Dope Tech Episode 2

<<@AbWischBar says : I just purchased the Intel extreme 12 i9 kit and I am very satisfied. It is super compact, fast and still allows configuration and component replacement. Installation is a bit of a fingertip acrobatic exercise and it would be nice if some unused cables could be easier taken away, because space is really sparse. But all in all it is a very elegant solution. As long as Intel makes the compute unit easily available for repair/upgrade, this is a perfect compromise between Apple‘s highly integrated but extremely unrepairable / non-upgradable approach and a fully customizable machine. The only thing I miss is the optical disc drive. I am still old school with CDs and Blu-ray’s and will keep it that way to not be a slave of streaming. But it now has to be external.>> <<@FaithTucker-n3n says : No just ordered my 5 tower from dell.>> <<@gregcampwriter says : The PC traditionally was much more powerful than laptops in the same price range--if a laptop could be found close in price--and it was much more convenient for getting inside to tinker with, as you said. But a key difference for me has been the separation of monitor from keyboard. Now yes, a laptop or tablet can have peripherals attached, but if I have to lug around all those extras, eventually I'm going to want to settle the equipment in one spot and leave it there.>> <<@christill says : I think with the climate crisis accelerating record heat and humidity; I can imagine a scenario in which ATX desktops become desirable again for more people in order to prevent overheating. That’s just a guess though. Perhaps the majority of compact form factor computers and devices will be able to cope with the frequent extreme conditions just fine.>> <<@smievil says : laptops are a scam, pricier performance, and comes with another battery that will degrade over time. i don't like phones much but they are probably very versatile nuc is probably fine for people who don't need heavier performance>> <<@Lucifronz says : This unfortunately feels more real now than ever. Gamers are the ones primarily using these desktops because we're more willing to build our own PCs, but lately new graphics cards are overpriced and underperforming. It makes me think that we'll see more custom-built PCs like minis and so on that are designed with redesigns of older GPUs or with decent APUs for lower-to-mid-range gaming that suits most people's needs. I can't really see that working for me, though, and I suppose on the higher end people are probably always going to aim for big beefy graphics cards, but for me specifically, I just like having a nice tower next to me. I don't need the flashy lights (RGB is distracting) and I'm not a fan of how heavy they are and cumbersome to move around, but idk... there's something about the old desktop experience that just works for me. One thing I've noticed in the gaming sphere is a huge influx of handheld gaming devices. They're capable of playing even modern games in certain price-points, if you're willing to push the budget, and others in the budget sphere ($50-100 range; like my $70 RG35XX Plus) are very competent for older gaming systems and give you a clean, simple experience if you're willing to go through the effort to acquire the ROMs for the games you want to play, the BIOS, etc., with a better experience as a result, especially if you change out the firmware/OS for something made by the community like GarlicOS for my device. Truthfully, though, I love all sorts of tech and can be satisfied with something like a mini PC as long as it runs what I want. I can handle external devices for anything I need (I use an external optical drive since none of my computers have had one built-in for a while). And of course, the form-factor is very nice for portability. Imagine being able to take your PC with you on a vacation so during your down-time in the hotel you can just plug in your PC and play games, browse the internet, whatever you'd normally do at home. My only concern is with handheld devices and their lithium batteries. They don't last forever, eventually they swell up and become a problem, have to be recycled carefully and of course need to be kept track of as a result and eventually replaced if you wish to keep using the system. I basically had to throw away my old phone because of a swollen battery. It was slowly pushing the phone apart and it was stupid and risky of me to keep using it while it was in that state because I had to get my data off of it (mostly photos).