When do you upgrade your computer?

Norovostra

I'm writing a paper for school and need some data. I'm just curious when you guys/gals upgrade your computers (every 2 years? year?, etc). Please also write if its a major overhaul (completely new computer) or if it's just minor upgrades (RAM upgrades, new video card, etc). Also write, the rationale for the upgrade (necessity or luxury).


Thanks!

Zombiemambo

I don't think anyone is going to jump at the chance to do your homework.

Improvolone

I don't.
Granted, I don't do anything too intensive, so I never really have a need to.

Daemonion

I don't think he's asking us to do his homework.

I upgrade my computer about every three years with a complete overhaul - a 100% new build out of necessity.

There is little chance that I do any minor upgrades out of luxury during that three year period.

Daedalus

When it doesn't run some game that I want to play.

Sueve

I don't.

shryke

Daedalus wrote: »

When it doesn't run some game that I want to play.

Exactly.

Once I wanna play a game, but can't, I start saving money and paying attention to hardware news. Once the next generation of stuffs hits, I jump on.

Sueve

my corona is still going strong:

Zombiemambo

Alright, alright. I'm sorry for being an ass. I usually buy pre-made machines, so I purchase one maybe every 3-5 years. I built this one from scratch, and I plan on upgrading it in probably 2 years, or whenever I can't run new(er) games reliably. I don't have a lot of spending money so chances are I'll wait until a new series of cards or CPUs come out and snatch the last generation on the cheap.

LewieP

when I graduate, or when my university give me a free PC, and I guess going further back, when my parents pay for it.

reVerse

When my old one breaks down. Usually once every three years or so.

Everything I own breaks so easily.

Basticle

I usually build a new rig ever 4-5 years and a new video card sometimes inbetween

Logicow

I have a 5 months old Thinkpad laptop. (core 2 2ghz, 2gb ram, geforce quadro ~ 8400)
It plays bioshock and team fortress 2 just fine.
And a nintendo DS satisfies the other half of my gaming needs.

I'll probably keep my thinkpad for 6+ years and just get the successor to the nintendo DS or whatever the best portable console will be.

eelektrik

My computer is currently in need of a complete replacement when I can afford it.

I originally built this computer back in 2002, and have just upgraded it periodically without completely replacing the whole thing. 2004 I swapped out my GeForce 4 TI4600 for a Radeon 9800 Pro and went from 512mb to 1 gig of ram. After that I didn't do much of anything until last year when I got some free parts from a couple sources. Got leftover parts from my friend after he built a new computer, and a free case and new 160gb Hard Drive from my Dad. Put my friends motherboard in the new case, along with his processor(2.6ghz Pentium 4 over my prior 2.26ghz Pentium 4) and RAM(1 gig) and added my old gig of ram, 80gb HD and new 160gb HD, and my 9800 Pro.

At this point though, my near 4 year old 9800 Pro no longer wants to be a video card, along with some unknown other computer issues I need to just completely build a brand new computer this year when I have the money. So over the past 6 years, I've upgraded it twice, and now need to just replace it.

vtnwesley

Usually I upgrade once I need to do something my computer can't. This is usually running a specific game or set of games poorly or not at all. Since I never do little here and there upgrades on the side, by the time I am ready for any kind of upgrade, it's usually time for a whole new computer, because part b and c with be the bottleneck to the upgraded part a. 9 times out of 10 my upgrades involve major changes. A new generation or three of video cards have been released, and even more CPUs have cycled through.

Outside of the fact most retail systems come with integrated video and maybe need more ram, here and there upgrades usually don't get you much in general. They are all highly situational. This doesn't come up for me too often.

That rare "here and there" one part upgrade usually only comes up when I need a feature I am missing. Like hypothetically, if/when I want to run bluray movies on my computer (which I don't). OR oh... I don't know... This system comes with video capture hardware. My bases are all covered for a while.

OH, I know, here is a good one. I need to replace my speakers. They are unshielded and when someone walks by with a cellphone, they make all kinds of crazy noises. Shortly I will need to find some reasonably priced shielded speakers.

Djiem

Next time I'll upgrade is when Fallout 3 comes out.

BlackDragon480

Sueve wrote: »

my corona is still going strong:

Never had a Corono, but I had one of these:

And it still works. It still has the first 3 Zorks on it and I still have the original Where in the World is Carmen San Diego for it.

