually good for aside from generating searches for Google when you have to figure out how to circumvent it?

In theory, if a rootkit gets installed on the system, having Secure Boot enabled would prevent it from running.

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#142

Post by jay_kyburz »

marmaduke wrote: post #83
jay_kyburz wrote: post #8

Over the last 10 years or so I have transitioned to having two big desktops, one at work and one at home, with with a large dropbox folder keeping them in sync. I found I just never needed to carry a laptop with me and could get better price / performance in desktop. I do get a little nervous being without a computer when I'm on holiday 5-6 times a year, but in 25 years I've never actually had to do any emergency wor…

Did you get work to pay for both of those? I like the prospect a lot but not sure I could bring home something newer than 2014 in that scenario.

I'm a consultant and provide my own tools, but I'm well paid and $5k for a few computers that will last a long time is a fairly minor expense.

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#143

Post by 0x98 »

reshie wrote: post #103
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…

laptop docks so your not wiring everything every time and more ports. a desktop is a lot more modular but not mobile. with cloud sync(personal local or remote, or third parties) having two computers is less of a hassle. i see them with the same purpose but different circumstances but a laptop can play both roles with ease with the right setup.

I don't agree with the part about desktops not being mobile, there are plenty of sub 10L cases that you can literally fit in your backpack and walk away. If you don't carry your computer around very often you can easily have a desktop that's portable. The most extreme example of this is the Velkase Velka 3[1].

- [1]: https://www.velkase.com/products/velka-3

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#144

Post by nemoniac »

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…

> 12. My desktop doesn't have a microphone or camera, so they cannot be surreptitiously turned on remotely.

Your points are all good but this one gave me pause for thought. We're all working from home and using our microphones and cameras more than ever. I'm using my regular laptop with plug-in microphone and webcam. Are laptop makers thinking in terms of upping the specs on the microphone and webcams in their upcoming models?

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#145

Post by dangus »

> The golden age of personal computing in the 1980's is long over.

When an article starts with a statement[1] like this I know I'm in for a whine-fest about how everything sucks now and we need to Make Computing Great Again.

What the author wants is a ThinkPad P Series or a Clevo clone. I don't know why the author is making the assumption that a more modular, utility-focused laptop or portable device doesn't exist. They absolutely exist. Just don't be mad that it's a niche and that other people who just want an appliance have different needs than you. Don't be mad that other people in the world aren't necessarily any more interested in computing than they are in fixing their car.

It's also entirely inaccurate to say that the 1980s was a freedom-loving general purpose heaven. In reality, users still bought into ecosystems and proprietary technologies, perhaps even more-so than today.

For example, remember when you had to worry about what format your floppy disk was formatted in? Remember when the same productivity program on a different platform had different save formats? Remember when different platforms had different ports and physical connections for things as simple as a mouse? It's not like Amigas and Commodores and Apple ]['s were just oozing interoperability with each other.

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#146

Post by jeffbee »

ecpottinger wrote: post #2

I notice the lack of user input/output options. USB requires you to jump thru hoops to use it and does not give the constance bandwidth I got with older ports that the CPU could bit-bang. Today I have multi-GigaHertz machines that I can't build the simple projects that I could use with my Amigas because I have no way to interface directly to the buss. The latency of what present computer supplies is horrible.

Hrmm. My latest PC motherboard has the usual 2x 16550 UARTs and a wealth of other headers for various serial protocols. The optional BMC board for same has a ridiculous abundance of GPIOs, too. And a parallel port on a PCIe stick costs $20.

It seems like the bit-banging abilities of these current PCs are as good as they ever were.

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#147

Post by WalterBright »

nemoniac wrote: post #144
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…

> 12. My desktop doesn't have a microphone or camera, so they cannot be surreptitiously turned on remotely. Your points are all good but this one gave me pause for thought. We're all working from home and using our microphones and cameras more than ever. I'm using my regular laptop with plug-in microphone and webcam. Are laptop makers thinking in terms of upping the specs on the microphone and webcams in their upcomi…

What they need to add is a physical electric switch to turn off the cam/mike.

In any case, because of all my remote collaboration these days, I bought a decent mike on a boom to use, and my colleagues say it is much better. Still have to find a decent camera.

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#148

Post by _alex_ »

japhyr wrote: post #45

Does anyone have any recommendations if I want to keep using macOS, but I'm not tied to a MacBook? I realized I hadn't taken my main MacBook off the dock in 9 months. When I go out, I have an older one that I'm happy to use away from my desk. Since it's acting like a desktop now, I though maybe I'd replace it with a higher-spec mac desktop. But a high end mac mini isn't much different than a high-end MacBook. It seem…

The iMac pro is pretty well spec’d

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#149

Post by Bayart »

agloeregrets wrote: post #24
polskibus wrote: post #20

Earlier 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.

The amount of raw power you can drive will "always" be contingent upon your ability to dissipate heat. And the second law of thermodynamics being what it is, that ability is relative to the space you have (assuming you're using similar cooling technologies in both cases).

Laptops being power-conscious, they're usually much closer to the point of maximum efficiency on the power curve. In that sense you get better performance per watt. But that's negated by the increased front cost.

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#150

Post by gorbachev »

japhyr wrote: post #45

Does anyone have any recommendations if I want to keep using macOS, but I'm not tied to a MacBook? I realized I hadn't taken my main MacBook off the dock in 9 months. When I go out, I have an older one that I'm happy to use away from my desk. Since it's acting like a desktop now, I though maybe I'd replace it with a higher-spec mac desktop. But a high end mac mini isn't much different than a high-end MacBook. It seem…

Hackintosh?
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