6 ms·

I wonder what the non-gaming desktop market is like now. I developed for 15 years on a desktop and my latest machine for the first time is a laptop. They used t

I wonder what the non-gaming desktop market is like now. I developed for 15 years on a desktop and my latest machine for the first time is a laptop. They used to be twice as expensive and half as fast but now it’s a smaller difference so being able to move it is worth it, even though I almost never do.

capableweb 6y ago
It's funny because I'm the opposite. Started doing development on a desktop computer (family computer), as soon as I became a paid developer, started using laptops, first Macbooks and later others. Bought my first desktop computer for work about a year ago and couldn't be happier. Doing any sort of creative work is just unbeatable on desktop computers. And development work is also much nicer. Even if the specifications are the same / below the ones of laptops, the computer runs faster as the cooling is much better.
- alkonaut 6y ago
  There was a bit of a plateau in the last years when intels processors stagnated but they could still improve their laptop parts. Now you can get a decent 8-core laptop that isn’t much slower than a desktop which might have 10-12 cores max. The new Ryzens may have ended this, and made 130W again usable to get more perf and cores and not just heat. Being able to shift locations even if just temporarily is still great. Perhaps the solution is to have a beefy desktop and a tiny but weak laptop with good battery, and just remote in to a desktop when on the move.
  - second--shift 6y ago
    > Being able to shift locations even if just temporarily is still great. Perhaps the solution is to have a beefy desktop and a tiny but weak laptop with good battery, and just remote in to a desktop when on the move. This is what I do - my 'main' general purpose computer is a Linux-Chromebook and most of my 'work' is processed on the server stack at home.
bhauer 6y ago
As I wrote elsewhere in this thread [1], the data in the article shows desktop computing down significantly in Q3 2020. That came as a surprise to me. I would have expected it to be up since so many are stuck at home and desktop computing remains the premium home computing experience. If you've got a good work desk, desktop computing will push the value of each dollar spent on hardware further. Apparently most people still prefer to pick up a computer and move from room to room during their lockdown. That's not compelling for me, but it presumably is for others. I have a 3900X desktop workstation and a 4900HS laptop, an Asus G14. You are right that the performance delta for most tasks is not as large as it was 15 years ago. In fact, for routine work, they seem about the same. The advantages to a desktop are things that I personally find valuable: ease of connecting many large displays (I use three 30 inch 16:10 monitors), ease of equipping large amounts of memory (32GB is a piece of cake, 64+GB is also easy on a desktop), tidier connectivity (everything is routed to a box hidden away behind the desk), no thermal throttling (always the same performance regardless of workload), quiet (larger and more powerful cooling), etc. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25083580 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25083580
- meddlepal 6y ago
  A desktop is only a premium experience if you're an engineer of some sort and really need the horsepower... Just about everyone else on the planet sees a desktop as a huge space waster.
  - qz2 6y ago
    For me it's a huge ergonomic and health gain using a desktop after using a laptop for 10 years. To the point of being life changing again.
    - stkdump 6y ago
      Using a docking station there is zero difference in ergonomics. But you still can move around if you want.
      - 6y ago
kyriakos 6y ago
With the WFH situation, I have friends who bought new desktops just for work since laptops tend to be more expensive, perform worse and portability is no longer a priority. this is obviously anecdotal.
unionpivo 6y ago
I have 3 desktops. 1x at work 1x at home for work 1x home for gamming I stared my life with desktops in 90s, then switched to laptops in 00s, but went back to desktops about 7 years ago. It just more convenient for me. At work when I finish I just lock the screen saver and walk away. Having 64gb of ram is also nice, for all the VM's I need to run. Desktops if not build for gaming can be quieter than equivalent laptops, etc. Same at home. I used to have only 1 computer at home. But for fun(i do electronics and some programming on my own) I use linux, for games I use windows, got tired of dualbooting, so its just easier to have 1 dedicated computer for everything. I still have my laptop somewhere, but rarely use it, since when I am not at home or office, my phone is enough for most situations. Silence, not messing with cables every day, more ram + My computer is in the same state as I left it for work are my main motivators. Gaming pc is just mz hobby so i probably shoudn't even count it. PS: oh and I forgot storage. having multiple ssd's is just so convinient.