>> <<@MeanStreakRider43 says : fun channel to watch in July 2025! i recently found and purchased a beQuiet tower (Pure Base 600) with 5.25" bays to replace my 20+ yr old legacy pc tower for better airflow and cooling. i just couldn't stand the loud fans any more in the old tower.>> <<@mikemcgonegal1616 says : I used to build 'em, but I don't miss 'em.>> <<@jeffpearson-w8g says : I use both. Laptop Pros Higher resale value. Portable. Cons Hard to upgrade.( Add memory maybe. Replace hard drive ). Hard to repair. Desktop Pros Easy to repair. Easy to upgrade. More ports. Can hold bigger and more hard drives. Cons Lower resale value. Not portable.>> <<@Biggarou says : Nah you cant beat the towers over anything use for versaltility, heat distrobution and reliance. they are getting more modern but they arent going anywhere'sLike those smaller computers are nice for nice for short range operations but a tower can continually get upgraded, mostly easily and fast. you are talking about new chips, meaing new sockets, meaning newer motherboards. an most wont do that waste of ewaste. its way more expensive to replace then it is to just upgrade. case in poinyt I have a friend hat has had the same case for over a quarter century, he just upgrades when needed.>> <<@StrictNewbie says : this is all obsolete tech by this time now our all computer's processing power/storage should be in our smart watch/band rest all devices should be mere wireless displays>> <<@iordannalbantov says : Companies like Google and Apple are taking away segments of the market that are happy to have a clean desk, so to speak. I use virtualization for software development and home automation, storage for family pictures and videos, gaming, and soon AI, and I've given up on playing with small computers. The only use case where I want to use small computers is as a thin client for remote desktops, which is why I'm following RISK-V very closely.>> <<@luizpereira7165 says : I never liked tower PCs, for me they represent the most boring era of computers. Keyboard computers however were cool, they should make a comeback.>> <<@FedUpCanuck says : I have the HP Elite desk 705 G3. Works perfectly and it's small size does not take up the room as a tower. It has 16 GB kingston fury DDR4 and 500 GB hard drive. Good things come in small packages. Linux Mint will be installed bye bye windows>> <<@sleekbook says : yes correct too many used refurbish SFF branded pc thinkcenter dell hp some or most thinkcenter have 3 display port>> <<@arlipscomb says : Until you can solve the heat problems there are a lot of use cases for a large cabinet. Small form factor devices can handle a lot of the requirements of the users, but when you start to get into mid to high end performance or capacity (CPU, GPU, Disk, Memory) then you have to have space.>> <<@michah321 says : It's never a PC or a smart phone! It's that you need both!>> <<@michah321 says : Isn't there gamers that like a PC rather than a laptop?>> <<@guillermoelnino says : I prefer a big box. Fit all my stuff in there. Have room for all the upgrades I could want. Easy to do all the wiring. Can't do that with an iPhone>> <<@gjforeman says : I'm planning to build new PCs for my wife and myself, but we are 73 year old fossils who cling to our large collection of CDs, DVDs and software stored on them. I'm having a very hard time locating a full to mid-tower case for me, as 3.5" external device slots are going nearly extinct. Similarly, my wife needs a new PC, probably another mid-tower in her case. None of our existing hardware is Win-11 compatible and are quite old. My Big Box runs a Phenom II 4 core chip on a 16 year-old board, and her main unit runs a 10 year-old A-10 chip. I doubt we'll be around by the time Tower PCs go "Retro", but in the meantime, the factory built bitty boxes leave me cold.>> <<@peppermintpig974 says : I just purchased an Anidees AI Raider XL case, which has 12 x 5.25mm drive bays. I bought this in anticipation that case options might be limited in the future and wanted to support the one company bucking the trend of streamlined gaming cases doing away with 5.25". I see drive bays as integral for the all-in-one workstation and a potential path to upgrade in the future with small form factor mini PCs that fit in a 5.25 bay to do things like run a NAS from within the system, or other server needs. I'm just giving myself the physical and functional headroom I need to maintain a powerful system within a single footprint and I think I will go AMD threadripper this time out and maybe when RISC V matures I'll be slotting in some systems that fit in the case or in a drive bay to supplement my needs.