Count me out when it comes to replacing my phone every year to the newest ludicrously expensive model

Android devices - I find Android takes on most of the good traits that Personal computers do. There is a certain area of if you want to do DIY things, Android products are easier to do it with than Apple's. The downside is that the software selection isn't as good as iOS. I mean, there is no Hyperpad, no Codea, etc on Android. And I know it's hard to find a good IDE on one.

PC - Windows 10 is pretty good despite my skepticism, but I feel like with PCs, you don't get as much for your money these days as with Android devices. Take the Google Pixel C Android tablet for example, it has a 2560x1600 display, it's portable, it has a processor that's as capable as a laptop Core i3 in many areas, and very decent graphics performance, all for $375 if you use the developer discount. I have not seen such a deal on PC. Intel processors, which still remain in the lead over AMD, have also only been increasing in performance by 10% each refresh these last few or several cycles.

iOS - I love this platform, but in order to make an iOS game, having a Windows PC and an iOS device isn't enough. You actually need a Mac of some kind AND an iOS device. Screw Windows PC. By the time all is said and done, you're set back $1200 in Apple products.

Mac - I've never really owned one, so no comment.

Overall, I'm disappointed with PCs for personal reasons though. I recently bought a new one just to find it wasn't fast enough for me, and the return policy says I can't take it back for that reason.

I'd love to just buy a Google Pixel C or Ipad Pro and be done, but the Android devices kind of lack tools, and I could actually make a game of some kind directly on an iPad, but you still need a Mac to distribute it once you're done.

I also realize that rants in the Lounge don't always go well. They usually result in flaming, arguing, or "ok" responses. But I'll post now, and worry about the consequences of my actions later.

No, just no...

Android is good... as a mobile OS, for your phone. MAYBE your tablet used for media consumption.

The very same is true about iOS. Neither of these systems can be used as a serious OS for media creation as long as a) there is no serious attempt at opening up the filesystem to the user (I know there is an App for it... but that is just another problem), the Keyboard+Mouse integration is rather sloppy or left to third parties (You guessed it, there IS an app for it), the whole system is quite locked down (especially on the iOS side), all the newer traits of modern OS literally go out of the window, because, you know, the OS is intended to run on your phone and not your PC (no real multitasking, no real windowing system, and so on).

The ONLY reason why the chromeOS and Android Pixel devices even have a niche is BECAUSE they are cheaper than similar Windows or Mac OS devices. At the same cost for the same hardware, the choice would be no choice at all anymore. A real PC OS beats Android, or the crappy Cloud OS any day for anything more taxing than watching cat videos on youtube.

We can discuss how obscenly expensive a windows license is, or how hardware cost has risen in recent years (it hasn't AFAIK), or how expensive Macs are (well, they are premium devices inteded for a very distinct user group).

That is moot as long as the only real option is another Windows PC or Mac with a better Price/Performance ratio.

As to your new PC being too slow. Sorry to hear about that. But this has nothing to do with PCs in general, and all with the PC you bought there.

1. Many prebuilts are EXTREMLY bad deals. If you don't have the ability or nerve/time to custom build from parts, you will always pay way more. Add to that that many systembuilders do a pretty sloppy choice of parts (or rather cunning, given that the PCs with grossly mismatched hardware parts still seem to sell... and given you can make people believe that a PC is suitable for serious gaming because it has the fastest CPU in it, you can save A LOT on the GPU), and it is clear that you need to be very careful indeed.

2. Get the knowledge to build your own PC from parts if you are on a budget. Really, I have never, EVER seen a prebuilt PC coming close to what I could build myself in value. If you want to save money, build yourself. If you want to get the fastest possible system for your use case, build it yourself.

Never, EVER trust any systembuilder to build a sensible rig. Even Apple is not always choosing the best selection of parts (and the premium you pay there is insane).

3. If you are more looking for laptops, that might not be an option. But then getting a laptop when you are on a budget, AND need a machine that is actually fast enough for light gaming or serious work is most probably a bad idea from the start.

If you are lucky, you are just getting a decent machine with a bad screen and keyboard that at least can do the lightest of gaming and is fast enough for some productivity. But mobile hardware in the budget area is REALLY weedy. And budget laptops seldom have productivity or gaming in mind.