Last Fall I posted asking when people here decide to upgrade their desktop computers because I didn't want to wait until it breaks.

I waited ... and it broke this week. Right before a major work thing that will require working from the office and nights from home!

It made it almost 10 years. I remember selecting near top tier components because I didn't want to have something outdated too soon.

The i7-4790k was still performing well. The mobo wouldn't even post, just ran fans, even with most everything unplugged or removed.

I built a new one and bought a new case this time since my old one was quite dated after a couple builds. It is weird having zero external drive bays but this one has the fast USB ports on front which is much nicer.

Hopefully this i7-13700k lasts as long, but I am still hanging onto the GTX 970 video card for the time being.

At least everything is transferred and I can be productive. That part is such a pain.

So if you are thinking about it, I'd suggest upgrading before it breaks.

OZ said:"I didn't want something outdated too soon". My son is an IT guy for a major corporation here in SE Michigan, and he always says if you buy a new computer you have to break all speed limits getting home with it or it will be outdated before you get it home.
Rod

Never owned something as advanced as an i7 and spent 30 years fixing computers. At one point i decided that most of the stuff i did wouldn’t do it any faster.

Haven’t touched my desktop in years but i guess it must be 20 years old already.

0-0

Yep, I just replaced my cheapish ~10 year old laptop with a mind to the same idea - replace it before it breaks.

The hardware was fine (for now) if outdated, but the plastic case was literally disintegrating, with chunks falling off the sides and corners near weekly.

Took the opportunity to upgrade to a "gaming" laptop with mid-high tier components, both to try out some of the newer PC exclusive games (and/or play games that work best with keyboard/mouse) as well as to extend its useful lifespan a bit.

And I went with one with an fully aluminum case, to stave off having to deal with the same plastic case issues several years down the road.