Is pc building a dying trend?

[xaeniac]

Just like PC gaming is dying they said. End this thread

 

[ControlD]

I'm not convinced that's true, although I'd say it's most likely safe for the next ten years or so.

But I expect most game developers will eventually abandon the PC platform as consoles become more and more powerful. PC gamers comprise the bulk of the market for DIY components, and without them most of the motherboard and case manufacturers in existence will go out of business. Combine that with the dwindling use of desktop PCs by non-gamers and the writing is on the wall.

I might have agreed with this until we all got to see what the latest generation of consoles are running hardware-wise. If these are the consoles for the next several years then PC gaming doesn't have a whole lot to be worried about.

 

[Eug]

What I think the mobile computing apostles are missing is this - almost everyone HAS a desktop. While a short love affair for some varieties of mobile computing developed over time, people spent less upgrading or buying new desktops.

The apostles and some large hardware/software/website participants are MISINTERPRETING this temporary market adjustment as *replacement* of desktops. That simply will not happen. Ive mentioned lap tops, introduced on a wide scale in the mid to late 80s. They too never *replaced* desktops, and neither will tablets and phones accomplish that.

You might buy gloves and a hat, but you still need your jacket!

You really don't have a clue, do you? For example, just walk into a university dorm. Count the number of the residents with desktops, vs. the number of them with desktops. Back in the old days, just about everyone with a computer had a desktop. Laptops were uncommon. In 2015, the vast majority have laptops, and only a minority have desktops.

Furthermore, the claim that the 1980s introduced laptops on a wide scale doesn't really make much sense. Remember, the Apple ][e only came out in 1983. The first Mac only came out 1984. That's 31 years ago.

Your "jacket" is the laptop. It's just that it's made of newer and lighter materials that's warm enough for most needs, yet is conveniently light. Remember, most of us don't live at the north pole, so we don't need huge thick parkas that can keep you warm down to -40 weather.

 

[dud]

Just like PC gaming is dying they said. End this thread

Are you kidding? This is a great thread full of very useful information on the "hobby".

I used to think that I was in the minority ... owning/using "older" equipment. After reading through this thread I was surprised to see that I may actually be in the majority. My desktop is at least 6 yrs old and is running a dual core Opteron while my laptops are 7 or more years young. Hey, they work and if it aint broke don't fix it.

I am especially thankful for the witty banter related to actually building PCs as I may be building my first desktop (an i5) in 12 years!

 

[Ketchup]

It depends on what one uses the computer for. I still enjoy building, and since I have gotten more into video editing and running VMs, the build was quite enjoyable and works quite well for what I need.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I'm not convinced that's true, although I'd say it's most likely safe for the next ten years or so.

But I expect most game developers will eventually abandon the PC platform as consoles become more and more powerful. PC gamers comprise the bulk of the market for DIY components, and without them most of the motherboard and case manufacturers in existence will go out of business. Combine that with the dwindling use of desktop PCs by non-gamers and the writing is on the wall.

Wow, I don't think that you could be more wrong. Consoles ARE becoming more and more powerful. You know why? Because they're becoming PCs! Current modern consoles are all x86/x64 and PC GPU tech through and through. Thus, we are going to see MORE PC ports of console games, rather than less. Thus, the PC gaming platform should be GROWING, not shrinking. And if you've seen marketshare/sales numbers for PC gaming, this is true.

And what of this "dwindling use of desktop PCs"? Increased purchasing of things like tablets on the market does NOT infer "dwindling use of PCs". It infers a saturated PC market, where everyone already has one (and therefore likely uses it).

 

[ultimatebob]

It depends on what one uses the computer for. I still enjoy building, and since I have gotten more into video editing and running VMs, the build was quite enjoyable and works quite well for what I need.

I'd love to build my own PC for running VM's, but I use ESXi for that now. ESXi is really particular on what hardware it will run on, so I'm better off buying something like a cheap Dell PowerEdge server that's on the VMWare compatibility list. Otherwise, getting the damn thing to install could be a pain.

 

[Eug]

Actually, if I understand it correctly, the stats are that the PC gaming market is beating the console market at the high end, but overall the console + PC gaming market is in decline.

Why? Because the gaming market overall is increasingly on mobile platforms.

So what we're getting is a slight increase at the high end gamer market on PCs, and a big move to mobile platforms at the low end, with console gaming losing out on both ends.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Actually, if I understand it correctly, the stats are that the PC gaming market is beating the console market at the high end, but overall the console + PC gaming market is in decline.

Why? Because the gaming market overall is increasingly on mobile platforms.

So what we're getting is a slight increase at the high end gamer market on PCs, and a big move to mobile platforms at the low end, with console gaming losing out on both ends.

I still prefer PC gaming for first person shooters and consoles for sports and racing.....mobile platforms always have issues with battery life, storage, and processing power. My latest phone has been fast enough to play NBA Jam and FIFA15...it's been fun playing those. I'd probably get a gaming PC if I had time to play, but I have a family and can barely make time to play my 360 unless I can manage to get everyone to go to bed early and leave me alone for a few hours at night.

 

[irishScott]

I'm not convinced that's true, although I'd say it's most likely safe for the next ten years or so.

But I expect most game developers will eventually abandon the PC platform as consoles become more and more powerful. PC gamers comprise the bulk of the market for DIY components, and without them most of the motherboard and case manufacturers in existence will go out of business. Combine that with the dwindling use of desktop PCs by non-gamers and the writing is on the wall.

Perhaps WAY in the future, much further than 10 years IMO. So long as Moore's law is in effect PCs will always be more powerful than consoles due to size alone, not to mention the need for consoles to keep costs down with mediocre components. PC eSports is also bigger than ever. As for the dwindling use by non-gaming home users, home users never really drove the desktop PC market, corporate customers did, and I've yet to see any large corporation even think about ditching desktops for tablets or whatever.

Sure desktops may technically be "in decline" as far as non-gaming household electronics go, but that's it. The desktop market could lose that entire segment and still be very viable. So IMO it's more like a single scratch that doesn't even look like a letter on the wall.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I'd hate to see PC gaming going away, but I could see it happen. Now it's all about Angry Birds and Candy Crush, and consoles. Those games probably make more money than even the best FPS which you pay for once and play forever. The companies only care about money.

People seem to all be downsizing their tech setups too. I see even people on geek forums downsize from a server rack to a tiny little router and prebuilt NAS. If geeks are doing it it's guarantee even the general public is.

I like my full size PC boxes (actually in process of converting to 4U instead of towers), custom servers, and all the stuff sitting in my server racks and the industry will have to pry it from my cold, stiff, dead hands. Bring an impact gun... no, really, it's in there good.