How often do you buy a new computer/laptop?

avatar33

avatar33

e-Hustler
Dec 5, 2009
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Calgary, AB
I remember the days where you would buy a computer for $3k-5k and it would last for 10+ years.

Today computers are dirt cheap, but it seems they are not as robust as they used to be. I realized that I'm buying a new computer every 2 years on average.

It's getting worse. My Toshiba Satellite (N.B.: this bitch was ranked in the Top 10 laptops on all tech sites last year when I bought it) just crashed and I get a "CMOS Checksum error" at bootup. I flashed to the new version and it didn't solve anything... I read on some forums that it's a sign the BIOS battery is fried and I need to ship it to the service center to get it replaced. Battery fried after 1 year? You gotta be kidding me. It's -25 here most of the time... it's not like I live in a high heat environment.

Anyways, do you guys take the time to get your computers fixed, or do you just buy a new one and not bother? How often do you buy a new computer?
 


Feb 2011 MacBook Pro. Still looks and runs like new. (It has had a couple of upgrades though.)

Trouble is I want a new Retina now as a mate's just got one and that screen makes my cock tingle.
 
I just buy a new laptop whenever the battery dies or something else breaks. 2-3 years sounds about right. My desktop lasts a bit longer (4 years maybe?) since I build it myself and upgrade it as time passes by. I don't use the laptop as much so I get them for cheap on sale for around 500$, current one was bought about a year ago and is an acer with an i5.
Don't think there is much sense in repairing a laptop when you can get a new one for just 500$.
 
Desktop - every 2-3 years ... from the very beginning.

Seriously? You had a computer 10 years? Riiiiight..

So a pentium one, you'd have kept until 2003? (The year of pemtium 4 machines?)

Ya ... riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiihgt.

::emp::
 
Generally about every 18 - 24 months, same as you. Actually just picked up a new laptop about 6 weeks ago or so. Ended up with a Dell Inspiron again, I think about $1200, and works like a charm.

All my work is done directly on the network, meaning I don't really ever have anything on my computer worth saving, so every 18 - 24 months is fine by me. Doesn't take anything for me to switch out to a new computer. Buying a computer here pisses me off though. I'll look online, and get all excited about the prices for specs Americans are getting, then I'll go downtown and it's nowhere near as good. All I have is 8GB of RAM. According to deals at places like Newegg, for $1200, I should have at least 16GB.
 
Every year I sell my macbook for close to what I paid and only pay a couple of hundred to upgrade. This year was worth it for the 12 hour battery and 700 MBPS ssd.
 
Desktop: Every 5-7 years
Laptop: If it gets unusable.

My old eee pc 1000H is still running after what....5 or 6 years?
 
17 MacBook Pro - Dec 2007, however the motherboard fried like 2 years ago and it was Apple's fault so they gave me the newer version of the MacBook Pro 17 for free - transferred all my files and all - even though it was out of Applecare or whatever it's called. Original paid $4700, so averages about $783 a year for the last 6 years. I probably will have it another 2 years or so. Cheap never equates to quality - doesn't matter if it's a Mac or PC. You usually get what you pay for. I'm happy to pay for piece of mind than waste time buying a new laptop every year.​
 
I've owned 3 laptops in my life. Before that was all desktops.

1. Used it till the hinges broke off, kept using it, lol. The fan was shoddy, at times I think it reached 150+ degrees. Enough to burn your skin through a t-shirt if you set it on your lap. Trackpad was black. (Plastic junk, low-grade)

1aab56f8b996ced3de1639d4f7f536ec.jpg


2. Used it till the trackpad was literally black and had a hole in it... Battery bubbled. (Metal casing, getting better, med-grade)

dm3-top-02.jpg


3. Current laptop. Absolutely love this thing. (Aluminum, high-end. First time owning a $1,000+ laptop quality is mindblowing)

HP-ENVY_02.jpg
 
emp said:
Desktop - every 2-3 years ... from the very beginning.

Seriously? You had a computer 10 years? Riiiiight..

So a pentium one, you'd have kept until 2003? (The year of pemtium 4 machines?)

Ya ... riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiihgt.

::emp::
Click to expand...

I don't know dude. I bought a Mac Pro new in 2006. Just stopped using it a few weeks ago. Not quite 10 years but I gave it to my mom and I'm sure she'll get 2 more years out of it no problem.

So yeah you can get 10 years out of a desktop ... You just have to spend $4k on it. :)
 
it's not necessarily you got what you paid for.

It could be the same shit as with cars (at least in Europe).

30 years ago or so, Mercedes was made to last 1500000 KMs on one diesel engine. Today, right after guarantee is gone, you have to pray to gods... and it ain't work. It will get fucked up soon anyway. And they will charge for service like for a gold.

Lately I have figured out, that the same shit is going on in PC department (laptops also, why not?).

I have a HP desktop PC, it's giving me some Achtung! Achtung! screams that hard drive is going to die soon. It's doing that for a few months now already. I have bucked up all my files, got rid of that stupid alert and started a small investigation.

It looks like a lot more people have this kind of alerts, but somehow their PCs are still in perfect shape. How easy it is to code some shit alert into firmware or Bios? Must be very easy I guess.

These days cars in EU, are certainly a shadows of what cars used to be. They are meant to work good during guarantee, but once it's gone the are made to squeeze $ from owners.

That's nothing new anyway, but I think this kind of marketing is going on in more niches as well.

BTW, I have my HP PC since 2009.
 
This is my main workhorse:

8Jp4obFl.jpg



Its in an antec skeleton case which slides out like so:

Antec%20Skeleton%2002.jpg


So I swap parts out every 2 years or so. I just finished rebuilding it last weekend with all new parts.

I have a macbook air for the road.
 
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