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$2500 is the right price for a computer. Every 3~5 years I buy a new custom build one at this price and my system has been pretty good for the last 10 years! 
(I plan to buy the next one when I am finally over the mega loss of money that was my flat in Darwin  )
My only regret, not that it is much of a problem, I only have 16GB DDR4 ram.. :/
Though I count the screen as additional expenses, I like dual monitor, 27", 2K resolution, 100Hz+
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I counted the $900 screen in as part of my cost, so my actual PC is pretty inexpensive. I expect it to last me 7 to 10 years, if history is any judge.
I always get a bit of a beast at first, so it's still relevant later.
Adding, I can't stand dual monitors. I'll never go back after I started using a 4k large TV.
Instead of switching monitors, I just use the windows key + arrow keys to dock my windows.
No silly problems with switching screens either. (For example using AnyDesk with a remote PC with multiple monitors is a pain)
Real programmers use butterflies
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haha.. just you wait for WIndows 11, they made multiple desktop very prominent! :p
Though I have yet t use them...  
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Great, should serve you well. Put TrueNAS on the old one and use if for NAS.
Old saying: You can find a nice system for $500 but the one you really want is still $3000.
DYI reduces that some.
I like the idea of the TV, what resolution do you use?
>64
If you can keep your head while those about you are losing theirs, perhaps you don't understand the situation.
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it's like almost 4000 pixels across. I'm running at 4k. I'd have to open the settings and dig around to get you the exact res
Real programmers use butterflies
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theoldfool wrote: I like the idea of the TV, what resolution do you use?
I'm wondering about this too. I'm getting old, my eyesight isn't what it was. Sometimes I have trouble making out text, so I'm thinking of moving to a larger screen. My current monitor is an HP Envy 34c which has a vertical display height of about 13". I was thinking of going to a 40-42" 4k TV - but wasn't sure about how much I might have to look up on a bigger screen. 55" seems Monstrous. So, I was wondering what honey's experience was with that screen - keeping in mind MMMV.
Keep Calm and Carry On
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I look straight ahead at my 55, and it's wall mounted just below halfway between my ceiling and floor. The lower edge starts right at my workbench, and that's the biggest issue because my gear can obstruct the bottom of the screen. In practice, it doesn't matter to me much when that happens for some reason.
I run it at max res, and you'd want to as well, for the quality, but consider scaling windows to like double the size of the fonts and such. You'll have the room.
If you really want a lower resolution, just buy a large 1080p instead of a 4k
Real programmers use butterflies
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honey the codewitch wrote: If you really want a lower resolution, just buy a large 1080p instead of a 4k
No way. Pixels Rule!
Keep Calm and Carry On
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I agree with you. The point I'm trying to make is you don't want to run a digital screen at a resolution other than it's native resolution typically, although you can get away with resolutions that are evenly divisible to the native one. The way they scale makes other resolutions dodgy.
Real programmers use butterflies
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theoldfool wrote: You can find a nice system for $500 but the one you really want is still $3000
"Nice"? No.
When it comes to laptops, I'm soooo done recommending the $500 ones. They just cannot provide any sort of future-proofing at that price point. These days I tell people if $500 is all they're willing to pay for a new laptop, it's only going to provide performance that's marginally better than the old system they're trying to replace.
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my problem with that is i've had everything that can happen to a laptop happen to my laptops at least once. one was even stolen out of my home while I was sleeping.
I won't spend more than I feel okay with losing on one.
That's why I buy desktops these days.
Real programmers use butterflies
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If it's raw power I want, I'm all in on desktops. I've only ever bought one laptop, and to this day I regret it. I'm just not a laptop guy.
I'm speaking in the general sense - most people I know who "still" want a computer, would much rather go with a laptop than a desktop...and they can't comprehend that anything over $500 might actually be worth it. They buy the cheap ones, then a year later they're complaining it's slow. That's why I'm saying I'm done recommending them, and if they're not willing to spend the money, at least I will have warned them.
