Don't Be Ashamed. Let Your Geek Flag Fly! ('Puter Content)

[highlandsflyer]

No, that is all good!

After all I don't know what geekness is anymore, in computer terms at least, so this is all new to me and very interesting!

 

[dyna-ti]

Apples are PCs.

I think you'll find they're actually fruit

 

[Carge]

I know that the i5's and i7's rate very well indeed.
What are the bus speeds on them?

Legally, not more than 30mph in a built-up area
Where's my coat?

I seem to remember specing a particular motherboard so I could overclock my 486 to 133Mhz, and using 16Mb of memory, just so GrandPrix2 and Doom would run better

 

[petitpal]

No, that is all good!

After all I don't know what geekness is anymore, in computer terms at least, so this is all new to me and very interesting!

You must be hugely foolish then...

...however - something else to consider: the general move in IT these days is towards providing software over the web (software as a service stuff)... sorry we're supposed to say 'Cloud' these days So this does make you question how vital the home PC, and it's spec, is going to be at all in the future. We're seeing more ways of accessing software now - browsers on your TV, phone, etc. so users are expecting more than just something that sits on their desk (regardless of many Gb of memory or disk it may have). This is leading to some new directions in how software is provided - Microsoft Office over the web might be a relevant example.

Let's be honest - the PC as we know it starting to become a bit of a dinosaur, especially as we now have a much wider and less technical user base than we had, say, ten years ago. And these people don't want to upgrade constantly or really understand their computer - suprisingly they just want to use it. The idea of what we used to do, as the previous poster mentioned, BITD to get our machines to run games (I remember spending more time tweaking settings in autoexec.bat to unload keyboard drivers to get lemmings to run than actually playing it) is laughable now.

The future, if we're honest, is a whole host of diverse devices with most software being delievered over the web and with more emphasis being on powerful servers with almost 'dumb terminal' type machines for home users. And really, when you think about it, there's not a lot that you actually need to run off your local PC apart from the higher end, graphically intense, games. But having said all that - who can tell. Things move so quickly it's difficult to predict what's next.

 

[theproudhighway]

What case did you use for your HTPC build? I picked up a cheap SilverStone one. I like it, not too bulky, pretty much the same dimensions as a separates CD player. So all my expansion cards are low profile.

Specs:

CPU: E3400
RAM: 4 GB DDR3
GPU: HD5450
HDD: 3 x 2TB one partitioned for windows
Soundcard: ASUS Xonar DG with built in headphone amp

Only cost me around 200 quid to put together and it suits my needs perfectly. No gaming on it, well, maybe a few emulators.

I use Media Portal to handle all my media. It's very customizable. What do you use?

 

[highlandsflyer]

That HTC was built in an old Antec rackmount case, as it was for a wee recording studio. Gives loads of room for convection, but I put extra mesh panels in the top as well to help out. We will see how well it does long term.

At home we use a wee Asus barebones build as our main pvr/media player.

Agree about the move towards 'displaced' processing power and storage. It is undeniable. That future is defined largely by the demands of the market, much of the content the everyday user creates is intended for sharing online.

I reckon it is a long way before a significant minority of people need or want to give up their independent 'disconnected' ability, especially when there is a continuing parallel development of smaller and more powerful, inexpensive devices.

I reckon ten years from now we will still have a powerful pc in the home, but it may well be integrated into another device and its main purpose may well be underutilising its power, but it will have cost so little it may as well be there for those times there are network disruptions.

Firm favourite for me here is the upgradable 'games' console becoming the central device for all computing and media needs.

That console may well itself be in tablet/hybrid form.

Hedging my bets, making lots of guesses.

Bit like Nostradamus.

 

[Lysander]

Ahhh........erm.......my mistake, misread the thread title........

 

[Raging_Bulls]

Cloud-based computing is all good and well if you have unlimited data. However in some countries it simply isn't that common.
The main providers here (Telenet and Belgacom) have been keeping the prices so high that most people here are forced to stay with the contracts that have limited data.

I pay 44 EUR (£35-ish) for 100GB/month, and usually need to watch out to avoid being put on smallband (56Kbps ... yes, 56 KiloBITS) during the last week.
I watch some streams (usually Russia Today) and download whatever shows I find interesting but aren't available on telly here, and that's enough to get me in trouble every single month.
Luckily my ISP is upping the limits for most contracts in a few days, so I'll be fine then. However I'm pretty sure Belgium isn't the only country that's completely out of touch with modern times.

If cloud-based computing works out, I'll probably scale down to a less powerful PC. That alone should reduce my electricity bill by 40-50%.
However for now I'll rely on my own hardware to get the performance I want.