Anyone else prefer using desktop computers to these damn phones?

[FBC Director 10,552]

Lately I've been at the computer more, especially since purchasing a new 24-inch gaming monitor and a new mechanical keyboard for playing games (Cherry MX Brown switches), as well as a new Logitech wired mouse. But an unexpected byproduct of those new purchases is I've been using my phone way less, and instead been using the computer more, and it just feels more... computery. Like I feel as if I'm being more productive by posting at the computer instead of a cellular telephone or a tablet thingy. Actually I find tablets impossible to type on because their ergonomics are so awkward. At least telephones allow you the muscle memory to use your thumbs really fast.

 

That said, I'm not satisfied with the MX Brown switches for typing. They're great for gaming because I like a bit of tactile feedback when playing Half-Life 2 or whichever. But I had a hunt around eBay and found a second-hand WASD keyboard with Cherry MX Green switches, which are way clickier and less prone to typos because they're not as "floaty". I ordered a Unicomp New Model M board with Buckling Springs switches, too, just to test drive what these more clicky boards are like. So when I want to game, I'll use the Browns, when I want to type, I'll swap them out for the Greens or the Springs. People online were talking up the MX Blues, so I tried a set at the shop, and I still thought they weren't satisfyingly clicky enough, so I decided to go full-on MX Green.

 

TL;DR it feels more satisfying surfing the web and using JWfan at the computer instead of a mobile screen thingy because of I have a weird fetish for clicky peripherals.

[Naïve Old Fart 12,479]

I have a computer at work, which I use for online meetings, but today, I could not get to work, so I needed to use my mobile.

Pain in the ass! Not only can I not see the shared information, I can't hear people, and it uses electricity which I pay for!

[Richard P 5,060]

There is almost nothing I prefer doing on a mobile, but it's nothing to do with mouse vs touchscreen - it's entirely that you can't fit anything on a smartphone's screen. I'm also not great at using mobile keyboards, so if I'm chatting post-bedtime I'm significantly slower.

 

I also manage a website and have to maintain every single page with both views in mind. Bit of a faff.

[Xander Harris 8,875]

Anyone else not have a desk?

[Jurassic Shark 15,876]

Anybody else never owned a tablet?

[FBC Director 10,552]

I get mine for free when I get my new phone.

[II- 0]

I prefer a desktop over a laptop, and over a phone.

 

I, like you prefer the tactilty, though I never got into mechanical keyboards. I'll look into it. When i started playing emulated games it was odd because I was used to a joystick and button(s), it wasn't the same. I got over it, with the idea that I would in time have an arcade console of my own. 

 

 

[FBC Director 10,552]

32 minutes ago, II- said:

I prefer a desktop over a laptop, and over a phone.

 

I, like you prefer the tactilty, though I never got into mechanical keyboards. I'll look into it. When i started playing emulated games it was odd because I was used to a joystick and button(s), it wasn't the same. I got over it, with the idea that I would in time have an arcade console of my own. 

 

 

 

Depends how you prefer the key switches to feel, linear or clicky. I like linear/tactile (Red or Brown) for games, and clicky for typing (Blue, Green, or Buckling Springs).

[Jurassic Shark 15,876]

What do you mean with the colours?

[bollemanneke 4,226]

I only use my phone for calls and browsing the internet on holiday when I don't have my laptop, which I hate doing because it either takes an entire minute to input a URL or I have to dictate it all. Still, I need to keep up with headlines and events on JWfan.

[FBC Director 10,552]

9 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

What do you mean with the colours?

 

 

 

[King Mark 3,907]

yes,I'm still on desktop with a monitor

[Xander Harris 8,875]

I’ve warmed to my iPhone 16E which was all they had in stock because the 16s were all gone and despite supposedly being a cheaper version of the iPhone (it’s my first), I like it a lot. I’ll probably never go back to Android but now I want a MacBook. They are stupidly expensive but nobody gives them a negative review.

[FBC Director 10,552]

I want to build a computer, but some of the economics and logistics are putting me off at the moment. PC players online reckon the GPUs available right now, like the RTX 5060 Ti and 5070 Ti, are at risk of bottlenecking while running some of the big upcoming AAA games even at 1080p on medium graphical settings. I want to do this eventually, but I want to get it right, and presently it seems what's available is stop-gap tech before the next-gen chips are out in the next year or even the following year.

 

Meanwhile I'll enjoy the PS5 and my old laptop with its RTX 2060 and just play it safe with games from the 2010s. If I tried running Alan Wake II on this machine, it'd kill it. I just pre-ordered Silent Hill f on the PS Store, but I want to play Silent Hill 2 first.

[Xander Harris 8,875]

The only game I play is Roller Coaster Tycoon classic, which is playable on just about anything. Even with a crappy PC upon release it was playable, and it’s been ported to modern more sophisticated devices. Speaking of which, I just got a MacBook with a disc drive so I can start to rip music in ALAC. It’s gonna replace CDs soon.

