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Comment by DiabloD3 | Hacker News Reader

I used to have the same argument... until I realized modern laptops can be desktop replacements (without being those gigantic bricktop "mobile/portable workstations").

Just slap a full sized monitor and a keyboard+mouse, and its more capable as a thin desktop (ala iMac) than the actual thing, and when you want to leave, just unplug all that shit and leave.

The only call for full sized desktops is people like me, where cramming in full sized GPUs, more than one drive, and 32+GB of RAM is required.

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> The only call for full sized desktops is people like me, where cramming in full sized GPUs, more than one drive, and 32+GB of RAM is required.

That, or when you need more CPU horsepower than what a laptop will provide. Even if it is not thermal throttled, if it is not a big laptop, odds are it is using a very low power part.

Definitely, heat dissipation and power envelope limitations on laptops are still a major issue, but with power gating coming standard on most chips and very aggressive p states, average power usage is down by double digit margins on your average CPU over the last decade.

This is very beneficial for servers and workstations too, as it keeps your power bill much lower, and makes it not financially viable to stick around on 8+ year old hardware, where it draws 250 watts for half the performance of a year or two old system, that will pull 60 watts minimum, and while topping out at 250 watts, will like average around 70 watts or so, saving you about $180 a year at $0.12/kwh.

Edit: Missed a zero, reworded last sentence.

They don't make true mac desktop replacements anymore. My gf has an old, old, 17" MacBook. There are no equivalents for a modern upgrade.

I have a 2007 17" MBP, fully loaded for its time, that was still giving me great service as a classic gaming machine (via Bootcamp) as recently as six months ago. In its prime it was essentially a true desktop replacement for most work activity. Sadly, it's about ready to give up the ghost. There are fewer and fewer use cases I can justify squeezing out of it these days. But what a hell of a decade it's given me.

I have a Vostro 3750 I don't want to replace as it has a 17" screen (though only 1600x900) and a full sized keyboard (with numpad).

If they gave me a modern version at 3200x1800 with a decent i5 I'd be buying another.

and $$$ for reasonable resolution, let alone dpi.

> The only call for full sized desktops is people like me, where cramming in full sized GPUs, more than one drive, and 32+GB of RAM is required.

That's exactly why I'm still stuck on a desktop.

Stuck? I love my desktop. When I am not at my desk I use remote desktop to access my desktop.

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