How long do you consider a computer should last

[andre82693]

How long do you consider a gaming computer  should last

my pc http://pcpartpicker.com/user/andrefoster/saved/3tWKHx

[Zeke]

4-5 years, maybe a little more than that.

[Arphenyte]

5 years at most.

[minibois]

~3-5 years. Depending on your budget and needs.

[sqwidee]

For a gaming rig, until it either goes out in a blaze of glory OR once it can't run High settings with some good AA at decent framerates.

For a laptop or workstation, can't say. But if I get a Surface Pro 3 that thing had better last at least a good 4 years.

[GangstaRas]

well it really depends on the GPU at this point. The more AMD ignore CPUs to catch up to Intel the more games will get better optimized as game developers have to suit everyone and if 1/2 the market is weak, then the game just might be weak for the CPU power too so your i5 will stay in relevance for longer. GPU can last a good decade worth of gaming if you let it age. People are still gaming at low with 8800 GTXs and they are ok to a degree because low graphics on most games these days still look damn good, so its just the fps to worry about. I'd say 4 years for CPU though

[elecxonica]

3-4 years for a decent desktop.

2-4 years for a laptop/lower end desktop.

[KemoKa]

Do you mean how long can a gaming PC stay proficient at gaming the latest games? Probably about 5 years.

If you meant how long can a computer stay operational before keeling over and dying, well, we still have an operational vacuum-tube Ferranti Pegasus computer from 1957 that the Science Museum in South Kensington still fires up every once in a while.

So, given the sturdiness of the components, (and given that some MSi motherboards, I think, have a max. rated operational lifespan of about 40 years) I would say that as long as you keep them at stock speeds and at reasonable temperatures, a reliable computer that is taken care of and maintained (excluding its hard drives) could last upwards of a hundred years. But that's just me. I don't have the time or the lifespan to see how long my computer will last.

[Vivilacqua1]

For heavy work/gaming? 4-5 years.

 

For normal stuff? +- 10 years

[watts300]

How long do you consider a gaming computer  should last

 

Generally my answer is 3 years.  

 

After three years at least one of these things will be sacrificed: Performance, compatibility, or reliability. 

 

In terms of durability and failing parts.. no one knows. 

[gergy008]

It feels like no matter how long it lasts, computers have a shorter lifespan than they use to have back in the day.

[TetraSky]

If you're really into gaming, playing the latest and greatest games at the higher setting.... 2~3 years.
If you don't mind lowering the graphics, 4~5 years

Computers have a much longer life span these days. Especially CPU wise, where Intel barely increase the performances of their CPU and mostly concentrate on lowering power consumption in the last few years.

[Scia]

I recently got myself X99 [MSI x99s Xpower AC / 16GB Dominator 2666 / 5960x] and I consider it to be fine for around 5 years, at least the mobo and the CPU, RAM and GPU are updated when needed.

[Kyuubixchidori]

talking about the whole computer? or parts? my dads pc is a i7-920 with 6 gigs of ram and a gt 9800(i believe). for everyday use, its more then perfect for him still. and its near 6 years old. computers are not getting exponentially faster like before, until we have a huge break though its going to be slow sailing. 

 

my guess is all current high end hardware will last until some huge revolution comes though, and computers get exponentially faster again. 

[handymanshandle]

About 5 years in certain instances, 3 years.

[watts300]

my guess is all current high end hardware will last until some huge revolution comes though

Quantum computing. 

[Kyuubixchidori]

Quantum computing. 

eh hopefully, 20 bucks says 10 years from now, most consumer hardware is going to be mobile chips, or something similar. super power efficient and small, and any heavily lifting will be cloud computed. because if internet can be reliably 10-50gbps, why cant everything be done in the cloud? cloud gaming is almost a thing

[Trik'Stari]

4-6 years. Maybe more depending on upgrades

[WolfDeville]

Your computer should last 3-4 years without any upgrades at all, although don't expect to be maxing out games.

[handymanshandle]

eh hopefully, 20 bucks says 10 years from now, most consumer hardware is going to be mobile chips, or something similar. super power efficient and small, and any heavily lifting will be cloud computed. because if internet can be reliably 10-50gbps, why cant everything be done in the cloud? cloud gaming is almost a thing

I wonder what that would mean for content creators on a budget who want to make their own system.

The only problem with the whole cloud thing is that internet that is cheaper isn't fast. Before cloud things like cloud gaming can become a thing cheap internet has to be faster.

[Dimwitted]

Almost infinite as long as the standards don't change. If you look back at where we've been the rate of change has slowed drastically. Properly configed systems haven't changed that much in the last 6 years. If you already have a good amount of ram then the gpu is the weak spot and that's easily changed to a more powerful card.

[MourningSouls]

I expect hardware to last 4 years, past that I accept it's death.

[Kyuubixchidori]

I wonder what that would mean for content creators on a budget who want to make their own system.

The only problem with the whole cloud thing is that internet that is cheaper isn't fast. Before cloud things like cloud gaming can become a thing cheap internet has to be faster.

there is a bunch of companies offering gigabit speed at $30 i believe. once comcast doesnt own a monopoly, and for people in rural areas, wireless speeds are growing exponentially. i see data transfer will be the thing to grow the most soon. once the infristracture can grow faster then the demand, we will be set. the 4k push will demand a whole lot out of companies. after that though, its people going to be a bit before the next big jump. 

 

tech is amazing. i mean, look just 5 years ago how much faster speeds are. yet my dad is still using the identical computer, and by no means is it a slouch. 

[handymanshandle]

there is a bunch of companies offering gigabit speed at $30 i believe. once comcast doesnt own a monopoly, and for people in rural areas, wireless speeds are growing exponentially. i see data transfer will be the thing to grow the most soon. once the infristracture can grow faster then the demand, we will be set. the 4k push will demand a whole lot out of companies. after that though, its people going to be a bit before the next big jump. 

 

tech is amazing. i mean, look just 5 years ago how much faster speeds are. yet my dad is still using the identical computer, and by no means is it a slouch. 

Heh heh not here in the Upper Mid-west. It'll still probably be awhile. 

I still kinda favor local data just because yeah well it's there.

Still that would kinda suck for content creators on a budget.

[thekeemo]

talking about the whole computer? or parts? my dads pc is a i7-920 with 6 gigs of ram and a gt 9800(i believe). for everyday use, its more then perfect for him still. and its near 6 years old. computers are not getting exponentially faster like before, until we have a huge break though its going to be slow sailing. 

 

my guess is all current high end hardware will last until some huge revolution comes though, and computers get exponentially faster again.

what's is this madness my dad has the EXACT same specs please tell me its not a sapphire cars