Desktop computers becoming a "thing of the past"

[FishFluff]

Suprised nobody has mentioned docking stations. Connect mouse, keyboard and if you like, secondary monitor to docking station. Dock laptop - bingo, dual screen desktop with keyboard and mouse. Only its a laptop.

This is exactly what I do at home. As soon as I stick my Thinkpad on it's docking station it uses my desktop monitor as the main display, and activates the keyboard and mouse. It works flawlessly

 

[phykell]

rm

 

[Malt_Vinegar]

laptop repair is pretty easy. I did it for a while, and its just the same, simply a modular system. Dont let the packaging fool you! It requires a bit more thought on the dismantle/re-build but its simple enough if you follow a system

 

[Hawk Tuah]

Your post seems to imply that most new computers bought are laptops, and that the only desktops left are existing ones? I know where we work they recently bought a load of new Dell desktops. I think the whole premise of this thread is entirely flawed. Desktops are far superior to laptops in many regards, from price to performance to ease of use.

Yes, I think most new computers bought by consumers are laptops, and I think some other people in this thread have confirmed it from their personal experience.

I'm saying desktops are not dead, quite the opposite. However not so many are bought brand new because plenty of people upgrade their existing ones which I wuold imaging is exactly what 99% of everyone here would do (being a PC component shop's forum).

 

[Bear]

Well then put it at a level where it is at eye level.

If you did that then the keyboard would be at a height level around your chin. Hardly the most comfortable way to type.

 

[Beansprout]

I would happily get rid of my desktop...and then connect my keyboard, mouse and monitor to my laptop!

 

[Hawk Tuah]

This is exactly what I do at home. As soon as I stick my Thinkpad on it's docking station it uses my desktop monitor as the main display, and activates the keyboard and mouse. It works flawlessly

We have similar setups at work. All the head honcho's have laptops and some of them have docking stations (apart from me, I have the best of everything ) Sounds ideal, but beleive me its not from a business perspective.

Most the office's in headquarters have a monitor, keyboard, mouse and docking station. Quite often we have staff come to HQ and need to use a PC and when a member of staff is away, someone often hot desks. With that workstation having a docking station, the person is now unable to use that workstation. This means we have to also have extra thin client machines for users to log onto.

If everyone had a laptop, the we wouldn't have this problem. We'd have another problem because not all laptops fit all docking stations.

 

[Zip]

Well then put it at a level where it is at eye level.

How other then cramming a lot of books under it?

Otherwise it will just sit on a table and most tables are too low

 

[dirtydog]

Yes, I think most new computers bought by consumers are laptops, and I think some other people in this thread have confirmed it from their personal experience.

I'm saying desktops are not dead, quite the opposite. However not so many are bought brand new because plenty of people upgrade their existing ones which I wuold imaging is exactly what 99% of everyone here would do (being a PC component shop's forum).

I'd have to build a whole new one because my existing one is too old to upgrade ;(

 

[Energize]

Desktops are so much more powerful than laptops I can't ever see them being replaced. With a laptop the best cpus are something like 2.3Ghz c2d, wheras a desktop can have a 2.93ghz quad core cpu, which can then be overclocked to something like 4Ghz, making the desktop more than triple the speed. Plus they can have multiple cpus. I think I can imagine which one would be faster at video encoding, compiling, gaming, compressing, encrypting, rendering, scientific calculations, everything in fact.

And it wouldn't be practical to use a client either, you would have to transfer GB's of data accross for video encoding, the data would be vunerable, playing games would be impossible because of the latency.

 

[Hawk Tuah]

I'd have to build a whole new one because my existing one is too old to upgrade ;(

Ok, fair enough, but you get what I mean.

And it wouldn't be practical to use a client either, you would have to transfer GB's of data accross for video encoding, the data would be vunerable, playing games would be impossible because of the latency.

Does no one get the idea of a thin client?
If you were using a client, then data does NOT get transferred across. Thats the whole point. All you see is the screen from the server. No actual data is transferred, so security / bandwidth isnt an issue.

