David Risley, here. I’m the founder and owner of PCMech.com.
And, I sat down and recorded a quick video from my desk…
To answer a question that is bound to come up here… yes, Rich is still with PCMech. 
He’s still authoring the weekly newsletter as well as a couple of articles for the members-only PCMech Insider each week.
So, the question from the video is…
What would YOU like to see here at PCMech.com?
Please post your answer below in the comments. And, I look forward to chatting with you down there.
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First I would like to be able to comment in the discussions. I built my first computer in 1999 with your help.
OK what I would like to see more of at this point is Windows 8 how to’s. I read where some said they were running previous versions in Unity and I would like to know what that is?
Dennis
Just because fewer people build or maintain PCs doesn’t mean that it’s not important. Behind all the great personal technologies like smart phones and tablets are regular computing platforms doing serious work. The only upside I can see to The Insider shifting focus to tablets and smart phones is it will save me money… I may not need a subscription.
We’re not switching focus to tablets. Just including it.
Plus, there’s a LOT more to talk about with computers than tablets, so I’d be dumb to try making tablets my focus. 
Dave,
Always enjoyed your video tech show when you were doing it before Rich took over. I would like to see it return but only for members so it won’t get out of control again.
I am one of the hobby builders that are vanishing.
Ah, good ol’ PCMech Live.
Fun times. 
Yeah, not sure we’ll bring that back in the same way, but you never know. Crazier things have happened.
I would like to see tips on more common problems and conflicts with apps, which change and update themselves all the time. In fact, right now I am so angry because on almost every page I visit today I am getting ‘javascript error’ dialog boxes popping up and I have no idea why. It must have updated automatically but is now causing problems! I did not have the problem yesterday! I guess I would just like to see more on those everyday problems!
I guess I could have asked…What does ‘syntax problem’ even mean???
David I am just doing my first pc build and found out it isnt that difficult. Thanks for the great info.
Congrats on the first build. I’ve probably built 100 desktops (mostly for my business, but many for myself as well) and I always find it FUN. When it stops being fun…I’ll stop.
I would like to see more OS X related topics. I am predominantly a MAC user although I support Windows OS in my full time job
That will probably happen, since I’ve been using a Mac personally for the last 6 years.
never sure about all the hype about pcs dying out– it depends on what you do and where you are. over here–definitely not, but far more normal to have custom pc built for you. you deliver the specs and the local jack-in-the-box puts it together for you and you pick it up. Is a whole lot cheaper and well they do laptops, too, but for what I do– laptop would only be temporary travel convenience and could not handle the work I do.
s for subjects- don’t know because most often the articles in last 2-3years have been fairly empty of content. i dig elsewhere than here. the rants were usually undesirable and frequently it seemed that the mentality is just to bash anyone who is not a geek. sorry a lot of folks have other work which requires a lot of time and they have their own bugbears to deal with.
agreed above– the automatic updaters are a royal pain in ass and they can totally screw over a submission upload and create all kinds of hassles.
Well, if you think they’ve been “empty of content”, what can we do to make it not so empty?
Speak in plain English and do not use a lot of useless words just to file a page. Does every egghead out there use extraneous talk just to make a point.
Understand the evolution of technology and the broader audience using mobile devices is changing the technology landscape, but keep a pulse on the PC desktop crowd. We still want to know the innovations being made in the PC world because it may be where our work is done while at home or teleworking or trying to figure out how to integrate our PC/TV/Security/Phone systems.
At the same time, there’s a need for many of us to better understand how to use our ‘smart’ phones and iPads to become ‘smarter’ users – from the beginner to the expert.
Thanks for all your work, information and help over the years!
You bet. And, rest assured, I’m most definitely NOT going to forget about the desktop.
I hope my video didn’t give that impression.
Hey, David.
Have enjoyed PCMech.com for some time. I too built my current pc computer about 6 years ago and it is still functioning but just getting long in the tooth. It was a fun exercise but I would not do it again…really thinking about switching to a Mac but the price keeps dragging me back. Wanted to ask why you showed on your video that you have a Mac shop?
With this in mind going forward, could some of your content be slanted towards Apple computers for special applications? Would also like to see some content on multiscreen monitor recommendations for pc’s and Mac’s especially discussing the necessary port configurations and video card requirements.
Thanks for all the past good work.
Thanks, and yeah, I’ll be talking about some Mac stuff. A lot of tech these days is platform agnostic anyway.
And, I really didn’t have any big reason for showing I run a Mac. Its just what I use, and I recorded the video at my desk. So, there it is.
I ran PCs for over 10 years before switching to the Mac. It was Windows Vista that did it for me. And, once I got used to OS X, I didn’t want to leave it even though Windows 7 is a great OS.
I started following PCMech back in the day mostly because of all of the great tips on useful utility applications that would come up. Things like windirstat, CPU-Z, etc., etc.
Much of the content in my RSS feed these days isn’t as interesting to me, but that’s for several reasons. Firstly, I much more versed in my PC usage these days and can usually think of what I need at any given time, off the top of my head. Secondly, a lot of the niche functionality that these kinds of tips brought to my attention is no longer as obscure or helpful, because OSes and other major applications have gotten much better, and generally tend to include these functionalities and make the smaller independent utilities obsolete.
Something more helpful to me these days, is listening to opinions and comparisons on different software so that I can get more convenient and better usage out of the things I do use. I’m talking about the kind of content generated by sites like Gizmo’s Freeware and Lifehacker. For a generic example, a comparison of functionalities, compatibilities, advanced usage, EULAs and whatnot of apps like Dropbox, Google Drive, Skydrive, etc. makes for useful content to me. Obviously this particular comparison has been beat to death, but could easily be quite useful for other, less covered apps and technologies.
