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[Gartner]Gartner Says 2016 Marked Fifth Consecutive Year of Worldwide PC Shipment Decline

4K views 63 replies 41 participants last post by  Clocknut 
#1 ·
Quote:
Worldwide PC shipments totaled 72.6 million units in the fourth quarter of 2016, a 3.7 percent decline from the fourth quarter of 2015, according to preliminary results by Gartner, Inc. For the year, 2016 PC shipments totaled 269.7 million units, a 6.2 percent decline from 2015. PC shipments have declined annually since 2012.
http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/3568420
 
#5 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by dieanotherday View Post

i wonder if its cuz no one needs upgrades?
Pretty much. Any PC in the last half decade is powerful enough for anyone being either introduced to or actively using a computer. Hell, even Phenom II and Core 2 Quad are plenty even for today's users. They're heavily dated, yeah, but you'd only see a really tangible benefit going from a Core 2 Quad or Phenom II to something like an i5 or i7 of the previous or current gen in any case.

...also most people don't NEED a lot of processing power. OCN makes up a small chunk of an already TINY userbase of semi-enthusiast users, or at least fairly savvy PC peeps...
 
#6 ·
+1 on all the sentiments above. Anyone with a 1st gen i3/i5 (even some weaker CPUs) really haven't needed an upgrade in so many years. The performance gap between CPUs lately has been nowhere near what it was when the (just my own rough guess/example) Conroe E8400 and Q6600 came around. I'd say that era + the first i5s are where PCs hit their peak/plateau.
 
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#7 ·
Lots of people who've been waiting forever for price:performance improvements will be picking up Zen, if it delivers. I hope that'll be the case, at least.

This'll be my first upgrade in 6 years. I put in a good 4 years prior, telling people they should buy AMD if all things are equal within their price bracket.. because I feared an Intel monopoly. We certainly got the monopoly that AMD users were warning about and Intel users said would never happen.

Hopefully people smarten up once competition returns. It'd be nice if lessons could be learned and applied in regards to NV vs AMD as well, if it's not too late already. The situation is already bad, with AMD failing to even offer a product above 250mm2 this far into the node.
 
#12 ·
I for one am actually parting out my desktop in favor of a laptop. Just the mobility and ease of use wins for me. Besides, laptops these days are a heck of a lot better than they were even 1-2 years ago... Especially in the gpu department.
 
#13 ·
Every year? Ran out of things to say about this fallacy. I don't know of anyone that does not have multiple desktops and replace/upgrade them at intervals.
doh.gif
Any serious work or gaming will require a desktop.

Word documents and spreadsheet will at minimum also require a monitor, keyboard and mouse. Otherwise, even extended work on a laptop is not comfortable.

Just a ruse to get people away from the longevity/upgradable desktops to disposable laptops, tablets and phones.
 
#14 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stealth Pyros View Post

The performance gap between CPUs lately has been nowhere near what it was when the (just my own rough guess/example) Conroe E8400 and Q6600 came around. I'd say that era + the first i5s are where PCs hit their peak/plateau.
As a note, the E8400 is a Wolfdale core product - Conroe stopped at E6850/X6800 ~_^
 
#15 ·
Nothing astounding since Intel's Sandy Bridge (2011).

AMD has nothing really amazing either, hopefully that will change with Zen.
 
#16 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by dieanotherday View Post

i wonder if its cuz no one needs upgrades?
That, and because tablets and phones are the new replacement to starter computers. The same as phones became the replacement for compact cameras.
Why do you need a 500$ low end computer to browse the internet and watch movies when you can buy a 200$ tablet to do the same?
 
#17 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Defoler View Post

That, and because tablets and phones are the new replacement to starter computers. The same as phones became the replacement for compact cameras.
Why do you need a 500$ low end computer to browse the internet and watch movies when you can buy a 200$ tablet to do the same?
$500 gets you an i5 on a good day, sometimes even $400. That's not really low-end. $300 can get you an i3 system.

Look at the $400 top seller on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-i5-6400-Windows-ATC-780-AMZi5/dp/B01K1INXJK/
  • 6th Generation Intel Core i5-6400 processor 2.7GHz (up to 3.3GHz)
  • 8GB DDR4 2133MHz UDIMM Memory
  • 2TB 7200RPM SATA3 Hard Drive
  • Intel HD Graphics 530
  • Windows 10 Home

Low end is Celerons and Pentiums ~$250 systems.
 
#18 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Defoler View Post

That, and because tablets and phones are the new replacement to starter computers. The same as phones became the replacement for compact cameras.
Why do you need a 500$ low end computer to browse the internet and watch movies when you can buy a 200$ tablet to do the same?
Last year I picked up 4 desktops. 3 silent cherry trail pc sticks for tvs and a kangaroo I stuck on an under the counter(edit cupboard, counter would be creepy) fold down unit for the kitchen. All good enough for web and metro apps, all about $100 not including k,m, or the tv I stuck them to. Windows 10 is hurting sales by needing so little.
 
