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DPChallenge Forums >> Hardware and Software >> Average Life Span of a PC
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 04/24/2009 11:41:36 AM · #1
I'm running a three-year-old dell PC and it's starting to become slower (and crashes almost every third time I use PSP X2) with the newer software I put on it even though my PC meets the recommended specs of the software (the biggest software culprit and the one I'm mainly talking about is Corel Paint Shop Pro X2 Ultimate). It only crashes when I use PSP but it seems to be sluggish all around.

Three years seems to early to upgrade for me though. I'm not playing games on it but I am editing pictures, as with most of you here, which is why I started this thread. So, how often do you guys, as photographers, upgrade your PC?

Thanks,
Justen
 04/24/2009 12:05:45 PM · #2
I have a 9 year old machine that runs Windows 98 and is not capable of being upgraded beyond that. Runs fine with no problems at all. Never had a technical problem with it. However, keeping the hard drive clean, defragmented and with at least 20 meg of free space seems to be necessary to its health. Perhaps try doing a serious clean up of your hard drive would help. A HD with little free space is the cause of a lot of problems/crashes/ect. on any machine.
 04/24/2009 12:09:46 PM · #3
I am running a 4 year old hp- same as CEJ says. Keep it clean, defragged, spyware checked and virus free, it should last a while. I have upgraged my OS, RAM and HD, but not out of necessity at all, just because I wanted more :).
 04/24/2009 12:16:07 PM · #4
The one that I use daily is nigh onto four years old, but I keep it cleaned out, I know how to not push it hard, it's got CS2 in it, and I really have no complaints.

I use a 500GB HD external to keep my images out of the internal.

It's not the speediest thing at 1GB RAM, but it works just fine.

Might be time to look at how it's used if you're not geared to replace it.

Three years is a reasonable time as far as the upgrade curve to stay with current equipment, but you don't have to upgrade.

We've got three users, and five computers in the house ranging from three weeks to five years old and knock wood, we've had one crash in five years.....and only lost 23 image files and zero data.

Computers are tools, and for the most part, are as good, or bad, as the operator.....8>)

Message edited by author 2009-04-24 12:17:44.
 04/24/2009 12:21:06 PM · #5
you should buy a new computer every 2-3 years.
 04/24/2009 12:36:49 PM · #6
For myself, I used to reinstall the OS once a year whether it needed it or not. I think my last install was 3 years ago. (The system is almost 5 years old). I could probably do with an upgrade and at least with a reinstall but meh...I can't be bothered. (If you do like me though make darn sure your data is backed up somewhere outside of your system).
 04/24/2009 12:39:24 PM · #7
As a quick fix, try running CCleaner (freeware)
 04/24/2009 12:40:41 PM · #8
My computers are my livelihood and where I spend a lot of my time. Therefore I upgrade/buy a new computer about once every year or so (if my wallet allows). I'd say, unless you're planning on using the computer for very simple, monotonous tasks that don't introduce unknown variables (like exploratory web browsing; ie. not just checking email), then upgrades are a good idea every 2-3 years as Dirt_Diversaid.

That being said, I have a laptop that I still use all the time that is approaching 4 years of age. I only really use that for music and instant messaging though, so it isn't necessarily stressed.

You can think of computers kind of like cars... the more often and more rigorously you use them, the faster they will break down. You just have to maintain them and replace parts when needed...
 04/24/2009 12:45:32 PM · #9
I recently upgraded to Ultimate as well, and it seems more stable on my new Vista box than the first release of v12. I didn't run 12 a lot on my previous box, a 5 year old AMD Athlon 2000. I could tell it ran slower than v11, but it was also extremely crash prone on that box. 11 was pretty stable.

One thing I have found is the need to periodically reinstall the operating system. A computer just accumulates stuff running in the background (even with efforts to clean it up) and every several years a fresh start helps to get it running snappy again. I still have my old computer in the spare bedroom and it is time to do a reinstall on that one. I may see how Ubuntu Linux does on it this time around.

And before one of the Apple fan-boys starts in chanting "get a Mac", my wife experiences the same issue with her Mac getting bogged down after several years of use.

Message edited by author 2009-04-24 12:47:59.
 04/24/2009 12:46:09 PM · #10
Originally posted by Adamsw216:
You can think of computers kind of like cars... the more often and more rigorously you use them, the faster they will break down. You just have to maintain them and replace parts when needed...

Oh, don't go there on any level....cars deteriorate worse if you let them sit than if you use them.....some, like most domestic cars are junk right out of the gate, some run forever no matter how badly you treat them, and I've also seen the owners being the difference in the lifespan and viability of the vehicle as well.

Oh wait!

That's pretty much the case with any piece of equipment!

Never mind! LOL!!
 04/24/2009 01:18:58 PM · #11
My previous computer was a laptop that I used for 5 years and then sold it. Not bad.

I bought Dell XPS laptop which was top of the line 2.5 years a go and I am still using it up till now. Because I got top of the line computer, pay top of the line price, you get the latest which would serve you longer. I'd say this laptop has another 2 years to go if I didn't upgrade to Windows 7, which I don't intend to do, it doesn't really worth it after testing it.
 04/24/2009 01:45:05 PM · #12
Lifespan of my computers
Mac Classic - 17 yrs old, still works perfectly;
Mac iBook - 9 yrs old, still works perfectly;
Mac iMac - 5 yrs old, works perfectly;
Refurbished HP PC - barely lasted 16 months and had to replace the hard drive. Next time, it goes out the window!
 04/24/2009 01:55:32 PM · #13
Originally posted by snaffles:
Lifespan of my computers
Mac Classic - 17 yrs old, still works perfectly;
Mac iBook - 9 yrs old, still works perfectly;
Mac iMac - 5 yrs old, works perfectly;
Refurbished HP PC - barely lasted 16 months and had to replace the hard drive. Next time, it goes out the window!