As far as straight up PC hardware builds go, parts and such have gotten MUCH more straightforward and technical advice about building a PC is much less in demand, not just because of the surge of mobile computing, but because it’s just so dang easy to plug in all of the components and turn it on these days.
If you want more technical stuff than perhaps talking about the most efficient kinds of builds could be good content. But really, there are other communities out there who cover advanced PC building too.
Just throwing out whatever came to mind after watching your vid.
== Matt
Thanks, MAtt.
If we can’t hack the hardware, we can still hack the software…
I have become interested in the little computers that look like a flash drive, such as the MK808. They are almost ready to be primary desktop computers! Plug in a USB hub, add a keyboard, mouse and hard drive, and away you go, as long as your monitor supports HDMI. But first they need to run Ubuntu or Mint.
David, I’ve enjoyed a lot of the stuff I read up on your site and in the newsletters. With the economy sucking wind, personally, I think there’s more need than ever for computer consultants/techs that understand how technology impacts the business community as well as residential. That puts us in a better position to work with clients who don’t have the knowledge and provide better recommendations for them as far as hardware and software.
So, I’d like to see some articles written not only from a tech standpoint but also a business perspective. With your background, you’re in a good position to do that. Thanks for what you do.
I can’t see laptops ever providing the graphics that a desktop, with large or multiple cards, can provide.
For those who like larger displays for gaming, laptops are limited. Who wants to buy additional displays ?
I can fix my desktop myself. I will never attempt to fix a laptop, unless they start making a build kit.
Dave, I built my first PC with PC Mech’s help back in 2004. I really loved that rig. But, as with all things, progress happens. Updated it as much as I could but, then realized I needed another. My 2nd PC was built just earlier this year again with PC Mech’s help. I couldn’t have done it without you guys. As for comments, personally I can’t see the end of desk tops anytime soon. Tablets are really neat, and all this touch screen stuff is okay, but when you really need to do some hard down work you need a desktop, plain and simple. Can you really see yourself having to touch a screen for hours when you can pound out your thesis or proposal in about an hour on a desktop? let’s face it some things just can’t be done on a cell phone, tablet, or touch screen PC. That’s my opinion.
I Would Like To See More Q&A About Problems With Operating Systems, Hardware Problems,
Thanks
I can only compliment you and your staff on this site. Great job!
What would I like to see?
I am currently using both a Mac and a PC. I am slowly migrating to Mac Eventually I will use only the MacBook, iMac, iPad and iPhone. I would like to see a Mac department or segment in each Insider. This might include some advice on how to switch and how to convert Windows programs to be used on a Mac (Quicken, Photoshop, etc.)
I would like to see more “tips” and “fixits” for novices like me. The “In Layman’s Terms” has been particularly helpful.
Just keep them coming.
I need to know if there is any good reason to pay the extremely high data rates of mobile. If you open an email with an attachment on a mobile device, do you have to pay for the bandwidth used, or can it be delayed until you get to your home ISP?
How about info on how to send emails that are only able to be read by the recipient? Ways of browsing without any history. The less the government knows about your habits, the better.
Hi,
Please bring Rich back to the main site. I miss his articles: they were very original & unusual. I also miss the retro fridays
–
Jorge
There’s always going to be a need for desktops for some people, myself included and I’m sure you know that. What I’d like to see is more information on integration of all the current devices and those surely to pop-up in the near future.
People of all tech levels subscribe to PCMECH, so don’t forget to include basics as well as higher level stuff.
Keep up the good work.
Ever since I put Rich’s tech articles in my rss google reader I have not missed one great article. Please ask him to continue to publish them. Rich obviously puts in a lot of research for them and tehy are in the top that I read daily.
Earl Wallace
As for your question as to what we’d like to see more of on PC Mech, I’d say that its better to be guided more by the markets. Lets say if you see the sales of PCs slipping more in favor of Tablets and Smart phones, you may include more content useful for these device owners. But those of us who opened up our CPUs and made modifications in our PCs are not as likely to do so on their tablets and phones. Most of us are not that well technically equipped. So to guide us you will have to evolve too in order to upgrade us technically. I am assuming here that PCMech is more hardware inclined.
I like info that helps me work out problems that pop up with computers from time to time. I’ve been a casual user since ’82. My first machine was a Commodore Vic 20 with a great big 5K of memory. Ha Ha. I did learn to write simple programs in Commodore BASIC but would be at a loss to do it now!!
Thanx for all you’ve done to help us all over the years.
I have built my own computer using PCMech to help guide me to a not so expensive build. Seems that if you left builds to gamers they would always bring you to the most expensive stuff that older equipment can do just fine without all the added expense. Don’t get me started on gamers and branding those who like Intel and those that like AMD.
PCMech takes both sides and brings the best to bear for both sides and I loved the different build ranges to help people understand what they were building and how much they needed to spend.
Can you please talk about heat dissipation and ways to help keep a cpu cool while gaming.
Thanks for everything and keep up the good work.
Just content, original content of any sort. I understand you’ve got to make money, and save the best for the subscribers, but lately, the content has been sad.
Like many, I first found this site when I built my first PC, and I hung around because of the articles about some utility or hardware or something that I might not otherwise find out about. Those articles did start to become more of a pulpit, but now, I’ve almost quit visiting the site.