>> <<@reuploadify says : My current PC is a Mid-Tower case (NZXT H440). For my next computer I think I will attempt to build a MFFPC (<40L) or SFFPC (<20L).>> <<@ronch550 says : Building tower PCs is fun but if it can be smaller, why not?>> <<@ardithconley2628 says : Ya know I came in one time to my gradkids all 6 of them laying in a bed. I asked them whhat they was doing due to not a word waas spoken. They said we are texting Grandpa.. I thought that was weaird. But they do not email. either. But they do like to game on aC.>> <<@phorton7039 says : What about these giant video cards from Nvidia and AMD? Will they also be miniaturized? I know we have CPU with integrated graphics but they are still short of the power of the full blown cards eg 4090 and 5090 etc. All the electronics and power required needed for these video cards, it is hard to imagine that they will all be reduced to a chip.>> <<@t8polestarcyan22 says : Personally, I still prefer tower desktop PCs because of expandability and most importantly better cooling to vital parts.>> <<@mal2ksc says : It may only be temporary, or it may be a reversal of the trend, but either way desktop PC builds are back if you want to do any heavy lifting with AI. The amount of GPU required is simply unobtainable in a SFF or laptop or NUC. It's a workload that may be even more desktop-skewed than high-end gaming.>> <<@quintenvanginderen8635 says : on the one side the versatility and customisability of the tower pc is a big plus for enthousiasts and pc gamers, on the other side the silence and ebundance of performance of nuc like pc's has really come around. I personally like to use a nuc as a homelab server. and have recenrtly connected one to an ultrawide to work from home one. it uses ample power and performs really well. but gaming is on a whole other level.>> <<@michaelince7998 says : I’m sure you’re correct about full sized tower PCs slowly becoming less popular, but I doubt enthusiasts will lose their appetite for building their own systems. I certainly won’t>> <<@matsvin says : I just LOVE my desktop computer! I will always have one I think, but do play a lot of games on it - it is a gaming computer... I also have a gaming laptop, but they do not really compare.....>> <<@larryonting says : Long gone were my gaming days. Now I'm using a laptop with docking station so that I can use multiple monitors and external mechanical keyboard and mouse.>> <<@SantaClause-m9h says : nope>> <<@rodfer5406 says : Interesting, but I disagree: always a need to directly control aspects of computer—storage being a key element.>> <<@toni4729 says : I shan't be giving up old girl for a few years yet. I love it and it has treated me well.>> <<@spikey2740 says : In case you think everyone has thrown in the towel WRT building our own, particularly in a tower, here's what I just finished, and why: NZXT - H5 Flow ATX Mid-Tower PC Case Corsair RM750e Fully Modular PS MSI - MAG B650 Tomahawk WIFI MB AMD Ryzen 5 8600G CPU Crucial Pro Overclocking 32GB DDR5 6000MHz RAM Samsung 990EVO Plus1TB M.2 SSD ONN 2.1 36" Soundbar Linux Mint 22 Cinnamon 64-bit OS Reuse monitor, keyboard, mouse, modem, misc Total cost about $750 - thank goodness for Black Friday deals As you said, there's a lot of empty space remaining inside the build, which is fine. That makes for an easier build. There's plenty of reserve power if anything will be added. DDR5 components, a hedge against immediate obsolescence. AM5 socket, Graphics CPU, no requirement for an expensive video card, plus plenty of CPUs will be available in the future for upgrading if ever needed. Plenty of memory, and space for more if ever required. Plenty of storage, presently have over 960GB free space. No connection to the MicroSoft spy machine, up yours Bill Gates. Tons of free software, learn to use it. There's nothing fancy, but it gets the job done and will serve my needs well into the future. BTW, thanks for your excellent video on installing and configuring Mint.>> <<@keithej2 says : As a hobbyist, I hope the form factor continues. So easy to upgrade or rebuild into an entirely new system. I have couple of ATX cases I've been using for 20 years.