I know I'm frugal but

[smilingcat]

I needed a new PC. My old one has kept on going for last 10 years at least maybe 15 years. During that time, I've upgraded the operating system, replaced hard drives.

I wish the PC I needed were one of those that cost only $300-$500 but it just wouldn't do. I've asked several geeks to help me out with picking out the right computer for me, to match a computer that will meet my needs. I could do it myself but having several other heads will make sure we don't make a mistake. Mistake would be too costly so I want to get it right on the first round.

We finally agreed on a setup. snif. IT'S BLOODY EXPENSIVE!!

Well with a very heavy heart I hit the enter button at the geek heaven store. No its not Fry's. A mail order place.

sigh...

why me?

Well I just hope this new computer will last me another 10 to 15 years. It is enterprise grade of computer.

I'm in a poor house now! and thanks for letting me rant,vent, ramble on non-sensically.

[shootingstar]

You won't regret it smilingcat. I'm sure this new one is faster...and hopefully will remain that way for at least 5 yrs. or so. (10 yrs. might be optimistic)

I resigned myself to buying a new computer, larger screen when I moved. Meanwhile I left behind an 8 yr. old computer. Well, as it turns out, my partner's computer grinded to a serious halt. So he took over it. Glad it has use while I'm not around.

In the past 20 yrs., this is my 3rd computer.

And I never bought laptops. I didn't have the profound need to be mobile in that way since at work I do have a portable if I TRULY wanted it home to hook into workplace network server. For ergonomic reasons also and hardware robustness, I prefer a desktop computer.

My partner feels like you....he wants his next computer to last him at least a decade. Even the one he took over, has had some scary hiccups.

[bluebug32]

Wow, a 10-15 year-old-computer. That's a crazy long time for one to hold out.

Good luck with the new one. I think computers are like cars, a necessary evil.

ps. Buy a Mac ;)

[Irulan]

I"m surprised you could even still do anything on it.

[VeganBikeChick]

ps. Buy a Mac ;)

Yes Yes Yes!! :)

[shootingstar]

Wow, a 10-15 year-old-computer. That's a crazy long time for one to hold out.

Good luck with the new one. I think computers are like cars, a necessary evil.

ps. Buy a Mac ;)

I think it is possible to have a computer last that long, provided one does the basic upgrade on operating platforms, email, word processing and Internet browser.

How many people really use a fantastic complicated, mathematical piece of software...beyond Excel and perform lots of sophisticated macro-based calculations for personal use (not work-related)? You don't need a super duper computer for that.

If one does photo adjustments, regularily, then having a faster computer does help or what I do is blogging or alot of Internet surfing daily, which having a computer that uploads faster is helpful.

Unless a person is maintaining a huge database for personal reasons.... Not I. I do stuff like that on the job...and leave it behind at work.

Maybe someone can tell me, but I've heard from several info tech folks in different workplaces tell me that generally, laptops do not last as long as good desktop computer. Have things changed?

[ny biker]

So for all these years you had a 3.5 inch disk drive and no USB ports? I assume you at least upgraded the RAM a few times.

Enjoy the new machine.

[Owlie]

I'm impressed that you got ten years out of a computer. I don't think even the family desktops lasted any more than 5-6 years.

Shootingstar, it would not surprise me if a laptop doesn't last as long as a desktop. For one, it's being dragged everywhere, so that puts unnecessary stress on parts, plus the parts are smaller and probably more fragile. Then there's the fan issue, because some manufacturers put the fan on the bottom, for some reason, so they heat up and fry themselves.

I'd prefer a desktop as a primary computer and a netbook for mobility, but I'm moving every year or so, and it would be a PITA to keep moving the desktop.

[Koronin]

When our desktop well had issues which I could not resolve and hubby had already moved due to a job I went a head and bought a laptop knowing it would just be simpler when the time came to move. Well after that move and then another one (from rental to home purchase) it was simpler to have the laptop. Now that we're here hubby bought a new desktop and is planning on eventually hooking up the old computer to act as a server and to play older games on.

[macski]

Just replaced a 6 year old computer today - it was so slow it was almost unworkable. DP had tried to clean it up to see if that made a difference but it didn't. I don't use it much because I use my iPad almost exclusively but there are some things I still need it for and I was close to throwing it out the window in frustration earlier this week.

And I got a Mac :) (just for VeganBikeChick and bluebug32)

[Catrin]

My average computer "lifespan" has been 7-10 years. My most recent computer rocks and has impressive resources - and was quite expensive. However, I run computationally intense scientific models at work and when I purchased this computer I was doing a lot of work at home - insanely long days between work and home for a time. No more, I finally had to stop doing that...

If you stay up on OS updates and know how to maintain your computer, it isn't too hard to keep the computer going for that long. It really depends what you use your computer for. Many of us don't need the newest and best technology to do what we need to do with our computers, it just all depends. At some point, of course, you have to decide if the slower speeds are worth it.

I did purchase a laptop a few years back to support a side business I was trying to start, and I found that I hated it. I just don't like to use them, and the only way I could make it comfortable for me to use was to turn it into a pseudo desktop - connect it to an external keyboard and monitor. It was quite nice, but I wound up just giving it to someone I knew who could use it. I won't repeat the experiment.

