Death of the desktop? I don't think so!

[ConTRo13R]

I can hardly see the desktop ever becoming obsolete! EVER!

[arthurleung]

To be honest I don't see there is a significant differences between a laptop or desktop.

For CPU, in the mid-end there is Core2Duo T8300/P8400 which is only a small bit slower than a desktop version of E8200. Mobile quadcore Q9100 is coming out very soon with a TDP of 45W.
Surely as is the case with most T7/8/9 series you can lower the full speed voltage so that the TDP reduces to 25~35W.

About being able to see the inside of a desktop, why not make the laptop case transparent so that you can see the inside of your "gaming" laptop? It will be as cool.

Harddrive is not a problem since you can just use eSATA or go a bit further to a NAS. Laptop harddrives are comfortably large at 320~500GB.

The graphics cards are perhaps half the speed of the desktop variant but you can always just SLI it.

Then the other advantages includes saving you from buying a huge-ass heatsink, no need for wireless card, bluetooth.

If you want you can always use an external monitor (display port / hdmi / dvi) and external kb/mouse.

The only disadvantage would be that you won't be able to overclock easily.
There aren't enough people who actually want overclocking on their laptop so there are only a few niche suppliers for this.

What I really want to see is a hybrid of desktop and laptop which I can use a mobile motherboard/cpu/sodimm/minipcie/expresscard. Make it thin so that you can fit a couple of them under the monitor. Sort of like a 1/4 of a 1U server perhaps. NOT Mini-itx because it is nowhere as small, as cheap and as power efficient.

Now could AMD/Nvidia build some desktop graphics card with mobile graphics core. The extra price can be justified easily with the power saving. (25W less in idle -> 22 quids saving in electricity/year)

I think companies and education sectors should move to laptops to minimize the power bill (especially when they are always being left running overnight and waste power). Take a university with 3000 computers saving 60W each on idle will save 158k/yr in electricity.

For reliability I find that there is no problem with laptops running 7x24 at 100% load at temperature people find uncomfortable (80'C~85'C).
My T7200/T8300 beats my X3350+HD4870 in work/watt hands down even when GPU acceleration is accounted in. Once I get another laptop 3 of those would be collectively faster than X3350 while using less power than the X3350 itself. (Note: Distributed Multi-tasking)

[watercooled]

Custom desktops FTW!

[Whiternoise]

People have said this about paper for years (ohh e-ink will sort that, the internet will kill newspapers!). Nothing will come of it.

End of the day, desktops allow for more power (generally) and more cooling. It's easier to fit multiple hard drives, sometimes even processors and multiple PCIe cards. You can't do that on a laptop. Laptops will almost certainly always be slightly behind desktops because they have to factor in the heaterformance issue. I think what is likely to happen is that laptops will become preferable to some people, and people will be more inclined to use laptops for gaming (Apple opened up their market quite a lot - shutting up people who said you can't game on a macbook (not the pro, mind)). Just because there's a new chipset doesn't mean people will be packing in their desktops any time soon.

Price is still the main factor, you can build a computer for under £500 that will match and err towards whipping a £2000 laptop. Plus, some people like the stability of a desktop - in the physical sense. They're harder to steal for one! Plus the ease of upgrading that you just don't get in a laptop - sure RAM and HDD, but the vast majority of "cheap" laptops don't offer upgrade routes for the CPU and GPU, let alone motherboard.

[ConTRo13R]

Custom desktops FTW!

Quoted for emphasis

[watercooled]

People have said this about paper for years (ohh e-ink will sort that, the internet will kill newspapers!). Nothing will come of it.

End of the day, desktops allow for more power (generally) and more cooling. It's easier to fit multiple hard drives, sometimes even processors and multiple PCIe cards. You can't do that on a laptop. Laptops will almost certainly always be slightly behind desktops because they have to factor in the heaterformance issue. I think what is likely to happen is that laptops will become preferable to some people, and people will be more inclined to use laptops for gaming (Apple opened up their market quite a lot - shutting up people who said you can't game on a macbook (not the pro, mind)). Just because there's a new chipset doesn't mean people will be packing in their desktops any time soon.