#19 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by WhiteWulfe View Post

Quote:
Originally Posted by Stealth Pyros View Post

The performance gap between CPUs lately has been nowhere near what it was when the (just my own rough guess/example) Conroe E8400 and Q6600 came around. I'd say that era + the first i5s are where PCs hit their peak/plateau.
As a note, the E8400 is a Wolfdale core product - Conroe stopped at E6850/X6800 ~_^
It's been too long o_O. Just think... it's been 15 years since Halo 1 released.
 
#20 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cakewalk_S View Post

I for one am actually parting out my desktop in favor of a laptop. Just the mobility and ease of use wins for me. Besides, laptops these days are a heck of a lot better than they were even 1-2 years ago... Especially in the gpu department.
You might find yourself being disappointed.

I usually have a gaming laptop because I can justify the expense, but it would never be a replacement for a PC. They usually last about a year before needing to be disassembled / cleaned, otherwise temperatures become a problem. The driver support is always wonky, and the new standard for switchable graphics along with the lack of control is a huge annoyance. You'll find that once and a while, Windows will break your drivers during an update. Weird issues arise constantly; having owned Lenovo, several Asus, MSI, and Acer gaming laptops, I'm pretty sure this is just symptomatic of their proprietary nature. So many strange, ghost issues with each and every one of them. Little things, like HDMI not working after it's been in sleep mode for a while, or strange audio feedback, or intermittent wifi/bluetooth disturbances. I could go on but the list is endless.. all these little issues that are impossibly niche and difficult to troubleshoot. I'm not sure what it is exactly, but I've been through too many different laptops with too many different specs to ignore it. All the while, my PC has been consistent and just does what it's it's supposed to without any hassle. My Lenovo is currently my biggest annoyance -- I need to restart in order to force it to pick up my external monitor because no amount of connecting / disconnecting the cable will do anything. It doesn't sound like much but it's one of those tiny consistent things amongst a million that gets particularly infuriating.

Anyway, just consider yourself warned. They can surely pack some nice grunt into them now, with 14nm GPU's, but the other issues are still there.
 
#21 ·
In most cases buying new hardware is side grade at best and a waste of money. As has been said if using a computer means streaming films and music, using Spy Book, being a Twitter warrior and just watching Youtube anything post C2/Phenom II is more than enough. Thus the decline isn't because of phones and tablets because most people will not trade in a 22" screen for a 5" one to watch films on but because the market is saturated and there is nothing worth buying.
 
#22 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gunderman456 View Post

Every year? Ran out of things to say about this fallacy. I don't know of anyone that does not have multiple desktops and replace/upgrade them at intervals.
doh.gif
Any serious work or gaming will require a desktop.

Word documents and spreadsheet will at minimum also require a monitor, keyboard and mouse. Otherwise, even extended work on a laptop is not comfortable.

Just a ruse to get people away from the longevity/upgradable desktops to disposable laptops, tablets and phones.
Maybe, but a lot of people are using laptops,tablets & smartphones for all their work & Internet usage, which does not really require a desktop PC. Which for them is quite big, takes up space & of course no mobility.

Only serious gamers & those who do heavy computing stuff are spending on desktops.
 
#24 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gunderman456 View Post

Every year? Ran out of things to say about this fallacy. I don't know of anyone that does not have multiple desktops and replace/upgrade them at intervals.
doh.gif
Any serious work or gaming will require a desktop.

Word documents and spreadsheet will at minimum also require a monitor, keyboard and mouse. Otherwise, even extended work on a laptop is not comfortable.

Just a ruse to get people away from the longevity/upgradable desktops to disposable laptops, tablets and phones.
I eat everyday, several times even. World hunger is a lie made up by the press.
 
#25 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Imouto View Post

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gunderman456 View Post

Every year? Ran out of things to say about this fallacy. I don't know of anyone that does not have multiple desktops and replace/upgrade them at intervals.
doh.gif
Any serious work or gaming will require a desktop.

Word documents and spreadsheet will at minimum also require a monitor, keyboard and mouse. Otherwise, even extended work on a laptop is not comfortable.

Just a ruse to get people away from the longevity/upgradable desktops to disposable laptops, tablets and phones.
I eat everyday, several times even. World hunger is a lie made up by the press.
It is indeed but I wouldn't expect you to understand why.
 
#26 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by AlphaC View Post

$500 gets you an i5 on a good day, sometimes even $400. That's not really low-end. $300 can get you an i3 system.

Look at the $400 top seller on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-i5-6400-Windows-ATC-780-AMZi5/dp/B01K1INXJK/
  • 6th Generation Intel Core i5-6400 processor 2.7GHz (up to 3.3GHz)
  • 8GB DDR4 2133MHz UDIMM Memory
  • 2TB 7200RPM SATA3 Hard Drive
  • Intel HD Graphics 530
  • Windows 10 Home

Low end is Celerons and Pentiums ~$250 systems.
I have a feeling you can't do anything on that computer without a Screen+keyboard+mouse, before desk and space to store them. Those also add up to the price.
 
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