Your next hardware upgrade, when will it happen? (tentatively...)

[GabrielYYZ]

so, yeah... there have been a couple of threads here about buying hardware and asking for opinions on hardware, so i thought "when will i do my next hardware upgrade?" and decided to post a thread to ask the community at large (or at least whoever replies.)

my next planned upgrade will be whenever i can get an AMD bulldozer and an UEFI motherboard (here's hoping...) i'm pretty happy with my video card, so that's settled for now and, unless it craps out, i'm good with RAM too.

when do you think you will upgrade your hardware?

[odiseo77]

I'm happy with my current system (C2D @ 2.93 Ghz, 4 gb of RAM and a 7300 GT nvidia Card), but I'm wondering whether to change the processor for a Core 2 Quad (which would happen soon this year), or wait a bit and build a new PC with something like a core i5 processor (which would be at the end of the year or the next year). Anyway, I'm more than happy with this system, as I said before; it's fast, stable, and works very well for the use I give to it (surfing the web, listening music, watching videos and movies, and gaming sometimes) :).

[Windows Nerd]

so, yeah... there have been a couple of threads here about buying hardware and asking for opinions on hardware, so i thought "when will i do my next hardware upgrade?" and decided to post a thread to ask the community at large (or at least whoever replies.)

my next planned upgrade will be whenever i can get an AMD bulldozer and an UEFI motherboard (here's hoping...) i'm pretty happy with my video card, so that's settled for now and, unless it craps out, i'm good with RAM too.

when do you think you will upgrade your hardware?

Wow your potential upgrade is the same as mine :D.

[Hur Dur]

It really depends. If my needs for this computer stay the same (browsing the web, programming, and occasionally playing DOSbox) then I probably won't upgrade for another 5-10 years. Just like my old laptop, which I kept for 7 years.

[Nytram]

I hardly ever use my desktop since getting a netbook. When will i upgrade? Probably never, or whenever Duke Nukem Forever comes out.. whichever comes first.

[the8thstar]

Well the two computers in my signature run fine so I have no need to replace them unless they die or unless they are too slow.

Maybe one of these days I'll be able to afford a SSD drive. The current prices for a 80GB are way too high unfortunately.

[GabrielYYZ]

@odiseo77: or "espera un poco, un poquito mas..." :P, wait for the sandy bridge quirks to get smoothed out and get an i7 cheaper than what they are now. i reckon that CPU can last for quite a bit...

@Windows Nerd: that's awesome. i've been using AMD for about 5 months or so (CPU and GPU) and i don't see myself buying an intel processor again. i can accept intel CPUs are beasts but AMD has the perfect balance between price/performance/power management that make me go WOW.

@Hur Dur & Nytram: that's cool, that's actually my reason for wanting to upgrade: get a long lasting CPU + Mobo and forget about upgrading for a couple years.

@the8thstar: i wanted a SSD too but, as you said, they're not cheap these days.

[FuturePilot]

My HP Pavilion dv6500t laptop died recently, so I built myself a new desktop. Specs in sig.

[anaconda]

I wont be upgrading anytime soon.

And when I eventually will I will buy a laptop or a laptop without monitor & keyboard something like asus eeebox....

[beavis5551]

welll...

the last upgrade happened just this weekend.
Boosted the Ram in my ThinkPad R500 (C2D 2,67 GHz) to 6 gig. runs just fine.

The next think might be a SSD but I have to do further research into the matter which one would work best.

[cascade9]

A new HDD is planned very soon (probably another 1TB+ HDD), I'm hoping to get a soundcard as well (xonar D1/DX) and if I get a bit more money a new video card. I might get a newer AM3 CPU when bulldozer hits. The prices on the quads and X6 T CPUs should rop a huge amount then.

I'm hoping to avoid any motherboard upgrades for quite some time after that. Most likely I'll run my current motherboard/RAM/Power supply setup into the ground


my next planned upgrade will be whenever i can get an AMD bulldozer and an UEFI motherboard (here's hoping...) i'm pretty happy with my video card, so that's settled for now and, unless it craps out, i'm good with RAM too.

Just FYI, so far it looks like bulldozer will be using DDR3-1866 (and higher), so unless you've gto some pretty speedy DDR3, you wont be getting all you can out of bulldozer. Also, the 'workstation/server models will be using quad-channel RAM....