 

[FBC Director 10,552]

Gonna have to buy Jaws again

[FBC Director 10,552]

I just started some Amazon purchases of PC components, including:

 

• Asus ROG Strix X870-E Motherboard
• Samsung 990 Pro 4TB SSD

 

Those should be arriving by tomorrow and the following day.

 

Then I've gotta get:

 

• AMD Ryzen 7 9800x3d CPU
• Asus ROG Strix RTX 5070 Ti GPU
• Corsair 1000W PSU
• Corsair Vengeance 32gb RAM sticks
• Noctua CPU air cooler
• Corsair 3500X case

 

Which will probably be sometime next week, so I can initiate the building process the following week.

 

And of course, some standard and reverse fans, termal paste, operating system, anti-static strap, mains cable, and I even threw in a KVM switch so I can use the same mouse and keyboard between the gaming PC and my old laptop, since I still like using that one at my home workstation.

 

This will either be a great success or a catastrophic and expensive failure. Just hope those components don't bugger up on me for any reason, especially the mobo, CPU, and GPU, which are the costliest bits.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 11,581]

Why not but a funny assembled unit?

[FBC Director 10,552]

I considered that, but too many of those pre-builts are loaded with proprietary components that are hard to replace, which forces you to buy a whole new machine later on. This way I can pick and choose whatever off-the-shelf components I want. And the process is apparently easier than you'd think. Pieces just clip together.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 11,581]

People don't self build their TV screen or smartphone, or even their amp.

 

PC guys are weirdly neurotic 

[FBC Director 10,552]

It's not like we're soldering wires and circuitry. It's just parts clipping together and installing some software.

 

Car enthusiasts do practically the same thing when they assemble new builds out of old parts and chassis.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 11,581]

Yes, and the result it usually far more dangerous and wasteful as the factory product.

 

Ive watched Top Gear for 20 years mate

[FBC Director 10,552]

Oh you have no sense of fun or a drive to build things that work.

[Jim 6,122]

1 hour ago, Lady Dimitrescu said:

I just started some Amazon purchases of PC components, including:

 

• Asus ROG Strix X870-E Motherboard
• Samsung 990 Pro 4TB SSD

 

Those should be arriving by tomorrow and the following day.

 

Then I've gotta get:

 

• AMD Ryzen 7 9800x3d CPU
• Asus ROG Strix RTX 5070 Ti GPU
• Corsair 1000W PSU
• Corsair Vengeance 32gb RAM sticks
• Noctua CPU air cooler
• Corsair 3500X case

 

Which will probably be sometime next week, so I can initiate the building process the following week.

 

And of course, some standard and reverse fans, termal paste, operating system, anti-static strap, mains cable, and I even threw in a KVM switch so I can use the same mouse and keyboard between the gaming PC and my old laptop, since I still like using that one at my home workstation.

 

This will either be a great success or a catastrophic and expensive failure. Just hope those components don't bugger up on me for any reason, especially the mobo, CPU, and GPU, which are the costliest bits.

 

Hold off buying your gpu - the Super variants are only a month away and this will bring down the rrp of the 5070 ti, or you can pay the same money for a newly upgraded SKU.

[FBC Director 10,552]

4 minutes ago, Quintus said:

 

Hold off buying your gpu - the Super variants are only a month away and this will bring down the rrp of the 5070 ti, or you can pay the same money for a newly upgraded SKU.

 

I saw a yarn about that today and they reckon there isn't even an official release date and it's only rumoured at this point. Sorry lost the link.

 

Edit: never mind, it was this one

 

https://www.pcgamesn.com/nvidia/geforce-rtx-5070-ti-super-guide

 

[Jim 6,122]

Don't say I didn't warn you!

[The Score Cleaner 9,187]

Drax next month: 

[FBC Director 10,552]

Gotta think of the warranty and return windows of the components I'm already getting. Can't wait around for too long. And there's always going to be something better around the corner.

[Jim 6,122]

Personally, I'd wait a few weeks for around 12% better performance and an extra couple of gb of vram for the same money.

[FBC Director 10,552]

It begins

[enderdrag64 1,742]

On 09/09/2025 at 1:59 PM, #SnowyVernalSpringsEternal said:

People don't self build their TV screen or smartphone, or even their amp.

 

PC guys are weirdly neurotic 

PCs are one of the last remaining platforms to still provide consumer choice. It is a shame that other consumer electronics didn't follow the PC model.

 

Both in the hardware and the software, PCs are 1000x better for the user than a mobile phone

PC	Phone
can mix and match and upgrade parts, even in a prebuilt	can't change any parts once you buy it, manufacturers can abuse this to massively overcharge for a little more storage
easy to repair	designed to be impossible to repair
you can always run the latest and greatest software regardless of how old your hardware is; it may not run well, but it will run I still use a laptop from 2011 and it works great	stops getting software and even security updates entirely some time between 1-7 years after manufacturing. My phone that came out in 2023 stops receiving security updates next year
you have complete control over the software on your device. You can install linux if you want. Programs don't stop working if you install another OS. You can download and install software from the internet.	On an iphone you can only download apps from the Apple approved app store Android is a little better, you can install third party apps via apks, but Google is planning on cracking down on that next year Additionally, on iPhone you are locked into iOS, and with an Android while you can run a custom OS like GrapheneOS for better security updates, a lot of apps will check to see if you're running non-stock software and then stop working via crap like Google SafetyNet/Play Integrity/Samsung Knox

 

Phones are designed from the mindset that the manufacturer owns your device, even if you bought it from them it's theirs and they can tell you what to do with it. 

