I've noticed an interesting trend in my computer usage.

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sdifox

No Lifer
Sep 30, 2005
100,267
17,902
126
I am still using my Athlon 700 as a bt machine and my faster machine is an optern 165 oced to 2.5GHz.
I am still playing RTCW:ET :)
 

Vonkhan

Diamond Member
Feb 27, 2003
8,198
0
71
Yup ... as long as I was in college, I'd blow $$$ on the latest n greatest video cards, RAM, whatever just to squeeze out that last bit of power

now ... heh, that stuff really doesn't matter anymore

wish i was back in college
 

silverpig

Lifer
Jul 29, 2001
27,703
12
81
I get a bang-for-the-buck upgrade every couple of years. I got an Opteron 165 system when that was a good deal and just now upgraded to a Q6600 and have no plans for other upgrades for a long time.
 

ConstipatedVigilante

Diamond Member
Feb 22, 2006
7,670
1
0
Not really the case for me. My usage has gone up, in fact. I don't game quite as much as I used to since I'm in college now, but multi-tasking is important (music, multiple documents, file transfers, browsers all going on at once sometimes). My GPU (8800GT) is doing fine, but my processor (trusty old 3700+) just isn't quite cutting it for my needs anymore. Maybe a reformat is in order to clean up all the crap on my comp, though.
 

hanoverphist

Diamond Member
Dec 7, 2006
9,867
23
76
Originally posted by: dNor
Originally posted by: Chryso
Some days I don't even turn the computer on when I get home.

This is madness

not always. i have 3 kids that im raising by myself. when i get home and get things all settled, it may be late and im more tired than other nites. i dont turn my laptop on every nite anymore either. then again, other nites my kids will be self absorbed in their own stuff and ill play games/ surf for a few hours. if i can get them to bed early enough and things done in short time ill stay up till 12 or so playing. i stay up till 12 or so regardless, sometimes i have too many other things to get done which keeps me from getting on my laptop.
 

rasczak

Lifer
Jan 29, 2005
10,437
23
81
yup. at home i hardly ever get on the computer anymore. that;s a far cry from the 7 - 10 hours I would put in playing stinkin counter strike. thank god those days are over. now I just use the computer during taht time of the month ;)
 

Raduque

Lifer
Aug 22, 2004
13,140
138
106
I find I don't game near as much as I used to. My Xbox 360 has dust on it.

As for my PC, I just need more storage space and ram. My CPU/GPU combo is still plenty fast (C2D @ 2.8ghz and HD3870).
 

flxnimprtmscl

Diamond Member
Jan 30, 2003
7,962
2
0
I'm kind of in your position. I no longer game but I had to replace gaming with something to justify the computer power I have. So now I've set up a moderately high end HTPC for HD content and am in the process of building a dedicated machine for encoding my Blu-Ray movies... :p
 

MichaelD

Lifer
Jan 16, 2001
31,528
3
76
Interesting thread. My situation is exactly opposite. For "baselining" sake, I just turned 40 and I'm using the PC more than ever. In fact, most of my hobbies revolve around the PC; see my sig.

To do anything w/the DV tape I shoot, I need Rig#1. And then of course, to feed my long-time addiction (going back to the original Atari) I need Rig#2.

Oh yeah....I'm a SysAdmin by trade, so I sit in front of a PC all day long with about 10 Remote Desktop windows open...and about 20 IE windows open.

My gaming box is normally in a constant state of flux; though I think my current config will last me at least a year (that would be a record for me).

I live many miles away from family and most friends and pay everything online; so I am always online for one reason or another.

No...my situation is exactly opposite yours.
 

lokiju

Lifer
May 29, 2003
18,526
5
0
I'm the same way.

I could be completely fine with just a basic laptop.

I do have a desktop/server that's on 24/7 though but I never physically interact with it, it just host all my media.
 

Aikouka

Lifer
Nov 27, 2001
30,383
912
126
I don't have to upgrade often because I don't buy shit components, although, I still probably upgrade more often than some. I don't have a desire to buy the upper echelon of parts, but I do prefer having a decent PC. Although, having a decent PC at home and having to go other places where the PC is not so decent is a real bummer.
 

KK

Lifer
Jan 2, 2001
15,903
4
81
I updated my PC a year or so ago. I was getting tired of waiting for my porn to un-rar plus I needed it ready before my dick goes limp, permanantly..
 

LS21

Banned
Nov 27, 2007
3,745
1
0
i havent "needed" to upgrade since my athlon xp1700+ 512mb ati 8500LE machine

i only have updated components because when i buy a new computer its all available
 

MyThirdEye

Diamond Member
Dec 29, 2005
3,613
0
76
I built a pretty beastly machine about 6 months for gaming, and I hardly ever play games anymore. Just the occasional game of DotA, which could run on P3.
 

thomsbrain

Lifer
Dec 4, 2001
18,148
1
0
Yes.

I used to upgrade every three months. Now I've been using the same laptop for nearly five years and have no need to upgrade (though I did by the absolute fastest laptop I could find when I bought it). But yeah, I'm no longer doing 3 Divx encodes a day or editing photos all the time or playing games. The most demanding thing my computer does these days is play video.
 

Modelworks

Lifer
Feb 22, 2007
16,240
7
76
If you really think about it the main things a pc is used for hasn't really changed in the last 10 years.
Its email, office docs, web browsing.
Yet we have had to increase the processing power 50X.
 

sdifox

No Lifer
Sep 30, 2005
100,267
17,902
126
Originally posted by: Modelworks
If you really think about it the main things a pc is used for hasn't really changed in the last 10 years.
Its email, office docs, web browsing.
Yet we have had to increase the processing power 50X.

because office software have gotten 100x slower :)
 

imported_apocalypse

Senior member
Aug 27, 2008
449
0
0
Nope. I just bought a new gaming rig, and play a lot of new games just cause I can finally do so. I don't really do video editing anymore though, that was mostly for school projects.

And to the guy that said he had more time while working full time: how? I have way more time to game while at college, not to mention gaming is way more fun when your friends are in the same room.