I do not know if this is really true but in my case I believe it has come time to transition away from these huge desktop machines. Therefore it is my plan and goal to make this session the last time I build a desktop machine.
Here are some thoughts:
- They weigh a ton and are clumsy to transport
- They collect all sorts of dust and dirt that clog up the filters, heat sinks, and fans
- They pour out a large volume of heat (not good in the desert)
- They suck up a great deal of electricity
- They keep breaking and are difficult and costly to repair
Now, the desktop machine referenced above had a quad core processor with 8 GB of RAM and a super-duper video card with 4 GB of RAM. Altogether the machine had 12 GB of RAM. That Media Center machine is being replaced with a Raspberry Pi with only one GB of RAM. I don’t understand how this is even possible but it is working!
Here are the possible replacements for huge desktop machines:
- The Raspberry Pi (it’s the size of a credit card!) – for the most part it can only run Linux but it is the smallest and least expensive system here and quite impressive. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raspberry_Pi
- The Mintbox 2 – also a Linux solution, much more powerful than the Raspberry Pi and full of wonderful features http://www.fit-pc.com/web/products/mintbox/mintbox-2/
- The Mac Mini – this is a wonderful solution if you already have the keyboard, mouse, and monitor(s) and just need an inexpensive Macintosh desktop http://www.apple.com/mac-mini/
- The ASUS VivoPC – there are other Windows solutions but I have always had wonderful experiences with ASUS quality down through the years https://www.asus.com/us/Mini-PCs/VivoPC-products/
That then is what I would like our future to be. Of course, there are always laptop machines as well.