# The family Desktop. Still have it? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 16, 2020, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-family-desktop-still-have-it/851907 "2020-04-16T08:59:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-family-desktop-still-have-it/851907/61 "2020-04-17T14:31:44Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > I’m amazed they don’t at least have a laptop. Tough to be in college without a computer/laptop. So many programs require a laptop and some schools get oddly specific about the brand & model or at least the requirements. I think it was North Eastern that wanted every student to have a Dell Inspiron Laptop of such and such model. That seemed really over the top. > [@Jet\_Jaguar](#): > > As I mentioned upthread, my wife is a college professor, and now that classes are all online she has found that all of her students have access to some kind of computer. A good percentage of them are using Chromebooks though, and this is causing problems. Her school requires some sort of proctoring software for administering online tests, but it turns out that the software they are using isn’t compatible with Chromebooks. Her department is forced to use various workarounds to get around this. > > Edit: Apparently this was a known problem in the past, but the solution then was for the student to come in and take it in the testing center on campus. That’s not an option now. That’s what the original quote said, too–that a lot of them had Chromebooks, which really weren’t sufficient. I can totally see how a college kid could find cheap Chromebook + Smart Phone + gaming console + computer lab to be the best value bundle for their technology needs, but it wouldn’t be enough for all-online. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-family-desktop-still-have-it/851907/62 "2020-04-17T14:42:16Z")
Ah… my high school kids just need a chromebook. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-family-desktop-still-have-it/851907/63 "2020-04-17T16:11:15Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > That’s what the original quote said, too–that a lot of them had Chromebooks, which really weren’t sufficient. > > I can totally see how a college kid could find cheap Chromebook + Smart Phone + gaming console + computer lab to be the best value bundle for their technology needs, but it wouldn’t be enough for all-online. We’ve found that our Chromebook wasn’t particularly handy for our school district’s at-home learning stuff. It all worked, but it required the kids to learn how to use a trackpad/button rather than an iPad-style tablet interface, and it was quite an unwelcome change for them. Thankfully, the district allowed everyone to come retrieve the iPads issued to our children, so now they’re back in their comfort zone. If only they could get all the other online stuff consolidated, we’d be in business! To the OP’s question- yes, we still have a desktop. I play video games, so it’s “mine” in that sense, and I recently bought a new one/performed a major upgrade on mine in the beginning of February- went from an AMD FX-9590 w/16 gb of RAM & a Radeon RX 380X GPU, to an AMD Ryzen 3600X w/32 gb RAM and a Radeon RX 5600X GPU. Historically I’ve always had a desktop- from about 2000 through early February, I had the PC of Theseus- I had the same case the entire time, and swapped out various parts, but not the whole thing at once for 20 years. February marked the first new case in all that time, with the only carry-over things being a small handful of hard drives. Everything else is new. Before 2000, I had desktops too- mostly homebuilt ones with AMD K6 processors. ---
**Author:** ![Jet\_Jaguar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jet_jaguar/32/3562_2.png) [@Jet\_Jaguar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jet_Jaguar)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-family-desktop-still-have-it/851907/64 "2020-04-17T17:34:26Z")
> [@bump](#): > > …from about 2000 through early February, I had the PC of Theseus… So did I. I built a computer after I started college, about 1992, and kept it going through multiple upgrades until around the time Win98 support was ending, roughly 2005-06. I actually changed the case twice, once from a horizontal desktop to a vertical tower, and then to a second tower when the ATX power supply became standard (the motherboard I was using at the time had connections for both AT and ATX so everything was just transferred directly over). The computer started life as a 386SX and ended as an AMD K6-2. In the end, the only original parts were the floppy drives (including a 5.25" drive!) and the Y-cable connecting them to the power supply. I finally let it go because there were too many games coming out that I wanted to play but it was too slow run, and I had let it fall far enough behind that I’d have to upgrade everything all at once. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-family-desktop-still-have-it/851907/65 "2020-04-17T17:48:27Z")