Price is still the main factor, you can build a computer for under £500 that will match and err towards whipping a £2000 laptop. Plus, some people like the stability of a desktop - in the physical sense. They're harder to steal for one! Plus the ease of upgrading that you just don't get in a laptop - sure RAM and HDD, but the vast majority of "cheap" laptops don't offer upgrade routes for the CPU and GPU, let alone motherboard.

100% agreed! Nothing I can add to that, really

Thanks for the quote ConTRo13R

[finlay666]

http://ces.cnet.com/8301-19167_1-10131583-100.html

Can see it going that way for average home users, laptops built into a way that can be used in the home with external interface devices

Mind I need power machines for work and usually at home for gaming

[watercooled]

I think consumers generally go for better value (or whatever the PC World assistant tells them to buy). At the minute, people are going for laptops because they're cheaper but desktop MFRs will start making much better value desktops, which will change things. I've tried gaming on a laptop - got carried away and played for a couple of hours - back and legs and neck were sore for days. People with a desktop generally get a proper desk which has all the peripherals where they should be which helps posture; people with a laptop generally use it on their lap or on a coffee table and slouch over it which isn't exactly good for the back!

[arthurleung]

I think consumers generally go for better value (or whatever the PC World assistant tells them to buy). At the minute, people are going for laptops because they're cheaper but desktop MFRs will start making much better value desktops, which will change things. I've tried gaming on a laptop - got carried away and played for a couple of hours - back and legs and neck were sore for days. People with a desktop generally get a proper desk which has all the peripherals where they should be which helps posture; people with a laptop generally use it on their lap or on a coffee table and slouch over it which isn't exactly good for the back!

No one stop you using a laptop on a proper desk
Speaking of which, with a large enough monitor or projector you can do the same, keyboard on your lap

[watercooled]

Yeah but my point is - most people who have a laptop don't have a proper desk. And the cost of a projector/monitor and keyboard/mouse rises the cost to that of a much better desktop, plus a laptop becomes unnecessary.

[staffsMike]

It's not unecessary just because you have a monitor and keyboard.. it's what I'm doing as we speak lol

The advantage being, if I want to put my PC in my bag and take it elsewhere.. I can. Can't with a PC, a monitor, a keyboard, a mouse and speakers.

[strike-down]

Considering the HTPC is on the rise, I dont think the desktop is on its way out at all. I know you can plug a laptop in and use that as an htpc . . but people are lazy. Lazy people like things plugged in ready to be switched on and used. Im speaking as one of those people

Same goes for your standard desktop in my book. Ive got a laptop I use for general things like internet and msn, but everything else I do on my desktop as its far more powerful.

EDIT: Unless im outta the house of course, then I use my laptop. Got no choice

[WhiteGiant]

The 'computer core' in Star Trek is always huge.

If the most powerful thing in Star Trek is big, it will always be big in real life.

I have a 'thing' for very big cases, that won't change.

[strike-down]

Plus desktops = Tinkering

Laptops = well . . . . boring?

[watercooled]

Laptops = utilitarian
Desktop = Fun

[arthurleung]

The 'computer core' in Star Trek is always huge.

If the most powerful thing in Star Trek is big, it will always be big in real life.

I have a 'thing' for very big cases, that won't change.

That doesn't equal to having a desktop in your house.
Closer analogy would be:

The enterprise have a super-duper server room (the core).
Then all the consoles in the command deck is just a basic console that RDP/VNC/Web into the core.
The console doesn't need to be fast.

Putting into perspective Data's brain volume is smaller than the size of a netbook

Considering the HTPC is on the rise, I dont think the desktop is on its way out at all. I know you can plug a laptop in and use that as an htpc

HTPC != Desktop. No one stopping you from using an extra laptop as HTPC. Something along the line an old Macbook or Sony with broken battery? And it actually take less space and power. Doesn't look as good though I'd admit.