[TeoBigusGeekus]

Somehow relevant. (http://www.ninjapirate.com/newcomputer.html)

[odiseo77]

@odiseo77: or "espera un poco, un poquito mas..." :P, wait for the sandy bridge quirks to get smoothed out and get an i7 cheaper than what they are now. i reckon that CPU can last for quite a bit...

Yes, since my PC does everything I need just fine, I will probably wait until next year to build a new one (hopefully with an i5 or i7, depending on the prices I find) :).

[Spice Weasel]

When my current setup stops working.

[andras artois]

Currently on:
Phenom II 810 2.6Ghz
8GB RAM
Nvidia 9800GT
2.5TB Storage

I'll probably get a new graphics card sooner rather than later, one of the AMD 6770's or something and maybe an SSD.

My next build, I want to overclock and water cool it.

Thinking about getting myself a 13" Laptop as well.

[dh04000]

I'm thinking of buying myself a new 15' laptop. I want a mid-level video card in it as well. I notice that all new nvidia cards are optimus powered, so a no go there. Hows the Ati driver for newer laptop cards? Can I run tf2, and l4d2 in wine with one of these cards?

[aeiah]

at some point i plan on buying a low power NAS for storage, and a small HTPC for media. when i do that ill probably put an SSD in my main desktop instead of the 3 normal HDDs it has now.

i have no need for extra speed, but id like to lower power consumption and make things more convenient. right now my machine has to stay within a few feet of the HDTV and its standard monitor

[aaaantoine]

I'm set for now, thank God.

My wife, on the other hand, is stuck using only a Netbook. If she needs a proper compputer badly enough, we'll get her an inexpensive OEM desktop to complement her Netbook. I expect that to happen in the next year or so.

I can keep my laptop around for much longer still. Now that I have a fully functional desktop I don't have the lappy running as much, which is good. It's 4 years old and could use some rest. I will likely replace it only when it breaks.

For my desktop, I will plan upgrades as requirements dictate, or -- again -- if something breaks.

[BrokenKingpin]

I have a really powerful desktop (Quad core CPU, 6 gigs of ram, decent NVidia graphics), as well as a number of laptops, netbooks, and old desktop... so it will be a few years before I need anything at lease.

[Warpnow]

About a year. Trying to get 5 years out of my current desktop.

[darrenn]

I want to upgrade when the new bulldozer comes out. But it will depend on how well 64 bit Ubuntu performs versus 32 bit.

[aG93IGRvIGkgdWJ1bnR1Pw==]

My current desktop was put together in early 2007 (Intel C2D E6700, 1GB ram, 160GB HDD, nvidia geforce 8800GTX 512), but I've since upgraded the ram to 4GB, bought an additional 1TB HDD and lost optical and floppy drives in an accident (I was going to replace them, but found I don't even need them at all). I'm not replacing it until it either breaks beyond repair or all or most of its technology (CPU architecture, I/O ports) is so hopelessly outdated it no longer works with modern OSes.

[sprocket10]

Come May, I'll have had my current laptop for 5 years. Definitely got my money out of it, so to speak. Been looking at getting a new one, preferably with scholarship money sometime between now and May 2012 (6 year mark) AND, right in time for Ubuntu 12.04 :D

I really want a laptop that can run StarCraft 2 at high graphical settings. Keep in mind, as an RTS, SC2 is more CPU-intensive than GPU.

I would really like my next laptop to have an AMD Bulldozer APU, provided it can deliver high clock speeds (necessary for SC2). If the APUs can deliver the graphics performance I want, I may even go w/o a graphics card, which would be awesome for battery life! I'm leaning more towards AMD graphics instead of NVidia because people on here say AMD is putting more effort into their linux drivers lately. I hope they keep it up!

Things I want in my next laptop:
- Smaller form factor (15.6" is the absolute max I'd go with)
- 4+ core AMD Bulldozer
- SSD
- 1920x1080 resolution
- Webcam (preferably an HD version)
- 4GB RAM minimum
- USB3 + LightPeak support

Also, here's some recent news about AMD's Fusion:
http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/01/amd-compares-upcoming-llano-fusion-apu-with-intel-core-i7-kil/

[GabrielYYZ]

Just FYI, so far it looks like bulldozer will be using DDR3-1866 (and higher), so unless you've gto some pretty speedy DDR3, you wont be getting all you can out of bulldozer. Also, the 'workstation/server models will be using quad-channel RAM....

oh yeah, i'm clear on that, that's why i said that all set with RAM "for now". still, i don't expect bulldozers and UEFI mobos to be reasonably priced/available for a good while.

