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Desktop PCs Reconsidered
Last month at work I got a new 3 GHZ Dell Pentium 4 PC with a gig of ram and a very nice flat screen Samsung 17 inch LCD monitor. This is being powered by an ATI Radeon 9000 Pro video card. I do 3d animation using 3d Studio Max so I have some very serious 3d animation and really big number crunching to do. This was all less than the cost of the only two and a half year old Pentium 3 machine that I was replacing. The time using it has made me reconsider my commitment to notebook PCs.
Here are a few features about the desktop PC concept that I like.
1. The ability to have a large LCD monitor that is not restricted by battery power and hand held size. Using the Samsung 17 inch LCD monitor has been an absolute joy in delivering a crisp responsive image and a fraction of the size and heat of a traditional CRT monitor. Should I purchase a desktop in the future I would either spend 300 on a 15 inch or 500 on a quality 17 inch LCD display.
2. You get more for your buck with a desktop system. The price of a good laptop has really come down but it is still no where near the price point of a desktop system. If you look at what it cost to get a notebook system with a high end graphics chip set and compare it to how much it would cost you for a comparable desktop system you will be in for a rude shock.
3. The sound of a typical desktop system has gotten quieter. Sure there are some monster vacuum driven systems out there that make a giant sucking down that would make Ross Perot proud but my new PC is about a third the fan noise of the P3 that it is replacing.
4. Ease of upgrades. AGP, PCI, USB2, Firewire, empty drive bays, and Ram that can be swapped out with a screwdriver make upgrading a Desktop PC a simple task. 99.99% of Notebook systems can not upgrade there graphics systems and they are much less prone to tinkering. Sure there are some optical drive bay parts that you can get from the notebook maker but it is no where the ease and low cost of bling blinging a desktop PC.
5. Freaking huge hard drive that are almost so cheap that you practically get them free in a box of Cheerios.
6. Really good sound systems with kick ass speakers.
7. Ergonomic split curved keyboards.
8. Not having to worry about battery life.. ever.
I still love notebook PCs but I will entertain getting another desktop or a notebook when it is the next time to get a new computer but right now that is just window shopping. Who knows if tablet PCs will ever get to a normal price point?
Party on Wayne, Party on Garth.
Jake at November 11, 2003 
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Comments
Everytime I buy a new computer (which is not that often, but still) I ask myself the same questions. But for me, laptops still win on power consumption. Even though LCD screens consume a lot less than CRTs, you can still run 2-4 laptops on the amount of juice a desktop uses (not counting the TFT/CRT).
I don't do 3D (anymore), but I've seen those prices of those workstation laptops... so I feel your pain.
Oh, and a Tablet PC is not that expensive to make, say, $50 over the price of a normal laptop, it's the Windows XP Tablet Edition licensing costs that make them so damned expensive!
Posted by: Berklee at November 11, 2003 1:33 AM
My solution is to get the company to supply a dual proc g4 (1ghz baby) and a 550mhz tiBook so I can get the benefits of mobility and power/upgradeability (syncing the systems is key). The desktop machine has two 22 inch ViewSonics attached to it too, making Illustrator work (and Flash too) easier.
Posted by: Dan at November 11, 2003 6:35 AM
Or get a Vic20. William Shatner endorses it. :p
Posted by: Matt at November 11, 2003 11:07 AM
You forgot to mention that you can play 'Global Thermal Nuclear War' on desktop PC's ;-P
But seriously, I know what you mean. I drift further and further from my desktop everyday (can't remember the last time I turned it on actually) but with LCD monitors getting bigger and cheaper and desktop components getting cheaper (agreed about the Cheerios comment), I'll likely build a new box soon if anything just to play Doom 3 and Half-Life 2.
Posted by: ZYirAH at November 11, 2003 11:09 PM
