One of the downsides to my new desktop is it isn’t exactly what you’d call mobile. I guess I was spoiled with my laptop; even though I didn’t drag it around much, I always had the option of unhooking the extra peripherals and plopping down on the couch next to my girlfriend. With the tower, not so much. This means that if I want to use the not inconsiderable computing power that is now at my disposal, I have to sequester myself in my office.

Every once in a while I’ll get fed up with this arrangement and drag my laptop back out. Sure, I won’t be able to play the newest games, but it’s much easier to type on than my tablet, and we can spend time together even while I’m blogging.

But holy cow does it seem slow now.

I know that it really hasn’t slowed down that much since I built my new computer. It just seems like it. Windows seems to take forever to load, programs respond more sluggishly (or at least seem to), et cetera. And it’s not like this is a new experience for me. This inevitably happens every time I upgrade my hardware. Maybe it’s exacerbated by how long I generally wait between upgrade cycles; intermediate upgrades would be less drastic, but are extremely hard to do on a laptop.

Don’t get me wrong, I love that I was able to build my own computer. It’s just that I miss the portability afforded by the laptop form factor. I’ve experimented a bit with network streaming and remote desktop applications, but either the technology isn’t there or our wireless network backbone just isn’t sturdy enough.

But even as I write this (on my laptop, sitting on the couch), I can feel the keyboard warming up, the battery running down, and I am reminded why I upgraded. I just wish the change in performance wasn’t thrown into such sharp relief.

Maybe I should install Linux?