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That makes sense to me.
Real programmers use butterflies
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I totally agree, you get much bang for the buck when buying a desktop vs. laptop. However there are advantages too in having a mobile system.
I work as a contractor/consultant. As a result if I want to go on vacation, I have to have a machine that I can easily take with me. It never fails that as soon as you have arrived somewhere, the client needs something changed.
My last trip to Oahu (feels like that was forever), I was able to flip open the laptop, spend a few hours in the morning over coffee doing work, and then spent the rest of the day relaxing. Even if just to do some handholding for the client. That way everyone is happy, and the client is more relaxed knowing that me taking some time off doesn't put them at risk.
And frankly, I love what I do, and vacation time often gives me the rest I need to step away from the minutiae and get creative again.
My last laptop was a Dell XPS 17, and it was a perfect machine that way. Full keyboard with a proper numeric keypad, 17" screen, extended battery, and sufficient horsepower to run VS and whatever tools I required. But alas, after 10 years it just doesn't have that oomph anymore. But after 10 years it has more than paid for itself.
On a side note - my main monitor is a 46" Sony HDTV. I have it set as low as possible on my desk and it works great as a monitor (plus running games from my Xbox). It is only 1920x1080, but is super crisp and ideal for multiple pages of text. Or lots of code windows within VS. I would probably get a higher res in the future, but I have no regrets with using this for the last 12 years.
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IMNSHO: Nowadays if you're on vacation and need to quickly put some fix together...you remote into your daily driver, where your dev environment is already set up.
And if an internet connection isn't readily available - then nobody can reach you anyway to tell you to fix something. Which is the point of being on vacation.
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theoldfool wrote: I like the idea of the TV, what resolution do you use?
I have a 4K 40" LG TV I use as my primary monitor. Secondaries are 1920x1200 (24") and 1080p (27").
At its native resolution, text (using the same fonts/nothing resized/rescaled) on the 40" TV are smaller than the other ones. My eyes aren't what they used to be, so if I had to do it all over again, 55" sounds about right to me.
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I hear ya. My eyeballs are somewhat better since I had cataract surgery a few years back. I have a 34" using 3440x1440 resolution. I liked multiple monitors but have made do by using multiple desktops. I will be looking into the 4K but would need a new video card and that is problematic these days.
OTOH, she wore a glove.
>64
If you can keep your head while those about you are losing theirs, perhaps you don't understand the situation.
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Enjoy!
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.
-- 6079 Smith W.
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Indeed I will! 
Real programmers use butterflies
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Unless you have a good chair, it's not "perfect". Got a (cheaper) "gaming chair" that's been better than any "office" chair I've had previously.
"Before entering on an understanding, I have meditated for a long time, and have foreseen what might happen. It is not genius which reveals to me suddenly, secretly, what I have to say or to do in a circumstance unexpected by other people; it is reflection, it is meditation." - Napoleon I
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Desk and chair are my next two upgrades =)
Real programmers use butterflies
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I have a desk I've been hauling around for "forever". It's about 1.5 inches lower than standard and anything else, throws me off. Most desks you can't adjust the height; and I need a desk, not a stand or "keyboard drawer". As a last resort, I would opt for a drafting table.
"Before entering on an understanding, I have meditated for a long time, and have foreseen what might happen. It is not genius which reveals to me suddenly, secretly, what I have to say or to do in a circumstance unexpected by other people; it is reflection, it is meditation." - Napoleon I
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I agree with you about all of that. I have an additional challenge in that I need a workbench for all my electronic gear, and I don't have a lot of space where my PC is set up. I may end up with two desks as a result.
Real programmers use butterflies
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I'm using a desk from Ikea, with telescoping legs. Makes it easy to adjust the height to whatever you need. And I like mine lower too.
Not terribly large, but sufficient for the wall mounted monitor, KB + mouse, and a cup of coffee. Other gear on credenza on the side. Oh, and room for a cat that likes to lie right in front of the monitor...
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