Yeh, what she said!
I work at a PC repair center doing mostly soldering DC jacks and stuff, we very VERY rarely get any Macs in for repair but when we do they are clean nice and obviously well looked after, The PC's we get in are covered in finger prints, crap all over them, scratches, cracks, you name it.. I think if you look after your stuff it will last. The laptop brands we see least of though are TOSHIBA, they seem to be pretty good.
 04/24/2009 02:03:48 PM · #14
Originally posted by MAK:
we very VERY rarely get any Macs in for repair but when we do they are clean nice and obviously well looked after

You obviously have never seen my wife's Macintosh


Message edited by author 2009-04-24 14:04:22.
 04/24/2009 02:32:07 PM · #15
Originally posted by MAK:
The laptop brands we see least of though are TOSHIBA, they seem to be pretty good.


This will be my future purchase.
 04/24/2009 03:25:20 PM · #16
Haha @ people who can't keep a PC running. Never even had so much as a problem with the gaming rig I built myself.

EDIT: And I haven't installed a virus scanner since I built it.

Message edited by author 2009-04-24 15:25:43.
 04/24/2009 03:27:04 PM · #17
Originally posted by Anti-Martyr:
Haha @ people who can't keep a PC running.

Be nice to those without your level of geektitude.

Message edited by author 2009-04-24 15:28:56.
 04/24/2009 03:39:21 PM · #18
In an age where people are more or less forced to use computers, it amazes me that so few people have any level of "geektitude." People complain about Vista being a poor operating system: Well, maybe a bit of research would've showed you that an Athlon X2 3500+ system with 1gb of RAM wasn't gonna cut it. People complain about getting viruses: Well, listening to the Google threat indicator is generally a good idea, as is using an email server with competent spam filtering. People complain about their PCs getting bogged: Well a certain amount of care has to go into maintaining a clean PC (or Mac, for that matter, it's a universal problem). Everything I know about PCs is more or less a mixture of self education and common sense. If a stupid teenager can do it, why not everyone else?
 04/24/2009 04:07:40 PM · #19
Originally posted by Anti-Martyr:
If a stupid teenager can do it, why not everyone else?

A) You are obviously not a "stupid" teenager. My own kids are about your age and they understand a lot about computers, more than many adults, but they still come to me for help when things don't work.

B) It's not always as easy as it may seem to those who readily understand it. For instance, I easily understand the concept of the relationship between resolution and DPI, but I have had a hell of a time explaining it to others both on photography forums and on the job. I paraphrase Scott Adams intro to his first Dilbertâ„¢ book: "The problem with the world is that it is filled with idiots. The thing is, we are all idiots. Just at different times and about different things."
 04/24/2009 04:11:29 PM · #20
I just upgraded my 4 yr old pc, one of the main reasons is the large size of the 40D files. Besides what others are saying here about keeping it clean, keep in mind that even though it may meet software requirements, software is getting bigger and needs more resources. Also, if you use a faster machine at work or elsewhere, it will seem to slow down, even if it doesn't.
 04/24/2009 04:52:40 PM · #21
Just a tip - when reloading an OS on a PC, get the system up to your basic software spec - in my case that would be , Windows, Office, Lightroom, Dreamweaver and Photoshop, then use an imaging utility such as Ghost to take a snapshot (or image) of that setup, stick the image on a USB drive and next time your system slows down, just blast that image back onto the PC and you will save yourself a lot of time. I keep all other files (pictures, documents, photoshop actions etc) on a separate drive, so that stuff all stays current.

However,not sure if many people know this but one of the biggest causes of computer slowdown are having too many fonts installed. seriously, they can kill the performance of a Windows PC.
 04/24/2009 05:16:20 PM · #22
Originally posted by Yo_Spiff:
"The problem with the world is that it is filled with idiots. The thing is, we are all idiots. Just at different times and about different things."


Now you know why I included the "stupid teenager" bit :P
 04/24/2009 06:43:03 PM · #23
Originally posted by Simms:
However,not sure if many people know this but one of the biggest causes of computer slowdown are having too many fonts installed. seriously, they can kill the performance of a Windows PC.


No kidding. Since I stopped being a graphic designer, I have seen quantum leaps in performance.

R.
 04/24/2009 06:47:14 PM · #24
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
Originally posted by Simms:
However,not sure if many people know this but one of the biggest causes of computer slowdown are having too many fonts installed. seriously, they can kill the performance of a Windows PC.


No kidding. Since I stopped being a graphic designer, I have seen quantum leaps in performance.

R.

And this is one problem which has plagued Macs about equally, though there's usually been better font management software available. Even with lots of people now using PDF files, fonts are still the cause of about half of the problems I have printing customer files ... :-(
 04/24/2009 08:04:42 PM · #25
Originally posted by AmeedEl-Ghoul:
Originally posted by MAK:
The laptop brands we see least of though are TOSHIBA, they seem to be pretty good.


This will be my future purchase.


For the record, my oldest laptop is a Toshiba.
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