How long before you get bored with your computer and want a new one

JenkinsCW · 04-15-2016, 05:12 PM

hello

I bought a new computer three years ago and it was a good buy. But over time it feels like it lost some pep. Sometimes you want to buy a new one but can't because money is tight and the computer is still pretty functional. But deep down, you want to get a new one because you get bored with the current one.

So, when you buy a new computer, how long will it take before getting bored with it?

For me, 9 months to a year of using the same computer will bore me. But I don't buy a new computer on a whim. I'll stayed bored with the current computer until it's barely usable. At that point, I will get a new one.

Hungry ghost · 04-15-2016, 05:24 PM

I'm using a 3-years-old laptop and a 5-years-old desktop (which I barely use lately) and I'm happy with them.

The only reason I would buy a new desktop at this moment would be to play the latest game of the Thief series, which I bought but haven't been able to play with my current desktop computer.

Fixit7 · 04-15-2016, 08:12 PM

That's the human condition.
Easily bored.

Explorers have it real bad. :-)

I have a 10+ yr. old laptop that I currently use.

Also have a backup desktop that is around 15 yrs. old.

jefro · 04-15-2016, 08:32 PM

I get bored faster than I have funds to make up for my failing.

Fixit7 · 04-15-2016, 09:39 PM

I have found 3 computer systems in dumpsters.

With minor expense and effort, I got them running.

I found a DVR once and pulled out a hard drive that I put to good use.

enorbet · 04-15-2016, 09:47 PM

It seems I may be different than most here because I build my own PCs from scratch and I choose the hardware to maximize performance and reliability for what I can afford. Most importantly I choose hardware with an opportune upgrade path. I generally start with an extremely solid PSU and Motherboard, a bargain CPU and good quality ram but not maxed out in quantity, and a video card ~$250.00 USD, and middling hard drive space. This affords me plenty of upgrade room and in 3-5 years the $250.00 USD card of the time will be 4 times as fast as the original one.

When AMD first introduced 64bit processors I bought one for $190.00 USD. At that time their Flagship CPU was the FX-57 which sold for $1200.00 USD. 5 Years later I bought an FX-57 brand new OEM for $220.00 USD. To say it was reborn is an understatement and it was a bargain to boot. I bought a semi-pro sound card almost 10 years ago for $120.00 and it is still semi-pro and will likely go in my next build assuming it isn't too difficult to get one with a PCI slot.

Laptops? I've never bought one but inherited an ancient PII-433Mhz Sony I still use from time to time but now I am looking at buying a Lenovo X60 for $110.00. Since I don't game on laptops it should suit my purposes nicely.

hazel · 04-16-2016, 01:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fixit7

I have found 3 computer systems in dumpsters.

With minor expense and effort, I got them running.

I found a DVR once and pulled out a hard drive that I put to good use.

Lucky fellow! I've never found a computer in a skip, although I did get one of my old monitors that way. And my much-loved flat-screen monitor, which I use all the time, was found outside a front gate, waiting for somebody to take it away.

But my computers I had to buy. Bigboy was second hand, advertised in a local paper, and I think it cost about £30 -- tower only, no peripherals. It has 2GB RAM and a 20GB hard drive and that's plenty for me! Littleboy, the laptop, I bought recently in Computer Exchange for £85. Well, you expect a laptop to cost more, but I need to learn how to use one. Bigboy's predecessor is upstairs; I use it as a print server, since my old HP printer needs a parallel port and Bigboy doesn't have one.

I always keep a computer until I see a better one advertised second hand at a reasonable price.

Jeebizz · 04-16-2016, 01:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JenkinsCW

hello

I bought a new computer three years ago and it was a good buy. But over time it feels like it lost some pep. Sometimes you want to buy a new one but can't because money is tight and the computer is still pretty functional. But deep down, you want to get a new one because you get bored with the current one.

So, when you buy a new computer, how long will it take before getting bored with it?

For me, 9 months to a year of using the same computer will bore me. But I don't buy a new computer on a whim. I'll stayed bored with the current computer until it's barely usable. At that point, I will get a new one.

What do you mean 'lost some pep? Does it boot slower, have issues with launching programs? My 2 year old computer boots just as fast as the day I got it, no slowdown at all from my SSD. Still even if I did not use an SSD, it would still probably out book any computer today still.

Since I don't keep up with games, I try to stretch the life of my computer as much as possible. I used my AMD K6 for almost 10 years, no issue actually. As long as my computer is able to emulate pre-2000 consoles, I do not care about anything else. Browsing the web should not justify the need for a new computer, thank you very much flash

.

My bigger concern is storage more than buying a new computer.

Michael Uplawski · 04-16-2016, 03:44 AM

When I did this stuff for money, I worked with different notebooks and tower-PCs at the same time. A lot were Windows-machines and I am still sure that, with that OS, the different hardware-configurations show very clearly. At home, with Linux, I do normally not care much for the specificities of the current hardware and nowadays am quite content to be able to use the same computer for long years and do not foresee much inconvenience in the near future.

A computer can bore me, if it starts misbehaving, as was the case with my wife's HP Pavillon notebook which heated quickly and did automatic shutdowns every now and then. After having replaced Kubuntu by Mint, she is using the same graphical user-interace LXDE and does anyway not care... In addition, the notebook does not heat up any more. We will keep it as long as it works alright like this or even improves occasionally, as it did... ;-)

In a nutshell, hardware that bores may have been a bad choice in the first place. I keep forgetting my type of processor and amount of memory... I don't care.