capableweb 6y ago

It's funny because I'm the opposite. Started doing development on a desktop computer (family computer), as soon as I became a paid developer, started using laptops, first Macbooks and later others. Bought my first desktop computer for work about a year ago and couldn't be happier. Doing any sort of creative work is just unbeatable on desktop computers. And development work is also much nicer. Even if the specifications are the same / below the ones of laptops, the computer runs faster as the cooling is much better.

alkonaut 6y ago
There was a bit of a plateau in the last years when intels processors stagnated but they could still improve their laptop parts. Now you can get a decent 8-core laptop that isn’t much slower than a desktop which might have 10-12 cores max. The new Ryzens may have ended this, and made 130W again usable to get more perf and cores and not just heat. Being able to shift locations even if just temporarily is still great. Perhaps the solution is to have a beefy desktop and a tiny but weak laptop with good battery, and just remote in to a desktop when on the move.
- second--shift 6y ago
  > Being able to shift locations even if just temporarily is still great. Perhaps the solution is to have a beefy desktop and a tiny but weak laptop with good battery, and just remote in to a desktop when on the move. This is what I do - my 'main' general purpose computer is a Linux-Chromebook and most of my 'work' is processed on the server stack at home.

bhauer 6y ago

As I wrote elsewhere in this thread [1], the data in the article shows desktop computing down significantly in Q3 2020. That came as a surprise to me. I would have expected it to be up since so many are stuck at home and desktop computing remains the premium home computing experience. If you've got a good work desk, desktop computing will push the value of each dollar spent on hardware further. Apparently most people still prefer to pick up a computer and move from room to room during their lockdown. That's not compelling for me, but it presumably is for others. I have a 3900X desktop workstation and a 4900HS laptop, an Asus G14. You are right that the performance delta for most tasks is not as large as it was 15 years ago. In fact, for routine work, they seem about the same. The advantages to a desktop are things that I personally find valuable: ease of connecting many large displays (I use three 30 inch 16:10 monitors), ease of equipping large amounts of memory (32GB is a piece of cake, 64+GB is also easy on a desktop), tidier connectivity (everything is routed to a box hidden away behind the desk), no thermal throttling (always the same performance regardless of workload), quiet (larger and more powerful cooling), etc. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25083580 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25083580

meddlepal 6y ago
A desktop is only a premium experience if you're an engineer of some sort and really need the horsepower... Just about everyone else on the planet sees a desktop as a huge space waster.
- qz2 6y ago
  For me it's a huge ergonomic and health gain using a desktop after using a laptop for 10 years. To the point of being life changing again.
  - stkdump 6y ago
    Using a docking station there is zero difference in ergonomics. But you still can move around if you want.
    - 6y ago

kyriakos 6y ago

With the WFH situation, I have friends who bought new desktops just for work since laptops tend to be more expensive, perform worse and portability is no longer a priority. this is obviously anecdotal.

unionpivo 6y ago

I have 3 desktops. 1x at work 1x at home for work 1x home for gamming I stared my life with desktops in 90s, then switched to laptops in 00s, but went back to desktops about 7 years ago. It just more convenient for me. At work when I finish I just lock the screen saver and walk away. Having 64gb of ram is also nice, for all the VM's I need to run. Desktops if not build for gaming can be quieter than equivalent laptops, etc. Same at home. I used to have only 1 computer at home. But for fun(i do electronics and some programming on my own) I use linux, for games I use windows, got tired of dualbooting, so its just easier to have 1 dedicated computer for everything. I still have my laptop somewhere, but rarely use it, since when I am not at home or office, my phone is enough for most situations. Silence, not messing with cables every day, more ram + My computer is in the same state as I left it for work are my main motivators. Gaming pc is just mz hobby so i probably shoudn't even count it. PS: oh and I forgot storage. having multiple ssd's is just so convinient.