13 thoughts on “How often do you replace your primary PC?”
I got here and found out I was 50% of the respondents.
I replace my Primary Laptop every five years, but I also ppurchase the most laptop I can for my money when I buy. As for my desktop it is really a continual slow upgrade process.
I build my desktops and they are the primary PCs in the house. These home builts just get upgraded all the time with more memory, new CPU, mainboard, case etc. Laptops, tablets, all-in-one PCs get replaced about every 3 years.
several years ago (5-10) cpu speed/core density was still advancing sufficiently to justify an upgrade every 1 or 2 years — today it is hard to anticipate justifying an upgrade over current levels (Quad-Core i7) for several years (post 2013)!
You should have one more option. Mine is basically never. My desktop evolves. This last summer I replaced the motherboard, cpu, and memory and my PC booted up without me having to re-install anything. My current case has had 6 different cpu/motherboard combinations and has had Windows 98, Windows 2000, XP, Vista, and Win 7. If you count just the motherboard/cpu upgrades I upgrade every 2 to 3 years.
My computer is like George Washington’s axe. Bits get replaced, upgraded etc but only as they are needed – my pc case is 10 years old, managed to put a new motherboard in with a bit of drilling and metal shaping.
I guess my hard disks get replaced every 2-3 years
It used to be much more often but I am still quite happy with Quad Core Q6600 running at 2.4 GHz. I have thrown in a SSD and a better nVidia graphics card along the way to keep it up to snuff though. I think next year when the 22 nm Intel chips come out I might jump on a new MB /CPU or whole new machine. That machine I can see lasting me a another 3-4 years though with just maybe a video card upgrade. Other than video editing and a FEW games hardware has left software demands in the dust it seems.
Replace…….:)
I still have a 486 Celeron running a dos home automation app I can’t run any other way; Replace just ain’t in my limited vocabulary.
I’ve got a document on an MFM drive that I’d like to retrieve, so I guess I need to dig through my ‘box-o-parts’ and put together a win3.1 machine to get access to it
…….One of these days….. 🙂
Before I join in the braggadocio about upgrades, I’ll attempt to actually answer the question.
Since 1990, my time-to-replacement of Mac desktops has increased from three years to six. Better, more robust towers and minor upgrades are the reason. None of those old computers stopped functioning; they were merely handed off or donated.
My last Mac went 10 yrs & the one before that the one before that. They overlapped’cause there were 2 of us. It has to be a Mac because it has to last 10 yrs: reliable, easy to use.
I’m a hardware geek, so I replace often. I used to replace every year, but have fallen to every 2 years. Due to the current economy, that may go longer this go around. Oh well.
Ed Bott (@ wordpress.com) 
I got here and found out I was 50% of the respondents.
I replace my Primary Laptop every five years, but I also ppurchase the most laptop I can for my money when I buy. As for my desktop it is really a continual slow upgrade process.
I build my desktops and they are the primary PCs in the house. These home builts just get upgraded all the time with more memory, new CPU, mainboard, case etc. Laptops, tablets, all-in-one PCs get replaced about every 3 years.
As new components come on the market I have to try them out to see if they are really worth the upgrade.
several years ago (5-10) cpu speed/core density was still advancing sufficiently to justify an upgrade every 1 or 2 years — today it is hard to anticipate justifying an upgrade over current levels (Quad-Core i7) for several years (post 2013)!
You should have one more option. Mine is basically never. My desktop evolves. This last summer I replaced the motherboard, cpu, and memory and my PC booted up without me having to re-install anything. My current case has had 6 different cpu/motherboard combinations and has had Windows 98, Windows 2000, XP, Vista, and Win 7. If you count just the motherboard/cpu upgrades I upgrade every 2 to 3 years.
My computer is like George Washington’s axe. Bits get replaced, upgraded etc but only as they are needed – my pc case is 10 years old, managed to put a new motherboard in with a bit of drilling and metal shaping.
I guess my hard disks get replaced every 2-3 years
It used to be much more often but I am still quite happy with Quad Core Q6600 running at 2.4 GHz. I have thrown in a SSD and a better nVidia graphics card along the way to keep it up to snuff though. I think next year when the 22 nm Intel chips come out I might jump on a new MB /CPU or whole new machine. That machine I can see lasting me a another 3-4 years though with just maybe a video card upgrade. Other than video editing and a FEW games hardware has left software demands in the dust it seems.
Replace…….:)
I still have a 486 Celeron running a dos home automation app I can’t run any other way; Replace just ain’t in my limited vocabulary.
I’ve got a document on an MFM drive that I’d like to retrieve, so I guess I need to dig through my ‘box-o-parts’ and put together a win3.1 machine to get access to it
…….One of these days….. 🙂
Before I join in the braggadocio about upgrades, I’ll attempt to actually answer the question.
Since 1990, my time-to-replacement of Mac desktops has increased from three years to six. Better, more robust towers and minor upgrades are the reason. None of those old computers stopped functioning; they were merely handed off or donated.
I (gasp!) don’t do my own repairs, so it mostly depends on how long my computer lasts before it has an expensive-to-fix malfunction; 3-5 years.
I almost never completely replace my PC. I consistently upgrade, so I never need to replace.
My last Mac went 10 yrs & the one before that the one before that. They overlapped’cause there were 2 of us. It has to be a Mac because it has to last 10 yrs: reliable, easy to use.
I’m a hardware geek, so I replace often. I used to replace every year, but have fallen to every 2 years. Due to the current economy, that may go longer this go around. Oh well.