I’m a software developer. Desktop machines were, effectively, designed by and for software developers and people who would otherwise want a full desktop. They are far too convoluted and configurable for an average user and, realistically, should go away and should probably always have been a tool for people in the business rather than a consumer product. But I will always have one and, as such, our house always will. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-family-desktop-still-have-it/851907/66 "2020-04-17T18:27:57Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > I’m a software developer. Desktop machines were, effectively, designed by and for software developers and people who would otherwise want a full desktop. They are far too convoluted and configurable for an average user and, realistically, should go away and should probably always have been a tool for people in the business rather than a consumer product. > > But I will always have one and, as such, our house always will. They’re really handy for gamers too; consoles ALWAYS trail PCs in terms of sheer performance. Of course that’s at the tradeoff of fewer bugs, less tinkering, and worst of all, being caught in the PC rat-race. It used to be worse than it is now; back in about 1995-2005, you had to upgrade your rig every couple of years, or you wouldn’t be able to play newer games in anything approaching decent settings. But as CPU/GPU horsepower has increased dramatically, and memory prices have fallen, the cycle has decreased to maybe once every 5 years, and even more if you replace stuff piecemeal like GPU/CPU/RAM where you can. I mean, my last major upgrade had been in 2013, when I got a FX-6300, 16 gb of RAM and a new motherboard. Since then, I got a new GPU and a new CPU that plugged right in. Finally, my PC was struggling to play newer stuff, so I bit the bullet. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-family-desktop-still-have-it/851907/67 "2020-04-17T18:35:05Z")
> [@bump](#): > > They’re really handy for gamers too; consoles ALWAYS trail PCs in terms of sheer performance. > > Of course that’s at the tradeoff of fewer bugs, less tinkering, and worst of all, being caught in the PC rat-race. It used to be worse than it is now; back in about 1995-2005, you had to upgrade your rig every couple of years, or you wouldn’t be able to play newer games in anything approaching decent settings. But as CPU/GPU horsepower has increased dramatically, and memory prices have fallen, the cycle has decreased to maybe once every 5 years, and even more if you replace stuff piecemeal like GPU/CPU/RAM where you can. I mean, my last major upgrade had been in 2013, when I got a FX-6300, 16 gb of RAM and a new motherboard. Since then, I got a new GPU and a new CPU that plugged right in. Finally, my PC was struggling to play newer stuff, so I bit the bullet. Exactly. The last time I built an entire machine from scratch (for myself) was 2010, and I spent about $500. I upgraded it as far as it would go about 4 years ago with about $250 iirc, and it is still running. Actually at this moment, my wife is playing Borderlands 3 at perfectly acceptable (for her) setting and FPS. That’s really amazing. I basically rented a gaming computer for $70 a year. You can build a desktop with room to upgrade. Laptop you’re pretty much stuck with the configuration you buy. I might want the performance of a $2000 laptop, but not be able to afford it. I can build a $700 desktop, upgrade along the way, and end up having a machine that outperforms the laptop for $1500 or less. And still leave room for upgrades. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-family-desktop-still-have-it/851907/68 "2020-04-17T20:35:18Z")
> [@bump](#): > > They’re really handy for gamers too; consoles ALWAYS trail PCs in terms of sheer performance. Sure, but you shouldn’t need a command terminal just to run a bigger video card. If you want something that can accept 3rd party graphics cards and be upgradeable, you will need a big QA department and a way to get lots of device drivers that conform to your OS’s driver definitions, but that still doesn’t require that you have a convoluted OS UI. Nor is it required that you allow upgrades and 3rd parties, to have the biggest bestest hardware, you just have to be willing to accept that any full-spec hardware will be higher dollar and only attractive to a small subset of the population. There’s nothing to stop Nintendo or Sony from selling a $1500 console with the most cranked-up-to-the-max hardware and something like Android on it, capable of running Word and Chrome, but simple to use. Your average person wouldn’t go for it, compared to a $400 option that has simpler hardware and can only do basic computing and Angry Birds, but it would give the non-techy, gamer community a consumer-friendly option for their everyday and hobby needs. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2020, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-family-desktop-still-have-it/851907/69 "2020-04-19T12:09:02Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > It’s interesting how people’s usage differs. I have a lap top because I like to use my computer when I am sitting on the couch in the living room. Fifteen years ago, I got my first lap top which I needed because I was consulting and traveled a lot. When I was home, I plugged it into a big monitor and used a separate keyboard and mouse. My ex kept the big monitor when we got divorced (I think or I gave it to someone). > > I have a different lap top now and it has a 930 GB hard drive. I have 849 GB free. I barely use the storage. My laptop is for surfing the net and email and very occasionally word processing and spreadsheets. I have an external hard drive but it’s just used for backing up files. > > Gamers, artists, film editors and others need something much better but my needs are simple. Mine too. The laptop is basically for email and surfing the web from the sofa or the back deck, so it doesn’t need heavy storage, so no need to pay through the nose to have a ton of hard drive on my laptop. I also take it with me when I travel. > [@AHunter3](#): > > _nods_ Totally. > > Mine is plugged into _two_ external monitors and the main built-in screen is 17" of viewable real estate. Also plugged in are usb doohickeys for cordless mouse and cordless headphones for telephone calls, external keyboard, a label printer, a cable for plugging in my camera and downloading pictures, an array of external hard drives for the backup software to aim my backups at, and an ethernet cable because I get better performance than with the WiFi. Yes, you can plug all the stuff into your docking station that someone else would plug into directly into a CPU. You can use your laptop as a CPU. I thought we already settled that point. The point is that you’ve got to pay a lot more for a laptop-as-CPU than you would for a traditional desktop CPU. The question is, what additional convenience do you get, and how much more do you have to pay for it? > [@](#): > > The only reason I don’t have a desktop computer instead is when I wish to go elsewhere, all I have to do is unmount those hard drives and unplug everything and slip the laptop into the backpack and when I arrive I’ve got my native environment and my files and whatnot. I regularly back up everything on the desktop and the laptop onto a $65 terabyte drive. If I wish to go elsewhere and for some reason I think I’ll need files from my desktop, I don’t need to unmount or unplug anything. I just grab the laptop and the terabyte drive (which is about the size of a pack of cigarettes), and I’m out the door. So I’m not seeing a gain in convenience; hell, I’d argue that my setup has the edge there too, but I’m willing to call it a wash. (A question: why do you unmount the hard drives? Are you taking them with you along with the laptop? ISTM that the whole point of a docking station is that the laptop would be the only thing you’d need to unplug.) A third benefit, besides cost and convenience, is _redundancy_. I’ve got my $200 desktop CPU, my $300 laptop, and my $65 terabyte drive. If any one of them fails, the other two are intact. I’ve got my files, and can keep doing what I do while I replace the dead desktop/laptop/terabyte. When your laptop goes, your hard drive backups don’t help you until you get your new laptop. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2020, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-family-desktop-still-have-it/851907/70 "2020-04-19T15:00:40Z")
> [@RTFireFly](#): > > Yes, you can plug all the stuff into your docking station that someone else would plug into directly into a CPU. You can use your laptop as a CPU. I thought we already settled that point. The point is that you’ve got to pay a lot more for a laptop-as-CPU than you would for a traditional desktop CPU. The question is, what additional convenience do you get, and how much more do you have to pay for it? Back when my primary box was a desktop, I was invited to spend a month at my sister’s. Needing my computing environment, I packed the CPU and keyboard and mouse into a box the size of a living room armchair and at the train station wrestled it, with great difficulty, down the corridor and into the back of her truck. It didn’t include the monitors — I figured (successfully) that I could borrow their VGA monitors because I knew they had PCs there. That experience decided me on getting a laptop as my next computer. The additional convenience is entirely about portability. No reason to do it otherwise. I’ve always worked on my _own_ computer wherever I’ve been employed. Or between 1996 and 2019 at any rate. I was a developer and I wanted my own environment, my own tools at my disposal, and I’m good enough at what I do that it was always permitted. A high end laptop meant it was literally the same computer no matter where I was: at the office, at my girlfriends’, at home, on vacation, visiting my folks, on a business trip to interview with a new client. Wherever I went, I had access to my entire digital life and all the applications I used. So the portability was something well worth the extra price, which was probably a factor of two over what a comparable desktop computer would have cost me, but that’s for a laptop that didn’t have to apologize for being a mere laptop, mind you. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-family-desktop-still-have-it/851907.md?page=3)