How Long Should You Keep a Computer?

Not grinding on PC users here so please don't take it that way. To each their own. I have a Mac Pro that was built 8 or 9 years ago that has been trouble free since I purchased it used 7 years ago with the only exception being a graphics card went bad. Now the second issue pops up and that is I cannot load LR5 because the operating system is not upgradable and will not accept LR5.
The machine works great in everything else. I do have a MacBookPro that I was able to get LR5 loaded too so the software can be used. Just wondering for you out there that use Macs when do you call it quits and upgrade? Not a grind on PC but when I used them I was lucky to get 3 to 4 years out of them and upgrades where more common so I never ran into this before.

usually 3-4 years for me.

there are too many upcoming changes in the computer world to keep one any longer.

similar to your cell phone, every year a new one comes out that kicks last years butt.

PC user here but upgrades were more for performance reasons and less for technical/mechanical reasons. I still have several PCs that are over 10 years old and still function just fine. They are slower than molasses and I have donated many to older family members who still use them for web surfing and email so they do not stress them much from a performance standpoint.

My upgrades tend to be incremental though. Every few years upgrade the OS, upgrade the graphic card, more disk drive, update a CDROM or DVD and such. about every 5 years or so I will start a new build and salvage the newer parts and upgrade the motherboard, processor and memory. I like to keep up with improvement and do so on an as needed basis. My current build has some parts that are quite old and still functioning just fine. My case is probably 15 years old by now and the power supply not much newer. Everything else has been upgraded and the parts put into other machines. My 87 year old aunt has the oldest stuff I think. It still is running and old Athlon XP (t-bred core I think) and that one has to be over 12 years old. So slow but she is happy with it.

My current processing machines are 3 years and 2 years old. I tend to upgrade / replace every 5-6 years.

My oldest Apple machine is a 2009 not completely maxed out iMac that still does very well for photo editing and runs Yosemite smoothly (never did a clean install. Only upgrades). When I was using PC/Windows my replacement window was about 3 years on average.

I'm the same w/ gjl711 here. Mainly upgrade for performance or specific thing I want. EG, 4k/retina. I have both rMBP and PC notebook/desktop running Mac, Windows and even Linux. I build a few PC myself as well, either for specific reason like low power usage server. If you need performance because you shoot RAW or edit video, then I would say 2-3 years. But otherwise every 5-6 years is normal also. Yes there are people who use computer that are older than that, but generally that's not for people who demand computer performance. But if you use your computer online, then I think you want the computer to at least be able to use up-to-date OS and software at the minimum for security reason.

Like nqjudo I have a 2009 IMac and it is completely fine when editing pictures. my only problem is that video editing can be a bit slow, but it's still good enough for me.

I don't trust hard drives older than 3-5 years. Other than that I put as many years on them as possible. Last year I put a new SSD HD, fan, and inverter cable in my 2009 macbook. It is not the speediest thing on the planet but it gets the job done.

Your issue with not being able to upgrade the OS is a common one with recent (last 8 years or so) Macs. Apple clearly saw that the resources needed to keep up 7ish year old Macs, plus the missed revenue from not getting new sales was "hurting" the bottom line. All us with 2009 macs are next up for being cut loose on OS upgrades. Better start planning for your next computer.

Left Handed Brisket wrote in post #17538450
I don't trust hard drives older than 3-5 years. Other than that I put as many years on them as possible. Last year I put a new SSD HD, fan, and inverter cable in my 2009 macbook. It is not the speediest thing on the planet but it gets the job done.

Your issue with not being able to upgrade the OS is a common one with recent (last 8 years or so) Macs. Apple clearly saw that the resources needed to keep up 7ish year old Macs, plus the missed revenue from not getting new sales was "hurting" the bottom line. All us with 2009 macs are next up for being cut loose on OS upgrades. Better start planning for your next computer.

True enough LHB. Keep in mind that the mid-2009 model is target-mode capable. It can work as an external monitor for just a about anything including a Thunderbolt1/2 capable machine via a mini DisplayPort cable. It makes for interesting possibilities to use the iMac as a monitor for a Mac Mini or notebook and still function as storage, etc. on your network. I use this configuration for editing from my MBP quite often.

My $400 emachines from Walmart was purchased 2009. Never replaced any hardware, finally reloaded OS 6 months ago. I still use it today to edit my D600 RAW files.

I am looking to replace it though as I just want a faster machine to make editing more efficient.

Until it stops running or until it begins to interfere with the ability to upgrade. Sounds to me like you should start planning for another computer.

I keep them until they are no longer usable or practical to use. My Toshiba laptop was 6 yrs old until screen started getting dim. Turned off screen, put it on a cooling pad, and hooked it to my tv with hdmi; VIOLA a smart TV!

I used to build a new machine every 18 months or so. (Employed in the Semiconductor world). I build a 1st gen I7-930, with an Intel DX58SO motherboard in 2009. I have upgraded the hard drive multiple times, added a SSD, and maxed out the RAM. The machine is 6 years old and still runs strong. I don't have trouble with RAW files from any of the Canon gear, and it handles what little video I edit. This machine has been problem free from day one. I built a few for some photo buddies and have had zero complaints. This machine rocks...

Regards,

110yd

My i7 2600K machine was built in 2011, so 4 years, and it's still going strong. When I check out cpu benchmarks the performance of new CPUs is around 30-40% better, though I'm not sure about real world performance. I figure in a few years I might upgrade.

2600K CPU score. 4790K CPU score.

Dave R. wrote in post #17538387
Not grinding on PC users here so please don't take it that way. To each their own. I have a Mac Pro that was built 8 or 9 years ago that has been trouble free since I purchased it used 7 years ago with the only exception being a graphics card went bad. Now the second issue pops up and that is I cannot load LR5 because the operating system is not upgradable and will not accept LR5.
The machine works great in everything else. I do have a MacBookPro that I was able to get LR5 loaded too so the software can be used. Just wondering for you out there that use Macs when do you call it quits and upgrade? Not a grind on PC but when I used them I was lucky to get 3 to 4 years out of them and upgrades where more common so I never ran into this before.

You upgrade when you start having this problem. You come across a new app that you can run because you your OS needs an upgrade and there is no upgrade for it.

the time to upgrade is when the computer is too slow and you can't get parts for it. If it's got a fault and the cost of the repair would be the cost of a new computer.

but like anything it up to you. You may find that a new computer could last you another 7 years.

As for myself I build my own so replacing parts is what I do. It gives me the flexibility to upgrade bits as I need to.