[shootingstar]

I just don't like to use them, and the only way I could make it comfortable for me to use was to turn it into a pseudo desktop - connect it to an external keyboard and monitor.

This is how things are at work ..and I'm glad!! I've been offered a laptop as my primary machine at work by several employers in the past, but turned it down because of the ergonomics issue. This latest employer automatically gave it to me as a work computer but then attached 2 screen monitors plus a keyboard. Several other employees automatically have this set-up, in our group.

I do want to observe the ergonomics issue for myself when working at any computer for more than 2 consecutive hours for myself. Even at home.

(I also had to supervise people in past jobs where computer ergonomics became an issue with carpal.)


As for the cost of computer....it replaces a tv (and the cable cost) for me. That's how I look at the "investment".

[OakLeaf]

When all that's left of the original computer is the tower frame, and you've had to replace everything else just to be able to install or run modern software and peripherals, does it really count as the "same" computer? ;)



PS - I know it's not necessarily the safest thing from an EMF standpoint, but the ergonomics of a laptop are perfect for me when it's actually in my lap. One of these (http://www.roadtools.com/podium.html) both allows air to circulate and cool the battery, and slightly elevates the rear of the computer.

[jessmarimba]

My first macbook is going on 6 years old this year, but it needs some work and I'm currently too lazy to do it.

Work gives us laptops, with a second monitor, a docking station, keyboard, and mouse. So I get the full setup at the office - but I need to be able to take it with me when I'm on the road. I've asked them several times, why do we have the heaviest laptops in the world if we have them for portability? My back prefers lugging the macbook around, by far. If they really wanted portability, we could have full desktops at work and a netbook/tablet/small thing to take on the road with us.

[bluebug32]

Maybe someone can tell me, but I've heard from several info tech folks in different workplaces tell me that generally, laptops do not last as long as good desktop computer. Have things changed?

They're usually not as upgradable and much more expensive to upgrade. Compact comes at a price, though I love my laptop.

[Gypsy]

No laptops don't last as long, because they are usually (not always) built for lightness, rather than durability. In my company, laptops usually have a max life of 3 years and then they get replaced, while desktops can last 4 years before being replaced. And to be honest, a laptop at 3 years is usually already a crappy one, probably having gone through a hard drive replacement or something else.

I've always had laptops, my father got started me on them and I've only had a desktop once. I like being able to move around... sit on the couch or in bed or at a desk. When I lived in smaller places (like studios or one bedrooms apts) I could be happy with a desktop because chances were my living room was my tv room/office/kitchen area too.

I have both Mac and PCs now.:D

[smilingcat]

Finally have my new machine. I've always bought piecemeal computer and I have always put it together and loaded the operating system myself.

This computer is tad different in that its not your regular home computer. And I just can't afford it not to work. It has to work. It has to load up the operating system and work. Just too expensive not to work.

Finally, I've got the operating system loaded up and it looks like its okay. Whew!!
Nerve rattling always when working at "bleeding edge" of technology. You never know if it is going to work or not.

This machine will be good for 15 years or more I hope. My last machine which I will be retiring has lasted since 1992 or 1993. :eek: I found a box with manuals and dates on some of the recipts.

[Irulan]

um, what makes it so special?

just replaced a 5 year old desktop with a win7 pro 64 bit w/ i5 processor w/8gigs of RAM. (desktop)It wasn't terribly expensive and it was built by a local place. I love custom/local builds, no crap ware to delete.

[Biciclista]

yeah i want to know what is so special about your new computer ??
congrats anyway.

[smilingcat]

geekoid fact sheet:

dual xeon westmere processors with 6 cores each hyper thread enabled of course.

48G 1333Mhz DDR3 registered + ECC
Have enough memory socket to get to nearly 200G of DDR3 main memory.

4 slots of PCIe 2.0 x16 + other PCIe slot
1Tbyte of RAID 1E with 6Gb/Sec SATA (hot swappable drives only 4 installed)
150G SATA 6G/Sec HD for the OS

currently have a Nvidia graphics card with Fermi to run Cuda and Open CL. This is to be replaced by Tesla C2050 or C2070 when the Nvidia GPU's are found compatible with the system. Looks like it is.

dual 1400W power supply also hot swappable
two channels of 1Gb/sec Ethernet
about 10 USB channels of which 2 or 4 are USB3.
The system is considered a very high end enterprise grade. Can fit on a std rack as a 4U box. the system weighs over 100 pounds right now.

Speed of the system is rated as a 24th fastest for intel or amd based computer. This is the front end computer. Back end will be the Tesla C2050 GPU based super computer. typical home computer may do 2 billion floating point calculations per sec, 2Gflops. My eventual system will do nearly 1 thousand billion floating point calculations at twice the precision 1Tflop. The performance level puts in a class of super computer or high performance computing HPC.

The computer will be connected to a two UPS/power conditioner.
Total cost when I am finished with the upgrade will be enough to buy a brand new car.

My last computer was a very high end at the time. That is why it managed to last so long. When Redhat 4.0 came out I tried it and wasn't too thrilled with 4.0.

I have a need for this kind of performance to run engineering software. It's not for photoshop, gaming.

[shootingstar]

geekoid fact sheet:

Yea, really smilingcat. :D

Congrats. on your computer. May it last beyond...your retirement. :rolleyes:

[Irulan]

Can you depreciate it as a bsiness expense?