Thin clients cannot play games because of the screen latency, but they are ideally suited to video encoding. Like having an uber powerful desktop and a el cheapo laptop. You could remote desktop from the laptop onto the powerful PC and perform all your encoding using the PC, but with the portablility of the laptop.

 

[semi-pro waster]

Think you will be surprised at how far tech has come in terms of laptops...you can now get laptops with 17" or 19" screens and some of them will out perform a desktop pc with similar specs quite easily.

Pardon? Sorry you lost me there. If they have similar specifications then (barring a completely incompetent set-up) they will perform the same or the laptop will be slightly slower, a laptop won't outperform the desktop. The equivalent laptop will usually cost a lot more than the desktop unless you are talking about in being able to walk away from the desk, in which case you are right. I'm not knocking laptops at all because you do get some that are blindingly fast but for a given amount of money a desktop will always outperform the laptop. Overclocking laptops is almost always a no go as well since they have very tight thermal parameters to work within.

 

[Energize]

Does no one get the idea of a thin client?
If you were using a client, then data does NOT get transferred across. Thats the whole point. All you see is the screen from the server. No actual data is transferred, so security / bandwidth isnt an issue.

And how exactly do you propose the server gets the video data that it needs to encode? Send it in the post? I know I wouldn't want my data on a server anyone can access either.

 

[A5H]

I have my dual monitored desktop and a higher spec'd macbook.
The desktop gets more use. So I don't understand?

 

[movingtables]

LAPTOP DOCKING STATION

How does this connect to the Laptop?

Is it "one" cable to the Laptop from the DockingStaion then you plug your mouse ect into the DockingStation?

Sounds silly asking but i'd rather know as I am actualy considering a Laptop from Dell for £899. (2 gig ram core duo2@ 2.gigHrtz).

PS just found one:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Docking_station_1.jpg

do they all look and work like this then?

 

[Mad old tory]

I'd have to build a whole new one because my existing one is too old to upgrade ;(

That's fair enough and for other enthusiasts is pretty standard. The average computer user doesn't upgrade their desktops, they simply go out and buy a new one, meaning it would be exactly the same as a laptop. Love my laptop, must be in a massive minority because I prefer laptop keyboards to ordinary ones!

Edit: oops completely misread your post lol. THe point about upgradeability still is an interesting oen and for enthusiasts is a decent reason for owning a desktop over a laptop. For the average user this is not the case though, it's a case of new laptop versus new desktop so for the average user the only advantage really for a desktop is price and the subjective ease of use argument.

 

[SiD the Turtle]

LAPTOP DOCKING STATION

How does this connect to the Laptop?

Is it "one" cable to the Laptop from the DockingStaion then you plug your mouse ect into the DockingStation?

Sounds silly asking but i'd rather know as I am actualy considering a Laptop from Dell for £899. (2 gig ram core duo2@ 2.gigHrtz).

PS just found one:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Docking_station_1.jpg

do they all look and work like this then?

The laptop will have an interface on the bottom or back of it that you 'dock' with the docking station. No cables involved. Watch out mind as you will find each laptop is only compatible with a certain dock.

 

[movingtables]

The laptop will have an interface on the bottom or back of it that you 'dock' with the docking station. No cables involved. Watch out mind as you will find each laptop is only compatible with a certain dock.

thanks. i take it the docking station plugs into the mains, to charge as well as power?

 

[Hawk Tuah]

And how exactly do you propose the server gets the video data that it needs to encode? Send it in the post?

Because its stored on that server in the first place. I'm not talking about a home setup, I'm talking about business networks when the data will all be stored on a central server. If it wasn't then how would it all be backed up. What happens if your hard drive dies.

I know I wouldn't want my data on a server anyone can access either.

That what permissions are for. Plus what would you have on a server thats so important that you wouldn't want your colleagues to be able to see.

 

[Hawk Tuah]

thanks. i take it the docking station plugs into the mains, to charge as well as power?

Yup.

Look at the bottom of a laptop, its got a rectangular connector. Thats for the docking station.