Pre-packaged performance PCs are a dying market (i.e. Alienware), but the hobbyist and tweaker markets are far from dead. One need only look at NewEgg’s financial performance to see the proof in that.
But 95% of reviews and forum traffic is regarding the top end of personal computers....
Cheaper PC’s are more than adequate for 90% of computer users.
My wife uses our laptop for playing Solitaire,I got it to get emails when on a trip, Why do I need to spend a ton of money on an expensive one?
My home PC was the cheapest one in the store It get me on Free republic gathers my mail, and I watch an occasional Utube.
It’s adequate, and it cost me less than $500 bucks.
They also require constant hardware and software upgrading, and that is getting really annoying. Consoles have come a long way and they are still making games today that run on an XBOX 360 that was made in 2005. Try running a current game on PC equipment made in or before '05!
I'll move to console gaming when they start making decent sims for them (Codemasters F1 game is NOT a sim!). Way cheaper start up and long term costs. Until then, it's a large, costly, high-end PC for me.
I built a high end PC several years ago (AMD quad core) and it started failing this year. I had it repaired at the local shop (many failed fans) rather than replace it — still does everything I need.
Surfing FR while my other 31 cores are plugging away with about 50/64 GB RAM allocated. I wouldn’t mind an upgrade, either.
PCs are a commoddity. They have been for over a decade, maybe longer. People want cheaper, smaller and they want to replace them more often. Very few PC users, except gamers, want to chase upgrades.
With a little computer knowledge you can build a high end computer for about what it cost for an average to upper price manufactured computer. I had an upper end one built at my local store for $1500 then I built my own for $1000....
I’m on my 4th HP pavilion basic black box. It has Windows 7 and probably all the memory I need. If I need more back up/storage, I have my MyPc Backup on line backup service.
It cost a little less than $500 including CalifornicatoR’s sales tax.
My HPw2216h, 22 inch monitor is still going strong after outlasting the previous computer. I turned the new computer off and plugged in my old monitor, and it was recognized immediately when I turned my new computer on.
Most of the time, our Comcast connection is fast enough for what I do. This past week, probably due to the aftermath of Sandy and the election, it has been somewhat slow.
With Comcast and the on line backup services, even a crashed computer can be fairly easily replaced. It took longer to drive to Office Depot to buy the new computer and return home, than to get back on line.
Two weeks after getting the new computer, our printer died after lasting longer than the two black box plain Jane/John computer.
My new lowcost HP3050A printer prints and copies whatever my wife and I need. It cost much less than a dinner for 2 in Wino land. It took much longer to unpack the new printer and put the old printer in the box, than it did to get my new printer on line and printing again.
The printer is easier to use and to make copies. My computer ludite wife learned how to make copies in about a minute and makes several copies each week.
A younger female Apple addicted relative has the new Mac computer, which she paid 6 times what I paid. It doesn’t seem to be any faster than mine, and her kids like my old monitor better.