 

Desktop PCs = freedom

[FBC Director 10,552]

I realised my RAM clearance might be slightly restrictive to the CPU air cooler and the case I was looking at. I don't want to compromise on the cooler, which is a bigger but more effective one, so I'm looking at getting the Corsair 5000D case just so I have extra room to move the fan upward a little, and I'll have plenty of room later on for more upgrades.

 

And the other great thing about a personal PC build is you're probably not going to get any of that annoying bloatware that you normally find in a pre-build.

[enderdrag64 1,742]

2 hours ago, Lady Dimitrescu said:

And the other great thing about a personal PC build is you're probably not going to get any of that annoying bloatware that you normally find in a pre-build.

Oh yeah that's a good point too. Even if you did get a pre-built you could still remove most of that junk, but it would take effort.

 

On a phone you're kinda screwed, there's not really a way to remove bloatware when they mark it as required system apps unless you root the phone or flash custom firmware in which case half your apps stop working since you've tripped Play Integrity

[Nick1Ø66 7,610]

On 17/8/2025 at 8:57 AM, Lady Dimitrescu said:

Anyone else prefer using desktop computers to these damn phones?

 

Anyone else prefer using laptops to these damn desktop computers?

 

Anyone else prefer using typewriters to these damn laptops?

 

Anyone else prefer using pens to these damn typewriters?

 

Anyone else prefer using pencils to these damn pens?

 

Anyone else prefer using ink and quill to these damn pencils?

 

Anyone else prefer scrolls to this damn parchment!?

 

Anyone else prefer cuneiform and hieroglyphs to these damn scrolls!?

 

Anyone else prefer papyrus and clay tablets to these damn cuneiforms and hieroglyphs?

 

Anyone else prefer cave paintings & petroglyphs to these damn papyruses and clay tablets?

 

Anyone else prefer grunting and pointing to all this damn writing!

 

[FBC Director 10,552]

I was holding my SSD and forgot to ground myself and zapped it with my own static electicity. Oops. Ordered a new one.

[FBC Director 10,552]

https://linfordco.com/blog/future-of-pc-computers/

 

Over my dead body

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 11,581]

18 minutes ago, Lady Dimitrescu said:

https://linfordco.com/blog/future-of-pc-computers/

 

Over my dead body

 

Keep your old PC's! They'll be worth a fortune 

[Xander Harris 8,875]

1 hour ago, Lady Dimitrescu said:

https://linfordco.com/blog/future-of-pc-computers/

 

Over my dead body

That’s the idea. They’ve been looking forward to this for a long time.

[FBC Director 10,552]

Personal Access Points? Isn't that what we have now with these damn phones? And this goofball is hyping up the idea of our OS all being cloud hosted, as if our telecommunications infrastructure will be able to handle all that shit. Some of these so-called "futurists" need to go touch grass.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 11,581]

Ownership of physical media is theft!

[Ollie 1,362]

I have my iMac and MacBook that I still use. 

[FBC Director 10,552]

I'm presently in the process of getting my home study all prepped for this PC build. I'm even rolling up my rug, using an anti-static wrist band, and won't have any shoes on in order to minimise the risk of static electricity. That shit is like radiation poisoning to electronic components.

[FBC Director 10,552]

Fucked if I know whether it works or not. Chances are I zapped it with my own static electricity and it'll blow up if I power it on. I'll find out tomorrow. Took me 10 straight hours to put this bomb together.

[Jim 6,122]

One of the most stressful and absorbing experiences you'll ever have!

[FBC Director 10,552]

Goddamn it was. I had to apply the thermal paste twice because the CPU air cooler was being a bitch at attaching. And I had to insert and remove the motherboard power connection a few times because that cabling was harder than it looked. I'll power on this fucker tomorrow after I've double checked all the connections but right now I'm drunk as piss.

[Glóin the Dark 1,699]

[FBC Director 10,552]

Rock and roll

[Xander Harris 8,875]

43 minutes ago, Lady Dimitrescu said:

Fucked if I know whether it works or not. Chances are I zapped it with my own static electricity and it'll blow up if I power it on. I'll find out tomorrow. Took me 10 straight hours to put this bomb together.

[Jurassic Shark 15,876]

10 minutes ago, Lady Dimitrescu said:

Goddamn it was. I had to apply the thermal paste twice because the CPU air cooler was being a bitch at attaching. And I had to insert and remove the motherboard power connection a few times because that cabling was harder than it looked. I'll power on this fucker tomorrow after I've double checked all the connections but right now I'm drunk as piss.

 

Do it now!

[FBC Director 10,552]

Yew have committed an act of aggression against the United Federation of Planets!