How much longer until my computer is useless?

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outrun

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Okay I would consider myself an enthusiast but not exactly someone who buys new tech stuff the 1st day it is released. My desktop computer's production stamp is dated to March 2004. As much as I like to game the rig is not built for it. Nor do I want to invest in 2000$ gaming rig at this point. Typically my uses are mp3s, firefox(email,reading,bitog) DVDs, and viewing cable via the tv tuner card. I have invested in new HD,RAM, DVD, TV Card, Video Card and TV Tuner hardware upgrades (all this year) to keep the computer relevant and useful. I also regularly update all hardware driver and software. Now based on a previous post this rig may not be good enough for Bluray viewing.

Bearing all the above in mind how much longer can keep my computer before it becomes tech oblivion?

Will Windows 7 be less hardware intensive than Vista? Would 7 be a better eventual OS upgrade for me? For now I am happy with XP, but I am not tech savy enough to join LINUX for a super fast & secure PC
frown.gif


After the hardware upgrades I want to imagine several years more. I know my processor is outclassed by the multicores big time already.

Dell Set Up (XP SP3):


P4 3.2 Ghz 800FSB
3GB RAM DDR 400Mhz
512MB ATI HD2400 Video Card (AGP)
Soundblaster Audigy SE Audio Card
ATI TV Wonder 650 PCI
DVD Player/Burner DL
 
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Its obsolete already. Send it to me, I will pay shipping and dispose of it properly.

Just kidding. I run a machine very similar. Except only 2GB DDR2 800 and a nVidia Geforce 9800GT. No Tuner card, but its kinda on a maybe list. I also have a $2000 (when new last year) tower that is a absolute POS. Honestly I would stay with XP on that setup. Also, I would start saving money towards a new setup. It really isnt all that expensive anymore to get a pretty badas system and just reuse the other parts. Hdd/tv tuner/audio/dvd all could be put into a new system.
 
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I think a lot of it has to do with the rate of growth of complexity of websites. You will get our Power Mac away from my wife and I when you pry it out of our cold, dead hands. There are so many small jobs that the ancient fly swatter runs circles around the modern sledge hammers. The trouble is, it has been years since it could cope with even what should be simple websites such as Yahoo mail. I doubt Flash is available for Mac OS 7.6.1.
 
I think you'll be happy for another two or three years, but it's all up to your perception of speed. Honestly, your specs are fine and besides games you won't run into hardware limitations on anything. The problem will be that you compare your system to better and better stuff and start to get itchy.

Windows 7 doesn't seem any less hardware intensive to me. If anything, it might be a bit more. For example, the "performance scores" now go to 8 (rather than five) but the scores your system gets are about identical. But with 3gb of ram you could run it. Personally, though, I wouldn't go off XP if you can help it, at least not until you're forced to to run some app you couldn't otherwise. In my experience (financial service solutions) 99% of our customers run XP today, so support will be around for quite awhile.

Also, if you keep your monitor, you really can get an amazingly fast machine for 500 bucks now. So maybe save 15 bucks a month in a hole in your backyard for when Windows 8 (I'm sure they'll name it something dumber) comes out.
 
My Dell desktop is now more than 6 years old. Working just fine. Slower, but still kicking it. The power supply whines more, however.
 
I use a similar dell desktop.

True workhorse. I just put a 39 dollar antec power supply in it.

2gb ram, mine is a P4 3.0 with SATA and PCI express...

I would not put windows 7 on this machine, new ones are way under $1000, wait they are coming down.
 
If it works for your needs, it's not obsolete. For the pedestrian needs you have, you ought to be able to use that thing until it dies. *Just make sure you always always always have your data backed up*. The computer is just stuff; expendable, cheap stuff. Your data is the element of value.

As far as gaming is concerned, a dollar'll go a lot farther with a dedicated gaming console, although at *that* point you are entering into planned obsolescence.

But for Pete's sake, please do not buy into the mindset that your computer has to be the latest greatest *to function*.
 
