technology When to get a new computer.

[CastletonSnob 3,079]

What do you consider the signs that it's time to get a new computer? And how long should you keep your computer before buying a new one?

[Pentium100 2,186]

Last time I built a new main PC was because Bioshock Infinite did not run on Windows XP, so I built a new PC, installed Windows 7 on it and began a slow transfer to using the new PC. That was 6 years ago, I am still using this PC as my main, though I have better video card, more RAM, bigger drive arrays and a chassis with redundant power supplies.

The motherboard+CPU+RAM of my old main PC is now in a different case (one that has 24 slots for hard drives) and is my file server.

Recently I was unable to run Borderlands 3 on my main PC for some reason, however, instead of building a new main PC, I just built a new PC just for games, installed Windows 8 and am using it to play Borderlands 3 (and in the future some other games that will not run on my main PC).

I will probably use my current main PC until new software stops running on Windows 7. After that I will most likely switch to Linux (I really dislike Windows 10), but I currently do not know if I am going to build a new PC for that or convert my Windows 7 to a virtual machine and reuse the same hardware.

[Early Sunsets 2,107]

Either when it can't keep up with what you need it for anymore, it starts malfunctioning, or you get the extra money to spare and just want more performance. How long depends on the person and their use case. And luck, obviously.

[Splashee 28,566]

I have had my computer since 2012, and while it is still working and is super fast, it does have a lightning strike on its built-in LAN post/card, meaning there are a couple of monkeys in there making it difficult for me. Sometimes the computer turns off with Num Lock light on, and sometimes it turns off with the light off.

Right now, I think PCs are not very good, as most of the power goes to defend against popups (notifications) in Windows 10. I am still sitting on a buggy Windows 7 installation, but I have the power to do work without getting affected too much.

 

And from I have seen, I am not a very happy Linux user. I am getting frustrated at the online community's help of how to fix things in Linux, just to find it was for some other distribution, and once you screw up, well, better remember those long commands, and config files. Oh god, I just don't want to do that for the rest of my life.

[DixonTheAdversary 1,632]

I got my new computer when my old one took forever to launch and ran hot after about 10 minutes.

[Jon C 229]

When I can no longer push new game releases at 60fps @ 1440p on maxed graphics, then it's time to upgrade.

Edited January 4, 2020 by Jon C

[Here No Longer 5,277]

A good time would be when you just can't run newer games at a satisfactory setting, which may be different for some people.

[Splashee 28,566]

When Windows 7 is absolutely obsolete, and when a new technology or a new screen resolution for movies has arrived, it is time for me to buy a new computer. Right now, I am not interested in 4K, and my monitor is still 4:3 because all other wide screen monitors have dies on me for some reason.

[Pentium100 2,186]

Since my "computer" is kind-of a bigger part of a rack now, a "new PC" may not have as much meaning to me anymore. However, I would buy a new laptop if my current one stopped working and was difficult or expensive to repair. Or if it cannot run any games that I want to play (I do not play that many games in general anymore, on the laptop too).

[zerox 1,144]

I was just to get a new computer but then covid19 hit. Well at least I got a new 30" monitor that is now sitting in the box and waiting to be unboxed.

[Fluttershutter 2,539]

When it stops working.

[EpicEnergy 23,224]

Try to keep it as long as you can, because computers are expensive.

[YoshiFanGM 50]

If your PC can't keep up anymore with modern apps or games, or if the upgrade options for your motherboard are limited or no longer viable, then I guess it's time for a new computer.

Personally, I haven't had the need to buy a newer computer because it's still running fast and covers all my needs. I've been using the same PC since like 2015 (i3-4160 3.60 GHz + 8 GB of RAM), but before I bought it, I was looking for something that had decent single-core performance so that it could keep up with modern apps in the future and games/emulators that depended mostly on one or two cores.

I don't think I'll be buying a new computer in some more time unless one of the essential components like the Motherboard or the CPU dies. In fact, I plan to upgrade the RAM to its maximum capacity (16 GB) just to have a slight performance increase and work with Windows VMs without performance drops.