Why are desktop PC's still so big??

Question

What's in a tower that means it still has to be huge? Are they becoming obsolete?

Re: physical space? A thumb drive puts a gig on a keychain.
My laptop is every bit as powerful as my PC and yet it fits in a briefcase.

I know that computers are a lot smaller than they used to be (room-sized) but they seem to have reached a plateau lately and I wonder why the tower itself isn't shrinking anymore. In spite of technology that proves we can make most things smaller including monitors, storage drives, etc, the tower remains huge...we either switch over to laptops or buy furniture to hide them in order to deal with the amount of space that they take up.

My guess is that it is in ventilation. Even expansion and power doesn't seem to need so much space.

Answer 1

For a lot of desktop computers, the CD-ROM drive is a factor. Most use drives with trays where the disk rests loose in the tray. These drives must be horizontal, which determines the width of the computer. As for the rest, I think it is a matter of keeping it simple to upgrade and customize. They could condense everything, as in a laptop, but that makes it much more difficult to change any hardware later on. In the new iMacs, everything is behind the monitor, but changing something like a graphics card or sound card is all-but-impossible for the average user. Plus, the fans that cool the processors are quite large as well.

And some models actually use all that space:
http://www.apple.com/macpro/design.html
http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/precn_690?c=us&cs=555&l=en&s=biz&~section=specs#tabtop

There are some slimmer, shorter towers (with a vertical CD-ROM drive), but I also think manufacturers have to consider that users are going to be dropping in 3rd party parts, so they have to have standard and accessible card slots and motherboards.

Just my 2 cents.

Answer 2

Ventilation is a major reason why desktops are big, but there are a few other reasons.

First, laptops are not easily upgradeable, Desktops are. So PC manufacturers make extra space inside for more components.

Second, since there are so many parts that can fit inside a desktop, they need to be standardized. Parts are made specifically for these standards, any parts that are not standardized are usually very expensive.

So there are different sizes for desktops, you can even find some that are the same size as a laptop. But again, they are not standardized.

Answer 3

Well, in fact you have really small desktops. But most are so big to cut costs, and you need room to add things to the pc later on. You can't add things to a laptop, and a laptop costs much more than a desktop for the same specs.

Answer 4

Mostly to leave room for additions, which are necessarily standard in size. Power supplies have not changed size significantly in twenty years. Neither have most of the other components.

Answer 5

the smaller it gets. higher the cost.. this is y laptops cost more 2 make..

Answer 6

There are small form factor / mini PC's available.

http://www.littlepc.com/?gclid=CI3qw6iMy40CFQWQIwodMSIHFg

http://www.baber.com/systems/slimline/index.htm

http://eu.shuttle.com/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-23/