Originally Posted By: Chris Meutsch
My Dell desktop is now more than 6 years old. Working just fine. Slower, but still kicking it. The power supply whines more, however.


A $10 fan could cure that while reducing risk of failure.
 
Originally Posted By: labman
I think a lot of it has to do with the rate of growth of complexity of websites. You will get our Power Mac away from my wife and I when you pry it out of our cold, dead hands. There are so many small jobs that the ancient fly swatter runs circles around the modern sledge hammers. The trouble is, it has been years since it could cope with even what should be simple websites such as Yahoo mail. I doubt Flash is available for Mac OS 7.6.1.


I have an Apple IIe as backup in my Dharma station.
grin2.gif
 
Two words: Puppy Linux!

Our 10 year old PC runs great with a 600mHZ processor and only 370megs of RAM. I'm going to upgrade the RAM to 512megs. Good enough for the kids.
 
Still better than my setup at home, and identical to my setup at work (I'm an engineer running compiler all day). It will be fine till who knows when a killer app comes up and you need to use it.
 
Last year our 1998 Pavillion finally died, a 333Mhz PII with 256 Mbytes of RAM. It was running XP, MS Office, and did fine with home work for the kids and Internet use. Compared to the low end Compaq running Vista and MS Office that replaced it the Compaq has noticeably better graphics, but it also has a medium performance non-gaming Nvidia graphics card. Both required lots of unneeded process exorcism.
 
Originally Posted By: moribundman


I have an Apple IIe as backup in my Dharma station.
grin2.gif
[/quote]

You're a wack-a-doo. And that's just fine by me. Keep it up, mori.
 
Originally Posted By: 1sttruck
Last year our 1998 Pavillion finally died, a 333Mhz PII with 256 Mbytes of RAM. It was running XP, MS Office, and did fine with home work for the kids and Internet use. Compared to the low end Compaq running Vista and MS Office that replaced it the Compaq has noticeably better graphics, but it also has a medium performance non-gaming Nvidia graphics card. Both required lots of unneeded process exorcism.


My had "died" several times already and it is on its 3rd power supply, 2nd CPU fan, 3rd wireless network card, 2nd keyboard and mouse, 3rd CD/DVD burner, 2nd Hard drive.

Still the same CPU, upgraded video card, upgraded memory, same case, same monitor.

Computer never dies, they become not worth fixing and retired.
 
Originally Posted By: moribundman

I have an Apple IIe as backup in my Dharma station.
grin2.gif



Apple IIe was the hot setup back in 1987 when I was in first grade. That was the first computer I ever used.
 
Originally Posted By: AcuraTech

Apple IIe was the hot setup back in 1987 when I was in first grade. That was the first computer I ever used.


You make me feel old! I remember when I was a sophomore in high school we got 6 new 'state of the art' Apple 2 plus's in 1982!
 
To answer OP, as soon as you get sick of it, you will find it becomes useless rather quickly, or at least usedless. Punny? Puny?
 
I have an Athlon 64 3500+, 1GB RAM, 160GB that I built myself. It's four years old and runs great. I'm running XP home.

At my parents house, they have an AMD XP 2400+ 2GHz w/ 1GB ram and 160GB that has been running for almost 6 years with no issues. Still speedy. I just upgraded it last week from 512mb to 1gb ram. It added a lot more speed to the system. Cheap upgrade for $15. Only thing I had to replace so far on the system was the original hard drive that failed after 2 years.

Computer hardware can have a very long lifespan, as long as you're not a gamer and you clean the dust out occasionally.
 
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Originally Posted By: GMFan

At my parents house, they have an AMD XP 2400+ 2GHz w/ 1GB ram and 160GB that has been running for almost 6 years with no issues. Still speedy. I just upgraded it last week from 512mb to 1gb ram.


That's pretty much what I have for the desktop, except I haven't upgraded the RAM yet. I basically think of my computers as appliances, and like my toaster, dishwasher, etc. I seldom feel the need to upgrade them. When they do a catastrophic failure I seldom want to spend good money to resuscitate old equipment, but until that point I just keep using them.
 
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