[3177]

I have an old athlon xp3000+ thats still faster than my friends i7 2.8. That being said, no time soon, but if I had the money, i'd get one of AMD's new 6 cores.

[mr clark25]

I plan on upgrading very soon. (withing the next month) according to some articles i found (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=10510313#post10510313), amd will be releasing bulldozer very soon. bulldozer is rumored to out perform the phenom II's by 50%.

[sprocket10]

Since there's alot of talk in this thread about Bulldozer, I was hoping someone can answer this question: Do you think the Bulldozer APUs that end up in laptops will be able to reach high clock speeds? I've never owned an AMD processor before, but I know that I can go to dell.com or hp.com or whatever and I'm likely to find Intel CPUs available at higher clock speeds than the selection of AMD CPUs.

That is my biggest concern with the new APUs, because sometimes I need high clock speeds (not as many cores required) to play StarCraft 2 well. For general multitasking (no gaming) I'd agree that more cores is better, but for certain instances I need clock speed more than number of cores.

Any thoughts?

[3177]

Since there's alot of talk in this thread about Bulldozer, I was hoping someone can answer this question: Do you think the Bulldozer APUs that end up in laptops will be able to reach high clock speeds? I've never owned an AMD processor before, but I know that I can go to dell.com or hp.com or whatever and I'm likely to find Intel CPUs available at higher clock speeds than the selection of AMD CPUs.

That is my biggest concern with the new APUs, because sometimes I need high clock speeds (not as many cores required) to play StarCraft 2 well. For general multitasking (no gaming) I'd agree that more cores is better, but for certain instances I need clock speed more than number of cores.

Any thoughts?

lol:KS
AMD will ALWAYS outperform intel.
Intel chips are usually overclocked to get their speeds. eg. an i7 has a total speed of 3.2 ghz, but in reality is speed per core is only 1.3ghz. An amd chip doesnt. My athlon 3000+ competed with intel's pentium 4's 3ghz models, and outperformed it( mine is a 2.1):)

[gnomeuser]

My machine is a nettop, dual core atom (330) with SMT. It is not the speediest machine on the block but it runs great everything I need including development and compiling.

I also have a single core atom netbook and I just ordered one of those 199$ Ubuntu ARM powered netbooks.

I am a big fan of cheap sufficient computing. It is a fantastic experience. I would upgrade once the more powerful ARM nettops comes out and I can get a non-nvidia video card (or a kickass open driver for whatever chip is in it - tegra3 looks interesting e.g.).

[GabrielYYZ]

I want to upgrade when the new bulldozer comes out. But it will depend on how well 64 bit Ubuntu performs versus 32 bit.

i haven't used Ubuntu x86.64 that much, but i can tell you that Kubuntu x86.64 works very well if your RAM > 4gb.

@sprocket10: i don't know about high clock speeds, but there's a video on youtube (AMDUnprocessed channel) that showcases a 3D game (sadly, don't remember the name) and the APU was working beautifully.

another thing about Bulldozer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulldozer_%28processor%29 if i'm reading it right, it's gonna be a new type of CPU, not APU. the current E-350 or "Zacate" is APU.

(TBH, AMD naming conventions, ways to classify CPU/APU/GPU, etc are all kinda confusing to me :P)

[JP121]

I probably am going to upgrade the RAM in my 1000HE eeepc up to the full 2 gigs at some point so I can virtualize Windows on the go for the few things I need with it.

[TriBlox6432]

Whenever my current laptop dies, or becomes too obsolete to use.

I don't built my own computers, because I need a laptop not a desktop. :popcorn:


BTW: Is there a way to remove all the logos from my laptop? Like the Dell thing on the front, and the Inspiron thing on the top left of my monitor? Just wondering.

[Windows Nerd]

Also, the 'workstation/server models will be using quad-channel RAM....
Source...? So far as most of the public knows, Bulldozer is still dual channel for the Zambezi (the desktop bulldozer proc codename) CPU's. Some of the recent pictures seen at CeBit 2011 of the new Bulldozer Mobos have dual channel.