DavidMcCann · 04-16-2016, 10:59 AM

My computer is a tool, not a toy, so I can't understand how I could get bored with it. Before coming here this afternoon, I've read my emails, updated my accounts, and read a couple of articles at JSTOR. When I've done here, it's back to compiling a book index — now that can get boring, although it's a lot better than the old days of slips in a tray!

This computer has recently celebrated its 11th birthday: as long as it still works, I'll use it. Its predecessor lasted 20 years! I saw an estimate the other day that the carbon footprint of building a computer is equal to that of driving 1000 miles.

Habitual · 04-16-2016, 12:04 PM

The Dude abides:

Code:

System:    Host: my-kungfu Kernel: 3.13.0-37-generic x86_64 (64 bit gcc: 4.8.2)
           Desktop: Xfce 4.11.8 (Gtk 2.24.23) Distro: Linux Mint 17.1 Rebecca
Machine:   System: Gigabyte product: N/A
           Mobo: Gigabyte model: Z77-DS3H v: x.x Bios: American Megatrends v: F7 date: 07/12/2012
CPU:       Quad core Intel Core i5-2500K (-MCP-) cache: 6144 KB
           flags: (lm nx sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx) bmips: 26427
           clock speeds: max: 3701 MHz 1: 3701 MHz 2: 3701 MHz 3: 3701 MHz 4: 1600 MHz
Graphics:  Card: NVIDIA GK106 [GeForce GTX 660] bus-ID: 01:00.0
           Display Server: X.Org 1.15.1 drivers: nvidia (unloaded: fbdev,vesa,nouveau)
           Resolution: 1920x1080@60.0hz, 1920x1080@60.0hz
           GLX Renderer: GeForce GTX 660/PCIe/SSE2 GLX Version: 4.5.0 NVIDIA 352.63 Direct Rendering: Yes
Audio:     Card-1 Intel 7 Series/C210 Series Family High Definition Audio Controller
           driver: snd_hda_intel bus-ID: 00:1b.0
           Card-2 NVIDIA GK106 HDMI Audio Controller driver: snd_hda_intel bus-ID: 01:00.1
           Sound: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture v: k3.13.0-37-generic
Network:   Card-1: Intel 82574L Gigabit Network Connection driver: e1000e v: 2.3.2-k port: d000 bus-ID: 03:00.0
           IF: eth1 state: up speed: 100 Mbps duplex: full mac: 68:05:ca:09:f0:55
           Card-2: Qualcomm Atheros AR8161 Gigabit Ethernet driver: alx port: c000 bus-ID: 04:00.0
           IF: eth0 state: down mac: 90:2b:34:57:d8:2d
Drives:    HDD Total Size: 5001.0GB (7.6% used) ID-1: /dev/sda model: ST1000DM003 size: 1000.2GB
           ID-2: /dev/sdb model: ST1000DM003 size: 1000.2GB ID-3: USB /dev/sdc model: My_Book_1130 size: 3000.6GB
Partition: ID-1: / size: 19G used: 8.8G (51%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda1
           ID-2: /home size: 792G used: 170G (23%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda3
           ID-3: swap-1 size: 5.00GB used: 0.00GB (0%) fs: swap dev: /dev/sda2
RAID:      No RAID devices: /proc/mdstat, md_mod kernel module present
Sensors:   System Temperatures: cpu: 82.0C mobo: 27.8C gpu: 0.0:36C
           Fan Speeds (in rpm): cpu: N/A
Info:      Processes: 206 Uptime: 16 days Memory: 2562.5/16010.1MB Init: Upstart runlevel: 2 Gcc sys: 4.8.4
           Client: Shell (bash 4.3.111) inxi: 2.2.35

Everything I wanted for around $800.00 USD in October 2012.
It's only the second "new" system I have had in 22 years.

If you're "bored" adopt a puppy.

alberich · 04-16-2016, 01:02 PM

Almost half a year ago I got a new computer, a very nice ThinkPad from 2006/2007. 2 GHz, 1 GB RAM.

Before I had an older Acer Travelmate 290.

I start being bored when I cannot buy any more equipment for a system because interfaces of the old system are obsolete. For example USB version 1.0 bores me, because I can also have version 2! CRT displays bore me. Serial mouses bore me. Windows 98 bores me, whereas I do like the newer Windows XP still a lot.

And slow operating bores me. Although this is not a hardware, but a software problem in my opinion.

I just switched from 32-bit OpenSuSE to x64 Slackware. And from Firefox to Palemoon browser.

Performance loading heavily scripted online maps has improved quite dramatically.

enorbet · 04-17-2016, 06:04 AM

LOL if CRTs bore you then you never owned a Pro Quality CRT. Yeah they get really bulky when the size gets above 19 inch but a 22+ inch Pro Quality CRT is still absolutely unmatched in viewing quality. They also get REALLY expensive but the experience is amazing.

syg00 · 04-17-2016, 06:32 AM

35 years.
Then I started on what are now called PCs.

What have the rest of you been doing in that time ?.

fatmac · 04-17-2016, 06:53 AM

Not quite sure when I bought mine, but the BIOS is 2002, it does everything I want of it.
In fact, I have never filled a hard drive, not even when I put my ripped DVD's on it!
I upgraded my ram from 1Gb to 2Gb to increase my browser loading speed, that's about it.
Many more useful years left, I'm quite sure.