To answer the OP, I only upgrade when it's neccessary to run a particular program, game or otherwise. And typically when I do upgrade, I don't wait for the next gen of stuff to hit, I just get the top-of-the-line of what's available at the time. I like to stay near the cutting edge with things, but not the bleeding edge when I upgrade.

MegaMan001

I don't mean to provoke any flame wars here, but I used to upgrade my computer - got tired of it - and flipped to console gaming.

TheCrumblyCracker

Usually out of necessity, or when it becomes economic to perform a large upgrade. My current PC cost me about 400 dollars but runs UT3 on full in super pretty mode :P

Rook

1995, 1998, 2001, 2003, (2006 new videocard) 2007.

(yeah, it's really tiring, I dunno how I cope).

subedii

Approximately every 4-5 years if I stop and think about it. When I say that though, I mean more like a major overhaul. Minor stuff like HDD additions and things happen far more regularly and I don't really consider those "upgrades" as such, more just either "that bit broke, buy a new one", or "I could use a controller, let's buy one".

Sueve

TheCrumblyCracker wrote: »

Usually out of necessity, or when it becomes economic to perform a large upgrade. My current PC cost me about 400 dollars but runs UT3 on full in super pretty mode :P

huh? What graphics card do you have?

langfor6

I bought my first PC in 2001, and I used it until I built my current PC in the summer of 2006. I'm not upgrading my PC again until I see the system requirements for Dragon Age, and it will be a pretty major upgrade. I bought an AGP motherboard in 2006 because I'm cheap.

Impersonator

I'm not an upgrade type of guy, I usually just buy a new one.

Good luck with the paper!

Bionic Monkey

I would upgrade periodically once or twice a year (RAM here, CPU there) until my hardware became horribly outdated. At this point though, if I upgrade my RAM, CPU, video card or Mobo, I have to upgrade all of them, since nobody makes my current architecture anymore.

Bullio

Every 4-5 years, and I just buy a whole new rig since by that point practically everything needs an upgrade anyway. I upgrade consoles far more often than I do my PC.

Gaming-Module

Every two years or so until you realize you're wasting your money and all of the time spent researching, troubleshooting, installing, etc.

Dehumanized

My typical upgrade cycle has been every 3-4 years, with a new computer. I last put together a new computer in Nov 07. Before that was sometime in mid 2004. I usually don't do much upgrading mid-cycle, though I upgraded from a 8800GTS to an 8800GT with my current computer (taking advantage of a step up program).

Gophermaster

I upgrade about every 3~4 years with some major upgrades along the way, a new cpu after a year, new motherboard and ram after 2, new videocard after 3 and by that point the whole thing needs an upgrade so I build a new one.

maximumzero

When it breaks down on me.

My current computer is from late 2003, which components that are likely 2002-era. I'll be picking a new one up this summer because it's my last chance to use my student discount.

If not for that, I'd still be using my current one for another 5 years or so.

Roxtar

Norovostra wrote: »

I'm writing a paper for school and need some data. I'm just curious when you guys/gals upgrade your computers (every 2 years? year?, etc). Please also write if its a major overhaul (completely new computer) or if it's just minor upgrades (RAM upgrades, new video card, etc). Also write, the rationale for the upgrade (necessity or luxury).


Thanks!

Usually every 3-5 years I get a complete new system and I upgrade various components (memory, video cards, sound cards) as they become obsolete. Personally though im shying away from upgrading again, in the past I was a avid computer gamer but I just cant justify upgrading anymore when old gear becomes obsolete in the first month of release. So ill probably hold off my next upgrade as long as possible.

Personally I think its the fault of the industry and console gaming has far surpassed PC gaming, perhaps if PC games made a standard they could strive for tech wise but usually games are released without any in depth performance coding and they just expect you to have top end everything and if not, tough. So yeah, PC gaming sucks (BTW been PC gaming since having a Tandy 1000 and playing starflight and zork).

Cleon_I

New comp every 2-3 years:

1996, 2000, 2002 (laptop), 2005

I upgrade individual components all the time, about 3-4 times per year on average.

Accualt

Good luck with the paper but we don't do this, even if it wasn't a poll thread.