[Windows Nerd]

Since there's alot of talk in this thread about Bulldozer, I was hoping someone can answer this question: Do you think the Bulldozer APUs that end up in laptops will be able to reach high clock speeds? I've never owned an AMD processor before, but I know that I can go to dell.com or hp.com or whatever and I'm likely to find Intel CPUs available at higher clock speeds than the selection of AMD CPUs.

That is my biggest concern with the new APUs, because sometimes I need high clock speeds (not as many cores required) to play StarCraft 2 well. For general multitasking (no gaming) I'd agree that more cores is better, but for certain instances I need clock speed more than number of cores.

Any thoughts?

Bulldozer =/= APU. That's the Fusion processors you are confusing them with. Apparently they are getting great reviews. Bulldozer processors do not have embedded graphics like the Fusions do, and you will need a discrete graphics card for them.



lol:KS
AMD will ALWAYS outperform intel.
Intel chips are usually overclocked to get their speeds. eg. an i7 has a total speed of 3.2 ghz, but in reality is speed per core is only 1.3ghz. An amd chip doesnt. My athlon 3000+ competed with intel's pentium 4's 3ghz models, and outperformed it( mine is a 2.1):)

AMD outperformed Intel back in the Athlon days. Nowadays it is the opposite: Intel outperforms AMD, BUT....their motherboards cost more, driving many to AMD. Also, Intel Chips are NOT overclocked to get their speeds: they could run at 3.2GHz on EACH AND EVERY CORE AT STOCK, not 1.3 GHz per core and then multiply it by four...but you are comparing your Athlon to Pentium 4's, which have a single core, so I am confused on how you arrived at the "1.3 x 4 cores = 3.2 GHz" conclusion...either way you have the facts wrong.

[GabrielYYZ]

for those wondering about AMD's APUs and the state of their Catalyst drivers, check out this review: http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=1082&type=expert&pid=1

it's not groundbreaking or anything, but it seems to me that they're a good option for a laptop/netbook. and the person writing the review agrees that the Catalyst software is getting better everyday (so i'm not crazy... lol)

PS: i don't work for AMD/have AMD stock. i'm just a regular guy that switched from intel/nvidia to AMD CPUs/GPUs and is happy. don't think the thread is biased towards AMD or that i'm against Intel. if anyone wants to discuss Thunderbolt as a reason for updating, that'd be cool too.

[scouser73]

Recently bought a new HP.

Operating system Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64
Processor Intel® Pentium® E5800
3.2 GHz
2 MB L2 cache
Chipset
Intel G41
Memory 4 GB DDR3 (2 x 2 GB)
2 DIMM
Supports up to 4 GB DDR3 memory
Storage 500 GB SATA 3G (7200 rpm)
up to 13 GB partition for system recovery
DVD writer SATA DVD RAM and Double Layer supporting
LightScribe technology
6-in-1 memory card reader
Communication Ethernet 10/100BT integrated network interface
Video Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X4500HD (up to 1.26 GB)
VGA
Sound High Definition Audio 5.1
Included accessories USB keyboard
USB optical mouse
Ports 1 external optical drive bay; 1 internal HDD bay
2 PCI-Express x1; 1 PCI-Express x16; 1 PCI
6 USB 2.0
2 audio
3 analog audio

Removed Win 7 and am using Ubuntu 10.10

[mamamia88]

my main laptop is dying but i can't really afford anything new right now. so i'm using my netbook most of the time. i kind of prefer sitting on the couch anyway.

[handy]

My old Siemens Speedstream 4200 modem/router, that I've been running in bridge mode, (modem only) into a headless PIII that runs IPCop (firewall/router) finally got zapped (by our electricity company :() & failed.

So I set up a D-Link DSL-504T, that I inherited from my father, to do the job.

The D-Link is a horrid piece of hardware, (at least it is a bit better in bridge mode). So I'm going to have to find another modem/router (router due to it being cheaper than buying just a modem!) to do the job & keep the D-Link just to use in an emergency.

I'm thinking of getting a Billion 5210S RC ADSL 2+, thing, soon. As I hold Billion modem/routers in high regard; they are easy to work with & have the reputation of reliably doing a good job.

Time will tell.

[SuperFreak]

It will likely be a couple of years before I update to a new system. My present system is an AMD X2 4200 with 2 GB Ram but with 1TB & a 2 TB drives (almost 5 years old now). I am on my second computer now . Far too much electronic material is in landfill or third world reprocessing dumps. I just watched a video on the prouct history of Apple (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6KkP59FsoM) and concluded that in all likeliehood 80% of the products shown are either in landfill or in permanent storage.

