How often do you upgrade your rigs?

[kamaboko]

I?ve read so many posts whereby people say, ??but think about the upgrade path?. This usually applies to CPU?s and video cards. I?m curious, just how often do you upgrade these items? I end up buying a rig, keeping it for about three years then dumping it all together for something new. I?ve always seen the upgrade path as cost prohibitive; for instance, moving up from my current AMD 1700+ to a 2600+ (the max my board will take) for $80. I?m inclined to put that money toward a real wiz-bang difference in the future. So, just how many CPU?s and video cards pass through your computers before you make the big change to a new socket/chip set?

 

[Kccdx2]

Once a year?

 

[mrgoblin]

Once every three years. To a new rig of course

 

[flamingspinach]

Ideally, once every three years, to a fully new rig. After my first rig, five years have passed. On the third year, my mobo blew up. The end. Hopefully I'll get a new rig any time now though.

-fs

 

[KoolDrew]

I am still saving up for my first custom built rig. As of now I have a craqppy Dell.

 

[kamaboko]

Originally posted by: Kccdx2
Once a year?

jesus, you go through a rig a year?

 

[D1gger]

A new rig every 2 years of so with intermediate upgrades about every 8 - 12 months.

 

[Kishan]

when i can double/triple my clock speed. I went from a P3 1GHz to a A64 2800

Noticed just a tiny difference

 

[BentValve]

Once a month.

 

[Grey]

I have averaged every 2.5 years, and it is usually an entire new rig. Which is why I don't care so much about the socket type so much. Why upgrade just the CPU when you can do the MOBO as well and get mutiples of more speed.

 

[justly]

When I think I need it.

Right now I have parts as new as maybe 2 years old and as old as about 6 years. So it is about time for a new build.

 

[nick1985]

i spend about $400 a year

 

[raanemaan]

I been slowly upgrading my system. A better part every 3-4 months.

 

[Amaroque]

Usually about every 6 months, give or take.

But, the parts get dispersed amongst approximately 6 other machines. That gives the other computers an upgrade every two years.

Hence the reason I want the MB to be able to handle faster CPU's. Two years on the same CPU is too long. I upgrade any CPU's at least once a year.

 

[Xab]

Major overhauls (meaning mobo/CPU) around once a year. Smaller upgrades, like vid card/HD I will do as soon as something is released that warrants it.

But like Amaroque, my stuff that gets upgraded goes down to my other 2 machines, so all my computers get upgraded.

 

[JBT]

I buy new parts through out the year and sell off the old ones. In the last 4 years I pretty much had about 4 of each component. I would say I upgrade roughly once a year, but selling my old stuff while its still worth money and jumping on hot deals it hasn't been to expensive for me.

My laptop has been the same the last year and a half since I got it except I got a 256MB stick of RAM for 20 bucks from a friend making it have a total of 768. I am really looking into one of those 7200 RPM Hitachi's for it though

 

[neuralfx]

I never upgrade. I just build a new system. I guess you could say I "upgraded" my dually about a year ago ... I put a dvd-burner in it. But that is as far as I go with "upgrading." If I want a new CPU or what not I just build a new one. However the current dually I'm building ... well, I may put an extra vid card in it to run SLi. The way I look at it; I build a system so that I will be satisfied with it as it is until I want to have an extra rig or something with newer generation parts, which would require a new motherboard/CPU anyway.
-neural

 

[RussianSensation]

P2 233mhz MMX + Savage 4 in 1998
2001 - AXP 1600+ & Radeon 8500
2003 - P4 2.6@3.2ghz + Radeon 8500 (current system)

Since I dont play games often, I dont find it necessary to upgrade the cpu unless the speed roughly doubles or more. Other components I upgrade only if they fail. Recently upgraded to 1 gig of ram.

 

[Baked]

3 years. A new system every 3 years. But I do add new HDs and optical drives annually.

 

[Insomniak]

Whenever I can swing it financially. This usually ends up being every 2.5 - 3 years, although now that I'm working pretty much year round in addition to getting my degree, I can afford to do it more often.

I went with a mid-high system this time (sig) but made it a point to grab that motherboard, because I can see this motherboard lasting me 3+ years with a Dual Core processor and SLI NV50s.

 

[Cook1]

Once or twice a month for me....and no I'm not rich.

 

[Anubis08]

I always upgrade to a new rig. I don't have the money to do it once a year and tech. changes so fast.

 

[KBtn]

I start looking to upgrade mine once every 2 years. When I do upgrade, I try to build something pretty decent so I know it will last a bit. Unfortunately, there is no way to "future proof" your rig du to every changing technology.

 

[Azndude51]

Originally posted by: KPSHAH316
when i can double/triple my clock speed. I went from a P3 1GHz to a A64 2800

Noticed just a tiny difference

Same here, I did the tiny upgrade of a PIII 1GHz to AMD64 3200+ 90nm

 

[RadiclDreamer]

I upgrade when I have a few bucks Im not doing anything with, usually do major upgrades at income tax time, but then I am constantly doing small upgrades throughout the year