>> <<@EnmandsBand1 says : I have used a Windows Tower PC in my Sound Studio forever and I don't see it going away soon. When you use an UAD DSP Card for effects processing it is pretty important to have vacant slots in the PC.>> <<@henryhansen3662 says : I just built a modern system in a 2003 mid tower case and everything fit perfectly. There is lots of room for expansion with the ATX motherboard. It has slots for 3 m.2 SSDs. Plenty of room for a future graphics card too. I thought of getting a mini pc. They are cute but my tower sits on the floor, not taking up desk space, to get the full functionality I would need an external DVD reader writer and an external HDD for backup all on my desk.>> <<@WagesOfDestruction says : There are some advantages to towers, they keep the dust away from the components, the computer can be put on the ground out of the way, it makes it easy to source parts and it cools well.>> <<@DavidsonMott says : When it comes to laptops; I prefer something I can replace a bunch of components in. My current daily driver is a Dell Precision 7720; it meets just about all my needs....including gaming.>> <<@ErgonBill says : So interchangeable components are going to be priced out of my miserable budget? Charming. Was just a matter of time.>> <<@wertigon says : Me, personally, I believe the days of a discrete GPU are numbered. AMD will go all-in on APUs going forward, as it is clear they cannot compete with Nvidia on the discrete market anymore. Maybe they will go a couple more generations, but since Nvidia already has won the AI wars and the upscaling wars, AMD is now fighting a losing battle where the gap increase every year. Most people do not care about a discrete GPU though, and if you can bring enough performance into an APU so that it can run 1440p @144Hz or 4k @60Hz, then most people will be happy with that. And I hear Zen 5 APUs are strong enough to do that, if AMD really wanted to.>> <<@ShojiVR says : as long as laptop performance still inferior to tower pc, it wont be replaced>> <<@M0MNE says : Disagree. In fact the contrary is true. More and more people opting for custom built towers and towers which they can build themselves with much higher specs than Curry's or other such places would sell to them. It's true that the average lay person is leaning more towards laptops and all in one PC's, but for the tech enthusiast and gamer, willing to build, a tower is a fantastic and liberating option. It is becoming more popular.>> <<@SiskoMilo says : As an ITX case enthusiast I cant agree. Power consumptions are increasing in PC components more than ever nowadays. Especially the graphic cards. To cool it down such huge tdp graphic card you need a big tower pc. That's exactly why a lot of itx premium case makers stopped production last 5 years. There's no more 2 slot gpus with decent performance and noise levels. The strongest sfx psu can deliver under 1000watts and being over expensive etc. So we desperetly need bigger cases. If you dont need high performance yes you can just use a mini pc or even a phone. But I do rendering, gaming, streaming etc>> <<@pibbles-a-plenty1105 says : Excellent perspective and short history of PC's for the masses, Chris. I won't be around for the eventual extinction of tower and similar form factor computers. But until then I'll enjoy building and maintaining my "retro" home computing center. Thanks!>> <<@backgammonbacon says : Tower PC not endangered just losing some of its unique use cases. Also desktop hardware getting more and more mature and not needing replacing as often, laptops physically break and wear out and need to be replaced while desktop PC's don't.>> <<@MostorAstrakan says : I bought a Black Monolith less than a year ago, specifically to stuff full of RAM and run a lot of virtual machines with various distributions of Linux and or openshift. My main super server though is a small form factor Dell Optiplex which runs all of my homework perfectly adequately. One thing I will probably add to my Monolith is a couple of Very Large Disks to run backups for the rest of the net. The 3.5 inch bays and big power supply help with this.>> <<@MostorAstrakan says : "IBM compatible." Now there is a term I haven't heard in a long time.>> <<@lesliedeana5142 says : I still prefer towers to other form factors, as I can configure and reconfigure to my hearts content, without having to throw the baby out with the bathwater!>>