[Dustin2128]

After meeting some fellow linux geek with 6GB of RAM, I decided that I need at least 10 :D. 'Course that means a new motherboard. May as well pick up one with a modern socket while I'm at it, and why not get a Phenom II x6? Heck, why not get one with multiple PCI-E 2.0 x16 slots since I'm buying a new board? Well I'm gonna want to get a new video card to occupy one of those slots. Hey, with SLI, I'm going to need a lot more than my measly 300 watt PSU. See my problem here?

[pi3.1415926535...]

Not sure whether to upgrade my netbook (add up to the full 2GB and bigger hard drive (possibly hybrid)), or clean up the drive, and wait until it dies or gets too slow to be usable, then get a new notebook.

[GabrielYYZ]

After meeting some fellow linux geek with 6GB of RAM, I decided that I need at least 10 :D. 'Course that means a new motherboard. May as well pick up one with a modern socket while I'm at it, and why not get a Phenom II x6? Heck, why not get one with multiple PCI-E 2.0 x16 slots since I'm buying a new board? Well I'm gonna want to get a new video card to occupy one of those slots. Hey, with SLI, I'm going to need a lot more than my measly 300 watt PSU. See my problem here?

:lolflag:

i have 8 GB or RAM, a Phenom II X4, and a 900 watt PSU Crossfire-ready, 'cause i'll probably get a 2nd Radeon HD 5770 when i feel this one getting slow. so yeah, i do see your problem xD (it's a DISEASE!! please save me!! lol)

all kidding aside, i'm quite happy with my PC. the upgrades i mentioned in the OP won't happen for another 1~2 years and the 2nd GPU is only a thought i have for later, considering 5770s will be dirt cheap after the 6990s come out.

[NikoC]

The university I work at, has a deal with Dell, so I just ordered a brand new E6510 laptop with an Intel core I7-720QM that hopefully will be arriving in the next two weeks.

Looking forward to install linux on this one, not sure which release to install, so I'm going to do some tryouts (currently running 10.10):
- openSUSE
- Ubuntu 10.04
- Ubuntu 10.10
- Kubuntu 10.10

[Eugenian]

An AMD Fusion laptop. I'm undecided about whether to go with the current "Zacate" E-350 or wait until faster "Llano" notebooks become available this summer. Linux Kernel 2.6.38, which will be in Ubuntu 11.04 Stable, has built-in support for the current Fusion chips' integrated graphics, so I'm not worried about compatibility in that area.

I'm not convinced that the E-350 is fast enough under Windows for my purposes (mostly web surfing, video streaming and HD video playback, but with not-too-sluggish tab switching and multitasking). I'm thinking that with Linux's lower overhead, that chip might be plenty fast. I'd like to see some performance tests of E-350+Win7 vs. E-350+Ubuntu.

[Khakilang]

Actually I plan to upgrade my computer 2 years ago to the latest CPU, latest GPU, 8GB of RAM and 1TB hard disk to use Windows Vista but than came along Ubuntu and I am still stuck with my old box. Maybe I wait for another 3 years or my motherboard burn whichever come first.

[handy]

Here is a link about a hardware upgrade that I did a couple of weeks ago. Some people with certain varieties of Mac's may find the information useful, as it is about putting 6GB of RAM into machines that Apple say the max is 4GB:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1694110

[Nytram]

Not sure whether to upgrade my netbook (add up to the full 2GB and bigger hard drive (possibly hybrid)), or clean up the drive, and wait until it dies or gets too slow to be usable, then get a new notebook.

I recently upgraded my netbook from 1 to 2 gb, and haven't noticed any difference - my memory usage peaks at 25% now instead of 50% before. Of course it all depends on how you use your machine, I'm definitely not a power user, I mainly just browse the web and run IRC.

I thought the extra memory would improve performance when using heavy IDE's for programming, but they run just the same as before, so for me the upgrade was a waste of money.

[Windows Nerd]

I thought the extra memory would improve performance when using heavy IDE's for programming, but they run just the same as before, so for me the upgrade was a waste of money.

Heavy IDE's benefit more from added CPU power: Linux is light on the RAM so I doubt adding more really makes much of a difference, unless you do lots of rendering/media applications. Then that will help :)