What's the longest you guys have had your "gaming" PCs?

Vinny

Vinny

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Just curious because my system is over five years old and it seems like every time I want to over haul it or build another, technology takes a step forward and I'm left scratching my head about upgrading.

I recently bought an AM3 processor and stuck it on my original AM2 mobo, thinking I was going to go to AM3 but now AMD has a new platform. And then there's a new HD 7000 series coming, SSDs, triple channel ram...

I would have made the jump to Intel's camp had I know AMD was going to be moving on to a new platform.
 
TRS-80 - 1981 to Today - Still works.

Win 95 Rig - 1996 to 2008

Win 98 Rig - 1997 to 2006

Usually my rigs last 4 to 5 years or more. They still function but I either upgrade or build new ones and hand off the old ones to charity.

I dust all of my technology on Friday. You can set a watch to it. I think that plus vigilant software monitoring helps extend the longevity of my rigs.
 
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I have all my rigs since I was a kid, not all of them are in use but they all still work. The PC in my sig was heavily used and is now being heavily used by my brother.
 
I'm always swapping and upgrading parts, so it's hard to say. I just upgraded my CPU, GPU, RAM, and motherboard last fall, so I guess that's an upgrade. Prior major upgrade of multiple components was in May 2006, so I kick shit around for a while.

My current PC is. . .
Intel Core i5 2500k @ 4.5 GHz
Cooler Master Hyper 212+ CPU cooler
Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3 motherboard
2x 4 GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3 RAM @ 1600 Mhz
EVGA GTX 480 GPU @ 850 Mhz w/Zalman VF3000F cooler
HT Omega Claro Halo soundcard with OPA2107p opamps
700w OCZ Modstream Pro PSU
320 GB WD Blue HDD
750 GB WD Black HDD
1 TB Seagate HDD
1 TB Hitachi HDD
Antec 900 case
 
[quote name='Vinny']Just curious because my system is over five years old and it seems like every time I want to over haul it or build another, technology takes a step forward and I'm left scratching my head about upgrading.

I recently bought an AM3 processor and stuck it on my original AM2 mobo, thinking I was going to go to AM3 but now AMD has a new platform. And then there's a new HD 7000 series coming, SSDs, triple channel ram...

I would have made the jump to Intel's camp had I know AMD was going to be moving on to a new platform.[/QUOTE]
Intel is worse with platform incompatibility. Every processor they release uses a new socket which means you cannot upgrade without upgrading your motherboard too.

AMD is far better with socket compatibility. Their new AM3+ processors are pin-compatible with some older AM3 motherboards, with a BIOS update. Ok, I was wrong. Some motherboard manufacturers had said earlier last year that their AM3 boards would work with AM3+ CPUs, but it appears not to be the case when it launched. Still, AMD is much better with socket life; I think Intel has had 4 or 5 different sockets, in the same time that AMD has had like 2.
 
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I upgraded mine about Spring of 2011, with mostly new stuff. However I don't toss out my old computers, I repurpose them to family, friends or into my lab. As for how often I actually upgrade, it depends on a couple things.

I usually rarely ever buy "everything" new as I'll keep cases and switch out fans until I see a case I really want due to great airflow and ease of wiring. Hard drives will stay with me until they die or I run out of SATA slots in my current computer and repurpose it for another machine. Monitor stays until it dies or I find a really awesome deal on an awesome monitor, which rarely ever happens unless it's been years since I bought my last one. Processor and motherboard get switched out when I hit a bottleneck due to technology progression and then becomes repurposed. RAM stays until it dies and the new motherboard no longer supports it, in which case it gets repurposed to another machine. Video Cards stay until it's no longer good enough to run games I play on medium settings and will be repurposed until they die (I tend to get XFX for lifetime warranty so I can send it to them and get a free better card for a repurposed machine, it's nice).


Why do I switch out stuff on a semi-regular basis? Because I work IT and I like to try and keep a decently up-to-date machine that I can multi-task the fuck out of. Plus I use it as a testing machine when it comes to virtualization as opposed to rebuilding other machines on the network with specific roles as all of my ones I can do that with are currently lended out to friends and family. Damn leeches.
 
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I bought crappy Gateway that last 4 years before the Mobo died. I upgraded completely this time and future proofed the best I can so it will(hopefully) last 5 years plus with upgrades here and there(video card)

Intel i5 2500k
Asus P8Z68-V
8gb Corsair Vengeance
128 crucial m4 SSD
1 TB Samsung Spinpoint 7200rpm
Rosewill BlackHawk (CASE)
Corsair TX 750W psu
CM Hyper 212+ (push/pull cooler)
Sapphire HD6770 gpu
23.6" Asus Monitor
Logitech G110 keyboard/G500 mouse

Spent around $1100 total, but the board should last and can be upgraded to the Ivy Bridge cpu and graphics card will get upgraded when the Amd 7000 series are released. First Gaming rig after half-assing my whole and being disappointed everytime of the new products...so I went with the best that I could afford.
 
I currently run a Dell Dimension 9100 as "gaming" computer. The desktop itself is about 6 years old. To play SWTOR, I recently upgraded to 4GB and the card to HD 6670. It runs okay, but it definitely leaves my wanting for a brand new desktop. I figure this will last me through Diablo 3 as well.

I really don't play many games on my computer. Only using it for PC exclusives, so this computer will serve for now.
 
[quote name='combatrhombus']
Spent around $1100 total, but the board should last and can be upgraded to the Ivy Bridge cpu and graphics card will get upgraded when the Amd 7000 series are released. First Gaming rig after half-assing my whole and being disappointed everytime of the new products...so I went with the best that I could afford.[/QUOTE]
Nice PC. I'll also be dropping in an Ivy Bridge CPU at some point, might use my i5 2500k in my home file server, but that seems a bit overkill. :D
 
I don't really have one "set" PC. I'm always upgrading or adding new parts. Hell, up until today I've been using the same PSU for about six years (finally decided to go modular). But yeah, I never really just outright build a new PC, parts are always being carried over.
 
Every 3 to 4 years so far for me. I like to sell my old computer to offset the cost of the new machine. Last time the difference after selling my machine was about $300. That was to go from a Q6600 to a 2500k Sandy Bridge and a GTX 275 to a GTX 560.
 
Assuming there is not a major change in PCIe requirements or in offloading graphics processing to CPUs, you should get a decent life out of a current processor by swapping out GPUs. I still have stuff running from 4-5 years ago with upgraded video cards. Granted, it is not my primary gaming machine...but it probably could be if I'd throw in a better graphics card.

I say all of this knowing that Intel has been saying for the last couple of years that vastly improved graphics on-chip is coming......glad I have not been holding my breath.
 
[quote name='hankmecrankme']Nice PC. I'll also be dropping in an Ivy Bridge CPU at some point, might use my i5 2500k in my home file server, but that seems a bit overkill. :D[/QUOTE]

Slight overkill, I could have utilized some of the money towards a better graphics card, but at the price points and rebates, I felt better spending $10-20 more here and there and get the better components in hope that 4-6 years upgrading will be easier. The 2500k and the Asus mobo auto clocks the cpu to 4.3Ghz turbo. I'm really glad I went with a nice case and one that is tool-less makes life much easier.
 
I had my first "gaming" PC senior year in college... giant beast... crapped out on me though around 4 years later though. Then I used some of the old components to build a smaller PC but that turned out to be sort of a mistake. The computer is still running fine, but it's all old old old technology that is not upgradable. It can play games that are like 4-5 years old. That one lasted me about 2-3 years before I just put out as the family computer. My current build is about to turn one year old.
 
[quote name='Megazell']I dust all of my technology on Friday.[/QUOTE]

I wanna party with you, cowboy. I can't begin to imagine the hell you raise on a weekend.
 
[quote name='Toulouse']I wanna party with you, cowboy. I can't begin to imagine the hell you raise on a weekend.[/QUOTE]

If you only knew. :)
 
I'm gaming on my workstation I built almost 5 years ago. The only thing different (besides larger/more HD's) is I've upgraded my video card like a year ago.

I haven't had any issues otherwise, get to play games max'd out in 3D (most the time) and it runs good. I'm running 2x Xeon 5355 (8 cores total @2.66), 16GB of RAM, and GTX 480 Overclocked edition
 
My rigs usually last about 5 years. With more devices going USB, I can imagine it going longer. The rule is always to get the best you can when you buy your components... then it was last that much longer. :)
 
[quote name='hordak']My rigs usually last about 5 years. With more devices going USB, I can imagine it going longer. The rule is always to get the best you can when you buy your components... then it was last that much longer. :)[/QUOTE]

And to maintain them.
 
I generally do a new build every 4 years, though that does not mean the old fell apart.

I think I had to replace some ram and a hard drive, but my 2003 AMD/ATI build is still chugging along for my parents at their house as far as I know.

My 2007 Intel/Nvidia computer is still gaming up a storm in the hands of a friend I loaned it to. One of the most stable/reliable systems I've ever had. I believe other than a non-required GPU upgrade to a GTX260 at some point and replacing all the case fans/painting, she is still chugging along with original parts and has been used to play recent games with good results.

My sandy build is rapidly approaching its one year anniversary and I'm pleased with it so far. Do not plan on making any changes to it in 2012, but perhaps a 28nm GPU in early 2013.

But yeah, some things are not to be skimped on if you want them to hold up for a long time, and some things you are better off taking a few steps back on IMO (like graphics cards) instead of getting top of the line... from a cost to performance ratio.
 
[quote name='Megazell']And to maintain them.[/QUOTE]

True. True. Make sure to get in there and blow out all the dust from time-to-time. It also helps to reseat components too!
 
For me, it varies based on how fast technology changes and how much I'm into games at the time. Right now, my computer is about 26 months old, and I'm already planning on building a new machine this fall or possibly in 1 year. I just personally hate not being able to play games on Max settings...

However, once, I went about 6 years, because I wasn't playing games as much (was in grad school the last part of that).

I would say, though, that I think 3-4 years is average, but I would say it depends on the kinds of games you play and if you mind playing games on Medium settings the last year or two before you build a new computer.
 
[quote name='gnargnargnar']
But yeah, some things are not to be skimped on if you want them to hold up for a long time, and some things you are better off taking a few steps back on IMO (like graphics cards) instead of getting top of the line... from a cost to performance ratio.[/QUOTE]

I've always been a few generations behind in regards to processor and graphics card. I'm thinking of getting a 6850 (currently have a 3850) but my AM2 system would be a huge bottleneck on it. And it seems like graphics cards just aren't falling in price... I got my 3850 for $90 back in 2008, only 2 years after the card came out...

On the other hand, Windows 8 is supposedly coming soon and I'd rather just wait until it's out before I build a new system.
 
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